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Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG: Management Board decides on
extension and accelerated implementation of a comprehensive
package of measures
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Total package of savings increased to 200 million Euro
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Worldwide cutbacks needed in personnel capacities,
corresponding to up to 2,500 jobs
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Shorter working hours requested for German production sites
from November 2008 onwards
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) expects a
significant downturn in sales and thus a marked reduction in
operating result (EBIT) for the current financial year (April 1,
2008 to March 31, 2009) compared to last year. The financial result
is also expected to be down due to the current financial crisis and
the movements in interest rates. These developments coupled with
the restructuring costs will lead to a significant annual deficit
in the current financial year.
Because of the unpredictable nature of the current financial
crisis and its impact on customers' investment decisions,
Heidelberg will not, contrary to earlier announcements, provide a
quantita-tive forecast for the current financial year. While
financial year 2009/2010 is even more difficult to forecast, the
Management Board does not currently expect any change for the
better given the current developments.
In the light of the significant fall in sales and earnings
for both the current and the next financial year, Heidelberg is
extending its existing comprehensive package of cost-cutting
measures and accelerating its implementation. Instead of the total
cuts of 75 million Euro announced so far, the total package will
now yield savings of 150 to 180 million Euro as early as financial
year 2009/2010. Further measures in financial year 2010/2011 will
boost total savings to around 200 million Euro.
To reach this objective, Heidelberg will adapt personnel
capacities and organizational structures in Production, R&D,
and Administration, but also in sales organizations worldwide. For
the short term, it will request shorter working hours to achieve an
immediate capacity adjustment. To achieve long-term adaptations to
our capacities and structures, we will need to reduce worldwide
staffing levels by up to 2,500 jobs. Every effort will be made to
keep the social impact of these job losses as small as possible. In
the process, it is likely that operational redundancies will be
necessary at the company's German sites. Talks with employee
representatives about the restructuring measures will start
immediately. The collective agreement for safeguarding jobs
(Zukunftssicherungstarifvertrag), concluded in 2007, calls for such
negotiations in the event of significant changes in market
conditions and lays down a number of arrangements for the
procedures to be followed and their implementation.
Given this additional need for restructuring measures, the
overall costs for the extended package of measures will rise to 130
to 150 million Euro. The restructuring measures already include
provisions from the collective labor agreement for partial
retirement recently signed for the metal industry. Most of the
restructuring costs are expected to arise in financial year
2008/2009.
For further information, please contact:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Investor Relations
Andreas Trösch
Tel.: +49 (0)6221 92 60 20
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92 51 89
E-mail:
andreas.troesch@heidelberg.com