11. Other operating expenses

Other operating expenses comprised the following:

Other operating expenses for 2021 were 13,9% higher than other operating expenses for 2020.

The main reasons for this were higher expenses for temporary staff due to the renewed increase in business activity and higher costs for IT and telecommunications as well as freight costs compared to the previous year. The latter were related both to the higher sales volume and to temporary delivery backlogs as a result of restructuring measures.

The increase in IT and telecommunications expenses, which also include area-specific consulting expenses, is attributable to the Group-wide implementation of a new ERP system and the associated additional need for consulting services and license fees.

In 2021, expenses for the ‘Get on track’ program of EUR 1,330 thousand (2020: EUR 3,856 thousand) were included in other operating expenses.

In relation to sales, other operating expenses in the current reporting period were 16,5% and thus are almost unchanged compared to the previous year (2020: 16,6%).