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Fig. 1. Peter Hingott, Executive Board Member of BAUER AG. Photo: BAUER

Turnaround: BAUER AG records successful year for 2023 despite global challenges

Looking back on the previous financial years at the BAUER Group, Schrobenhausen/Germany, the figures published by the company at the end of July practically seem to be a decisive turning point: After the conclusion of 2023, BAUER is able to look back on a turbulent but ultimately successful year. Despite the numerous changes and challenges in the company as well as in worldwide politics and the economy, the total Group revenues were increased to 1,831.1 M € and EBIT of 95.2 M € were achieved. The syndicated loan was also extended in advance.

The global environment was shaped by various influencing factors, including Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, attacks by Israel on the Gaza strip, a persisting weak construction sector in China and other Asian countries which have not yet recovered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our year-end result is particularly notable given the background of a cyber attack on our IT infrastructure in late October 2023,” emphasizes Peter Hingott, Executive Board Member of BAUER AG (Figure 1). “Although this incident led to lost sales in the last two months of the year, the figures achieved demonstrate how solid our operative performance has actually already been.”

The extensive capital increase in 2023, which led to a change in the ownership structure, considerably improved the balance sheet structure of the BAUER Group. Net debt fell back considerably and the ratio of net debt to EBITDA was 1.96. “This is nearly a historically low value and shows that our balance sheet is very healthy once again,” remarks Hingott. On this basis, significant investments are also planned in modernizing and expanding equipment production at the Schrobenhausen location.

In the Geotechnical Solutions segment, Bauer succeeded in making a significant turnaround. This was supported by the optimization of the international position as well as projects running very successfully around the world. As a result, the segment achieved a considerable increase in revenue and positive earnings after tax.

The Equipment segment had a stable financial year in terms of the operative business, especially in the regions of the Americas and Europe. In contrast, China was again unsatisfactory as a market and contributed negative results. The cyber attack in late October 2023 influenced this segment most strongly. This resulted in the loss of almost two months of sales and the corresponding earnings contribution, which is why the expectations could not be fulfilled by the end of the year and both revenue and earnings after tax decreased slightly compared with the previous year.

The Resources segment performed encouragingly in the financial year gone by and achieved considerable positive earnings after tax along with the forecast slight decrease in revenue. Here as well, the restructuring measures carried out in the last year meant that the overall positive operative business was also reflected in the figures. Good revenue and earnings performance was achieved in nearly all business divisions despite a market environment for construction in Germany that continues to be difficult.

With a view to the future, BAUER is planning further improvement of the economic performance and intends to focus intensively once again on innovation and technology. “We have to be committed to being the best in order to hold our own against competitors in the years to come. And we want to be the best partner for our customers. We don’t just sell a product or a service – we sell a solution and help our customers to manage their challenges optimally.” (BAUER/Si.)