At € 3,087 million, order intake for SMS group was € 217 million (7.6 %) higher than the previous year’s total of € 2,870 million. Sales of EUR 2,805 million, slightly (2.8 %) below the 2017 level, reflect the lower order intake of the preceding years. In terms of the earnings before taxes, SMS group achieved a moderate increase of 16.5 % to € 27 million. The equity ratio rose slightly to 20.5 %. The number of employees in Germany and abroad fell slightly to around 13,900 at the end of 2018.
One of the reasons for the positive developments is the implementation of the measures from the "Task Force ’21" transformation program. The program’s stated targets were met as planned and in some cases exceeded. As part of Task Force ’21, over 1,100 measures are being implemented worldwide to develop new fields of investment while simultaneously realizing cost savings potential.
Torsten Heising, CFO: "Overall, we are satisfied with developments in 2018. We expect the positive trend to continue in 2019 and our medium-term targets to be reaffirmed."
More information of the press conference to be followed.
_{(Source: SMS group)}