The Bertrandt Group continues to grow

Sunday, 27 August 2006

Sales and EBIT clearly increasing Download MS-Word PDF File The Bertrandt Group could carry forward the positive profit trend in the third quarter 2005/06. The engineering partner of the international automotive and aviation industry increased its sales profits with 173,798 thousand Euros (previous year 162,970 thousand Euros). The EBIT improved with 9,841 thousand Euros (previous year -815 thousand Euros). The net profit comes to 5,131 thousand Euros (previous year -1,970 thousand Euros). Sales increase with seven per cent Bertrandt continued the positive earnings and sales development of the first half-year. After three quarters the company could generate group wide sales profits of 173,798 thousand Euros (previous year 162,970 thousand Euros), which corresponds to an increase of 6.6 per cent. The EBIT could be superproportionally increased and amounts to 9,841 thousand Euros (previous year -815 thousand Eu-ros) after nine months. The company gained a net profit of 5,131 thousand Euros (previous year -1,970 thousand Euros). The basis for the positive company development is the strategic ad-justment of the Bertrandt Group, which connects customer and sub-sidiary-oriented market cultivation with group wide competence cen-tres. Thus higher project volumes could be achieved and in conse-quence an optimised extent of utilisation in the operational units. The completed program for the reduction of costs and structural change contributed likewise to the improvement in earnings. Due to the positive free cash flow of 10,940 thousand Euros (previous year -1,205 thousand Euros), which essentially results from the improved earnings, liabilities could be discharged again. With an equity ratio of 46 per cent Bertrandt is among the substantial companies of the automotive industry. New jobs created again The growth trend is likewise evident in the number of employees: On 30 June 2006 Bertrandt employed 3,388 employees (previous year 3,051) world wide. Solely in the period under report approximately 337 new jobs were created. In order to meet the further company growth and the high requirements in complex projects, Bertrandt actively recruits experienced engineers as well as qualified junior employees. Both in the classical body-in-white and interior development fields as well as in the electronics, engineering services, powertrain and testing growth areas, engineers with specialised knowledge and qualified junior employees are in de-mand. Growth trend continues For the entire 2005/2006 the company expects a continuous positive business development and a definite sales and result increase in relation to the previous year.