The Biesterfeld Group looks back on the most successful year in its more than 100 years company history. In 2007 the Biesterfeld Group achieved an increase in turnover over last year of 21.2 % to ? 836.5 million. The operational result (EBITDA) even increased by 28.5 % compared with the previous year to ? 34.6 million.All three business divisions recorded considerable sales growth and clearly improved their results. With retroactive effect of 1st January 2007 Biesterfeld Plastic has taken over completely Biesterfeld Ibérica S.L. and thus further extended its leading market position in Europe.
Due to the regional expansion and the diversification of the product portfolio in special fields like electronics, automotive and construction industries, Biesterfeld Spezialchemie, the Group`s specialty chemicals division, grew above the market and thus continuously strengthened its market position especially in Central Europe. Biesterfeld International, specializing on the trade with industrial and agro chemicals, salt as well as pharmaceutical raw materials and active ingredients, achieved its most successful year, thanks to a foresighted stock management and a successful network of own branches in Europe, Asia as well as North and South America.
During the past business year the Group demonstrated its clear focus on the three core business divisions with the 100% acquisition of the Spanish subsidiary of Biesterfeld Plastic, by founding an independent company of Biesterfeld Spezialchemie in Russia as well as an additional company of Biesterfeld Spezialchemie in Romania and with the start of sales activities of Biesterfeld Shanghai Co. Ltd. of Biesterfeld International, a wholly foreign owned domestic enterprise in China. All these highlights set the course for sustained development and growth.
At the beginning of 2008 Biesterfeld again divested part of its interest held in Biesterfeld Chemie distribution GmbH to Brenntag, thus reducing its share in this company to below 20 %.
With the strong start recorded in the first quarter of 2008 the family owned enterprise Biesterfeld is confident to achieve its determined objectives again this year.
Also for the next years we anticipate to reach our ambitious growth objectives for all our business divisions. This will lead to a further expansion of our strong European market positions and also to a reinforcement of the market position in the international trade.
