The fischer Group has concluded the 2022 fiscal year with a turnover of over one billion euro, a first in the company’s history.
The gross turnover of €1.14 billion euro exceeded its excellent figures of the previous year by 14.7%. The company’s largest division – fischer fixing systems – saw a 14% year-on-year increase in turnover. Numerous innovative, new products and systems, as well as a comprehensive range of services for various customer groups had a positive effect. fischer also achieved substantial growth in the field of solar fastenings. The company additionally established a new logistics centre in Vietnam for the Asian market in 2022.
fischer, which employs more than 5,600 members of staff – 200 more than in 2022 – used its growth strategy to increase its independence from negative global influences such as Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, rising inflation, high energy prices and the coronavirus crisis.
Robots that install fixings… and other digitalisation examples
fischer continued to invest in digital offers for its clients in 2022. The company launched a world first with the BauBot robot, a fully automated helper that creates drill holes and installs fischer fixing solutions in walls, floors and ceilings. fischer’s sensor-integrated products, the SensorAnchor and SensorDisc, are another new addition that allow acting forces in fastenings to be monitored for the very first time. The data can be read in the self-developed fischer Construction Monitoring cloud module within the myfischer portal using the PRO app or web application. Additional digital solutions by the company remain in high demand, including services and data for Building Information Modelling (BIM), the fischer plug-finder apps and e-commerce solutions to support the online sales of fischer’s retail partners. The Craftnote startup complements the range of services by digitalising communication and project management on the construction site.
fischer Automotive recorded an increase in orders across all the division’s locations. fischer is currently establishing additional production capacity at its sites in the Czech Republic, Serbia and China for the purpose of this growth. fischer Automotive concluded the year with a 17.8% increase in turnover. Nevertheless, the company division continues to operate in a challenging market environment due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in China and the semiconductor shortage.
The fischertechnik division has recorded a positive turnover development in the global teaching material market, with a significant recovery following two years of lockdown due to Covid. In 2022, fischertechnik recorded an increase in turnover of 7.2 per cent.
Global success
The company was disproportionately successful with a significant growth in turnover in most of the 38 countries in which fischer is represented by a total of 50 subsidiaries. After opening its new fischer Automotive production plant in Serbia in 2021, production will be expanded there this year. Production commenced at the new fischer fixing systems plant in Vietnam during the past year.
Sustainability firmly anchored in the strategy
In 2022, fischer further professionalised its established sustainability strategy, which combines environmental protection as part of environmental responsibility with commercial success. As an example, during the past year, fischer built a new photovoltaics system on the roof of its new parts warehouse built at the Tumlingen site in 2022. In October, construction commenced on an even larger photovoltaics system on a surface of around 20,000 square metres with a performance of around 4,000 kilowatt peak. In doing so, fischer is making a key contribution to the energy transition and will cover over a quarter of its energy requirements with these facilities at the Tumlingen site.
Regular stakeholder dialogues on the topic of sustainability were held in 2022. Industry and society representatives used these discussions to further develop fischer’s sustainable activities. The Group of Companies founded the fischer SustainabilityCampus in 2022 in response to the desire and need of many German companies to step into the field of sustainability while often not yet being in a position to do so. As of December, the lighthouse project to convey knowledge and develop skills provides a one-year “certified fischer Sustainability Manager” training course. Multiple awards highlight fischer’s sustainable activities, including the GREEN BRAND Germany Award, the Lean & Green Management Award for the “Integrated Lean & Green Strategy“, and fischer’s acceptance into the Klimaschutz-Unternehmen e.V. network.
The company provides training for 31 different technical and commercial jobs to apprentices and students of the Cooperative State University. fischer’s training programme is already an important pillar today and will become even more significant in future.
2023 outlook
Based on its broad international innovation portfolio, the fischer Group of Companies plans further growth in turnover in the 2023 fiscal year, provided that this objective is not impaired by exceptional political or economic situations.
In September 2022, fischer announced its collaboration with the world-famous successful football coach Jürgen Klopp as the company’s Brand Ambassador. The international marketing campaign had a highly successful launch in mid-January 2023.
