Glass Processing – Bystronic glass

The Glass Processing segment generated net revenue of CHF 133.3 million in 2018, an 11.7% increase over the previous year (CHF 119.3 million). At stable exchange rates, revenue rose by 10.4%. The operating result amounted to CHF 7.6 million (CHF 6.3 million), yielding an EBIT margin of 5.9% (5.4%). After a very dynamic first half of the year, driven by the delivery of various large-scale orders, the business environment cooled in the second half of the year. Despite that, for the full year double-digit revenue growth was reported both in the automotive glass and architectural glass product segments thanks to exceptional progress in Asia and the Americas. By contrast, order intake by product segment was mixed. The automotive glass product segment, which is subject to strong inherent fluctuations, was unable to continue on from the previous year’s strong performance, which was driven by large-scale orders, whereas order intake in the architectural glass product segment was pleasing, particularly in Europe and America. Thus order intake in 2018 was slightly higher than the previous year, while the order book at the end of the year, following the completion of the aforementioned large-scale orders, was lower than the previous year.

The measures initiated in 2017 to optimize global processes and improve business processes at the Neuhausen plant contributed to an improvement in results in the reporting year. By contrast, business performance in China, where investments to strengthen sales and product development had been made, did not quite meet expectations or reach its potential in 2018. Organizational measures such as closer consultation between sales and manufacturing or the modularization of the product range, particularly in the architectural glass product segment, remain priorities for 2019. The aim is to reduce delivery times and continue to improve efficiency. At the same time, additional investments are being made in market development, particularly in Asia, in intensifying key account management and in developing the range of products and services. The focus remains firmly on solutions geared towards productivity and a “total cost of ownership” sales approach. Increasing effort is being put into digitalization projects to convert machine data into added value for customers and to further enhance the service business.