“These decidedly positive developments are the result of the combined efforts of HARTING technology group employees worldwide,” emphasized Dietmar Harting, Chairman and Partner, at the results presentation press conference held in Espelkamp on December 7, 2010. “We are impressed by the solidarity and close collaboration among our staff, as well as their unwavering commitment to the company’s goals and objectives. It is these strengths that enable us to truly seize the opportunities that always arise in these challenging times.”.
Increased sales worldwide, especially in Asia and the Americas
HARTING's solutions are subdivided into three segments within the larger "connectivity and networking" segment and are used worldwide. In the "installation technology" area, HARTING, under the "Han" brand, develops and markets industrial connectors and installation concepts that supply data, signals, and power to machines, installations, and systems. In the "device connectivity" segment, HARTING's "har" brand offers innovative connectors for connecting and internally integrating industrial devices. In the "Automation IT" segment, HARTING offers a consistent range of Ethernet networking components and cabling across all areas of the business, as well as RFID systems under the "Ha-VIS" brand.
The application areas for which HARTING offers solutions range from machine and plant construction to automation technology, transport engineering, power generation and distribution, industrial electronics, device connection technology and telecommunications, not forgetting medical technology and radio and television applications and entertainment.
HARTING has achieved a considerable boost in sales across all regions. Positive developments in machinery and automation, as well as in transport and energy, played a key role in this. Sales in Germany reached €146 million, almost 24% higher than the previous year (2009: €118 million). In the rest of Europe (excluding Germany), sales rose by around 20% to €140 million (2009: €116 million). HARTING's performance in Asian markets, where the company also experienced growth the previous year, outperformed that of other regions: sales reached €89 million, a 39% increase year-on-year (2009: €64 million). Progress in the Americas also presented a gratifying picture: with a total of €37 million, HARTING achieved a sales increase of almost 49%.
Innovations drive market success: HARTING presents new products at all trade fairs.
“Innovations are the key to our market success. These are innovations that provide our customers with the support they need for their businesses. In order to generate real added value for our customers, we deliberately adopt new perspectives and create new products and approaches,” emphasizes Philip Harting, Vice President of Connectivity and Networks at the HARTING technology group.
The Harting family's decision to invest specifically in the development of new products and solutions, despite the current challenging conditions, has been exceptionally well received in the markets. Thanks to these decisions, Harting has been able to present a number of innovations at major trade fairs throughout the year, generating outstanding customer interest.
At the light & building trade fair held in April 2010, the world's leading architecture and technology trade fair, the Espelkamp family business began to specifically target customers from the new business area of building systems: Ha-VIS preLink®, HARTING's practical and easily adaptable technology, enables the economical installation of consistent and uniform networks, as well as outstanding future reliability, since preLink® has been designed for high-speed networks of up to 10 Gigabit.
HARTING also presented Han-Yellock® at Hannover Messe in April as a true world premiere. This product impresses with its many strengths: secure transmission of data, signals, and power; individual configuration options; and superior functionality combined with an elegant design. “By leveraging the globally successful Han® connector platform, we have created a new dimension in connection technology,” says an enthusiastic Philip Harting. “To achieve this, we had to completely rethink connector technology.” The trade press has recognized these strengths by awarding Han-Yellock® numerous prizes. Furthermore, HARTING also won the coveted 2011 iF Design Award for the new Han-Yellock® connector.
The first UHF RFID transponder suitable for air navigation and approved by aviation authorities, developed by HARTING in collaboration with Lufthansa Technik Logistik, Lufthansa Systems, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS Center for Intelligent Objects, represents a true innovation. Manufactured by HARTING AG Mitronics, HARTING's Swiss-based subsidiary specializing in 3D-MID technology, the transponder will be used for the permanent identification of aircraft parts. Thanks to this new label, parts and components located outside the aircraft cabin can be identified for the first time. This technology enables the remote identification of unambiguous device data from a distance of several meters.
HARTING also presented another innovation at this year's electronics trade fair: har-flex, a device connector developed from the perspective of printed circuit boards. The result is a flexible, compact and robust SMT solution that serves a wide variety of board-to-board and board-to-wire applications and takes into account current miniaturization trends.
At the SPS/IPC/DRIVES trade fair, HARTING's innovations also made a strong impression. The unique Fast Track Switching technology, nominated for the Hermes Award in 2009, can now be integrated into PROFINET automation software. In combination with the PROFINET I/O stack, Fast Track switches have become true PROFINET devices.
HARTING is placing great importance on the development of future technologies. In the area of electromobility, HARTING is collaborating with the energy company RWE, which plays a key role in advancing research and development in this field, to establish a comprehensive infrastructure of charging stations for electric vehicles. With the aim of establishing a network of "gas stations of the future," RWE has chosen HARTING as its preferred partner for the supply of reliable connector technology. HARTING's charging cables for electric vehicles and the corresponding interface for charging stations impress with their ease of use, cutting-edge industrial design, long lifespan, and reliability. A
significant increase in staff – more trainees – and expanded technological expertise
are also reflected in the positive developments within the HARTING technology group over the past year. As of September 30, 2010, the company's workforce consisted of 3,174 employees worldwide, representing an increase of 235 employees, or 8%, compared to the previous year (2009: 2,939 employees).
Given this strong performance, HARTING had already created new positions in the first month of the new fiscal year. By the end of October 2010, the company's workforce had reached 3,240 employees, a record high in the company's history. These figures can be broken down as follows: a total of 1,789 employees at the Espelkamp and Minden facilities in Germany, and an additional 1,451 employees currently working outside of Germany. Further recruitment is planned for the current fiscal year, both in the Mühlenkreis district in Germany and at the company's international locations.
