The results in detail: turnover increased by 7.4% to 1,361.2 million euros. Incoming orders were also at a record level, growing by 10.1% to 1,398.9 million euros.

At 147.9 million euros, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) also exceeded the previous year's figure by 14.6%. After deducting the tax burden, the annual result amounted to 104 million euros. This corresponds to an increase of 14.5% compared to the previous year (90.8 million euros). The Group invested 143.4 million euros in R&D (previous year: 129 million euros). This corresponds to 10.5% of sales (previous year: 10.2%).

At the end of last year, the Sick Group employed 8044 people worldwide, 8.5% more than in the previous year. R&D and global sales in particular were further strengthened. In Germany, 4739 people were employed at the end of the year (+8% compared to the previous year). Outside Germany, the workforce grew by 9.1% compared to the end of 2015 and amounted to 3,305 employees. Expenditure on training and development increased by 11.2% to EUR 10.3 million (previous year: EUR 9.3 million).

The Group management is optimistic about the 2017 financial year - despite the persistently difficult conditions. The first quarter of 2017 was already positive: incoming orders and sales grew more strongly than expected and, contrary to the trend of recent years, were significantly above the previous year's level at the end of March.

The forecast for the current financial year as a whole is therefore optimistic: "The economic and political conditions remain challenging," says Dr. Robert Bauer, CEO of Sick AG. "Nevertheless, we are aiming for another record year in 2017. We are currently anticipating sales growth in the upper single-digit percentage range." He continues: "We will continue to expand our role as a leading manufacturer in the field of sensor intelligence. This applies to our core business - industrial automation - as well as to data-based Industry 4.0. We will focus in particular on expanding our existing product portfolio, on the connectivity of our sensor technology in the context of Industry 4.0 and on the topic of data sovereignty."