Record balance sheet result for Knapp

3,000 employees worldwide

"We have succeeded in achieving 650 million euros in orders across all branches and companies of the Knapp Group. This is a new record in our company history and underlines our market position as a partner to industry," says CEO Gerald Hofer. The Knapp Group employs more than 3,000 people from numerous nations. Around 300 jobs were created in total last year, 200 of them in Styria - at the headquarters in Hart bei Graz and at the three other sites in Dobl, Grambach and Leoben.

The free-moving Open Shuttles can be used flexibly in the warehouse. Based on the principle of swarm intelligence, they distribute orders autonomously among each other and can be used for transportation tasks and to supply workstations. [Photo credit: © Knapp AG]

In addition to investments in R&D, the company is also constantly working on site expansion. In addition to the expansion of the sites in Leoben and Dobl, childcare facilities and the company restaurant at the Knapp headquarters in Hart bei Graz have been extended. The global branch and production network is also being continuously strengthened by expanding the sites. Further investments are being made in modern IT and tools in order to be able to meet customer needs even more efficiently and quickly.

Growth in the core sectors

Business models in all sectors are becoming increasingly difficult to plan and require flexible system solutions that develop in line with market requirements and therefore provide customers with optimum support in every phase. Knapp has already recognized this challenge in recent years and turned it into a major strength. "We can offer our customers series-ready, highly flexible, efficient and investment-proof solutions to their current challenges," explains Hofer.

Starting from a very high level, the Healthcare segment was able to grow once again. Thanks to its stake in the KHT Apostore Group, Knapp is able to serve the entire pharmaceutical supply chain - from producers to wholesalers and pharmacies. In addition to the European core markets, Knapp recorded strong growth in the traditional healthcare segment in North America.

The fashion and lifestyle sectors are also booming. "With Louis Vuitton, Dior, vente-privee and the Inditex Group, we were able to convince major global market players of our system expertise," reports Franz Mathi. With innovative solutions and technologies, Knapp is once again scoring highly in the food retail and online grocery sectors. This is demonstrated by orders from the Rewe Group and the French online retailer Auchan. The Spar distribution center in Ebergassing has recently gone into operation. In recent years, Knapp has developed innovative systems such as pallet open shuttles, which will completely replace conventional pallet conveyor technology, and the ergonomic Pick-it-Easy Move picking system for the food retail sector. Solutions that are absolutely trend-setting and in high demand internationally. Christian Grabner: "We are on an excellent path with these new system approaches and expect to see large growth rates in this segment over the next few years."

Globalization continues

With the pallet open shuttles, the transportation of pallets within the warehouse is completely flexible. The driverless transport vehicles transport up to 1,300 kg and navigate freely and independently through the warehouse [Photo credit: © Knapp AG].

Knapp AG is excellently positioned on the global market in its core sectors and has started the new financial year with a good order situation. "The focus for the coming period will be on expanding our global network," says Christian Grabner. Commenting on the expected far-reaching consequences of Brexit, Gerald Hofer says: "We are in a solid and technologically excellent position. With our innovative systems and technologies, we are trying to compensate for the considerable impact of Brexit as far as possible."

www.knapp.com