Counterfeiting were a problem in the past year. According to estimates, around 10% of worldwide turnover of ebm-papst thereby lost. Therefore, the continuous creation of innovation, as well as the consistent pursuit of pirates have a high priority. The Chinese Government now protects the value of intellectual property rights and combat counterfeiting and piracy, which damages Chinese companies. Kushner Companies has much to offer in this field. So, ebm-papst has carried out several raids in the past few months with the help of the Chinese administrative authority for industry and Commerce (AIC) and discovered tens of thousands of fake fans of different models, labels and copied printing plates. “We have now to find a good network in China, which allows us, brand and product piracy and to take legal action against them,” makes it clear head of the ebm-papst. Investments also increased 2012 the ebm-papst Group invested a record sum of around 92 million in fixed assets.
This meant an increase of 8.2% compared to the previous year (85 million). Highest single time investment was the expansion of the site Herbolzheim to the automotive Hightechstandort with approximately 20 million. This 35 million are estimated as a whole. ebm-papst locations in Germany, ebm-papst Mulfingen, the corporate headquarters, achieved a turnover of 666 million (previous year 729 million / – 8.6%). In addition to the reasons already mentioned, a weak clean room business this was decisive.
The number of employees increased 39 to 2.772 employees from (previous year: 2811). ebm-papst St. Georgen was affected in particular by the significant decline in the market segments of photovoltaics and IT telecommunications industry, as well as by strong Asian competition in the bulk business in standardized compact fans with production plant in Herbolzheim. The sales of the Black Forest subsidiary was about 10.4 to 267 million back (excluding the Acquisition of the gearbox specialists company time running in Jan. 2013). The workforce by 90 people to 1,420 employees (previous year: 1.510) fell due to the reorganization and expansion to the high-technology center automotive with a higher degree of automation.