Thursday, March 24, 2022
Hettich Group of companies, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of furniture fittings with headquarters in Kirchlengern, witnesses sales of around € 1.35 billion in 2021. That’s 26 per cent up on the year before. 74 per cent of business was done abroad. Worldwide, Hettich invested € 79 million in new products, buildings and machinery.
The Hettich Group brought 2021 to a successful close. The upturn in demand in the home furnishings market that started in the second half of 2020 continued into 2021. In the second year of the pandemic too, home improvement and home furnishings continued to be high on consumers’ agenda across the globe. Many people invested in their own homes in 2021. “We have done our best to work with our customers in an effort to bring new and beautiful home furnishing solutions to as many consumers as possible”, reports Jana Schönfeld, Managing Director of Hettich Holding. Kitchens, sofas as well as home working furniture were particularly popular among the new purchases made. In addition to new furniture, DIY projects were also highly popular. Hettich was able to underpin this trend with its solutions for the Do-It-Yourself sector.
High demand meets challenges
In just the same way as the market as a whole, the Hettich Group faced a whole raft of challenges in 2021. “Sometimes raw materials were lacking, supply chains were backed up or capacity was overloaded”, reveals Sascha Gross, Managing Director of Hettich Holding. Time and again, there were temporary interruptions in the supply chains. Reasons included chaotic snow conditions in Hettich’s home region of East Westphalia, the Ever Given container ship lodged in the Suez Canal and local lockdowns in various countries. Irreparable damage to the company’s electroplating facilities in Berlin was also a particular headache in early 2021.
On top of this came the skyrocketing cost of raw materials and logistics. This is now being followed by ever higher energy prices. “Our customers would have liked to place even more orders with us. It was important for us to remain a reliable and transparent partner in these challenging times”, Gross reports. More than ever before, the past two years have taught Hettich to demonstrate flexibility and continue to keep a quick pace with changing parameters. “Across the globe, this is where the entire Hettich team has done a great job. We are so grateful to all colleagues and share a sense of pride in what we have achieved”, Schönfeld adds.
Tags: furniture fittings, germany, Hettich Group, Italy, joinery, wood, wood and panel, Wood UK, woodworking and manufacturing
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