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Strong order intake and sustained profitability in the Industry segment
In the Industry segment, a weaker start was followed by more positive development in the second half of 2024. Overall, order intake rose by 18.6 % to CHF 306.1 million (PY CHF 258.1 million). Net sales declined slightly by 3.0 % to CHF 276.7 million (PY CHF 285.3 million) and were thus almost on par with the previous year. The book-to-bill rate was high at 1.11. The aerospace and defense growth initiative recorded an increase in both order intake and net sales, as the subsegment benefits from rising defense spending and continued investments in commercial satellite programmes. Higher order intake was also achieved in all other subsegments, but did not consistently lead to an increase in net sales. In particular, sales in the high power charging subsegment have not yet followed the recovery in orders. The EBIT margin in the Industry segment rose slightly to 17.0 % (PY 16.4 %).
“The segment saw sales and profitability almost on par with the previous year, even as some market challenges persisted. In the second half of the year, business with aerospace and defense customers and the Americas region made a positive contribution overall. Encouragingly, we saw a significant jump in new orders. The situation regarding the expansion of the fast-charging infrastructure for e-mobility proved difficult. However, we experienced a reversal in the order trend versus the prior year, and the lower sales in this subsegment were largely offset by other customers.”
Reto Bolt, COO Industrysegment
Our solutions for the Industry market
Gradual recovery throughout the year, with a positive contribution from aerospace and defense
The segment gained momentum over the course of 2024 as customer inventories returned to normal levels. This development was driven in particular by the aerospace and defense growth initiative, which benefits from growing defense budgets and continued investments in commercial satellite programmes. Furthermore, communication solutions for military use are growing in importance.
The test and measurement subsegment gradually recovered from the sluggish development in the communications and electronics markets, reporting higher order intake and stable sales development compared to the previous year. Additional opportunities are emerging in lab automation.
Despite increased order intake in the high power charging subsegment in 2024, this recovery was not yet reflected in net sales. Demand has been negatively impacted by prevailing market uncertainties since 2023, e.g. regarding regulatory requirements and charging standards in the United States.
