The Hilti Group further increased its sales and operating result in 2019. Net profit and return on sales were also improved year on year. At the same time, the internationally active construction machinery manufacturer increased its expenditure on research and development.

According to a press release issued by the Hilti Group, the Liechtenstein-based construction machinery manufacturer generated global sales of 5.9 billion Swiss francs in the previous financial year. In comparison with 2018, this equates to growth of 4.3 percent. “Against the backdrop of noticeable economic slowdown and negative currency influences we achieved solid growth that was substantially greater than what was seen in the worldwide construction market”, comments Christoph Loos, CEO of Hilti, in the press release. He adds: “Our profitability continues at a high level even though we made significant investments in implementing our corporate strategy and in strengthening the future sustainability of the Group”.
All market regions contributed to the sales growth at Hilti. The highest increase of 8.5 percent in local currencies was posted in the region of Latin America. The business regions of North America and Europe recorded growth rates of 7.3 percent and 6.9 percent respectively. In the Asia/Pacific region, sales growth lagged behind Hilti’s expectations, at 4.3 percent. Growth of 3.7 percent was realized in the Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa business region.
In the year under review, Hilti increased expenditure on research and development activities to 367 million Swiss francs, reflecting an increase of 3.2 percent in comparison with 2018. Despite the high level of investments, the Group was able to improve its operating result by 7.4 percent year on year to a total of 783 million Swiss francs. Net profit was up by 8.2 percent to 591 million Swiss francs over the same period, while the return on sales (ROS) increased by 0.4 percentage points to 13.3 percent.

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