Hermle: Incoming orders, turnover and results rise by end of September 2017

Gosheim, 14 November 2017 – The favourable business progress of the Maschinenfabrik Berthold Hermle AG has continued during the third quarter of 2017. Thus the Group turnover of the Swabian machine tool manufacturer increased in the first nine months of 2017 by 2.5 % to €280.6 million compared with the same period last year (previous year: €273.8 million), despite increasing export restrictions. The company's domestic volume rose by 4.8% to €118.8 million (previous year: €113.4 million) and international sales rose by 0.9% to €161.8 million (previous year: €160.4 million). The results, too, were slightly above the level of the previous year at the end of September. 

The Hermle Group' incoming orders increased by 13.0% to €314.6 million (previous year: €278.3 million) during the first three quarters of 2017. The increased growth was equally distributed between the domestic and foreign business areas: It amounted to €130.5 million (previous year: €114.4 million) in Germany and €184.1 million (previous year: €163.9 million) from abroad. At €127.8 million, the Group volume of orders on the target date of 30 September 2017 was roughly the same as in the previous year (€127.7 million).

The currently stable economic climate and automation solutions such as the HS flex handling system all contributed to the propitious order situation. In addition, there is currently very good demand for Hermle's latest innovation, the C 650 machining centre,which was presented at the EMO metalworking trade fair in September. This machining centre extends Hermle's Performance Line up-wards and enables the company to reach additional customer sectors. This means that the company now has three machine models in this series for economical 3-axis and 5-axis machining.

Hermle increased investment in immaterial assets and fixed assets across the Group during the first nine months of 2017 to around €13 million (previous year: €9 million). The bulk of this can be accounted for by two major projects aimed at securing future progress in the region. At the newly developed Zimmern location close to company headquarters, series production of machine beds commenced as planned in the third quarter. The extension of the chipping production facilities at the Gosheim headquarters will be completed in the fourth quarter with the installation of a large machining centre.

At the end of September 2017, the Hermle Group employed 1067 people, 46 more than at the end of 2016 (previous year: 1021). Almost half of this number involved recruitment for the new location in Zimmern. Also, apprentices who had completed their training were adopted into the regular workforce while the training places that they vacated were refilled, and additional service technicians were recruited, especially abroad.

Contact: Redaktionsbüro tik GmbH, Gabriele Rechinger,
T 0911 95 97 870, E-Mail: info@tik-online.de

Images material: Maschinenfabrik Berthold Hermle AG, Udo Hipp,
T 07426 95 6238, E-Mail: udo.hipp@hermle.de