With regard to earnings, management assumes that profitability in fiscal 2026 will improve year over year. This development is supported in particular by operational efficiency measures, savings on the material costs side, and measures to optimize the global location structure. At the same time, development of earnings will remain dependent on actual development of demand and possible additional negative effects from the macroeconomic environment. Against this backdrop, the Management Board expects an adjusted EBIT margin of around 2% to around 4% for fiscal 2026. The forecast for the adjusted EBIT margin is subject to the condition that no severely unfavorable market conditions arise that could lead to significant additional costs or restrictions in the implementation of operational efficiency measures.
With regard to the adjustment of earnings, the Management Board expects – as in previous years – that depreciation and amortization of tangible and intangible assets in connection with implemented M&A transactions, as well as certain related expenses and income, will be recognized. Depending on exchange rate developments in fiscal 2026, these are expected to amount to roughly up to EUR 5 million.
The implementation and execution of the planned measures from the transformation plan is expected to result in cumulative total costs in the range from around EUR 54 million to around EUR 61 million by 2028. Special expenses related to this amounting to about EUR 24 million are expected in fiscal 2026. These should be related mainly to expenses for severance payments under the restructuring measures, related consulting costs, and expenses from relocation of production. The company intends to adjust all extraordinary expenses from the global transformation in the operating result (EBIT).
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These contents are part of the Non-financial Group Report and were subject to a separate limited assurance examination.