"The focus on our core competencies of adhesive materials, labels and labelling machines, the continued concentration on sustainable growth, the pronounced commitment and flexibility of our employees and, last but not least, the investments in new production facilities in recent years have helped us to successfully stay on course in these turbulent times," emphasize Managing Directors Sven Schneller and Dr. Guido Spachtholz. "We have proven that Herma can maintain its position in the market even under adverse circumstances and even expand it in some areas. This means that Herma is also prepared for further uncertainties."

Against this backdrop, Managing Directors Sven Schneller and Dr. Guido Spachtholz have mixed feelings about the development of the Herma Group's turnover, which rose from EUR 380.8 million to EUR 428.4 million in 2021: "The 12.5 percent increase in turnover is largely the result of higher sales volumes, but is also partly the result of significantly higher raw material costs, for example for paper, and therefore unavoidable sales price increases in the areas of adhesive materials and labels. The difficult procurement situation had a partially negative impact on the development of the nevertheless increased result. We are proud of the fact that, despite this difficult materials situation, Herma has by and large succeeded in remaining able to deliver." The number of employees rose slightly in the past financial year to 1,124 at the end of the year (previous year: 1,106). The export ratio remained almost stable at 62.5% compared to 62.8% in the previous year.

Due to further catch-up effects as the coronavirus pandemic subsides, demand is likely to remain stable for the time being, the two Herma managing directors predict. However, the general conditions for 2022 will not get any easier: "We cannot yet fully assess the consequences of the war against Ukraine for Herma. The paper supply situation remains challenging, partly due to a strike in central paper mills in Finland that has now lasted several months; we hope that the situation will return to normal overall in May, or June at the latest. Energy prices are also likely to increase significantly once again and then remain at a high level." Schneller and Dr. Spachtholz are therefore planning for an inflation-driven increase in turnover in the high single-digit range for the current financial year.

Growth in all business areas

Thanks in particular to the new production capacities, which among other things enable a stronger focus on film products, the Adhesive Materials division was able to continue its growth trajectory of recent years and significantly increase its external volume. Sales of EUR 283.1 million represented an increase of 17.4% compared to the previous year (EUR 241.1 million). The Labels division, which includes classic office labels and school supplies as well as industrial labels, grew by 2.5% in total, from EUR 82.6 million in the previous year to EUR 84.6 million. However, different trends emerged in the individual sub-divisions. The Labeling Machines division benefited from its extensive expertise in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors and grew by 6.8%, from EUR 53.3 million in the previous year to EUR 56.9 million. Further growth drivers in this area were the good development in Germany, in the subsidiary Herma US and the service business, where Herma is pushing the use of digital offerings.