WESEL, Germany – In the 2019 fiscal year, specialty chemicals Group ALTANA reported sales of €2,249 million, nearly 3% below the level of the previous year, which was still characterized by a strong first half in economic terms. The main reasons for this were the continuing sluggish demand in key industrial sectors, especially the automotive industry, and the general economic slowdown, especially in China. Adjusted for acquisition and exchange-rate effects, sales decreased by 4%. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) fell by 3% to €416 million. At 18.5%, the EBITDA margin was roughly at the previous year’s level despite further increases in expenditure, particularly for research and development and digitization, and was within the long-term target range of 18% to 20%.
The ALTANA Group increased its research and development expenses by 7%. With a share of sales of also 7%, ALTANA continues to invest above-average amounts in innovations and new technologies, for example in the future digital printing market. ALTANA’s internal startup ACTEGA Metal Print is about to launch a technology that achieves decorative metallic effects with considerably less material, costs and production time than the processes that have been commonly used thus far. The up-and-coming printer manufacturer dp polar, in which ALTANA has held a stake since 2017, brought the first 3D printing system with a rotating printing platform onto the market in 2019 using the specialty chemicals group’s material development knowhow. The system enables highly precise components to be produced up to 20 times faster.