According to Margrit Harting, First Vice President and Partner, the company's strong performance is based on the dedication and hard work of every member of staff. “We have an excellent team, both at our headquarters in Germany and in our 32 subsidiaries worldwide. All our employees supported the necessary measures we had to take in 2009 and contributed their creativity, motivation, and positive attitude to achieve maximum performance and put the company back on the path to growth.” As a token of appreciation for their commitment and solidarity, the company awarded a special bonus of €1,000 to all employees and implemented the corresponding salary increases ahead of schedule, in October 2010.
The solid vocational training that lays the foundation for career success is of particular importance to HARTING, a family-owned and operated company. Therefore, throughout its more than 60 years, the company has demonstrated a strong commitment to recruiting new trainees, and their numbers have steadily increased over the years. In the recently concluded fiscal year, HARTING prepared 81 trainees for their future professions, and this figure is expected to rise in the 2010/2011 fiscal year. With 37 trainees in various trades, 27 in sales, and another 27 in technical roles, a total of 91 new employees will begin their professional careers at HARTING. The quality of the training offered by HARTING enjoys an excellent reputation, which is well-deserved, as evidenced by the fact that HARTING trainees frequently receive awards for their above-average performance. This year, Hendrik Oestreich, now an IT specialist dedicated to systems integration, was recognized as one of the top 229 in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (in this context, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) assessed a total of 80,000 trainees across 131 occupations).
HARTING Excellence Initiative – “Excellent Series Production” – Awarded to Margrit and Dietmar Harting.
At HARTING, we place great importance on excellence. The commitment to continuous development is not only a top priority in the areas where HARTING offers solutions and products, but internal processes are also constantly undergoing improvement initiatives. A continuous improvement program called HARLis, which stands for “HARTING Learning and Improvement System,” has been in place for several years. The success of these internal activities and their evaluation through objective assessments was recently recognized by HARTING's award in the German manufacturing industry's most rigorous comparative competition. In the "Factory of the Year / GEO 2010" competition, HARTING Electronics' manufacturing operations won in the "Outstanding Series Production" category. The competition recognizes manufacturing companies that meet stringent evaluation criteria in the areas of economic efficiency, agility, quality, innovation, value creation, and customer satisfaction in an exemplary manner and demonstrate outstanding progress over a three-year period.
Furthermore, the award presented to the sales company HARTING Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG in connection with the 2010 Ludwig Erhardt Award for Excellence further confirms the quality of the company's processes and the unwavering commitment of all HARTING employees.
The exceptional dedication of entrepreneurs Margrit and Dietmar Harting is particularly noteworthy. In recognition of their exemplary commitment over many years to the municipality of Espelkamp and the East Westphalia region, they were named honorary citizens of Espelkamp in December 2009. Heinrich Vieker, the Mayor of Espelkamp, emphasized that the Hartings' activities extend far beyond their roles as business owners and employers. As benefactors, sponsors, and essential partners of the city of Espelkamp, they have played a decisive role in shaping and planning the region's development.
HARTING received yet another award for his outstanding achievements in promoting women throughout the company, facilitating work-life balance, and for his extraordinary efforts in attracting the interest of young people, especially women, to technical professions. In February 2010, the Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences and the city of Osnabrück presented HARTING with the “Professionelle 2010” award.
In November, Dietmar Harting received one of Germany’s most prestigious academic awards. In recognition of his exceptional achievements and services in the field of national and international engineering standards, his entrepreneurial activities, and his multifaceted commitment to both the state and society, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at Leibniz University Hanover awarded Dietmar Harting an honorary doctorate. In his eulogy, Professor Ernst Gockenbach, PhD in Engineering from the Institute for Power Supply and High Voltage Engineering, stated that Dietmar Harting had focused his considerable abilities on expanding the company while simultaneously making unparalleled contributions to standardization. “He is an unsurpassed and visionary role model of great importance to both society and the economy.”
In December 2010, Dietmar Harting also received the gold pin from the German Commission DKE for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies of DIN and VDE. This entrepreneur, who will step down as president of the DKE at the end of the year after twelve years, will become honorary president, a distinction awarded for the first time in the DKE's history. “With this award, we would like to thank Dietmar Harting for his many years of service as Chairman of the DKE and recognize his outstanding contributions to the visionary restructuring of the German standardization system,” commented Bernhard Thies, PhD, spokesperson for the DKE Board of Directors.
Further growth forecast – creation of expert committee – focus on customer benefits.
The company expects its positive progress to continue in the current fiscal year. As Dietmar Harting stated, the key prerequisites are customer focus, competitive strength, and flexibility, as well as the capacity for self-criticism. “Competitive products that meet customer needs today and satisfy tomorrow’s demands represent our potential for continued success. With the creation of our expert committee in Rahden this year, we have made the form and substance of our high aspirations visible. However, the other areas of development are proceeding at full capacity and are working on new, ever-innovative solutions.”
In order to maintain the company's market position as a leader in innovation, HARTING will also dedicate substantial resources to research and development next year and will continue with corresponding investments. Current plans foresee spending exceeding €70 million on research and development activities. “We will place particular emphasis on emerging technologies. In this context, we are especially concerned with fulfilling our responsibility to society and setting an example for the entire industrial sector. We have developed an ambitious program,” summarized Dietmar Harting at the press conference to present the results, held in Espelkamp on December 7, 2010.
