MAN expects its revenues to grow again in the second half of 2018
Truck manufacturer MAN says its success in Europe is the reason behind its sound performance in the first half of the 2018 calendar year, with both the truck and bus markets performing better than over the same timeframe in 2017.
MAN Group generated €319 million ($498 million) in operating profit in the first six months to June 30, up from €273 million the previous year, as its operating return on sales rose to 4.3 per cent – up from 4 per cent.
The company’s order intake came in at €9.1 billion, with €7.4 billion generated as sales revenue.
MAN chief executive Joachim Drees says the company’s Truck & Bus divisions saw order intake rise to €6,604 million in the first half of 2018, while sales revenue increased to €5,194 million.
At €285 million, operating profit in the first half of 2018 was up slightly on the previous year. This corresponds to an operating return on sales of 5.5%.
Order intake at MAN Energy Solutions, formerly MAN Diesel & Turbo, was up on the whole, with the Engines & Marine Systems business unit seeing a “considerable increase” in the number of orders.
The division’s sales revenue was up 5 per cent compared with the prior-year period, with the company recording an operating profit of €51 million in the first half of the year and an operating return on sales of 3.6 per cent.
Looking ahead, the MAN board anticipates that revenue will grow slightly in the second half of 2018, leaving its operating profit roughly on level with the previous year.
This, the company says, will cause its operating return on sales to decline slightly on those levels.