For press enquiries:
Rücker AG
Irina Winkelmann
Head of Marketing & Communications
Kreuzberger Ring 40, 65205 Wiesbaden
Phone: +49 611 73 75-0
Fax: +49 611 73 75-259
irina.winkelmann@ruecker.de
Rücker AG: shareholders' annual general meeting with positive trends
New expertise centre for alternative power founded in Wiesbaden - 300 engineers sought - Rücker shares are a worthwhile investment
Wiesbaden, 10 June 2010
The internationally active publicly quoted engineering group Rücker AG of Wiesbaden achieved respectable profits in 2009 despite difficult economic circumstances. Chairman Wolfgang Rücker and financial director Juergen Vogt spoke of the effects of the global financial and economic crisis, the prospects for 2010 and the current economic climate at Rücker AG's shareholders' annual general meeting on 10 June 2010 in Wiesbaden.
The engineering and technical development group, which mainly works for international automobile and aviation companies, achieved turnover and profits in 2009 significantly lower than in 2008. According to Wolfgang Rücker clients awarded fewer commissions during the crisis-ridden year. Group turnover fell 25 percent to 131.3 million Euros. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were nevertheless positive at 3.7 million Euros. Group net income was 1.5 million Euros. The balance sheet total in 2008 was 91.8 million Euros but fell to 79.6 million Euros in 2009. The group's capital ratio improved greatly from 38.6 percent in 2008 to 43.6 percent in 2009. Rücker AG hence has a good capital ratio compared to other German medium-sized companies.
The group intends adhering to its dividend strategy in 2009. The meeting, chaired by supervisory board chairman Tomas Mielert, accepted the proposal put forward by the board of management and supervisory board and resolved that a dividend of 0.30 Euros per share be paid out.
Rücker shares have increased gratifyingly in value in the recent past. Financial director Juergen Vogt commented that "The combination of dividend and share price profits gives investors above-average yield. Anyone who bought a year ago our stock have enjoyed almost 50% price improvement as well as a dividend of over 12%". The chairman expects a major increase in business volume from the new expertise centre for developing alternative power forms and environment-friendly mobility founded at the group's HQ in Wiesbaden. The centre will concentrate on the hybrid and electric vehicles of the future. Rücker compared the importance of these matters with that of the catalytic converter when it was introduced two decades ago.
The group assumes major market potential in the aviation field as well in view of the many individual design and assembly plans of makers and airlines. The new Airbus A 350 is felt to be the major contributor here.
The group is hoping to recruit another 300 professional engineers as a matter of urgency to meet increasing demand.
During the meeting the current supervisory board chairman Tomas Mielert and its members Otto Happich and Dr. Wolfgang Gerhardt, in office since 2005, were re-elected for a further five years.
Rücker AG – the publicly quoted engineering group
The company was founded in 1970 by the current chairman and main shareholder Wolfgang Rücker and has been publicly quoted since 2000 and is now a leading technical development group. The group's clients include international companies in the automobile and aviation industries as well as in the railway engineering, shipbuilding, mechanical engineering and power station construction fields.
The group's automobile division is mainly concerned with virtual development in the bodywork, interior and electrical areas. In aviation the company offers goods and services ranging from styling aircraft interiors via concept development and the creation of models and prototypes to the calculation of fuselages and wings as well as entire cabin furnishing schemes.
Rücker AG has 15 domestic branches and subsidiaries and 20 foreign subsidiaries at 35 locations in 18 countries. The group has a total of around 2,500 staff, nearly all of them engineers. In the 2009 financial year turnover was 131.3 million €. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) in 2009 totalled 3.7 million Euros.
In 2010 the group celebrates its fortieth anniversary and its tenth anniversary of being publicly quoted.
The engineering and technical development group, which mainly works for international automobile and aviation companies, achieved turnover and profits in 2009 significantly lower than in 2008. According to Wolfgang Rücker clients awarded fewer commissions during the crisis-ridden year. Group turnover fell 25 percent to 131.3 million Euros. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were nevertheless positive at 3.7 million Euros. Group net income was 1.5 million Euros. The balance sheet total in 2008 was 91.8 million Euros but fell to 79.6 million Euros in 2009. The group's capital ratio improved greatly from 38.6 percent in 2008 to 43.6 percent in 2009. Rücker AG hence has a good capital ratio compared to other German medium-sized companies.
The group intends adhering to its dividend strategy in 2009. The meeting, chaired by supervisory board chairman Tomas Mielert, accepted the proposal put forward by the board of management and supervisory board and resolved that a dividend of 0.30 Euros per share be paid out.
Rücker shares have increased gratifyingly in value in the recent past. Financial director Juergen Vogt commented that "The combination of dividend and share price profits gives investors above-average yield. Anyone who bought a year ago our stock have enjoyed almost 50% price improvement as well as a dividend of over 12%". The chairman expects a major increase in business volume from the new expertise centre for developing alternative power forms and environment-friendly mobility founded at the group's HQ in Wiesbaden. The centre will concentrate on the hybrid and electric vehicles of the future. Rücker compared the importance of these matters with that of the catalytic converter when it was introduced two decades ago.
The group assumes major market potential in the aviation field as well in view of the many individual design and assembly plans of makers and airlines. The new Airbus A 350 is felt to be the major contributor here.
The group is hoping to recruit another 300 professional engineers as a matter of urgency to meet increasing demand.
During the meeting the current supervisory board chairman Tomas Mielert and its members Otto Happich and Dr. Wolfgang Gerhardt, in office since 2005, were re-elected for a further five years.
Rücker AG – the publicly quoted engineering group
The company was founded in 1970 by the current chairman and main shareholder Wolfgang Rücker and has been publicly quoted since 2000 and is now a leading technical development group. The group's clients include international companies in the automobile and aviation industries as well as in the railway engineering, shipbuilding, mechanical engineering and power station construction fields.
The group's automobile division is mainly concerned with virtual development in the bodywork, interior and electrical areas. In aviation the company offers goods and services ranging from styling aircraft interiors via concept development and the creation of models and prototypes to the calculation of fuselages and wings as well as entire cabin furnishing schemes.
Rücker AG has 15 domestic branches and subsidiaries and 20 foreign subsidiaries at 35 locations in 18 countries. The group has a total of around 2,500 staff, nearly all of them engineers. In the 2009 financial year turnover was 131.3 million €. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) in 2009 totalled 3.7 million Euros.
In 2010 the group celebrates its fortieth anniversary and its tenth anniversary of being publicly quoted.