Firefighter Rosenbauer significantly boosted their revenue

Rosenbauer International AG Announces New CEO and Strong Financial Performance

Rosenbauer International AG, a leading global manufacturer of firefighting vehicles and equipment, has announced that Robert Ottel will take over as its new CEO starting April 22, 2025. Ottel, who previously served as a member of the voestalpine board, will focus on improving operational efficiency, managing the company's growth, and enhancing profitability in the firefighting sector.

The news comes as Rosenbauer reports a strong improvement in trade working capital and a decrease in net debt, as detailed in a press release on Friday. The company's financial performance for 2024 shows a significant growth, with revenue rising by 23% to 1.306 billion euros. Pre-tax profit (EBT) climbed from 7 to 26.3 million euros, and the period result improved year-on-year from 1.2 to 29.8 million euros. The capital increase completed in February 2025 significantly improved Rosenbauer's equity ratio to around 26%.

Robert Ottel is succeeding Sebastian Wolf, who is leaving the company. The refinancing agreement with Rosenbauer's main creditors totaling 330 million euros was finalized on March 12. The order backlog rose strongly to 2.28 billion euros at the end of 2024, an increase of 28%. As of December 31, 2023, Rosenbauer had 4,483 employees, a four percent increase.

The board expects revenue of approximately 1.5 billion euros in 2025, and the expected EBIT margin for Rosenbauer in 2025 is over 6 percent. Ottel's term as the chairman of the board will be for a duration of three years. The shareholders approved the restructuring of the Rosenbauer supervisory board on April 1, and the majority shareholder Robau will now appoint three supervisory board members.

Ottel's focus on operational efficiency and profitability is expected to guide Rosenbauer's growth in the firefighting sector. The company's strong financial performance and positive outlook for 2025 indicate a promising future under Ottel's leadership.