Rohde & Schwarz closed its 2019/2020 financial year (July to June) with sales of EUR 2.58 billion. With an increase in sales of 20 percent, the Group grew for the third year in a row. Thanks to its high level of vertical integration, flexible production processes and robust supply chains, the company successfully navigated through the difficult global economic environment. The number of employees rose moderately to around 12,300 worldwide.

High investments in wireless technologies

The roll-out of mobile networks based on the fifth generation of 5G technology was faster than expected. The Covid-19-related slump in sales on the end device market did not noticeably slow down the mobile industry's propensity to invest until the middle of the year. The size and importance of the market as well as strong competition on both the device and network side prompted device and infrastructure manufacturers to invest heavily in measurement technology. Rohde & Schwarz benefited from this along the entire mobile communications value chain.

With its measurement technology, the company is also well positioned for the Internet of Things (IoT). 5G is set to revolutionize factory automation through wireless networking of operating equipment.Rohde & Schwarz has developed a complete measurement technology portfolio for setting up and reliably operating 5G factory networks. In the automotive sector, the market responded positively to the company's innovations in radar sensor technology and vehicle networking, enabling Rohde & Schwarz to position itself promisingly for the future.

Prepared for all scenarios

The coronavirus pandemic has confronted the world with an unprecedented challenge, the consequences of which can hardly be reliably estimated. Rohde & Schwarz's business areas will be affected to varying degrees in the new fiscal year. In this context, the broad diversification of target markets, addressing both private and public sector customers, will once again prove to be an advantage. Thanks to its extremely solid economic basis and its highly modern processes and structures, Rohde & Schwarz believes it is well prepared for all future scenarios.