Entrepreneur Klaus Fischer was already looking forward to record sales for 2022 in November - the year wasn't even over then. The official balance sheet is now available. The cash register rings in the Black Forest not only thanks to the well-known dowels.
Waldachtal (dpa/lsw) - As announced, the dowel manufacturer Fischer has broken the one billion euro sales mark for the first time in the company's history. Compared to the previous year, the value rose by 14.7 percent to 1.14 billion euros, according to information from Friday. Owner Klaus Fischer had already announced the record value in autumn - without giving specific figures. For 2023, the group of companies from Waldachtal (Freudenstadt district) expects further growth "provided that this goal is not impaired by special political or economic situations".
Fischer generally does not report any consolidated results. According to the announcement, the company employs 5,600 people, 200 more than a year earlier. The Fischer Group is represented by 50 companies in 38 countries.
The largest division is the fastening systems. Here, sales increased by 14 percent within a year. Solar attachments, for example, would have ensured growth. In addition, Fischer built a new logistics center for the Asian market in Vietnam in 2022. Only recently, Fischer also presented a robot called "Baubot" that can drill and dowel in walls, floors and ceilings.
However, the group also offers other products in addition to dowels and the like: in the automotive sector, for example, in addition to storage compartments, cup holders and ventilation nozzles, a locking system for charging sockets has recently been launched. That is currently in demand in China. It is true that this segment closed the past year with sales growth of 17.8 percent. "Nevertheless, the division is still in a difficult market environment due to the effects of the corona pandemic in China and the semiconductor crisis."
The markets for teaching materials recovered significantly after the corona pandemic, it said. In the toys sector, the cost of living, which has been rising for months, also had an impact on consumer behavior. The Fischertechnik division, which is known for the construction kits, therefore reported a sales increase of 7.2 percent.
