Fiscal Year 2018/19 – Solid Growth in Difficult Market Environment
The international RAMPF Group has continued on its growth path in fiscal year 2018/19. The specialist for reactive resins, machine systems, and lightweight construction with composites generated consolidated sales of € 190 million, an increase of 3.5 percent on the previous year.
The business units RAMPF Polymer Solutions (reactive resin systems based on polyurethane, epoxy, and silicone), RAMPF Tooling Solutions (board and liquid materials for modeling and mold engineering), and RAMPF Composite Solutions (carbon fiber and fiberglass composites parts) generated solid to strong growth in sales, while RAMPF Production Systems (mixing and dispensing systems, automation solutions) confirmed the strong result of the previous fiscal year.
“We are particularly happy about the development of RAMPF Eco Solutions, which achieved a high double-digit growth in sales,” says RAMPF CEO Matthias Rampf. “This result shows that sustainable production is gaining in importance in numerous industries, and RAMPF Eco Solutions is driving this trend with tailor-made recycling polyols and recycling plants.”
However, in light of the slower growth of the global economy and the crisis in the automotive industry, RAMPF has had to slightly lower its sales and earnings expectations in some areas. In particular, RAMPF Machine Systems is affected by the challenging market environment. RAMPF CEO Michael Rampf – “Mechanical engineering companies usually feel the impact of an economic downturn first, as larger investments are either postponed or canceled. We have seen this in the order situation for machine beds and machine bed components.”
Growth drivers – International subsidiaries
RAMPF’s subsidiaries in the USA, Canada, China, and Japan again performed strongly:
- By having started its own mineral casting production in the USA last year, RAMPF has further established the EPUMENT® brand in the markets of the NAFTA region.
- In Canada, RAMPF Composite Solutions is moving into larger premises due to strong order growth in the aerospace industry.
- In Nantong, China, the construction of a new plant for casting resin and mineral casting production will begin in the spring of 2020; completion is scheduled for 2021.
Furthermore, a joint venture was set up in Korea at the beginning of 2019 for the development and production of mixing and dispensing equipment specifically for the Asian markets.
The number of employees has also grown strongly. At the end of financial year 2018/19, RAMPF employed 907 men and women worldwide, an increase of 8.9 percent on the previous year. Meanwhile, this number has grown to 915.
No growth impulses expected for fiscal year 2019/20
For fiscal year 2019/20, which started on July 1, Michael Rampf sees a further economic slowdown, both in Germany and abroad.
We don’t expect any stimulus for growth. Rather, we expect a noticeable drop in orders for RAMPF Production Systems and RAMPF Machine Systems. However, the other business units should be less affected. Despite this difficult market environment, we remain optimistic and will continue to build on the innovative strength of our employees and strong, trusting partnerships with our customers.
