Moderate decrease in employment and further expansion of R&D capacities
Moderate decrease in employment and further expansion of R&D capacities
With OECHSLER AG, the OECHSLER Group is one of the 15 largest employers in the manufacturing industry in Middle Franconia. In 2020, under the difficult conditions caused by the pandemic, the number of employees at the German sites was reduced only moderately and exclusively through natural fluctuation. At the end of the year, OECHSLER had just under 3,000 employees, a good 300 fewer than in the previous year. Of these, about 1,400, including more than 80 trainees, were employed at the OECHSLER sites in Ansbach, Weißenburg (OECHSLER AG) and Ansbach-Brodswinden (OECHSLER Motion GmbH) - and thus about 50 employees less than in the previous year.
In the reporting year, OECHSLER continued to expand its personnel capacities in the area of research and development, whose importance for the Group in Germany and at the headquarters in Ansbach is continuously increasing. In addition to polymer injection molding, additive manufacturing and the broader application of OECHSLER's actuator expertise are the focal points of the work here.
The focus of the Group's investment activities, which were more restrained than in previous years due to the business development in the reporting year, was on technical equipment and machinery as well as on land and buildings. The total investment volume in 2020 amounted to €19.3 million (2019: €73.7 million), of which €10.3 million (2019: €22.4 million) was in Germany. Investments of around 40 million euros are planned for 2021. The goal is to further strengthen all locations of the entire Group.
Great market potential through new applications and innovative production technologies
Dr Claudius M. Kozlik, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of OECHSLER AG, emphasised on the occasion of the presentation of the annual results: "Due to the pandemic, 2020 was a challenging year for our customers - and thus also for us. We see ourselves all the more encouraged to stick to our strategy of cautious diversification. Our international footprint with a presence in North America, Europe and Asia enables us to supply global customers locally with our innovative products and assemblies. At the same time, we have established additive manufacturing as a second manufacturing technology alongside injection moulding - one of the fastest growing production technologies of the future. Here, OECHSLER already holds a global and leading position in the market today and is thus opening up new customer segments beyond the automotive sector. In the medium term, the transformation into a market-driven developer and manufacturer of technologically complex assemblies offers further considerable strategic potential."
Michael Meyer, CFO of OECHSLER AG, added: "Employees, management and owners of OECHSLER have accepted the challenge of the Corona pandemic and can be proud of the past fiscal year today: Despite considerable declines in our sales markets Automotive and Innovative Solutions, we were able to completely refrain from layoffs and make all important investments for the future. With an equity ratio of 52.5 percent, which is high in comparison to the rest of the industry, and access to sufficient liquidity, the Group continues to be in a rock-solid financial position and will emerge stronger from the Covid-19 crisis in the long term. The Handelsblatt has recognised OECHSLER's excellent prospects and has once again named us one of the fastest-growing medium-sized companies in German industry in 2020."
