(Information sent by the signatory company)
During the fiscal year 2023, SICK’s sales revenue increased by 5.4%, reaching €2,307 million. In addition, the AIIB increased by 15.1% compared to the previous year, to stand at 189 million euros.
Barcelona, April 17, 2024.-
SICK, the sensor manufacturer based in Waldkirch, Germany, has continued to grow even in the difficult environment of fiscal year 2023. Sales volume increased by 5.4%, reaching €2,307 million. Eliminating the effects of currency exchange, sales volume even grew by 8.8% compared to the previous year. The overall financial situation and profits showed upward development. The company invested 11.7 percent of its sales volume in research and development in the last fiscal year. SICK offers its range of solutions on a broad, future-oriented basis that supports its customers worldwide in the industrial digitalization process. In 2023 alone, 70 patent registrations have been filed for automation solutions based on software or AI and the development of our smart sensors has continued. A total of 12,185 employees work for SICK worldwide.
SICK has marked positive business development and achieved the set objectives. Sales revenue increased by 5.4%, reaching €2,307 million. Results before interest and taxes (EBIT) also increased compared to the previous year by 15.1% to reach 189 million euros.
“We have increased both sales and profits and we are proud of these results in this difficult year. More than 12,000 people in the global SICK team have worked passionately on new solutions for our customers and have flexibly adapted to the fast pace that mark market dynamics and technological progress. The positive business development of 2023 has also motivated us, in these times of constant demands, to shape industrial digitalization together with our customers and partners,” explains Dr. Mats Gökstorp, President of the Board of Directors of SICK AG.
The fiscal year of 2023 has been marked by the expansion of geopolitical conflicts, a downward dynamic in the global economy and complicated financing conditions with high base interest rates and inflation rates that have motivated a containment in investments.
“In addition to sales and profits, our profitability has also improved. AIIB’s margin has increased to 8.2 percent from 7.5% last year. This creates an encouraging balance between securing profits at short-term and long-term technological development at SICK,” describes Jan-H. Eberhardt, CFO of SICK AG.
Balanced market and employee growth worldwide
SICK sensor applications are the basis for digital and automated industrial process control in the manufacturing, logistics and process sectors. SICK has recorded sales increases in these three business areas in fiscal year 2023, with industrial automation showing the highest growth with 6.9 percent to reach €1.185 billion. Process automation grew by 5.8% to €348 million in sales volume. After the record years of the pandemic and strong growth in e-commerce, logistics automation recorded solid growth of 2.8 percent to reach €747 million.
Thanks to the good global position among its competitors, SICK’s business development has remained on a broad basis also in 2023. In addition to the wide range of solutions, also the presence in all established markets and growth regions around the globe. In the domestic market of Germany, despite the slightly declining situation, sales volume grew by 4.2% and stood at 380 million euros. In the EMEA region, sales grew disproportionately by 12.2 percent to reach €823 million. This positive development is reflected in many countries, especially in large European markets such as Great Britain or Italy. Sales growth in the American region was 7.1 percent to reach 545 million euros, especially the large markets of the USA and Brazil grew. Sales in the Asia-Pacific region fell by 4.0% to €559 million. This is something we can attribute to the Chinese market, which has been influenced by negative fluctuations in its currency, the renminbi; as well as the general insecurity in the region’s markets.
Software-based sensor solutions for industrial digitalization
As of December 31, 2023, there were 12,185 people working in the SICK group, 2.3 percent more than the previous year. When it comes to expanding personnel, the company has given special importance to the research and development sector, where the number of jobs grew by 9.2 percent to reach 1,760 people. Innovative ideas from R&D have resulted in market-ready products and 137 SICK patent registrations. Software-based solutions have formed around 70 patents and the integration of artificial intelligence into SICK sensor hardware has also been implemented in more and more applications. Throughout the world, the company maintains almost 4,000 patents for technological solutions that help our client companies in the control of digital and automated industrial processes.
The world of sensors remains a growing market, even though short-term indicators of the economic situation in the first quarter of 2024 are reserved and lasting relaxation is not expected until later in the year. “Like many industrial companies, SICK has entered the new fiscal year with appropriate precautions and, of course, with costs in mind. With our extensive portfolio of solutions for industrial digitalization and a committed global team, we are convinced that we can meet the current and future needs of our customers,” underlines SICK Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. Mats Gökstorp.
Detailed information on the balance sheet as well as the sustainability goals of SICK AG can be found in the 2023 sustainability report: https://www.sick.com/pace
Relevant economic indicators
Information: all numbers indicated in text are rounded. You will find the corresponding decimal figures in the annual report.
SICK is one of the world’s leading solution providers for sensor-based applications for industrial use. Founded in 1946 by the honorary doctor in engineering Erwin Sick and headquartered in the German town of Waldkirch im Breisgau, near Freiburg, the company is among the main technological and market leaders, being present throughout the world with 60 subsidiary companies. and participations, as well as through numerous representations. The SICK Group employs more than 12,000 people worldwide and achieved a turnover of €2.3 billion in fiscal year 2023. You can find more information about SICK on the Internet at www.sick.com.
Emisor: SICK
Press contact:
Mar Gòdia – Beat Content Agency
mgodia@agenciabeatcontent.com
