The world’s second largest offset press manufacturer, KBA, boosted sales and revenue for the first quarter of 2014, but made a loss for the year of €14m compared to the same time last year, according to its quarterly report.
Sales rose 20.8 per cent to €241.5m on the back of a 41.4 per cent rise in web and special press sales, which now make up 39 per cent of sales, though the company says the ‘demand for web offset presses remained subdued and along with order backlog it strained sales and earnings’. Sheetfed sales rose 10.3 per cent.
Revenue rose 11.9 per cent to €213.4 with a 20.9 per cent jump in sheetfed revenue and only 2.4 per cent for web and special presses.
The increased sales and revenue reduced net losses for the period by 25 per cent to €14m, compared to €18.5m for the same period to 2013.
This was buoyed by the sheetfed division turning a €1.2m profit while web and special presses lost €11.4m. The company’s net funds totalled €108.9m.
[Related: More financial reports]
KBA Australia sales director Dave Lewis says the Australian arm continues to be profitable and last financial year was the best result in seven years with double the profits of the previous year.
“It was a reasonable profit considering the state of the market and headquarters is pleased with how we are going,” he says.
Lewis predicts a similar profit to last year for the coming financial year and says sales and revenue trends are in line with the quarterly global results.
He says the company made four sales in Australia last year and relies more on servicing revenue than the international body.
“We always try to keep the business lean and mean and employ and retain the best people,” he says.
“However, situations like Focus Press don’t help matters and certainly don’t encourage the banks to extend credit to printers looking to buy presses.”
KBA’s biggest rival Heidelberg turned a profit in its latest results last week for the first time in six years.
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