Rosenbauer International : Preliminary Figures 2017

• Record incoming orders of € 970.0 million ensure capacity utilization in 2018
• Consolidated revenues satisfactory at € 848.7 million
• Difficult market development squeezes results
• Earnings influenced by extraordinary effects at € 25.6 million

The Rosenbauer Group generated revenues of € 848.7 million in 2017 (2016: € 870.8 million). While decreases in deliveries were observed in some Middle Eastern countries on account of political unrest and the low price of oil, this was compensated by deliveries in some Asian, African and European countries.

The Rosenbauer Group is reporting EBIT of € 25.6 million for the 2017 financial year (2016: € 47.0 million). In particular, the decline in the Group's earnings is due to the decreased delivery volume in 2017 as a result of the low price of oil and ongoing political conflicts. This led to weak capacity utilization in some production areas. The drop in earnings was counteracted by the cost-cutting measures already taken in 2017 and further efficiency enhancements as part of the optimization programs.

Earnings in the reporting year were also impacted by the delivery product mix. Instead of profitable large-volume orders, there were more individual orders with more complex processing. Exchange rate effects and higher start-up costs at the platform manufacturer Rosenbauer Rovereto likewise compressed earnings. Furthermore, one-time costs for the reorganization of the staff structure in Austria, amortization on intangible assets at Rosenbauer Rovereto and as a result of the discontinuation of a software project, caused additional expenses.

Net finance costs improved year-on-year thanks to the positive effect of the measurement of derivatives. Earnings before taxes (EBT) therefore amounted to € 25.8 million in the reporting period (2016: € 44.0 million).

Orders
The Rosenbauer Group reported record incoming orders of € 970.0 million in the past year (2016: € 816.8 million). The largest contribution to growth was made by the NISA (Northern Europe, Iberia, South America and Africa) sales region, with orders from Holland and England. Furthermore, Rosenbauer could win an order from the airport operator Royal Schiphol Group for the delivery of 18 ARFF vehicles worth around € 22 million. US vehicles were also in high demand with an increase of 10%. The CEEU area - which includes the German market - is also still performing successfully with growth of 7%. Here Rosenbauer secured an order to deliver 108 vehicles for the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance. There is also an option for the delivery of a further 198 vehicles between 2018 and 2020.

The order backlog was up 19% on the previous year's figure at an all-time high of € 882.6 million as of December 31, 2017 (2016: € 739.7 million). This order backlog gives the Rosenbauer Group a highly satisfactory level of capacity utilization at its production facilities for the months ahead.

The above figures are based on advance calculations in accordance with IFRS. The final figures for 2017 will be published on April 6, 2018.