Annual results press conference: foundations healthier than ever

In 200 years of company history, Semperit has reinvented itself time and again. This was also the casein 2023, when the company repositioned itself as a leading provider of advanced and sustainable elastomer applications purely for industrial customers following the sale of the medical business. The Executive Board reported on this to selected Austrian media at the 2023 annual press conference at the Andaz Vienna am Belvedere hotel.

“I am sure you have already come into contact with Semperit products today,” said CEO Karl Haider, drawing the journalists’ attention to Semperit’s omnipresence in everyday life right at the beginning: “From the silicone components in shower heads or espresso machines and the handrails in the subway station to the window seals here in our conference room – Semperit contributes to the functioning of the modern world everywhere.”

All milestones for 2023 achieved as planned

These seals also play an important role in the fight against climate change, one of the global mega trends that Semperit addresses with its products and solutions, as CEO KarlHaider explained. The presentation continued with the success factors from 200 years of Semperit and the milestones of the 2023 financial year. The further development of the industrial strategy and the introduction of the new powerful divisional structure were some of these highlights, as CIO Gerfried Eder vividly explained: “Industrial Applications with their standardized high-performance products such as hydraulic hoses are our long jumpers in the Semperit Group. Engineered Applications, on the other hand, is more about high jumping qualities in attractive niche markets such as ski foils or cable carrings.”

CFO Helmut Sorger reported on the financial performance in 2023: “We have a robust balance sheet and financial base and are in a better financial position than ever before.This is why the acquisition of liquid silicone specialist Rico was possible in2023. We have enough power for further investments.” The journalists were particularly interested in these growth plans. Europe’s largest hose factory in Odry, Czech Republic, will be further expanded, the Executive Board members explained, as will Rico’s site in Thalheim, Austria, and the plants in the USA.The total investment volume in 2024 is expected to be around EUR 70million. 

CEO Karl Haider summarized the outlook using soccer terms: “Attacking at the front, which means gaining market share, and defending at the back, meaning becoming even leaner and more efficient.” The foundations are healthier than ever, he said, so thecompany is starting the next 200 years optimistically and with the mindset typical of Semperit: “We always find a solution and deliver what we promise.”