GEA announces first quarter results

Service business in the Business Area Equipment posted above-average growth, leading to a rise in profit margins in this area. In contrast, a decline in the gross margin, higher selling expenses, and risk provisioning adversely affected the result of the Business Area Solutions. At €74.6 million, group earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) before restructuring measures were around €2.8 % below the figure – adjusted for international financial reporting standards 16 – for the same quarter of the previous year. The return on capital employed (ROCE) was 12 % in the first quarter. Both indicators, ROCE and EBITDA before restructuring measures, were in line with expectations.

In order to create more transparency and comparability, GEA revised its management system for the current fiscal year. Therefore, as of this quarter, GEA has been applying the customary market indicators of EBITDA before restructuring measures, and ROCE.

“GEA made a solid start to 2019. The Business Area Equipment managed to increase earnings in the first quarter, thanks largely to higher revenues and a disproportionate increase in service business. As announced in March, we have now drawn up further measures to counter the decline in earnings in the Business Area Solutions in the short term, this following the personnel changes already introduced there,” said Stefan Klebert, Chief Executive Officer of GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft.

They include measures to address the issue of overcapacity in the short term – notably in the field of dairy processing – and the fixing of selective underperforming businesses. According to initial estimates, between 200 and 250 full time equivalents will be affected by the cuts at various locations around the world.

“These measures are the result of analyses conducted in recent weeks, and aim solely to optimise the operative business side of the Business Area Solutions. The provisions set aside for the planned restructuring will amount to between €30 and 45 million and will probably be posted in the second quarter of the year. All in all, we can confirm our forecast for the 2019 financial year,” said Stefan Klebert.

At the same time, GEA is working on plans to restructure the future organisation of the group, which is to be communicated on 24 June 2019.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/materials-handling/13052019/gea-announces-first-quarter-results/