| Shaping the future together |
| Thursday, 10 December 2009 10:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bertrandt reports satisfactory earnings for fiscal 2008/2009
Bertrandt asserting itself in the crisis The severest economic slump in recent history has left deep traces on OEM, components suppliers and providers of engineering services, also taking its toll on the Bertrandt Group in fiscal 2008/2009. In conditions characterised by an unprecedented slump in sales, Bertrandt sought to address these trends by adopting strict cost and capacity management at an early stage and additionally extending its already broad range of customised services. This combination together with its qualified staff shielded Bertrandt from the worst effects of the crisis. "We invested in further extensions to our range of services, such as electronics development and testing," said CEO Dietmar Bichler at today's annual press conference in Stuttgart, explaining the package of measures taken. "In the aviation sector we acquired a stalein Aeroconseil S.A., thus further stressing the two companies' close partnership via the Bertrandt Aeroconseil GmbH joint venture." Bertrandt considers the drivers behind the market for engineering services – technology trends and the continued diversification of model ranges – to be fundamentally still intact. With its customised problem-solving skills, it wants to continue standing by its customers as a stable partner offering powerful services. Steady dividend policy Despite the turbulent conditions, Bertrandt is particularly committed to maintaining its pro-shareholder dividend policy so as to ensure that shareholders benefit adequately from the Company's success. Based on the earnings generated, the Management Board and the Supervisory Board will be asking the shareholders to approve a dividend of € 1.00 per dividend-entitled share (previous year € 1.40) at the annual general meeting scheduled for 17 February 2010. As a result, the payout ratio will remain unchanged at the previous year's high level. Securing jobs Worldwide, Bertrandt employed 5,431 people on 30 September 2009 (6,080 in the previous year). The Company made use of the possibilities available for shorter working hours at nearly all of its German facilities as well as in France in the year under review in response to project postponements. "In conjunction with judicious capacity management, we were thus able to offer our employees the greatest possible job security and prospects for the future," Bichler explained. "Our goal is to retain jobs within the Company on a long-term basis." Qualification measures were stepped up during the reduced-working periods in an effort to heighten expertise. In addition, Bertrandt offered its staff a wide range of training and skills-development opportunities in technical and business areas. All told, a total of EUR 4.3 million was spent on providing staff with advanced training. In addition, the Company attaches particular importance to promoting the development of the next generation of its employees. To this end, it added a further 25 places to its trainee programme, bringing the total to 154 in fiscal 2008/2009.
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