Environmentally friendly personal mobility, autonomous and connected driving and the increasing variety of models and variants are the key market trends for Bertrandt. The dynamic growth in these areas and the resulting transformation processes are causing major upheaval in the automotive industry. Mobility and IT are becoming increasingly interconnected and new markets are opening up. The areas of interest to the Bertrandt Group are increasing in both breadth and depth. As a solution-focused engineering service provider, the group is adapting to these changes, meeting the requirements of the market and its customers and investing in its infrastructure and the expertise of its employees. “Because of the growing interconnect between mobility and data, new areas, services and opportunities for cooperation are emerging alongside our traditional fields of business. Bertrandt is increasingly making use of these to develop the best solutions for its customers,” said Chairman of the Board Dietmar Bichler.
The first quarter had two fewer working days than the same period in the previous year. In addition, the pressure on prices, which was a predominant feature of the previous financial year, continued to be felt in the individual business areas. The group’s total revenue for the reporting period amounted to EUR 249.1 million (EUR 246.0 million in the previous year). The EBIT was EUR 17.8 million (EUR 17.6 in the previous year). This corresponds to a margin of 7.1 percent (7.2 percent in the previous year). The net profit was EUR 11.8 million (EUR 11.6 million in the previous year). Responding to demand, the group invested EUR 14.0 million in buildings and technical facilities in the first three months of the financial year (EUR 10.9 million in the previous year). This included internally generated assets amounting to EUR 0.6 million (0.2 million in the previous year) which were spent on the development of internal skills in the fields of connected, autonomous and electric vehicles. The equity ratio rose from 48.2 percent in the first quarter of the last financial year to 49.6 percent. During the reporting period Bertrandt employed 13,055 people. The workforce has grown by 85 since the end of the 2016/2017 financial year (12,970 people on 30 September 2017).
Provided that the economic situation does not deteriorate, manufacturers continue to invest in research and in developing new technologies and models, development services are still outsourced to service providers and sufficient skilled staff are available, Bertrandt expects to continue growing during the 2017/2018 financial year. The three main factors that influence the group’s business – the growing variety of models and variants, environmentally friendly personal mobility and autonomous, connected driving – remain unchanged and offer the company a wide range of different opportunities for the future.
| IFRS-based figures for the Bertrandt Group | 01/10/2017 - 31/12/2017 | 01/10/2016 - 31/12/2016 |
| Total revenue (in EUR thousands) | 249,138 | 246,010 |
| EBIT (in EUR thousands) | 17,769 | 17,623 |
| Net profit (in EUR thousands) | 11,764 | 11,600 |
| Free cashflow (in EUR thousands) | 24,420 | 13,227 |
| Investments (in EUR thousands) | 14,049 | 10,912 |
| Equity ratio (in percent) | 49.6 | 48.2 |
| Employees worldwide | 13,055 | 13,061 |
