Sales and adjusted EBITDA margin stable at ¢ã2.4 billion and 7.2% in 2023/24 despite market challenges.

£¿

Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG is well prepared for the upcoming drupa trade fair (May 28 to June 7). This is shown by the preliminary figures for the past financial year 2023/2024, with which the company has achieved its own forecast.

£¿

The new Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 of the Peak Performance Generation will be unveiled at drupa 2024. It is future-oriented and even more powerful with cloud functions. It will also be equipped with even more intelligent AI software. (Source: Heidelberg)

Despite challenging economic and geopolitical conditions as well as cost pressure on materials, energy and personnel, Heidelberg succeeded in keeping sales stable at around ¢ã2.4 billion (previous year: ¢ã2.435 billion) and the adjusted EBITDA margin at 7.2%.

£¿

Free cash flow reached around ¢ã50 million, whereby no special items, such as from the sale of non-operating assets, were included in the reporting year. This means that the highest free cash flow in more than 10 years was achieved in the past financial year if the free cash flows of previous years had been adjusted for the special items contained therein. These figures underline the successful implementation of the value creation program, which has further improved the company's financial resilience.

£¿

¡°We were able to achieve our financial year targets in a difficult economic environment,¡± CEO Dr. Ludwin Monz said. ¡°Heidelberg¡¯s financial performance was solid. Our value creation program is an important building block in positioning Heidelberg for the future."

£¿

As part of the value creation program, Heidelberg has identified more than 250 measures to increase productivity and strengthen the financial base, which are being implemented on an ongoing basis.

£¿

¡°The resilient development of profitability and free cash flow are proof of our financial discipline and our ability to deliver reliable results even in a difficult environment,¡± said Tania von der Goltz, CFO of Heidelberg. ¡°In a financial year that was characterized by a decline in orders across the industry, we achieved our targets and met our forecasts thanks to the value creation program we initiated at an early stage."

£¿

Incoming orders were also solid in the past 2023/2024 financial year. Although this was around 6% down on the previous year, it developed better than the industry average thanks to Heidelberg¡¯s good market position. This positive development was driven by strong business in Asia, particularly in China.

£¿

Heidelberg is preparing for a successful drupa trade fair with technological innovations that support print shops with their biggest challenges. Automation and digitalization of the value chain as well as solutions for more resource-efficient production are the focus in both of the company's segments.

£¿

Innovative products in the field of offset, digital and flexo printing, supplemented by collaborative robotics for the post-processing of print products, will demonstrate the company's forward-looking orientation at the upcoming trade fair.