Turnover exceeded the previous year’s figure by nearly 22% with the company achieving a new record high at €237.3million. A five-year review shows a 100% organic growth in turnover.
Chief executive officer Dirk Kiessling said: “The growth achieved during the past five years is based on our ongoing development of a well-balanced portfolio with a high growth profile and focus on new markets and applications.”
He added: “Keeping a long-term view we have implemented initiatives to foster profitable growth through the acquisition of the majority of our long-standing partner TBA Nederland BV.“
During the past five years Gottwald has created around 200 new jobs in Germany. At a recent count, 730 people were employed at the Dusseldorf facility.
Gottwald’s range of state of the art harbour cranes on tyres, rails and barges with lifting capacities of up to 200t remains the driving force behind its success.
Meanwhile, a significant breakthrough in the container handling division was witnessed through the first order for Gottwald’s ASC automated stacking cranes.
In May 2005, Gottwald signed a framework agreement with Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O), UK for the supply of ASC cranes for the new P&O Antwerp Gateway Terminal at Deurganckdok, Antwerp, Belgium.
Gottwald will supply, test and commission the first four ASCs for two stack modules by June 2006.
Another development was the successful introduction of Gottwald’s new environmentally and economically advanced E-AGV series – a diesel-electric drive automated guided vehicle.
The first unmanned E-AGVs type CT 60-E will be supplied to Container-Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) in the Port of Hamburg. CTA originally ordered 11 E-AGVs including the prototype and later increased its order to 21.
As Kiessling said, having worked closely with TBA Nederland BV in the field of port simulation and emulation applications over the past nine years, Gottwald decided to buy the majority of the company and established a new brand under the name TBA BV.
“Gottwald’s software solutions have become a key element in the present and future activities of the company in the field of semi-automated and fully automated systems,” said Kiessling.
With effect from 1st January 2006, Gottwald will take over the majority of the shares (70%) of TBA Nederland BV. The remaining 30% will continue to be held by the two founders of TBA Nederland BV, Dr. Yvo Saanen and Klaas Pieter van Til.
To date, TBA Nederland BV has generated an annual turnover of approximately € 1.8million with 17 permanent staff.
