"Thanks to the rapid implementation of comprehensive safety measures and sophisticated logistics planning, we were able to serve our customers around the globe without any major interruptions. Nevertheless, corona has affected us globally in all areas, from production to customer service and supply chains to everyday working life. Thanks to strict measures, we will nevertheless emerge from this financial year net debt-free and with a stable financial position," says Peter Mohnen, CEO of Kuka.

Cost-cutting and efficiency measures, investments in research and development

"Tighter structures are necessary in order to be prepared for a market that was already difficult before the pandemic and will only recover slowly," says Mohnen. In order to stabilize the Group in the long term, Kuka has implemented extensive cost-cutting and efficiency measures. CEO Mohnen says: "What each and every one of our employees has achieved deserves my utmost respect." Special effects from the measures, together with the coronavirus-related decline in orders and sales, led to a negative EBIT of € -113.2 million (2019: € 47.8 million).

Kuka made significant savings, particularly in indirect areas, but invested in research and development and thus in the future viability of the Group. R&D expenses increased to €178 million in 2020 (2019: €160.5 million). The EBIT margin fell from 1.5% to -4.4%. The two segments Swisslog and Swisslog Healthcare, experts in intralogistics and automation in hospitals and pharmacies, were the only two Kuka divisions with slightly positive EBIT in 2020.

Growth in China in all application areas

Robotics and automation are increasingly coming into focus - especially after the experience of the coronavirus pandemic. The Group's book-to-bill ratio rose to 1.08 (2019: 1.00), which indicates good capacity utilization in the medium term. The growth in the China business segment is particularly strong, with a book-to-bill ratio of 1.23 (2019: 1.00). Incoming orders in this segment also increased by 7.4% compared to the previous year and amounted to € 490.4 million. "During the 2020 economic crisis, China was the only market to record growth. Here, we were able to win orders and enter into partnerships not only in traditional areas such as automotive, but also in newer areas such as healthcare and the 3C industry," says Peter Mohnen. "We expect growth in China this year and have pushed ahead with specific developments such as the KR Scara and new types of small robots."

Kuka also expects the economic recovery to continue worldwide and anticipates higher sales and positive EBIT again in 2021. "Automation will be a winner of this crisis in the medium term," says Mohnen. This will be reflected in a significant increase in demand. Despite the lockdown, incoming orders and turnover were up on the previous year's figures throughout the first quarter of 2021. In particular, EBIT is expected to be significantly better than in the same period last year.