Business development
In 2006, Sales of the Business Area increased to 366.5 MEUR, which is 26.7% higher than in 2005 (289.2 MEUR). Both Divisions of the Business Area, Separation Technologies and Thermal Process Technologies, showed a solid Sales development during the reporting period.
EBITA, however, did not fully match Sales growth. At 20.5 MEUR in 2006, it increased only by 15.8% compared to 2005 (17.7 MEUR). This is mainly due to cost-overruns for some projects in the Thermal Process Technologies Division, offsetting the continued positive development of the Separation Technologies Division.
Order Intake in 2006 reached 344.2 MEUR, slightly above the high level achieved last year (340.1 MEUR). In particular, the Separation Technologies Division showed a solid increase of new orders, with the number of centrifuges and filter presses sold reaching another record level in 2006.
Acquisition of a service company in the USA
In October 2006, Andritz signed an agreement to purchase CONTEC Decanter Inc. based in San Leandro, CA, USA. CONTEC specializes in the repair and maintenance of centrifuges and separators for various industries. The company has annual Sales of approximately 3 MEUR. With this acquisition, Andritz has added a service center for centrifuges and separators on the West Coast of the USA to its network of existing service centers in the USA, Europe, and Asia. This will enable Andritz to serve local customers better and faster and to strengthen its leading position in servicing centrifuge installations.