Würth Group reported first half 2018 sales of €6.8 billion, representing year-on-year growth of 6.5% at actual exchange rates. Adjusted for exchange rates, sales growth was 9%. The Group operating result increased to €400 million.
Würth companies in Germany increased sales by 7.9% to €2.9 billion. Sales growth for the rest of the world was 5.4%. Eastern and southern Europe business continued to develop very well, reporting double-digit sales growth. Robert Friedmann, chairman of the central managing board of the Würth Group, commented: “We still expect that we will be able to report sales and operating result records again in 2018, even if the ifo Business Climate Index has dropped slightly in June and economic forecasts are only cautiously optimistic.” The Group operating result improved by 19.4% to €400 million in the first half of the year. “We are satisfied with this above-average increase in profits,” Friedmann said.
In June, Adolf Würth GmbH & Co KG celebrated the groundbreaking for its new freight hub in the Gewerbepark Hohenlohe industrial area next to the A6 highway, which is targeted at avoiding split deliveries and consolidating orders to make sure customers receive only one shipment in the future. Adolf Würth will continue to develop its range of services to expand the partnership with its customers even further. Around €73 million will be invested in the new European transport hub located on a 50,000m² site, in which 20% of all orders handled will be shipped directly to other European countries.
Two years after opening its highly modern logistics centre and sample factory, Würth Elektronik eiSos is investing another €25 million in its site in Waldenburg, doubling its existing storage, picking and logistics spaces with the construction of 4,000m² of logistics area and a 1,300m² fully automated shuttle warehouse. In Italy, the Würth Electrical Wholesale Group has expanded its footprint by entering into a strategic partnership (controlling interest) with MEB Srl, one of the leading electrical wholesalers in northern Italy, located in Schio, Veneto. The transaction is subject to the approval of anti-trust authorities.
The number of Würth employees increased by 1,975 to 76,134 in the first half of 2018, of which 23,305 are in Germany. The Group currently has 32,898 sales force employees on the payroll.
Having held senior management roles in leading automotive and fastener businesses, Phil joined Fastener + Fixing Magazine as editor in 2002. Convinced there is no substitute for ‘being there’, over 17 years of visits and interviews around the world means he has accumulated an extraordinary knowledge and perspective of the global fastener industry, reflected in his incisive and thought provoking reporting.
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