In the first three quarters of the 2007/08 Financial Year, revenues of voestalpine Group rose by 47% from EUR 5.1 billion to more than EUR 7.5 billion. Apart from the acquisition of a majority stake in BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM Group, growth was strongest in the Automotive Division at 34%, as a result of acquisitions, while the divisions Profilform (+ 20%), Steel (+ 8%) and Railway Systems (+ 7%) increased their revenues largely due to organic growth.
The rise in the Group’s profit, driven by the growth in the four divisions, primarily mirrors the higher price level across the industry. Only the rise in the Automotive Division’s EBIT of +35% was largely the result of the initial consolidation of newly-acquired companies. The Steel Division boosted its profit by 34% and, after the first three quarters of the Financial Year, recorded an EBIT margin that has risen from 14% to almost 18%, thus making it the most profitable of all of the Group’s divisions. With an increase of just under 18% and more than 3% respectively, the divisions Profilform and Railway Systems also exceeded their last year’s earning figures.