2012 Results:
- Sales increased by 5.2 percent to 6.13 billion USD
- Operating Result: 251 million USD before tax
- Acquisitions strengthen chemical sector
- 65,945 employees worldwide (as of June 30, 2012)
Indianapolis, IN - The Würth Group, a globally operating company and world market leader in its core business--the trade in assembly and fastening material--closed the first half of 2012 with overall sales of EUR 5.0 billion (6.13 billion USD).
“We are well on the way to attaining our sales target of EUR 10 billion (12.26 billion USD) this year as well as setting a new sales record,” Robert Friedmann, Chairman of the Central Managing Board of the Würth Group, comments on the current business development. Mr. Friedmann attributes slower sales growth of the same period last year to the poor economic framework conditions in many European countries. “Spain and Italy contributed to much of the sales volume and operating results in the past.”
Compared to the first half of 2011, the German companies increased their sales volume by 4.5 percent to 2.7 billion USD (2011: 2.57 billion USD). The companies outside of Germany grew by 5.9 percent and generated sales of 3.43 billion USD (2011: 3.31 billion USD).
The American companies of the Würth Group developed well also. The South American region stepped up sales by 7.6 percent; the companies in North America grew above average by 22.9 percent to 588.5 million USD in the first six months of 2012.
The Würth Group’s operating result is also shaping up nicely. Operating results as of the end of the first half of the year comes to 251.3 million USD (first half year 2011: 225.6 million USD). Robert Friedmann is optimistic, expecting decent operating result growth in 2012, “Würth has always reacted well to volatile economic situations. However, it would be wrong to say that times were easy. We are lacking the economic tailwind to make such a statement.
Investments
Würth makes targeted investments in business fields complementing the trade in assembly and fastening materials. In June, the Würth Group acquired two chemical companies: Dinol GmbH based in Lügde, Germany, and Diffutherm B.V. based in Bergeijk, Netherlands. The companies have 150 employees on their payroll and generated sales of 73.5 million USD in 2011. Dinol and Diffutherm develop, produce and distribute adhesives, corrosion protection, underbody protection as well as insulation materials and sealants mainly for the automotive and construction industry.
Employees
To facilitate further growth, the Würth Group also increased the number of staff members in the first half of 2012, always taking into account the economic conditions in the respective regions: compared to the same period last year, the Group hired on an additional 501 employees (+.08 percent). Currently, the Würth Group has a total of 65,945 employees (as of June 30, 2012); 32,061 of them work in the sales force. In Germany, the Würth Group has a total of 19,424 employees, while the Würth companies abroad report 46,521 employees.