EQS-News: KSB sets new record in 2024

2024 financial figures

KSB sets new record in 2024

• Record figures for order intake, sales revenue and EBIT
• Earnings (EBIT) increased to € 244.2 million with a margin of 8.2 %
• Dividends increased

FRANKENTHAL: The pump and valve manufacturer KSB’s order intake exceeded the 3 billion euro threshold for the first time in the 2024 financial year. Sales revenue and earnings before finance income / expense and income tax (EBIT) also significantly exceeded the previous year’s levels. 

KSB noticeably increased order intake by + 5.2 % to € 3,114 million in the 2024 financial year. While the KSB SupremeServ Segment, which combines the business with spare parts and support services, increased its order intake by 5.8 % to € 1,048 million, the corresponding figure for the Pumps Segment was up by 5.2 % at € 1,659 million. The Valves Segment also contributed to this rise with growth of 3.8 % to € 407 million.

KSB increased sales revenue in the 2024 financial year by + 5.2 % to € 2,965 million. The strongest growth in percentage terms came from the Valves Segment, which increased sales revenue by 10.3 % to € 399 million. The KSB SupremeServ Segment's sales revenue was up by 7.6 % at € 1,016 million. The Pumps Segment reported a sales revenue increase of 2.4 % to € 1,551 million.

The growth in order intake and sales revenue was largely achieved outside Europe. KSB raised order intake and sales revenue in the regions outside Europe by 7.4 % and 8.5 % respectively compared with the previous year. In Europe, order intake was up by 2.8 % and sales revenue by 1.9 %.

KSB significantly increased earnings before finance income / expense and income tax by 9.1 % to € 244.2 million – even after recognising the external transformation costs of € 15.4 million for the introduction of SAP S/4HANA. The EBIT margin rose from 7.9 % to 8.2 % compared with the previous year. The KSB SupremeServ Segment in particular contributed to this with growth of 14.2 % to € 204.5 million. The Valves Segment achieved EBIT growth of € 6.7 million to € -0.8 million. On the other hand, the Pumps Segment reported a decline in EBIT of € 11.8 million to € 40.5 million. This drop is attributable in particular to the recognition of a high proportion of external costs for the new company software and to the economic slowdown in the General Industry and Building Services pump markets.

“The many changes in the world order have once again presented us with challenges. The fragile global political situation has led to uncertainty and distortions in key markets. High energy prices and growing bureaucracy are complicating the conditions in Germany,” was how Dr Stephan Timmermann, CEO, summed up the financial year. “We’ve steered the ship successfully through rough seas and set a new all-time high: 2024 was a record year for KSB.”

The KSB shareholders are expected to benefit from the superb earnings to a particular extent. The Management of the SDAX-listed Group will propose to the Annual General Meeting the distribution of a dividend of € 26.50 per ordinary share and € 26.76 per preference share.

KSB increased its investment volume to € 170.3 million in the 2024 financial year. Europe accounted for most of this, followed by Asia / Pacific and the Americas. KSB’s investment has been primarily in the modernisation and capacity expansion of its plants, but also in digitalisation and sustainability. 

The manufacturer of pumps and valves pays particular attention to the satisfaction of its employees. 91 % of the workforce took part in the global employee survey in the financial year. The resulting engagement index of 77 % is not only a significant increase on previous surveys, but is also above average for the mechanical engineering industry and global companies.

Looking ahead to the new financial year, the CEO said: “The start of 2025 in particular has been characterised by turbulent political and economic conditions, the effects of which are difficult to assess at present. Despite these complex circumstances, this year we are also aiming to further improve the key performance indicators of order intake, sales revenue and EBIT,” continued Stephan Timmermann, stressing KSB’s confidence and ambition.

KSB is a leading international manufacturer of pumps and valves. The Frankenthal-based Group has a presence on five continents with its own sales and marketing organisations, manufacturing facilities and service operations. With a workforce of around 16,400, the KSB Group generated sales revenue of approximately € 3 billion in 2024.