Based on its preliminary financial statement Würth Group reported 2015 sales of 11.05 billion euros – a 9% increase over 2015.
Robert Friedmann, chairman of the central managing board of the Würth Group, expressed satisfaction with the sales growth. “We were able to expand our sales volume by 9%. Among other things, this is due to the successful regional expansion of individual business units, the branch office network and the sales force.” Exchange rate fluctuations had a positive effect on the Würth Group, driving sales growth by another 2.5 percentage points.
Above-average growth rates were achieved in regions such as southern and eastern Europe. In Spain, Würth achieved sales growth of 11.6%. In Germany, sales volume grew by 4.2%. Outside Europe, the Group developed positively, especially in North America.
September and October 2015 were the most successful in the history of the Würth Group. In both months it achieved sales of slightly more than one billion euros.
In 2015, 1,000 additional sales representatives were hired worldwide, bolstering the Würth Group’s reputation as the largest employer of employed sales representatives. The Group plans to hire 1,500 additional sales representatives in 2016. Investments will also be continued in multichannel distribution, which includes the sales force, branch offices and e-business activities.
The total number of employees increased from 66,044 to 68,922. In Germany alone, more than 900 new employees were hired.
The Würth Group’s equity capital increased by 300 million euros to around 4 billion euros in 2015 (previous year: 3.68 billion euros), corresponding to an equity ratio of around 44%.
In 2015, the Würth Group made targeted investments in new acquisitions in promising foreign markets. At the end of the year, it acquired Des Moines Bolt (DMB) Supply Inc based in Iowa, USA, a large fastener supplier operating mainly in the agriculture and construction sector, with 2015 sales of US$40 million (36.7 million euros).
“Investments in future growth and increasing price pressure have prevented a parallel development of profits and sales. We are planning to improve our profitability in 2016 while still generating reasonable sales growth,” explained Robert Friedmann.
Will joined Fastener + Fixing Magazine in 2007 and over the last 15 years has experienced every facet of the fastener sector - interviewing key figures within the industry and visiting leading companies and exhibitions around the globe.
Will manages the content strategy across all platforms and is the guardian for the high editorial standards that the Magazine is renowned.
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