2016 FINANCIAL YEAR: GOOD RESULT

Salzburg, March 28, 2017. In the 2016 financial year the BENTELER-Group again enjoyed stable development and achieved a positive result. Earnings from operating activities after non-recurring effects (EBIT) increased to €191.2 million (2015: €136.2 million).

Contributing to this rise were in particular the positive development in the Automotive Division and the sale of BENTELER Engineering Services with effect from January 1, 2017. Revenue, coming in at €7,423 million, was slightly below the previous year (2015: €7,598 million); adjusted for currency effects, revenue was €48 million, or 0.6 percent, lower than the year before. The principal reasons for the fall are the continuing difficult business environment in the Steel/Tube Division – due to the ongoing crisis in the oil and steel tube market – and the sale of BENTELER Trading International. Adjusted for this effect, Group revenue from operations is at the level of the previous year.

“Despite a volatile market environment, we succeeded in achieving a good result in the 2016 financial year,” explained Hubertus Benteler, CEO of BENTELER International AG. For 2017 the BENTELER-Group again expects a slight rise in revenue.

Boosting profitability, increasing competitiveness and maintaining financial independence continue to form the basis for the five-year planning of all Divisions in BENTELER. Revenue is expected to increase to around €11 billion by 2021. The intention is to self-finance this growth in order to ensure a solid financing structure for the Group in the future, too.