Again an increase in sales as well as more employees – the Uhlmann Group closed the business year 2019/2020 with a new track record. The COVID-19 pandemic hardly impacted the results. Tobias Uhlmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Uhlmann Group, sees two factors underlying the success: “Firstly, the positive development is founded on the innovative strength of the individual companies and, secondly, on the overarching, practiced culture and values that distinguish us – such as open-mindedness and reliability.”

The Uhlmann Group increased its sales from EUR 428 million to EUR 434 million in the fiscal year 2019/2020, which ended on March 31, 2020. “In view of the first corona effects seen in February and March 2020, we are satisfied with the results. All Group Companies – Uhlmann, KOCH, Cremer, Wonder, and Axito – have developed positively in the past business year”, explains Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Niemeyer, Chief Business Development Officer of the Uhlmann Group, currently performing the duties in the holding company of CEO Norbert Gruber, who died at the beginning of July.

Restructuring shaped business year

The fiscal year was characterized by the restructuring of the group: the Uhlmann Group was founded in October 2019. The holding company guides and coordinates all overarching issues, thus enabling the Group Companies to concentrate on their business portfolios.

The overall number of employees in the Uhlmann Group rose worldwide in the past business year from 2,334 to 2,515 persons. Numerous new jobs were created in the Group Companies, particularly in the business unit Digital Solutions in Laupheim as well as in Wrocław in Poland. “Operating under the name Axito, we have established a new plant in Poland for the production of high-quality machine parts and components. As a result, all Group Companies will be able to reduce their dependence on external suppliers”, underlines Tim Slomp, CTO of Uhlmann Pac-Systeme. The company in Laupheim has significantly broadened its digital proficiency. The business unit Digital Solutions, created in September 2019, employs over 100 digital experts in the meantime. They develop solutions for Track & Trace, Digital Training, Tool Management, or Condition Monitoring applications, for example.

Coping with the corona pandemic

This digital expertise also helped Uhlmann to maintain customer support despite travel restrictions. The companies of the Uhlmann Group developed new service and marketing solutions to assist its customers and communicate with them. Machine acceptance tests, for instance, were completed on schedule using live chats and video conferences. On account of the cancellation of key trade shows in May due to the corona pandemic, Uhlmann and KOCH quickly established interactive formats. UHLMANN LIVE! and KOCHlive not only staged the show highlights planned for 2020, but also created a digital platform for online communication with customers. All in all, the COVID 19 pandemic has had little impact on business development so far, also on the strength of early intercompany crisis management and the swift implementation of appropriate measures.

Investments in company sites

The Uhlmann Group again invested in its sites around the world in the past business year. A new office building with approximately 400 modern workplaces is to be completed at the headquarters in Laupheim in September 2020 – an investment amounting to some EUR 16 million. Koch Pac-Systeme in Pfalzgrafenweiler was also able to inaugurate a new office and communication building in November 2019. In addition to these commitments to the German locations, Uhlmann also pressed ahead with international expansion. Wonder Packing, which builds packaging machines in Jinzhou/China for regional markets, moved to new facilities in November 2019 – after a project period of just eleven months. The administration building and production hall cover a total of 30,000 square meters – a good investment in the future for Wonder Packing in view of 25-percent annual growth in the field of blister machinery.

Focus on sustainability

Sustainable conduct is anchored in the Uhlmann values and culture. All companies of the company group already make their contribution and will further intensify this commitment. For example, they all work closely together with customers, helping them to reduce the ecological footprint of product manufacturing. Uhlmann has also become more sustainable at company level. Examples here include improvements in the field of occupational safety and health management, or the increasing use of renewable resources.

The participation of Uhlmann in the UN Global Compact underlines the commitment to added sustainability and the undertaking to adhere to the defined principles. “We want to promote this key issue more emphatically in the Uhlmann Group and cooperate more closely to this end. A common sustainability strategy is to be developed and introduced this year. Our aim is to not only create good future perspectives for Uhlmann, but for us all, and the following generations”, states Michael Mrachacz, CSO at Uhlmann Pac-Systeme, who is responsible for sustainability issues in the company group.

Press contact
Uhlmann Group Holding GmbH & Co. KG
Ralph Breymaier, +49 7392 702 8277, [email protected]

The Uhlmann Group generated sales amounting to EUR 434 million with its workforce of approximately 2,515 in the business year 2019/2020. The company group includes Uhlmann Pac-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG, a leading global systems supplier for the packaging of pharmaceutical products in blisters, bottles, and cartons. Other members of the Uhlmann Group are the companies Koch Pac-Systeme in the Black Forest, Cremer Speciaalmachines in the Netherlands, Axito in Poland, and Wonder Packing Machinery in China. Since October 2019, appropriate elements of central functions are pooled in Uhlmann Group Holding GmbH & Co. KG. Visit www.uhlmann-group.com for more information.