Koenig & Bauer achieved its highest order intake in the first six months of 2026 since before Covid and lockdowns. As a consequence the order backlog reached a new record high and there are further positive signs for revenue growth to come.
The company attributes the success to its Impact programme, adopting AI and focusing on agility, for the bounce back in revenue across both its print & packaging and special and new technologies divisions. This is necessary against a background of economic uncertainty says CEO Stephen Kimmich. It is about establishing an “adaptive strategic framework” to accelerate decision making, because given the economic and political background “rigid strategic planning falls apart”.
Having considered the sale of its Coding operation, Koenig & Bauer is now positioning this for growth as GS1 2D barcodes are adopting. It has appointed a new CEO and will further develop rather than sell the division.
It has developed a new MetalPrint machine for the Asia-Pacific market in little more than a year and has likewise collaborated with converters on the specification of the CutPro 2.1, a die cutting platen for large format corrugated packaging.
The order intake grew in the second quarter for both parts of the business. Kimmich says: “The significant growth in order intake of almost 17% in the first half of the year confirms the traction of our go to market strategy. With targeted innovations, we are noticeably strengthening our position in our core business.
“This momentum gives us the scope to continue systematically expanding our competitiveness. The optimisation of our structural costs remains a key lever for increasing our resilience and sustainably strengthening the foundation for profitable growth.”
In print and packaging, which covers its sheetfed presses and related technology, the order intake was €398.5 million (€350.4 million) with €204.2 million booked in the second quarter.
The lower orders from the previous year meant that sales revenue was down at €299.3 million (€308.9 million) while improved margins in the second quarter meant that the negative Ebitda of €8.4 million in the first quarter became an Ebitda loss of €1.6 million at the end of June. Koenig & Bauer raised prices by 3% from July reflecting price pressures the company faces.
It anticipates the division making “a stable contribution to revenue for the financial year” while also seeing “accelerated market consolidation in sheetfed offset as a clear opportunity”. Business grew in North America while Europe and Asia Pacific remained subdued.
The special and new technologies division delivered a turnaround from the loss of €4.0 million at this point last year to a €11.8 million Ebitda profit with a 5.2% increase in sales to €269.9 million (€256.6 million) and orders rising 22.1% to €329.0 million (€269.4 million). There was strong business for Banknote Solutions in Africa and Latin America. The company is hoping for a further fillip for banknotes when new a design theme for euro notes is adopted with additional security features, is accepted at the end of the year This will mean upgrades for companies engaged in euro note production.
Despite the improved performance for the first six months, Koenig & Bauer is sticking with forecasts for full year revenue of €1.3 billion and Ebitda of around €80 million.
