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SICK remains on the path to success

- Record figures achieved in core business and consistent growth of innovation leadership in the field of sensor intelligence -

Waldkirch, April 20, 2017

The most important figures from this press release at a glance:

The SICK Group
has continued on its trajectory of sustainable and profitable growth. In the fiscal year 2016, the sensor manufacturer again achieved record figures, with orders received totaling EUR 1,398.9 million. Around the world, 8,044 people were employed by the Group, generating sales of EUR 1,361.2 million. Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) were EUR 147.9 million.

In the last fiscal year, the SICK Group made outstanding progress.
After a cautious start,
both sales and orders received grew consistently during the course of the year. Sales increased by 7.4 percent to EUR 1,361.2 million.

“Despite the challenging economic conditions, political uncertainties, and negative currency effects, we were able to achieve
above-average sales growth,” explained Markus Vatter,
member of the Executive Board in charge of Finance, Controlling & IT at SICK AG, when the balance sheet ratios were published.
“Our presence across the globe has contributed significantly to this outcome: We have achieved growth in all sales regions. Gains in sales were made primarily in the factory and logistics automation business fields.”

The continued high demand for increased productivity
in factory and logistics processes as well as in process flows was palpable all over the world. In Europe, America, and Asia, customers showed considerable interest in sensor solutions for automation in the factory environment. In the field of logistics automation in these regions, demand for automated systems in parcel-based services was also high. In the process automation business field, however, the difficult market environment prevailing in the steel, cement, mining, oil, and gas industries had a noticeable effect. Sales in this business field remained below expectations.

Positive outlook despite ongoing difficult framework conditions
The first quarter of 2017 achieved positive outcomes for SICK. Orders received and sales grew more than expected and, by the end of March – in contrast to the trend of the past years – were significantly higher than they were in the previous year. The forecast for the current fiscal year overall is therefore optimistic:

“The economic and political circumstances we face remain challenging. We will nonetheless strive to achieve record figures once again in 2017. We currently anticipate sales growth in the upper single-digit percentage range,” explains Dr. Robert Bauer, Chairman of the Executive Board at SICK AG. “We will expand our role as leading manufacturer in the field of sensor intelligence. This applies to our core business activities in the area of industry automation just as much as it does to our activities in the data-based field of Industry 4.0. We will focus primarily on expanding our existing product portfolio, the networking capabilities of our sensor technology in the context of Industry 4.0, and the issue of data sovereignty.”