KBA kicks back with jump in orders

Demand for printing presses could put KBA back to the black.

In its half-yearly report, KBA showed signs of strength, with sales up 4.5 per cent on the same period last year, coming in at €473.2 million, and the pre-tax loss slashed from €47.4 million to €22 million.

Sales of sheetfed presses climbed 5.3 per cent to 199.3 million, while sales of web and special presses were up by 3.9 per cent to €273.9 million. Demand for sheetfed presses started to pick up in March, while it took big web presses until June to show some growth.

KBA’s president and CEO, Helge Hansen, (pictured) expects an increase of sales for the current year of 7.5 per cent to more than €1.1 billion. “We are confident that the substantial improvement in performance compared to the first six months of 2009 will continue for the rest of the year, and that we shall post a single-digit rise in sales and a bigger pre-tax profit than the €2.7 million in 2009,” he said.

The German company is also cooling down on its search for acquisitions for the moment, though a statement said that the group remains committed to diversifying from its traditional business of press technology into new fields.

“Protracted negotiations on a potential acquisition with a business volume of well over 100 million recently fell through when the risks to which KBA would be exposed proved too high,” said Hansen.

“Further options are currently being pursued with the due diligence and patience essential in the current business climate … we are in no hurry and have no desire to enter a venture with an uncertain outcome.”