First quarter 2021: Strong increase in demand

Number of employees at closing date3) 3)13'444 employees (FTEs), of whom 56 on short-time work. (at closing date 2020: 13'163 employees, of whom 887 on short-time work) Overall, the markets of Bucher Industries developed very positively in the first quarter of 2021. Demand rose in all divisions. Kuhn Group and Bucher Hydraulics, where recovery had already set in by mid-2020, reported a substantial increase. Order intake at Bucher Industries grew by more than a third. While all sites were operational, certain restrictions still remained in effect, with the biggest impact seen on operational processes and international travel. In light of the economic recovery, the divisions also increasingly found themselves faced with difficulties in the supply chain and in logistics, which led to delivery bottlenecks and longer delivery times in general. Consequently, there was a delay in the sales increase, and the order book is currently at a very high level.