Supply Chain Solutions segment

Business performance and order intake

Order intake in the Supply Chain Solutions segment exceeded the high figure reported in the prior-year period, improving by 7.2 percent to €1,868.8 million in the first half of 2021 (H1 2020: €1,743.9 million). The project business (business solutions) benefited from the continued strength of e-commerce and a sharp rise in project orders from the food and textile sectors. The service business also registered a substantial increase. Currency effects reduced order intake by a total of €74.1 million.

Key figures − Supply Chain Solutions

in € million

Q2
2021

Q2
2020

Change

Q1 – Q2
2021

Q1 – Q2
2020

Change

Order intake

1,038.9

1,057.6

–1.8%

1,868.8

1,743.9

7.2%

Total revenue

996.5

634.6

57.0%

1,857.2

1,215.8

52.8%

Order book1

 

 

 

3,150.3

3,071.1

2.6%

EBITDA

139.9

70.2

99.3%

256.6

143.1

79.2%

Adjusted EBITDA

141.5

70.2

> 100%

259.5

144.2

80.0%

EBIT

103.6

31.0

> 100%

184.1

66.7

> 100%

Adjusted EBIT

125.5

53.4

> 100%

227.3

112.1

> 100%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA margin

14.2%

11.1%

14.0%

11.9%

Adjusted EBIT margin

12.6%

8.4%

12.2%

9.2%

1

Figure as at Jun. 30, 2021 compared with Dec. 31, 2020

Revenue

The total revenue of the Supply Chain Solutions segment surged by 52.8 percent to €1,857.2 million (H1 2020: €1,215.8 million), primarily as a result of working through the project orders received in 2020 plus a consistently high level of capacity utilization. The increase in revenue was largely accounted for by the long-term project business (business solutions), in which revenue went up by 69.6 percent. Having seen a slight decrease in revenue in the first quarter as a result of exchange-rate effects, the service business (customer services) generated a year-on-year rise in revenue of 7.2 percent in the first half of 2021. The proportion of the segment’s external revenue accounted for by the service business fell to 19.4 percent (H1 2020: 27.6 percent). Currency effects reduced segment revenue by €100.4 million.

Earnings

The adjusted EBIT of the Supply Chain Solutions segment for the six-month period amounted to €227.3 million, which was double the figure for the first half of 2020 of €112.1 million. The disproportionately strong growth in the project business (business solutions) made a bigger contribution to gross profit than the high-margin service business. This effect was outweighed by the relatively small growth in other functional costs. The adjusted EBIT margin improved to 12.2 percent overall (H1 2020: 9.2 percent). After taking into account non-recurring items and purchase price allocation effects, EBIT came to €184.1 million (H1 2020: €66.7 million).

Adjusted EBITDA amounted to €259.5 million (H1 2020: €144.2 million); the adjusted EBITDA margin rose to 14.0 percent (H1 2020: 11.9 percent).