MEDIAINFO Record result for Banner in the 2015/16 financial year
EUR 258 million in sales revenues across all business areas
4.1 million starter batteries sold
Growth through demand for Banner’s EFB batteries for start-stop vehicles
Investments of over EUR 40 million in Linz-Leonding since 2011
Banner quality wins a nomination for the Daimler Supplier Award 2015
Closed recycling system underlines the company’s sustainability strategy
Linz-Leonding, 4 May 2016. On its balance sheet date, Banner closed the expired 2015/16 financial year (1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016) with a record result. Sales rose to 4.1 million starter batteries, which represented an increase of more than 300,000 units, or 8 per cent over the figure for the preceding year. The Austrian battery producer owed this growth primarily to the strong demand for its enhanced flooded batteries (EFB) for start-stop vehicles. The high levels of acceptance for these batteries, which offer a great deal of promise for the future, also played a major role in the 8 per cent rise in consolidated sales revenues to EUR 258 million.
Innovative start-stop batteries are flying high First and foremost, sales of innovative start-stop batteries during the past 2015/16 financial year (1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016) developed in record-breaking fashion. Apart from absorbent glass mat (AGM) batteries for the upper and premium classes, the supply of EFB batteries for the first fitting of middle class Volkswagen Group vehicles represented a significant factor in this steep rise. Within the framework of a long-term contract, since January 2015 Banner has been supplying batteries to various Audi, VW and SEAT plants. Furthermore, business in the European retrofitting market and in Germany, France and Central Europe in particular, showed a positive trend. Banner also achieved a sizeable increase in sales to the Middle and Far East, and in their third year, starter battery sales under licence to Duracell also gained ground. Duracell starter batteries made by Banner are now marketed in 26 countries. Günther Lemmerer Press Officer and Marketing Manager Banner GmbH, Banner Strasse 1, 4021 Linz-Leonding (A) Tel. +43/(0)732/38 88 – 21 550, Fax DW 21 550 Mobile +43/(0)676/873 88 550 E-mail: guenther.lemmerer@bannerbatterien.com www.bannerbatterien.com
MEDIAINFO All in all, the starter battery specialist sold 4.1 million batteries in the past financial year and thus increased its sales volume by 300,000 units. This record helped to provide the premium quality supplier with considerable sales growth of EUR 19 million and total revenues of EUR 258 million. Industrial batteries also made a sizeable contribution to this result, with sales of EUR 28 million, which were 7 per cent up on the comparable figure for the preceding year.
On the 31 March 2016 closing date, Banner had a group workforce of 780 (an increase of 10 employees outside Austria) of which 520 are employed at Linz-Leonding location.
Major investments in the expansion of production and logistics capacity During the past five years, Banner has invested a total of more than EUR 40 million in its Linz-Leonding plant. For example, in order to be able to adjust output with even greater flexibility to seasonal battery sales, the production capacity for environment-friendly start-stop batteries has been enlarged and a fully automatic high-bay warehouse for the storage of roughly 10,000 additional pallets put into operation. This means that for the future, annual output of up to 4.5 million starter batteries has been secured and further supplementary investments are in the pipeline. In the medium-term Banner plans to increase its production capacity at a new location in Pasching/Upper Austria. The commercial and building licence negotiations for this project have been concluded and it is anticipated that confirmation of the commercial licence granted in September 2015 will be received in the coming months.
Top awards underpin the brand quality strategy In February, Banner was selected as one of the top three sub-suppliers in the quality category of the 2015 Daimler Supplier Awards. Andreas Bawart, the Banner Commercial CEO: “This nomination is a very special honour and confirmation of our chosen course for success. It clearly underlines the significance of partnerships with innovative concerns such as the Daimler Group.”
As a result of a systematic brand strategy that has been applied for almost eighty years, Banner is currently one of the most well known battery brands in Europe. This fact is also Günther Lemmerer Press Officer and Marketing Manager Banner GmbH, Banner Strasse 1, 4021 Linz-Leonding (A) Tel. +43/(0)732/38 88 – 21 550, Fax DW 21 550 Mobile +43/(0)676/873 88 550 E-mail: guenther.lemmerer@bannerbatterien.com www.bannerbatterien.com
MEDIAINFO confirmed by the latest surveys carried out by German trade magazines such as “auto motor und sport” (Best Brands – N0. 7/2016) or “Auto Bild” (The Best Brands – April 2016) in both of which Banner occupied an excellent third place.
