BWT with record results in 2004
The BWT Group increased its consolidated sales in the 2004 financial year by 17.3% from € 416.0 million to € 488.1 million. This represents a new record in the fifteen years of BWT´s corporate existence. All segments contributed to this gratifying development, which has further strengthened BWT’s market leadership in Europe.
The Aqua Ecolife Technologies segment increased its sales by 14.2% from € 273.3 million to € 312.1 million. The Aqua Systems Technologies segment achieved sales growth of 22% to € 173.2 million and thus clearly maintained its leading market position in Europe in a market characterized by industry consolidation. Only recently, this leading position also received international recognition with the Frost & Sullivan 2004 Market Penetration Leadership Award. In the Fuel Cell Membrane Technologies segment, sales increased almost fourfold from € 719,000 to € 2.8 million.
In the core European market, the BWT Group generated 89.4% of consolidated sales (2003: 89.8%), in Asia 7.8% (previous year: 7.1%) and in the rest of the world 2.8% (previous year: 3.1%).
Order book level as at December 31: € 123.7 million, +18.0% y.o.y.
Incoming orders for 2004: € 507 million, +26.1% y.o.y.
For the first time in the history of the BWT Group, the company received new orders in a financial year of more than € 0.5 billion. With € 507 million, the previous year’s figure of € 402.1 million was exceeded by 26.1%. The outstanding level of incoming orders enabled the order book level as at December 31 to increase to € 123.7 million. Compared with € 104.8 million at the end of 2003, this represents an increase of 18%.
| Preliminary figures in € million |
2004 |
2003 |
+/- % |
| Sales Aqua Ecolife Technologies (AET) |
312.1 |
273.3 |
+14.2% |
| Sales Aqua Systems Technologies (AST) |
173.2 |
142.0 |
+22.0% |
| Sales Fuel Cell Membrane Technologies (FCMT) |
2.8 |
0.7 |
+287.0% |
| Total CONSOLIDATED SALES |
488.1 |
416.0 |
+17.3% |
| CONSOLIDATED INCOME |
16.8 |
7.7 |
+119.2% |
Considerably improved earnings position
The substantial sales increase in all segments, combined with the streamlined cost management, resulted in a leap in earnings in 2004. The consolidated income after minorities improved by 119.2% to € 16.8 million. Earnings per share rose from € 0.43 in 2003 to € 0.94.
Based on the gratifying development of the net income for the year and as a result of the long-term dividend policy, the Management Board will propose a 12.5% dividend payment increase, compared with last year, of € 0.27 per share at the coming Annual General Meeting.
BWT financial calendar for 2005:
2004 Annual Results April 8, 2005
Annual General Meeting May 20, 2005, Vienna
Ex-dividend date May 25, 2005
Dividend payment May 30, 2005
Quarterly report 1/2005 May 13, 2005
Half-year report 2005 August 5, 2005
Quarterly report 3/2005 November 11, 2005
Information and inquiries:
BWT AG, A-5310 Mondsee
Walter-Simmer-Straße 4
Phone. +43 6232 5011-0
Fax. +43 6232 4058
E-mail: investor.relations@bwt.at
Corporate profile:
BWT Best Water Technology is the leading European water technology group, comprising 68 companies and some 2,800 employees. BWT devotes its efforts to the entire water cycle, “from source back to earth”. With its business segments Aqua Ecolife Technologies and Aqua Systems Technologies, the Group offers customised, sustainable products and solutions in the areas of drinking water, swimming pool water, process water, ultra-pure water, and waste water for individual homes, hotels, industry, and municipalities. With its third business segment Fuel Cell Membrane Technologies, BWT is well positioned as a premier supplier of innovative membranes for fuel cells.