International technology Group Andritz (a.o. maker of feed manufacturing machinery) showed solid business development during the third quarter of 2012 and the first three quarters of 2012.
In the third quarter of 2012, sales amounted to €1,265.5 million, which is an increase of 7.9% compared to last year’s reference figure (Q3 2011: 1,173.1 MEUR).
With the exception of the Separation business area, all business areas noted increases in sales. In the first three quarters of 2012, sales, at €3,703.3 million, rose by 16.3% compared to the previous year’s reference period (Q1-Q3 2011: €3,184.2 m).
The Feeds&Biofuel section saw a sales revenue in the three quarters of this financial year of €133.8 million, a 24.5% increase compared to the same period of last year.
Order intake for this group increased with 19.7% to €128.6 million compared to the same period last year.
EBITA for the group amounted to €86.5 m in the third quarter of 2012 and thus almost reached the previous year’s reference figure (-3.7 % vs. Q3 2011: €89.8 m). The EBITA margin declined to 6.8% (Q3 2011: 7.7%).
This decline is mainly attributable to the Pulp & Paper business area (execution of large orders) and the Separation business area (cost overruns at some projects and investments in the expansion of business activities in the emerging markets).
The EBITA in the first three quarters of 2012, at €242.1 m, increased by 9.3% compared to the reference period of the previous year (Q1-Q3 2011: €221.4m).
Commenting on the outlook for the 2012 business year, President and CEO Wolfgang Leitner says: “Although there is perceptible caution in investment activity in the industries served by Andritz due to the very difficult overall economic environment, the overall project activity is satisfactory.
“However, the visibility of upcoming projects and the award of orders have shortened significantly, particularly for large-scale investments.”
For the full year of 2012, the Andritz Group expects an increase in sales to approximately €5 billion.
The net income is also expected to rise compared to last year. However, if the global economy should deteriorate further in the coming months, this may have a negative impact on the Group’s earnings.