The German Organisation for Technical Monitoring (GTÜ) is equally convinced of the justification of Banner’s claims to quality, as evidenced by its current, comparative charger test in which the Banner Accucharger 3A received a “recommended” rating. The charger, which was launched onto the market in the autumn of 2015, thus immediately achieved third place among the eight devices tested.
Environment-friendly production Banner’s closed recycling system constitutes clear evidence of the company’s traditional strategy of achieving high levels of sustainability. As early as fifty years ago, Banner started to recycle used batteries and return the reprocessed materials to the production chain for new products. Empty vehicle batteries are entirely recycled and demonstrate a higher collection rate that glass or paper. In the past twenty years alone, together with the jointly founded Austrian Starter Battery Environmental Forum, the family-owned company has collected some fifteen million used batteries throughout Austria. These were subsequently recycled and provided 160,000t of reprocessed lead. The company’s only production plant in Linz-Leonding has had an environmental management system certified in line with ISO 14001:2014 since 2012, which contains maximum employee and environmental protection measures. As Andreas Bawart explains with regard to lead as a valuable raw material: “As a lead processing company we take our responsibilities towards the environment extremely seriously and during production only employ treated lead derived from the recycling process.”
Banner relies on responsible cooperation For Banner, the further development of environment-friendly batteries continues to be a major focus. Andreas Bawart, the Banner Commercial CEO: “Our premium AGM and EFB start-stop batteries are among the trendsetters in our industry. We are therefore convinced that we will be able to further raise the sales of these innovative products. In the course of Günther Lemmerer Press Officer and Marketing Manager Banner GmbH, Banner Strasse 1, 4021 Linz-Leonding (A) Tel. +43/(0)732/38 88 – 21 550, Fax DW 21 550 Mobile +43/(0)676/873 88 550 E-mail: guenther.lemmerer@bannerbatterien.com www.bannerbatterien.com
MEDIAINFO this expansion, in future we will do everything possible to make a significant contribution to the domestic economy, especially in view of the fact that we wish to complete the corresponding enlargements to our capacity in Upper Austria. We plan up to create up to 200 new and secure jobs in what is currently a problematic labour market situation, but at present are being obstructed in this aim. Therefore, I am seeking the active and responsible support of the decision-makers at both regional and district level.”
Picture captions: Picture 1) Running Bull EFB – the premium battery für Start/Stopp Fahrzeuge Picture 2) Daimler Supplier Award 2015 Picture 3) Banner battery production * Picture 4) The Banner battery recycling system Picture 5) Andreas Bawart, the Banner GmbH Commercial CEO * *Pictures 3 and 5: © Andreas Wenter/Permanent Moments All photos: reprints free of charge. Specimen copy requested. Banner at a glance Banner GmbH is an innovative, expanding producer of top quality starter batteries. The company, which is based in LinzLeonding, Austria, has been manufacturing batteries for all types of vehicles since 1937. The family-owned firm, which is headed by Andreas Bawart and Thomas Bawart, employs a workforce of around 780 across Europe. Banner produces and sells over 4.1 million starter batteries annually and thus numbers among the oldest, most experienced and important brands in the battery production field.
Banner batteries are used for the first fitting of numerous models from Audi, BMW, Caterpillar,
Jungheinrich, Kässbohrer, Liebherr, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Porsche, SEAT, Volvo, and VW. Retailer support is provided via a company network of sales companies in 14 countries and Banner products are sold in more than 50 European, African and Asian states via direct importers. Future-oriented technology and outstanding quality underline the international reputation of these exemplary products with “buffalo power”, which are also characterized by the Banner logo. Further information is available at www.bannerbatterien.com
Günther Lemmerer Press Officer and Marketing Manager Banner GmbH, Banner Strasse 1, 4021 Linz-Leonding (A) Tel. +43/(0)732/38 88 – 21 550, Fax DW 21 550 Mobile +43/(0)676/873 88 550 E-mail: guenther.lemmerer@bannerbatterien.com www.bannerbatterien.com