The annual financial statements for the year 2014 were approved and the previously published preliminary figures confirmed at today’s Supervisory Board meeting. Westag & Getalit AG reported a moderate decline in sales revenues and earnings in the past fiscal year. At € 223.1 million, sales revenues were down by 0.5% on the previous year’s € 224.2 million. This primarily reflects the strong influence of the weak final quarter of 2014, in which revenues were down by 5.5% on the same period of the previous year. Falling by 7.2% in the last three months of the year, export sales had a particularly adverse impact, not least due to the declining business with Russia. Export sales for the full year were down by 3.2% to € 44.7 million (previous year: € 46.2 million). By, contrast, domestic revenues increased moderately.

The Surfaces/Elements Division recorded a 4.8% decline in revenues to € 98.0 million (previous year: € 102.9 million), primarily as a result of the difficult conditions in Europe. As export sales dropped by 9.1% to € 27.0 million (previous year: € 29.8 million), the export share fell to 27.6% (previous year: € 29.0%). 

By contrast, sales revenues in the Doors/Frames Division increased by 3.1% to € 118.2 million in the past fiscal year (previous year: € 114.7 million). In view of the generally difficult sales situation in Europe, the segment’s increased export sales are especially positive. The latter improved by 7.9% to € 17.7 million (previous year: € 16.4 million). The export share amounted to 15.0% (previous year: 14.3%). 

Earnings before taxes amounted to € 8.9 million in the past fiscal year (previous year: € 9.1 million). The moderate 2.8% decline is attributable to the reduction in revenues in the final quarter. Net profit moved in sync with earnings before taxes and came in at € 6.4 million. Earnings per share thus amounted to € 1.15 (previous year: € 1.16) per ordinary share and € 1.21 (previous year: € 1.22) per preference share.

In spite of the reduced net profit, the Management Board and the Supervisory Board of the company will propose an unchanged dividend of € 0.94 per ordinary share and of € 1.00 per preference share to the Annual General Meeting scheduled for August 18, 2015. This is equivalent to a dividend yield of over 5%. 

Personnel information
As of December 31, 2014, Westag & Getalit AG employed 1,301 people (previous year: 1,284). The headcount thus increased by 1.3%, primarily because temporary employment contracts were changed into permanent contracts. The headcount includes 65 trainees and apprentices, who account for 5.0% of the total workforce. In addition to its own staff, the company employed up to 70 temporary workers to cover peak requirements in the past fiscal year.

Capital expenditure
Capital expenditures totalled € 15.9 million in the past fiscal year (previous year: € 12.4 million) and focused on the two large-scale investments in a new double belt press for HPL production and a new lock and hinge processing plant for the manufacture of doors. These investments helped to reduce isolated capacity bottlenecks and laid the basis for further sales growth. The company is also building new halls in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, which will increase the frames production capacity of the door manufacturing plant in the long term. This multi-year investment plan responds to the continued strong demand and positions the company for the future.

Outlook
The economic background suggests that the market environment in 2015 will be difficult, although the company is seeing positive signs for the future. Optimism is primarily fuelled by continued strong housing construction activity  but also by the slowly recovering public and commercial construction sector. In  view of the current environment, the export outlook is somewhat more moderate. While the European economy as a whole is generally likely to stabilise, a further slowdown in the Russian economy may have an adverse
impact on some regions and industries and, hence, on the company’s exports.

The investment projects have laid the basis for new growth segments in Germany and abroad, which will lead to rising sales in the context of a distribution offensive. The appointment of industry insider Franz David as new Management Board member in charge of the Surfaces/Elements Division is expected to stimulate sales going forward as well.

Our earnings forecast for 2015 is subject not only to sales revenues but also to raw materials prices, which are influenced, among other things, by oil-based chemicals. The demand situation in the company’s export markets poses a risk to earnings, too. Assuming a stable economic trend, in conjunction with the planned distribution offensive and strict cost management, the conditions are in place, however, for future earnings growth. Against this background, the company projects a moderate increase in sales revenues and earnings for 2015.