Diehl Group is growing by leaps and bounds: sales increase due to the arms boom!

Diehl Group is growing by leaps and bounds: sales increase due to the arms boom!

The Diehl Group, a traditional family business from Nuremberg, experienced an impressive financial boom last year. Loud BR The group achieved sales of almost 4.7 billion euros, which corresponds to an increase of almost 21 percent compared to the previous year. This success is due not least to the flourishing arms business, which grew by 60 percent and thus made a significant contribution to overall development. Diehl also wanted to exceed forecasts, which was achieved in the area of ​​earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT). Here, EBIT rose from around 260 million euros to over 460 million euros.

The other divisions of the Diehl Group also showed positive developments. Diehl Aviation was also able to record growth, while Diehl Metering delivered a solid performance. In contrast, Diehl Metall faced a decline in sales due to the challenges in metal processing and the current crisis in the automotive industry. It was a similar story for Diehl Controls, which reported declines due to slow sales of heat pumps and fewer inverters sold.

Investments and expansion

Diehl is currently investing heavily in the future. Expenses rose to over 330 million euros, an increase of 45 percent compared to the previous year. In addition, around 400 million euros flowed into research and development. There are also plans to extensively expand capacities at Diehl Defense at all locations, which are becoming increasingly important due to the geopolitical situation. The aim is to invest almost one billion euros over several years.

A concrete example of the expansion plans is the newly expanded factory for the production of thermal batteries for missiles in Röthenbach, as well as the commissioning of a second test center. The personnel policy also shows that Diehl is on a growth path. Last year, over 1,000 new employees were hired, with a focus on the Diehl Defense and Diehl Aviation divisions.

Positive image change of the arms industry

Despite general challenges in the labor market, Diehl is not having any major difficulties finding new skilled workers, according to company representatives. There are numerous unsolicited applications from the automotive industry and other sectors. This trend is particularly notable because the image of the defense industry has changed positively. The Nuremberg-based family company not only benefits from the boom in the arms industry, but has also increased its arms business to sales of over 1.14 billion euros. This means that the defense division has even overtaken the aviation division, which grew by 18 percent and reached billions in sales for the first time since the Corona crisis n-tv reported.