Sales rose by 4.6% to € 183.5 million in the first nine months of the year (previous year: € 175.5 million), driven primarily by increased demand in the focus markets of Energy Management, Healthcare & Analytics and Print. The consolidated operating result (EBIT) improved by 68% to € 12.8 million, which is attributable to an optimized product mix and successfully implemented efficiency measures. The EBIT margin rose to 7.0% (previous year: 4.3%), while the return on capital employed (ROCE) increased to 16.3% (previous year: 10.8%).
Increased demand for cooling systems
In the Energy Management segment, technotrans recorded revenue growth of 11 % to EUR 28.7 million, driven by battery thermal management systems (BTMS) for e-buses and rail vehicles as well as cooling systems for satellite stations and data centers. The Healthcare & Analytics segment achieved strong growth of 40%, with sales rising to EUR 15.1 million due to increased demand for cooling systems for analytics and laboratory technology. The print market also developed positively, with sales up 8% to EUR 63.2 million, supported by strong growth in the packaging, flexographic and digital printing industries. The market for plastics fell by 2% to EUR 37.4 million, while the laser segment was impacted by a weak economy and increasing competition from China, with a decline of 9% to EUR 29.0 million.
Growth also in the Technology segment
The Technology segment increased its sales by 6.6% to 138.6 million euros and achieved an EBIT of 5.8 million euros (previous year: 0.6 million euros). The Services segment remained almost constant with sales of EUR 44.9 million and achieved an EBIT margin of 15.5%. The gross margin rose to 29.2% (previous year: 27.3%).