KNAPP concludes most successful business year in company history

KNAPP AG can look back on the most successful business year in its 65-year company history. In the past business year 2017/18, the company recorded an increase in its net revenue of 12.3 percent from 631.9 to 709.6 million euros.  The group of companies as a whole recorded a growth in profit of 29.8 percent generating 45.2 million euros. The order volume increased by 32 percent to 926 million euros. As a result, the past business year marked an increase in all relevant company key figures upon its conclusion on March 31, 2018.

In comparison to the previous year, the KNAPP group not only increased net sales revenue considerably by over 12 percent, but also the EBIT by close to 30 percent from 35 to 45 million euros. The Managing Board of Gerald Hofer, Franz Mathi and Christian Grabner is delighted at the sustainable financial success and ascribe the increase in turnover to the company’s innovative force. “We’re extremely pleased with the success of the past business year, which once again showed sustainable increase in turnover as well as profit. Thanks to the commitment of our teams across over 35 sites, we recorded a record order intake of 926 million euros. A success that underlines our position on the market and enables us to increase our budget for research and development from 38 to over 40 million euros and to take further important steps that point the way to the future,” affirmed Gerald Hofer, CEO of KNAPP AG. Consequently, the business year 2018/19 will also focus on investment in new and further developments of infrastructure.

Employee growth and investment in the subsidiary network

Over 300 new employees become members of the KNAPP family every year – 150 at the headquarters alone. And this employee growth will continue. “We want to highlight the excellent career prospects our company offers graduates with technical qualifications as well as career-changers. As part of this, we are exploring new avenues and are going to places where there is extraordinarily high potential. Just one example is the planning office we have opened at Lakeside Park in Klagenfurt,” explained KNAPP COO Franz Mathi. Economic success and above-average employee growth facilitate and demand improved infrastructure. KNAPP will invest around 55 million euros in site expansions and IT infrastructure on both a regional and international level. “Besides building an innovation centre complete with showroom and around 500 office workstations at the headquarters in Hart bei Graz, the sites in Dobl and Leoben will also undergo further expansion. International growth will be ensured by the new US headquarters in Atlanta and investment in the UK as well as in Germany and South America, among other measures,” affirmed Mathi.

New companies under the KNAPP AG umbrella

KNAPP expands its competencies in control technology and bundles its expertise, experience and synergies through the acquisition of participating interests and sometimes complete integration of companies. KNAPP, for instance, expanded their participation in the KHT / Apostore Group to 100 % at the beginning of this year. Apostore develops and produces pharmacy autopickers for pharmacies, hospitals and wholesale. KNAPP can now top off its range for the pharma supply chain with the Apostore solutions – all the way to the pharmacy counters. KHT’s devices for weighing and measuring articles are also ideal additions to the product portfolio.

Since the autumn of 2017, KNAPP AG has also had a majority share in ISS-Automation. The Westphalian company from Gronau develops control and software solutions for the entire gamut of goods sortation – particularly for sorting systems of courier, express and parcel service providers – thereby complementing KNAPP’s competencies in the area of high-performance sorting solutions.

Innovations and sustainable company development

Market and customer requirements that change dynamically in light of digitalization, the booming e-commerce sector or the Internet of Things call for high flexibility, scalability and an unprecedented level of perfectionism in the automation and management of storage and production processes. KNAPP’s response to this technological shift is its numerous innovations that put it in a strong position for the future. “A crucial factor is the commitment to sustainable company development on the part of the owners. It’s what allows us to invest the majority of the profit in the company, continue to expand our 35 international sites, invest in training for our employees and to actively promote research and development. Because of all these positive measures, we can bring new innovations with tangible added value for our customers onto the market, combine high-end technology with our specialized knowledge of sectors and thereby design optimum bespoke system solutions,” summed up KNAPP CFO Christian Grabner. “This comprehensive package of services makes us a very appealing employer. We have the best team and are still able to get the best brains in the business excited about KNAPP to ensure our company grows and continues to develop,” added Grabner.

About KNAPP AG

KNAPP is one of the leading providers of all-in-one intralogistics solutions, automated warehouse systems and logistics software solutions. Across the globe, countless customers from the worlds of healthcare, retail, food retail and industry place their trust in the experience and innovative power of the KNAPP group. Each year, KNAPP invests around 30 million euros in research and development and its innovative solutions have made lasting impacts on intralogistics. With around 3,800 employees, the company generated a turnover of 710 million euros in the past business year 2017/2018.