Gestamp says its net profit increased by 28.5% to EUR161.5m in 2015. Operating profit was up by 18.6% to EUR400m and turnover was up 12.4% to EUR7bn.
The Spanish supplier said that growth recorded by Gestamp is much higher than that experienced by the sector, standing at 2.8% in the countries where the company operates.
Personnel also continued to grow in 2015, reaching over 33,000 employees. Moreover, Gestamp has continued to diversify its production geographically so much so that, today, North America represents 19% of the group's sales, and Asia totals 14%, compared to 14% and 8% in 2012, respectively. Therefore, North America is the third largest market for Gestamp, behind Germany and Spain.
During the 2015 financial year, the company says investments to a value of EUR622.4m were made in both production processes and technology and in facility expansion processes or opening plants in the US, Mexico, China, India, Spain and Poland.
The Chairman and CEO of Gestamp, Francisco J. Riberas, said: "We are still very much focused on operational excellence and on making our growth compatible with a moderate level of debt". Riberas also said that growth "will be accompanied by a very significant investment drive".
In terms of R&D, Gestamp said its innovation "focuses on co-development with its customers, an area that is expected to show a notable increase in the coming years, and also on using advanced manufacturing and various material bonding processes."
With over 1,300 employees working on innovation tasks and 12 R&D centres, Gestamp plans to open new facilities of this type in North America, China and Japan. The group says it is well positioned in the market regarding 'multi-material' solutions to offer customers the best combinations of steel, aluminium and all types of fibre components.
"Our technological leadership enables us to continue increasing our market share in markets where we still have a high potential for growth, such as North America, and it shall enable us to reach more manufacturers who play a very important role in the international market, such as the Japanese," said Riberas.
Gestamp operates in 20 countries, with 95 industrial plants, 12 R&D centres and over 32,000 employees worldwide.
