18-05-16
Member news
International business expands by almost 20 percent
• Overall revenues from self-adhesive materials, labels
and labelling machines climbed by 12.8 percent to 304.5 million euros.
• The export ratio increased considerably, from 57.5 to 60.9 percent.
• For 2016 the HERMA Group is budgeting for sales growth of around five percent.
Exceptional growth in the international business boosted HERMA's performance in fiscal year 2015. The global specialist in self-adhesive technology expanded by 19.3 percent abroad. Total revenues rose year-on-year by 12.8 percent to close 2015 at 304.5 million euros. The export ratio increased considerably, from 57.5 percent in 2014 to 60.9 percent in 2015 – the highest figure recorded in the company's 110-year history. On the domestic market as well, HERMA posted a respectable advance of 3.9 percent with its self-adhesive materials, labels and labelling machines. The company's two managing directors, Sven Schneller and Dr. Thomas Baumgärtner, stressed their satisfaction with the pattern of business in Germany, but insisted that 2015 had been another year in which Europe, America and Asia were shown to be the regions offering major opportunities for further notable growth. One of the greatest challenges facing the company against this background, they said, was to remain highly competitive on the international arena in the long term. HERMA is taking a major step towards this goal by efficiently consolidating all three divisions on a single site in Filderstadt in the period to 2019, they remarked, but the company must continue to expand its international sales networks as well. In 2015 the number of employees increased from 873 to 945. By the end of 2016 already, the HERMA Group is expecting to have a workforce of 1,000 worldwide. The two managing directors are cautiously optimistic about the sales prospects for 2016. They are currently forecasting growth of around five percent. In view of the order situation in the first quarter, they regard the figure as realistic and are confident that the company is on course.
Significant growth in every division
Sven Schneller and Dr. Thomas Baumgärtner are delighted that all three divisions achieved notable advances in 2015. Once more, the Self-adhesive Materials division performed especially well. In this segment HERMA again grew much faster than the market, posting a gain of 16.9 percent to close the year with sales of 183.2 million euros. "The growth took place more or less uniformly across all the European markets and neighbouring regions. I am certain that our sharp focus on both product and service quality played an instrumental role in this success, as corroborated by our customers," insists Dr. Thomas Baumgärtner.
In the Labels division HERMA expanded its core business with blank labels for industrial customers in particular. "Although only a modest achievement at first sight, it relates to a highly promising driver of growth, namely the field of labelling applications in logistics, which includes the burgeoning internet commerce sector," explains Sven Schneller. HERMA even bucked the general trend by posting moderate growth with labels for the office and consumer segments, which traditionally constitute a stagnant market. In total, the Labels division raised its sales by 5.7 percent to 79.3 million euros.
The Labelling Machines division shipped more than 3,000 labellers for the first time. The segment consisting of specialty machines, typically for the healthcare sector, expanded disproportionately at the same time. Compared to 2014, the division thus increased its sales by 9.7 percent to 41.9 million euros. Furthermore, the next chapter in the growth story has already been mapped out – HERMA has founded its first subsidiary in the United States, focusing specifically on labelling technology. HERMA USA is to launch its operating business this summer.
and labelling machines climbed by 12.8 percent to 304.5 million euros.
• The export ratio increased considerably, from 57.5 to 60.9 percent.
• For 2016 the HERMA Group is budgeting for sales growth of around five percent.
Exceptional growth in the international business boosted HERMA's performance in fiscal year 2015. The global specialist in self-adhesive technology expanded by 19.3 percent abroad. Total revenues rose year-on-year by 12.8 percent to close 2015 at 304.5 million euros. The export ratio increased considerably, from 57.5 percent in 2014 to 60.9 percent in 2015 – the highest figure recorded in the company's 110-year history. On the domestic market as well, HERMA posted a respectable advance of 3.9 percent with its self-adhesive materials, labels and labelling machines. The company's two managing directors, Sven Schneller and Dr. Thomas Baumgärtner, stressed their satisfaction with the pattern of business in Germany, but insisted that 2015 had been another year in which Europe, America and Asia were shown to be the regions offering major opportunities for further notable growth. One of the greatest challenges facing the company against this background, they said, was to remain highly competitive on the international arena in the long term. HERMA is taking a major step towards this goal by efficiently consolidating all three divisions on a single site in Filderstadt in the period to 2019, they remarked, but the company must continue to expand its international sales networks as well. In 2015 the number of employees increased from 873 to 945. By the end of 2016 already, the HERMA Group is expecting to have a workforce of 1,000 worldwide. The two managing directors are cautiously optimistic about the sales prospects for 2016. They are currently forecasting growth of around five percent. In view of the order situation in the first quarter, they regard the figure as realistic and are confident that the company is on course.
Significant growth in every division
Sven Schneller and Dr. Thomas Baumgärtner are delighted that all three divisions achieved notable advances in 2015. Once more, the Self-adhesive Materials division performed especially well. In this segment HERMA again grew much faster than the market, posting a gain of 16.9 percent to close the year with sales of 183.2 million euros. "The growth took place more or less uniformly across all the European markets and neighbouring regions. I am certain that our sharp focus on both product and service quality played an instrumental role in this success, as corroborated by our customers," insists Dr. Thomas Baumgärtner.
In the Labels division HERMA expanded its core business with blank labels for industrial customers in particular. "Although only a modest achievement at first sight, it relates to a highly promising driver of growth, namely the field of labelling applications in logistics, which includes the burgeoning internet commerce sector," explains Sven Schneller. HERMA even bucked the general trend by posting moderate growth with labels for the office and consumer segments, which traditionally constitute a stagnant market. In total, the Labels division raised its sales by 5.7 percent to 79.3 million euros.
The Labelling Machines division shipped more than 3,000 labellers for the first time. The segment consisting of specialty machines, typically for the healthcare sector, expanded disproportionately at the same time. Compared to 2014, the division thus increased its sales by 9.7 percent to 41.9 million euros. Furthermore, the next chapter in the growth story has already been mapped out – HERMA has founded its first subsidiary in the United States, focusing specifically on labelling technology. HERMA USA is to launch its operating business this summer.