With products and services in its Industrial Cranes, Port Technology and Services segments, the Demag Cranes Group operates on the global market for cargo-handling equipment and materials logistics. This market includes all products which perform, control and monitor cargo-handling and logistics processes, including the corresponding software solutions and services.

The Industrial Cranes segment’s products are used in a diverse range of industries and serve a variety of customer groups. It remains difficult to make forecasts for the Industrial Cranes segment because it is heavily reliant on the economic cycle, although the order situation improved sharply in the period under review.

The Port Technology segment is dependent on worldwide cargo volumes and growth in container handling. A healthy sign is that there are now positive trends in contract awards. There is a renewed increase in replacement expenditure. In the case of expansion expenditure, we continue to see a reluctance to invest due to terminals still operating at relatively low capacity. The original implementation timetables of terminal automation projects are still being put back. Over the medium and long term, however, experts still anticipate renewed growth in global cargo traffic and, therefore, continuing demand for the relevant handling equipment.

Increasing utilisation of crane equipment by customers is invigorating spare parts business in the Services segment. This has a positive effect on the EBIT margin. The Services segment is less vulnerable to the economic crisis than the other two segments, given that equipment will have to be maintained as usual in the interests of safety, reliability and availability.