Striking growth at Rieter Textile Systems

11 Aug '10

6 min read

As a leading supplier to the textile machinery and automotive markets, Rieter successfully exploited the improved market environment in the first half of 2010 to generate organic growth. Compared with the same period of the previous year, Rieter's order intake increased by 92% to 1'615.3 million CHF (840.0 million CHF in 2009) and sales grew by 34% to 1'201.3 million CHF (899.8 million CHF in 2009).

The Rieter Group and both divisions returned to profit at the operating level. The Rieter Group achieved an operating result before interest and taxes (EBIT) of 14.6 million CHF in the first six months. Rieter will reach the announced turnaround and expects to reaffirm the positive half-year operating result for the 2010 financial year as a whole. Furthermore, Rieter already aspires to a positive net result for the current year.

Rieter's markets revived significantly again in the first half of 2010, thus continuing the trend recorded in the second half of 2009. As a leading supplier to the textile and automotive industries, Rieter exploited this market recovery, which was especially pronounced in the textile machinery sector, to generate growth in all regions.

The ongoing restructuring programs, which will for the most part be completed at the end of 2010, continued to be implemented in the first six months. They have made a significant contribution to the improvement in results. At the same time Rieter pressed on with important projects for the further expansion of capacity in both divisions in Asia and the development of market-specific products manufactured locally.

In the context of restructuring measures and the strategy of focusing on the core business, the sale of the nonwovens activities announced in the fourth quarter of 2009 and the disposal of automotive design and engineering firm Idea Institute were completed on March 9 and June 30, 2010, respectively.

Orders received at the Rieter Group rose by 92% to 1'615.3 million CHF (840.0 million CHF in 2009). This was mainly attributable to striking growth at Textile Systems, where orders increased four-fold, and orders were also 35% higher at Automotive Systems. Adjusted for exchange rate fluctuations the increase for the group as a whole amounted to 94%. There covery in the markets, which gained momentum in the course of the period under review, affected all regions.

Group sales rose by 34% to 1'201.3 million CHF (899.8 million CHF in 2009). Expressed in local currencies, the increase amounted to 35%. This growth was equally attributable to the improved trend of business at both Textile Systems and Automotive Systems.

The Rieter Group and both divisions returned to profit at the operating level. The operating result before interest and taxes (EBIT) amounted to 14.6 million CHF, an increase of 151.1 million CHF compared with the same period of the previous year.

This striking improvement in the operating result is attributable to improved capacity utilization due to a 301.5 million CHF increase in sales and further progress in lowering the break even point through rigorous implementation of the restructuring and cost-cutting programs. This resulted in a consolidated pre-tax result of -2.7 million CHF (-149.8 million CHF in 2009) and a net result of -15.3 million CHF (-145.5 million CHF in 2009) at June 30, 2010.

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