2023-08-20 17:37:03
Zurich (awp) – The manufacturer of road construction machinery and agricultural vehicles Aebi Schmidt has a billion in turnover in its sights. “Given the order book, we would be able to achieve this without any problems,” said managing director Barend Fruithof in an interview with the magazine Schweiz am Wochenende.
“The question is whether we have all the parts needed for production. Also the weak dollar is weighing on our numbers as we are reporting in euros. billion,” added the boss of the manufacturer of snowplows, sweepers and other agricultural machinery.
The company will end the year on a profit, but “we do not quote a precise figure”, noted Mr. Fruithof.
The latter also complained regarding the lack of qualified personnel, which he described as “a big problem”. He also highlighted the lack of parts necessary for production, such as batteries or semiconductors. In the United States, there is a lack of chassis for vehicles. In the German factory in St. Blaisien, some 80 machines are currently awaiting delivery, simply because a few parts are missing to complete them, noted the boss.
The company is not affected by the gigantic infrastructure program launched by President Joe Biden in the United States. On the other hand, it benefits much more from the incentive programs for sustainability. Many cities have set carbon neutrality as a goal and Aebi Schmidt currently sells a lot of electric motor sweepers, produced in Germany. Recently, she landed a commission from New York City. In total, more than 160 machines of this type are already in operation worldwide, according to the CEO.
In the agricultural sector, business is quite stable. At the level of the Swiss municipalities, the turnover of sales of street cleaning vehicles has recently increased and it still represents some 50 million Swiss francs of the total. Switzerland is, in Europe, the second market of the group following Germany concluded the boss of the company controlled two-thirds by the industrialist Peter Spuhler (Stadler Rail).
jb/rp
1692569232
#Aebi #Schmidt #CEO #billion #turnover #crosshairs
