• Good order intake of €602m
• Favourable customer response to new and enhanced solutions
• Guidance for 2017 confirmed: revenue of up to €1.25bn and an EBIT margin of around 6%   

After a good start to the year in which Koenig & Bauer celebrates its 200th anniversary, the group is able to report favourable business performance in the second quarter of 2017. “The successful trade shows Print China in Beijing, interpack in Düsseldorf and METPACK in Essen contributed to a substantial year-on-year increase in order intake in packaging solutions for cardboard, metal decorating, marking and coding and glass and hollow container printing. Despite this growth and the expansion of service business, the order intake of €601.9m was slightly down on the previous year’s figure of €618.8m, which had been spurred by major security press orders,” explained CEO Claus Bolza-Schünemann. With group revenue dropping slightly to €538.9m compared with the previous year due to more deliveries in H2, the order backlog remained high at €620.5m.

Group earnings boosted by the substantial increase in Sheetfed profit

Order intake in the Sheetfed segment grew by 12.2% thanks to increased service business and more orders for medium-format presses. The flatbed die-cutters for postprint processing of cardboard and corrugated also made a gratifying contribution to growth.

Guidance for 2017 confirmed

The order backlog of at the end of the first half, expanding service business, steady demand in the packaging markets and promising customer projects in security and digital printing, the management board expects revenue growth to accelerate with a positive effect on earnings in the further course of the year.