HELLA reports slight growth in sales for the first nine months

HELLA presented its full financial results for the first nine months of the fiscal year 2024 (1 January to 30 September 2024). Adjusted for currency effects, sales improved slightly by 0.8 percent to €6.0 billion, while reported sales are at a level €5.9 billion and on a par with the prior year (previous year: €5.9 billion).

Operating income amounted to €344 million (previous year: €363 million), resulting in a slight decline in the operating income margin to 5.8 percent (previous year: 6.1 percent). Net cash flow in relation to reported sales is -0.1 percent (previous year: 0.7 percent); significant improvements in net cash flow are expected for the fourth quarter of 2024.

“The general conditions in the automotive industry have deteriorated further. While a stagnating global light vehicle production was projected at the beginning of the year, there has instead been a noticeable decline overall. Production volumes dropped significantly in the third quarter, and especially the European market came under particular pressure during this period,” says Bernard Schäferbarthold, CEO of FORVIA HELLA.

“We too have been affected by this factor, especially since our customer mix, postponements of new series launches and the slower ramp-up of electromobility had a negative impact on our business as well. In this very challenging market environment, we were able to keep our sales stable and outperform the development of global automotive production overall. On the cost side, we have succeeded in partially compensating for the lower-than-expected business volumes in particular.”