KBA Posts Profit for 2009, Targets Modest Sales Increase in 2010

Slack demand impacts on order intake and sales
Last year there was no sign of a sustained upturn in the global print media industry, although demand did stabilise in the second six months. Group order intake dropped to €883.9m, 28.8% below the 2008 figure of €1,241.5m. At €464.6m the total volume of sheetfed orders booked was 22.4% down on the prior-year figure of €598.5m. While this was better than the industry average, slack demand for newspaper and commercial presses led to an above-average drop in new orders for big web installations. Some of KBA’s niche markets – metal decorating, industrial coding and UV printing on plastic, film and data storage devices – were adversely affected by banks’ reluctance to provide credit. Another, security printing, held up well and made a significant contribution to group earnings. The total volume of new orders for web and special presses shrank by 34.8% to €419.3m (2008: €643m).