Bucher Industries expects markets to recover in 2025

Demand for Bucher Industries’ pro­ducts and services declined, as expect­ed. Order intake fell sig­nif­i­cant­ly, although the slowdown stabilised from mid-year onwards. Sales were also below the prior-year level, even though Bucher Municipal was able to positively distinguish itself from the general trend.

The operating profit margin reached a solid 9.0 percent. The prof­it for the year of CHF 228 million and the earnings per share of CHF 22.15 were below the high levels of the prior year. The board of directors proposes a dividend of CHF 11.00 per share and is planning a share buyback pro­gramme over the next two years. After ten successful years as CEO, Jacques Sanche will hand over in the year 2026 to Matthias Kümmerle.

As expected, demand for Bucher Industries’ products and services declined compared with the strong prior-year period. An economic slowdown was particularly noticeable in Europe, while the North American and Asian markets performed better. Order intake fell in four of the five divisions, with the segments associated with agriculture and Bucher Emhart Glass being particularly hard hit by the downturn.

Bucher Emhart Glass: Continued good operating profit margin
Demand for glass forming and inspection machinery weakened in the reporting period and was significantly below the very high level of the prior year. Order intake at Bucher Emhart Glass declined by 31 percent.

Capacity utilisation was good thanks to the high order book. Uncertainties regarding market developments at specific customers led to project delays, which had a negative impact on sales and led to a decline of 12 percent. The operating profit margin declined accordingly but again attained a very good level of 16.8 percent. Production planning was adapted to the current situation and capacities at the production sites were reduced.

Outlook for 2025
Bucher Emhart Glass expects the demand for glass container manufacturing equipment to recover towards the end of 2025 following the reduction of the stocks of glass containers. The division anticipates significantly lower sales on a comparable basis compared with the high level of the prior year. Accordingly, the operating profit margin is expected to be significantly lower than in 2024.

The full financial report is available here.