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Manufacturer of
fittings, Blum, increased its turnover by 2.8 % in comparison to the previous
year and recorded 1,839.42 million euros in turnover in the business year ended
30 June 2018. Growth amounted to 5 % adjusted for currency effects. Blum
achieved 48 % of its turnover in the EU area and 15 % in the USA. The fittings
specialist delivers its products to more than 120 countries all over the world
and is represented internationally by 30 subsidiaries and representative
offices. It has been decided that the third generation will take the helm of
Julius Blum GmbH on 1 July 2019.
Employees are the basis of our success
“Our success
is mainly due to the high performance of our team worldwide and the excellent
collaboration between all our departments and organisations,” says Managing
Director Gerhard E. Blum, underlining the importance of employees to Blum. On
average, the fittings manufacturer employed 7,509 persons worldwide, which is a
growth of 368 employees in comparison to the previous year. In addition, 94 new
apprentices (15 of whom girls) will start a technical course of training with
Blum Austria on 1 September. The Blum Group will provide vocational training to
361 apprentices (19 of whom at Blum USA) as of autumn.
Different market developments
Most markets
in Western Europe achieved an increase in turnover in the 2017/2018 financial
year. The company benefited from continued recovery in South European markets
and recorded ongoing positive developments in Eastern Europe. The upswing of
the Russian market was very pleasing. The strength of the euro had a negative
impact on sales in America, the Pacific region and in Asia over the last 12
months. This led to a decrease in turnover in North and South America, although
the development was positive in the national currency. In Asia, above all in
India, China and South East Asia, growth continued despite negative currency
effects.
Regional and international investments
The first
production hall of the new Stamping Centre (Plant 8) in Dornbirn was completed
and employees started moving into the new premises before the start of the
holiday shutdown. The high bay warehouse with 11,600 places will go into operation
at the same time. The second production hall should be completed by April 2019.
Employees will move into the new office building at Plant 2 in Hoechst from
September to December 2018. A substantial amount is also invested in Blum’s
market organisations to further improve the company’s offering worldwide. For
example, a new high bay warehouse was put into operation in Poland, and a new
showroom opened in Slovakia. The extension to the office building and warehouse
in Portugal should be completed by September 2018. Investments of the Blum
Group totalled 216 million euros in the 2017/2018 business year.
Environmental protection and careful use of
resources
Blum attaches
importance to environmental protection and careful use of resources. That is
why the company has been investing in environmentally-friendly measures for
decades. Since the start of 2018, 100 per cent of Blum’s energy has been
generated from certified hydropower. With this measure the manufacturer of
fittings intends to reduce its CO2 emissions in Austria by well over a third.
Blum has teamed up with other companies in the province and is an active member
of three environmental protection networks: Climate Neutral Alliance 2025, the
Energy Efficiency Network and the “Wirtschaft Mobil” network. 13 electric cars
are at employees’ disposal for business journeys in the region. Being one of
the largest employers in the region, Blum supports its employees in using
environmentally-friendly modes of transport. The company advertises and
actively promotes ecological campaigns such as the “Radius - Bike to Work
Competition” held throughout Vorarlberg.
Bespoke package of products and services
For Blum, the
Eurocucina in Milan is a very important international trade show. It provides a
yardstick to assess how well furniture manufacturers accept the company’s
products. This year in Milan, customers displayed many new Blum products which
the company had presented at trendsetting interzum in Cologne the previous
year. These included Expando T, the unique fixing method for thin fronts of
special materials which opens up completely new design horizons and the new
Aventos HK top lift system. Customers also presented the multitude of
differentiation options offered by Blum’s box systems. There is still a very strong
trend towards handle-less designs which can be implemented with Blum’s wide
range of motion technologies (both mechanical and electrical systems). All
motion technologies are tailored optimally to every application. Blum again
extended its offering of services in the last business year. In addition to
products, services are an important part of Blum’s overall performance.
Change to corporate organisation
The
transition to the next generation in Julius Blum GmbH will be initiated at the
start of this financial year. Managing Directors Gerhard E. Blum, Philipp Blum
and Martin Blum will jointly manage the company from 1 July 2018. They will be
supported by longstanding employees Urs Bolter (Managing Director of Blum
International Consulting) and Gerhard Humpeler (Head of Finance). The
Management Team and the Corporate Management Group will gradually take over the
responsibilities of Gerhard E. Blum as of the start of the 2018/2019 financial
year. After the transition on 1 July 2019, Gerhard E. and his brother Herbert
Blum will continue to jointly manage the holding company of the Blum Group.
Forecast for the 2018/2019 business year
“We will
approach the new business year with restrained optimism. There are many
question marks and there is a great deal of uncertainty about future
developments. On the one hand, the Brexit process in Europe has still not been
clarified and it is uncertain what direction the EU should take. On the other
hand, we are deeply concerned about growing national interests, e.g. the mutual
imposition of tariffs and an escalation of economic sanctions,” says Gerhard E.
Blum, providing a prudent forecast of the forthcoming financial year.
Facts and figures as of 30/06/2018
Turnover worldwide: 1,839.42 million
euros (+ 2.8 % on previous year)
Distribution of
turnover: EU 48%, USA 15 %, other markets 37 %
Employees worldwide (as of
30 June 2018): 7611 employees (+ 324 on previous year)
Employees in Vorarlberg (as
of 30 June 2018): 5769 employees (+ 239 on previous year)
Apprentices with the Group
(as of September 2018): 361 (19 of whom at Blum USA); 94 new
apprentices (15 of whom girls) will join Blum Vorarlberg and 6 new apprentices
will join Blum USA on 1 September 2018
Investments: 216
million euros (182.5 million euros of which in Vorarlberg)