Turnover and profit at a high level in 2024

“2024 was a year of many challenges,” CEO Dr Peter Selders commented at the company’s annual media conference in Reinach, Switzerland. “While Endress+Hauser did not meet all its targets, the company held up well. We made important progress in many areas and have taken our company forward.”

The Group's net sales rose slightly by 0.7% to 3.744 billion euros. CFO Dr. Luc Schultheiss put organic growth - excluding currency effects - at 1.3 percent. "The hoped-for economic upturn in the second half of the year failed to materialize,” said Schultheiss. All three major markets - the USA, China and Germany - developed only modestly. The smaller and medium-sized sales companies compensated for this.

Regionally mixed picture

CEO Dr. Peter Selders (right) and Chairman of the Board of Directors Matthias Altendorf form the team at the helm of the Endress+Hauser Group. © Endress+Hauser

In Europe, sales fell by 0.9%, mainly due to declining figures in Germany. However, individual markets on the continent, including Italy, France and the UK, performed well. Asia as a whole was down 1.9 percent, a consequence of the decline in sales in China. India and Japan recorded good growth.

On the American continent, Endress+Hauser achieved an increase of 4.2 percent. Canada, Argentina and Brazil were the main growth drivers here. After years of great market success, the USA made only a small contribution to the positive trend in 2024. Africa and the Middle East developed dynamically with a rate of 13.3 percent.

More jobs and apprenticeships

Endress+Hauser created 514 new jobs worldwide last year. At the end of 2024, the Group had 17,046 employees. New jobs were created in production in particular, as well as in training. 636 young people were undergoing in-company training, studying with Endress+Hauser at a university or university of applied sciences or as external students. The proportion of apprentices rose to 3.7 percent; the target is 5 percent.

Investments in the global network

Endress+Hauser invested 349.3 million euros in new buildings, systems and IT. For example, a new production building went into operation on the company campus in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad), India. © Endress+Hauser

Endress+Hauser invested 349.3 million euros - more than ever before - in new buildings, systems and IT. New production buildings went into operation on the company campus in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad), India, and a guest house opened in Arlesheim, Switzerland. Regional logistics hubs began operations in China and India. The Group is currently implementing investment projects worth over 550 million euros - the largest of which is at the production site in Maulburg in southern Germany.

Research and development

Last year, the company launched 81 new products on the market and had 285 initial applications filed with patent offices around the world. Expenditure on research and development amounted to 275.6 million euros, 3% more than in the previous year. This sum corresponds to 7.4 percent of turnover.

Sustainable management

Despite major investments and additional jobs, the Group maintained profits at a high level: Endress+Hauser achieved earnings after tax of 407.9 million euros - 0.2 percent less than in the previous year. This corresponds to a return on sales of 14.1 percent. “Commercial success is the foundation that allows us to further drive our company’s sustainability,” Dr Selders emphasized.

Endress+Hauser scored 78 out of 100 points in the EcoVadis sustainability rating, once again achieving Gold status - a ranking among the top 5 percent of around 130,000 companies surveyed.

New fields of application and future markets

A strategic partnership between Endress+Hauser and the sensor manufacturer SICK in process automation expands the range of gas analysis and gas flow measurement technology. © Endress+Hauser

A strategic partnership with the sensor manufacturer Sick in process automation expands the range of gas analysis and gas flow measurement technology. Endress+Hauser aims to provide customers with even better support in increasing the efficiency of their systems, protecting the environment and reducing their CO₂ footprint.

As part of the cooperation, around 800 sales and service employees worldwide moved from Sick to Endress+Hauser. The production and further development of the products was brought together under the umbrella of Endress+Hauser Sick. Both companies each hold 50 percent of the joint venture; it has around 730 employees at five locations in Germany.

Generational change well managed

“The changes at the top of the group and the generational handover in the shareholder family have gone smoothly,” said Matthias Altendorf, who became president of the Supervisory Board at the start of 2024 after ten years as CEO. Sandra Genge and Steven Endress, two grandsons of the company founder, now represent the family shareholders on the Board of Directors. Dr. h. c. Klaus Endress is Chairman of the Family Council, the most important link between the family and the company.

Prepared for challenges

In view of the political, social and technological upheavals, CEO Peter Selders expects the economy to continue to develop unevenly. Endress+Hauser aims to grow in the mid-single-digit percentage range in 2025 and keep profits stable. Selders believes the family-owned company is well equipped for the current challenges: “We can be confident about the future because much of what we need to prevail amid the current changes lies within our own control.”