TÜV NORD GROUP’s annual performance in 2012: Continuing strong demand for technical services

Hanover: The TÜV NORD GROUP grew once again in 2012. Turnover rose to € 1,085.5 million. This marks an increase of 6 percent compared to the previous year (2011: € 1,025.1 million). Operating profit (EBIT) increased by 22 percent to € 52.8 million. This is the highest figure since the founding of the Group. The return on sales, as measured by EBIT, was 4.9 percent, up from 4.2 percent in the previous year. Income stabilised at a value of € 30.1 million, up from € 10.7 million in the previous year; profits are to be allocated to the financing and safeguarding of staff pensions.
“In the last five years we have been able to increase sales by almost 50 percent,” said Guido Rettig, Chairman of the Board, at the annual press conference in Hanover, Germany. “In 2012 our focus both nationally and internationally was on organic growth. The triad of growth – internationalisation – innovation will determine the strategic course of the conglomerate in the future.” At the same time, according to Rettig, growth is not an end in itself. “The fact that we can deliberately broaden the base of our conglomerate and allow it to grow in this way will protect us against possible crises in individual sectors.”

The pace of growth is faster internationally than at home
The TÜV NORD GROUP registered a particularly dynamic growth rate outside Germany. International business now accounts for about 25 percent of sales, reaching € 268.3 million in 2012 (2011: € 224.4 million). “Due to changes in the structure and organisation of the group, our services are now penetrating global markets more quickly," said Chief Financial Officer Elmar Legge. "This is benefiting our customers all over the world. Responsibility for centres of expertise in fields including aerospace, food safety and photovoltaic technology, as well as for the coordination of major industrial projects, has now been handed on to group subsidiaries outside Germany. This is already resulting in an increase in orders, so that our order books are fuller than they were last year."

Rettig advocates the preservation of technical safety standards
The company’s largest business unit, Industrial Services, held its own well in 2012 with sales of € 332.6 million. “It’s a good thing that many companies refuse to compromise in matters of safety and continue to insist on independent inspections. That lifts and industrial equipment work properly is often taken for granted in Germany. Independent inspection is a great asset in this respect, one which is the envy of other states,” said Guido Rettig. “This level of safety requires repeated hard graft and must remain non-negotiable.” Rettig referred to data from the most recent plant safety report of the Association of German Technical Inspection Services (VdTÜV), according to which 300 technical plants nationwide had to be shut down immediately due to dangerous defects. Defects were identified in two-thirds of all lifts tested and one-fifth of pressurised systems.

IT business unit established
With the establishment of the IT business unit, the TÜV NORD GROUP has completed the strategic development of its business units. The TÜViT subsidiary is one of the leading companies in the protection of company data against hacker attacks and the certification of the safety equipment in data centres. "IT expertise has become a decisive factor in our networked society. In this field in particular we have demonstrated our ability to innovate time and again. We will, however, also buy IT companies if doing so will create added value for our customers,” Rettig announced.

€ 35.7 million for investments in the future
In 2012 the TÜV NORD GROUP once again maintained levels of investment which were high in comparison with those of the competition. A total of € 35.7 million was invested in the year under review (2011: € 35.6 million), the bulk of which was accounted for by domestic investment. The focus was on new technologies and growth-indexed construction activity. Particular attention was in the process paid to measurement and flow technologies as well as mobile and automated testing methods. In December 2012 the TÜV NORD GROUP moved into its new corporate building in Hanover (total investment of € 7 million). In Essen, a building complex in the technology park was renovated and subsequently occupied. A new office building is being built in Hamburg and will be ready for occupancy in the late summer of 2013. The ongoing construction of one of the most advanced data centres in Northern Germany is providing further evidence of the Group’s innovation potential. The TÜV NORD GROUP will in the future concentrate its global IT operations and services in Hanover.

Solid business development in 2013 in a sometimes challenging environment
The current fiscal year has as a whole witnessed a continuation of the solid development of the previous year: Sales and earnings have exceeded the levels of the previous year after the first four months. "In the Industrial Services business unit, revenues rose six percent in the first four months of the year; the international companies reported increases in revenue of 12 percent,” said Chief Financial Officer Elmar Legge. TÜV NORD Bildung is expected to start returning a profit this year. Elmar Legge: “It goes without saying that we can’t predict all the possible effects of the European debt crisis. However, the course of events in the current year have led us to expect that the Group’s sales, earnings and staffing levels will once again increase in 2013.“

New umbrella brand strengthens internationalisation
The international orientation of the TÜV NORD GROUP has been highlighted by a new corporate design and new logo. With this, the Group is also positioning itself as an innovative partner for technical services which go way beyond the traditional remit of the TÜV. This applies, among other areas, to the IT sector, satellite technology and exploration for natural resources. The TÜV NORD GROUP logo, flanked by the new “Excellence for your Business” claim, expresses the enormous potential of the Group’s employees in 70 countries. The TÜV NORD GROUP is thereby further strengthening its claim to a place at the top table of global technical services groups.

About the TÜV NORD GROUP
With over 10,000 employees, TÜV NORD GROUP is one of the largest technical service providers, offering its advisory, service and inspection expertise in over 70 countries throughout the world. Areas of activity include Industrial Services, Mobility, IT and Education and Training. TÜV NORD GROUP occupies a unique position in the sector based on its work in the fields of raw materials and aerospace and is firmly committed to its guiding principle and watchword: “Excellence for your business”.
www.tuev-nord-group.com

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  • City:Hannover - Lower Saxony - Germany
  • Telephone:49 511 998-61324
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