Wacker Neuson Revenue Leaps 11.5 Percent in Second Quarter
International light, heavy and compact equipment manufacturer Wacker Neuson reported record revenues for the second quarter of €425.2 million, compared to €381.4 million in the second quarter of 2016, an 11.5-percent uptick. Profit before interest and tax (EBIT) was €46.7 million compared to €33.2 million in the year-ago quarter, a 40.7-percent jump, with an 11 percent EBIT margin.
Revenue for the first half of the year was €763.7 million compared to €697.8 million in the first half of last year, a 9.4-percent climb, with EBIT jumping by 20 percent year over year.
In Europe, which is Wacker Neuson’s largest market, the group reported a 6-percent rise in revenue year over year, while revenue growth in the Americas were far more robust.
“We reported a 32-percent rise in revenue in North and South America for the second quarter and an increase of 23 percent for the first six months of the year,” said Cem Peksaglam, CEO of Wacker Neuson. “We are particularly pleased to see strong growth in compact equipment, especially with our skid-steer loaders, wheel loaders and telescopic handlers. We have also made further progress on expanding our dealer network.
“Our light equipment business is developing particularly strongly at the moment. Worksite technology is leading the way here, with products such as generators and light towers performing especially well in North America. We are also seeing strong results from compaction technology, in particular with products connected to our alliance with Hamm AG.”
Business in Australia and Zealand posted a double-digit increase. Wacker Neuson is progressing on its new factory near Shanghai.
Looking forward to the second half of 2017, Peksaglam said “We are positive about the second half of 2017 due to the healthy order situation and positive mood across all key markets. In Europe, we expect the construction industry to continue on its positive growth path and demand in the agricultural sector to rise. In Americas, we expect the strong performance of the first six months to continue, fueled in particular by business with compact equipment. The second half of the year got off to a great start.”
About the Author
Michael Roth
Editor
Michael Roth has covered the equipment rental industry full time for RER since 1989 and has served as the magazine’s editor in chief since 1994. He has nearly 30 years experience as a professional journalist. Roth has visited hundreds of rental centers and industry manufacturers, written hundreds of feature stories for RER and thousands of news stories for the magazine and its electronic newsletter RER Reports. Roth has interviewed leading executives for most of the industry’s largest rental companies and manufacturers as well as hundreds of smaller independent companies. He has visited with and reported on rental companies and manufacturers in Europe, Central America and Asia as well as Mexico, Canada and the United States. Roth was co-founder of RER Reports, the industry’s first weekly newsletter, which began as a fax newsletter in 1996, and later became an online newsletter. Roth has spoken at conventions sponsored by the American Rental Association, Associated Equipment Distributors, California Rental Association and other industry events and has spoken before industry groups in several countries. He lives and works in Los Angeles when he’s not traveling to cover industry events.