Despite an overall challenging market environment, the fischer Group of Companies performed well in the 2023 financial year. With a turnover of 1.16 billion euro, the company reached a new high in its 75-year history. Fixing systems continue to drive growth.
The family business from Waldachtal in the northern Black Forest exceeded its figures of the previous year by 2%. These sales figures are also the result of the company’s sustainable growth strategy, which has allowed fischer to continue to operate independently of negative global influences. In total, fischer employs around 5900 members of staff, 300 more than in 2022.
The company’s largest division, fischer fixing systems, once again made a growing contribution to the success of the Group of Companies with a 2% year-on-year increase in turnover. Innovative new products and systems, consistent internationalisation and a comprehensive range of services for various customer groups had a positive effect on the company’s economic success.
The past financial year was also highly successful thanks to the company’s collaboration with Jürgen Klopp, one of the world’s most successful football coaches and fischer’s new Brand Ambassador as of early 2023. The successful collaboration between Jürgen Klopp and fischer will continue in 2024, with the second marketing campaign having launched in late November 2023, with further events to follow.
Driving digitalisation in the construction industry
The company also proved to be successful with its digital offers. fischer’s customer-oriented services optimise the planning, construction and operation of buildings in the entire industry. Its services comprise digital solutions such as the innovative fischer BauBot construction robot, Building Information Modelling (BIM), automated construction and connected fastening products on the Internet of Things. The efficient fischer Construction Monitoring IoT solution for monitoring prestressing forces in existing fastenings has also proved to be successful in the market, as have the company’s other digital offers, such as fischer’s apps and software tools for designing, selecting and using its products and comprehensive e-commerce solutions for fischer’s retail partners.
Lower workload in Automotive due to e-mobility
fischer Automotive was faced by issues that affect the entire industry and beyond. As Germany’s current government is primarily backing e-mobility, this has had a negative effect on the number of units in fischer Automotive’s production plants, resulting in a reduced workload in production. Despite the issues caused by political factors, the company division turnover increased by five per cent.
Sustainability is a key component of the fischer DNA
A second photovoltaic system was connected to the power grid in the form of a solar park at the Tumlingen site in 2023. This has enabled the company to achieve energy self-sufficiency of around 26% at this site, making an important contribution to the energy transition and to securing the economic future of the area. Biodiversity is also enhanced by the sheep grazing in the surrounding green spaces.
The fact that the Group of Companies is on the right track with its diverse activities in the field of sustainability was confirmed by several prizes and awards in 2023. The company was admitted into the ambitious network of climate protection companies by Germany’s Federal Minister of the Environment, Steffi Lemke. This demonstrates that fischer’s innovative strategies are making a significant contribution to achieving German and European climate targets, making it a pioneer in the fields of climate protection and energy efficiency.
In 2023, fischer was presented with the prestigious GREEN BRANDS quality seal, a significant and valuable recognition of the company’s efforts in the field of sustainability. In addition to this, fischer won the German SDG Award in the Youth and Education category, a prize presented by the Senate of Economy and UNIDO, an organisation of the United Nations. The award recognises that fischer assumes social responsibility and is committed to achieving the UN’s 17 sustainability goals on many levels.
2024 outlook
Based on its broad, international portfolio of innovations, the fischer Group of Companies is expecting another increase in turnover for the 2024 financial year; however, high energy costs and bureaucratic hurdles are hampering development, particularly in Germany. Overall, fischer will be very cautious with its investments in the current year, with the majority of the investments into the future of the company being made overseas.
