Press sales up 31% as Dieffenbacher seeks better 2006

German press builder Dieffenbacher's overall 2005 sales rose by more than 31 per cent compared to the previous year, to e232 million. "That's the highest turnover in our 133-year company history," commented CEO Wolf-Gerd Dieffenbacher. "This year we're expecting another increase in Group sales and profits".

Equity capital rose to just under e42 million at the end of last year, also a record level, from the previous year's e32 million. Current orders guarantee a high level of capacity utilisation through to December 2006 and investment to underpin the future is growing.. Total investments for 2007 are running at e10 million. These are focused on developments in China and the Czech Republic as well as modernising machinery used in Eppingen.

The group develops and manufactures press systems and complete production systems for the automotive and components industries and the wood panel industry. It employs approximately 900 people worldwide, about 520 at the headquarters in Eppingen and 100 in countries outside Germany.
Dieffenbacher scored three quarters of its total sales in the 2005 business year with the Wood-Based Panel Division and the remaining quarter with the Forming Division.

The distribution of orders received in 2005 was more geographically even than during previous years, in which China dominated. Last year the most important markets for Dieffenbacher were North America, Europe and Asia.
The increased workload has made it possible for the company to boost employment prospects Thirty-five new staff have been taken on since January 2005 - 20 of them this year The majority of new jobs have been created in Eppingen, where an assembly plant for automation technology has been set up. With its current total of 43 apprentices, Dieffenbacher is making an important contribution to the "National Pact on Training Young Technicians in Germany" that was agreed in 2004 and is providing young people with the opportunity to learn a trade.

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