The Zeiss group continues its growth path, both in terms of turnover and profits, closing (as at 30 September 2019) a record-breaking fiscal year. In FY 18/19, the group's turnover increased by 11% to €6.428 billion, compared to €5.817 billion the previous year.
EBIT (company result before taxes and financial charges) amounted to 1.063 billion euros, significantly up from the previous year (772 million euros) and reaching an EBIT margin of 17%. Orders grew by 9%, reaching 6.5 billion euros for the first time.
"All four segments developed very effectively. An extraordinary result, considering the uncertain economic scenario and the structural change in some segments, " says Michael Kaschke, Chairman & CEO of the group. "Zeiss is well aware of the market situation and is well positioned for the future thanks to the four-year strategy, the Zeiss Agenda 2020".
Vision Care Division
Globally, the Consumer Markets segment, to which Zeiss Vision Care belongs, posted sales of EUR 1.2 billion. Also in Italy, Zeiss Vision Care achieved excellent results and double-digit growth.
The core driver of growth is innovation, a path that ZEISS has been following with determination since its foundation. "Being a company capable of seeing and going beyond, anticipating trends in the sector and fully understanding the needs of the market, is for ZEISS a winning strategy that allows us to consolidate our leadership position," says Michele D'Adamo, CEO of the group in Italy.
Zeiss reinvests more than 10% of its turnover in research and development and thanks to the 25 R&D centers located around the world, innovation is constant and continuous, also supported by dedicated studies and constant testing. This approach allows the group to bring concrete innovation, making technological development available to everyone, as happened in 2018 with UVProtect technology.
A look at 2020
Innovation will also be the focus for the coming year: the company is working on the development of services and products that allow to make the most of the potential offered by digitization and multi-channel. In this path, Italy is playing an important strategic role for the entire group, with new ideas and new projects aimed at making the internal processes of the various business units more efficient.
For Italy too, the main objective for 2020 will be that of growth, despite the fact that the Italian market is essentially at a standstill. "We want to continue to gain market share and increasingly improve our profitability by leveraging so-called resilience, the ability to adapt to changes in the scenario while safeguarding operating performance even in adverse conditions," concludes Michele D'Adamo.
Ph. Michele D'Adamo