Bavaria: SAF-Holland performs better than expected

Bessenbach (dpa/lby) - The commercial vehicle supplier SAF-Holland benefited from the recovery in demand last year and performed better than it had expected. Sales rose by a quarter to 1.57 billion euros, reaching a record level, as the company announced in Bessenbach on Wednesday. In addition to exchange rates and acquisitions, the America and Asia regions were responsible for the increase. The production figures for trucks and trailers in North America and Europe remained solid in the fourth quarter, it said. Earnings before interest, taxes and special items accounted for 8.0 percent of sales for the year as a whole, half a percentage point more than in the previous year. The pre-tax result increased by 41.2 percent to 88.5 million euros. SAF-Holland will present the detailed annual figures and the forecast for the new year on March 30th.