18.1% (CAGR) was the average growth of the Keba Group in the last five financial years. At 11.2%, sales growth in the past financial year (April 2020 to April 2021) is slightly below this average, but those responsible are pleased with the result. International business accounts for around 90% of turnover. Around 68% was delivered to the EU (excluding Austria) and 14% to Asia.

61 million euros for research and development

At 14.8%, the R&D ratio was slightly below the previous year (16.6%) and amounted to EUR 61 million. The number of employees rose from 1732 to 1750 and, according to the company, has grown by around 1000 employees over the past ten years.

The employees are spread across Europe and Asia: around half work in Austria, a third in Germany and the company also has a strong presence in China and Asia with almost 200 employees. 39 apprentices are currently being trained at the locations in Linz. There are currently 62 open positions.

New structure, new companies

The past financial year has shown how unpredictable events such as the coronavirus pandemic can affect the economy. The economy in the coronavirus year was like a rollercoaster, even though the company reported that the global trend was very different.

It paid off for the Group to have different mainstays that address different sectors and markets and are therefore subject to different cycles and triggers. The three business areas are:

Industrial Automation develops and produces automation solutions consisting of hardware and software for machines and robots. The solutions range from operation, control and safety technology to drive technology. These solutions are used in various mechanical engineering sectors and in robotics.

Handover Automation specializes in handover solutions. These enable the secure and contactless transfer of cash, parcels or goods as well as controlled access to shared objects. These solutions are known, for example, as ATMs at banks or as parcel machines at postal and logistics companies, as well as handover machines in the vehicle trade, in the justice system or in the healthcare sector.

Energy Automation is one of the pioneers of charging solutions for electric vehicles. The wallboxes not only allow electric cars to be charged safely and reliably, but can also be networked with various systems, such as a photovoltaic system, thanks to a wide range of interfaces. Another focus in this business area is on heating control systems for heat pumps and biomass heating systems.

New companies from fall 2021

From fall 2021, the three business units will operate as independent companies and run the operational business within the Keba Group, but will continue to operate under the joint Keba brand.

The Keba Group is responsible for the overall direction as well as the strategic and financial management of the entire group of companies.

The three business segments have different characteristics. Industrial Automation focuses on the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) segment. Handover Automation is a project business with the production of self-service machines in the banking and logistics sector. And Energy Automation, which manufactures wallboxes for electric cars and heating control systems, is a series business close to the end customer.

According to the company, this is why different approaches to methods, processes, sales channels, etc. are needed in the interests of agility. In addition, the company's organizational philosophy is to make decisions as decentralized as possible so that they can be made quickly and in a targeted manner. By separating responsibility, the company sees the opportunity to serve sectors in an even more targeted manner and to act even closer to the customer.