All business divisions contributing to the growth in sales –internationalisation expected to bring further growth in 2011
fischer set for growthWaldachtal, 21 February 2011 – After a boom in sales last year, the fischer group of companies (Waldachtal) expects more good growth figures in 2011. Sales in the financial year 2010 have risen by 61 million Euros (+ 11.7 percent) to 582 million Euros, with fischer reporting growth in all four business divisions – at home and abroad.
The family-owned business based in Waldachtal looks ahead to the coming months with confidence. Every indicator currently points at continued growth, with the group of companies from the northern Black Forest aiming to keep up last year’s momentum. In 2009, the year of the global finance and business crisis, fischer has responded early, adjusted its cost structures and optimised its processes. The company was therefore well equipped for the upswing, which came quicker and more powerful than expected.
In fact, growth came from the breadth of the entire company, with fixing systems – the most important division – reporting two-figure growth. Every region marked up increases, with countries abroad playing an increasingly important role. At home, fischer also significantly increased its sales. Meanwhile, fischer generates around 80 percent of its total sales with its fixings division.
Sales in fischer’s automotive systems division, specialising in kinematic components and high-grade plastic surfaces for car interiors, have also shown a positive upward trend. This division had been particularly badly hit by the global crisis n the automobile industry in 2009. fischer automotive has meanwhile benefited from the powerful growth in the automobile premium segment. The division also succeeded in gaining new customers – also by taking over jobs and contracts from competitors in distress or in insolvency.
The other business division also shared in the plus. The fischertechnik division (construction toys) showed a plus in sales the sixth year in succession, with a two-figure growth in 2010. Revenues increased both at home and in the international markets. The divisions with the brands fischertechnik and fischer TiP also profited from a growing quality awareness among the consumers who pay increasingly more attention to toys promoting their children’s creativeness and development. fischer Consulting, established in 2004 to bundle fischer’s experience in the continuous process improvement, also reported growth. fischer Consulting advises internal and external customers on how to avoid waste.
As early as in the difficult year 2009, fischer had intensified its efforts to continuously improve all corporate processes. In spite of the resulting increase in productivity and sales falling at the same time, fischer did not cut its workforce. This was one reason why the powerful upswing in 2010 was handled with the size of the workforce virtually unchanged. More jobs are planned for this year.
fischer also upholds its efforts in in-house and advanced training and staff qualification, with all trainees of the 2010 graduation year taken over. fischer’s promotion pool, a two-year qualifying scheme for potential young executives from the company’s own ranks, has been a resounding success. Some of the twelve members have meanwhile taken on additional responsibilities duties. A second promotion pool, again with twelve members, has just started.
Since June 2010, fischer has also greatly intensified its free advance training offer for its employees. The Klaus Fischer BildungsZentrum offers seminars and courses in 16 different areas which go beyond the normal operational qualification requirements. The response is overwhelming: over 1500 people have attended the courses. The Klaus Fischer BildungsZentrums also aims to promote the general and political education of the company’s young people. In return, the trainees and DH students at fischer were given a free six-months subscription for a daily newspaper. Next to internal seminars, the trainees are also given the opportunity to see political and business institutions at close range. A visit to the Ministry of Justice in Stuttgart and to Villa Reitzenstein has already been on the agenda. In mid February, 50 fischer trainees travelled to the EU Parliament in Strasbourg.
In 2010, the fischer group of companies has also expanded its external educational commitment. For the knowledge factory projects “Kinder entdecken Technik” (kids discovering technology; KiTec) and “Kinder entdecken Wirtschaft” (kids discovering the world of business; KIEWIS), fischer cooperates with six, respectively three primary schools where the children are shown how business works and where their interest in business, industry and engineering is kindled. Fischer has funded a story-telling workshop in seven preschools, designed to fire the children’s imagination and to promote their language development. In February 2011, seven preschools were awarded the predicate “technology friendly”. They had completed the fischer-funded project “TECHNOlino – Technik spielend entdecken; playfully exploring technology”.
fischer’s plan for the current financial year is to develop new markets and new groups of customers. The continuing internationalisation of the business will play a major role in these plans. Today, fischer sells its products in over 100 countries and operates in 31 countries with 35 of its own national companies. The last national companies were set up in Turkey and in the USA.
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