Festo Group Posted its Highest-ever Sales Figures in Fiscal Year 2011

The Festo Group posted its highest-ever sales figures in fiscal year 2011. Following on from a strong 2010, the company raised global sales by a further 18% to € 2.1 billion in 2011 (prior year: € 1.8 billion), thereby strengthening and expanding its financial independence as a family company. There was strong demand from customers in Germany (plus 19%) and Europe (plus 20%), as well as Asia (plus 15%) and the Americas (plus 14%).
Growth was partly driven by customers in the BRIC nations. Festo's strategic alignment with the Asian and American growth markets, the expansion of its Process Automation activities in the field of Metropolitan Solutions as well as its Electric Drives and Customer Solutions divisions, and the alignment of its global supply chain to ensure optimal market supplies in the world's growth regions are already paying off. The company's Didactic division also made progress (8% sales growth). Industrial training concepts supplied by Festo serve to alleviate the skilled labour shortage and are in strong demand from clients in fast-growing markets.
Global headcount rose to 15,500 in 2011 (prior year: 14,600), of which 7,100 people (prior year: 6,800) were employed in Germany and 8,400 (prior year: 7,800) abroad. In 2011/2012, the company invested 125 million euros in the expansion of its global development, manufacturing and logistics network - approximately half of which involved facilities in Germany. The R+D ratio in Germany amounted to approximately 9%.