Rubber manufacturer Semperit Group (Semperit) is to focus on becoming an industrial rubber specialist as it sees “higher earnings and profitability potential” within the industrial sector. However, Semperit will also separate from its medical business due to the increased investment requirements; the separation affects all Sempermed sites and part of the Semperit main site in Wimpassing, Austria, which produces surgical gloves.
The Wimpassing site will nevertheless have higher relevance in future growth: Wimpassing hosts primarily the industrial segments Semperform and Semperflex; controls key group-wide departments such as research and development or mixing; and oversees the technological differentiation of Semperit products.
Until the end of 2024, the company is to grow again to a significantly higher revenue volume through organic growth steps, among others.
According to Dr. Martin Füllenbach, Chief Executive Officer of Semperit, the company’s future is “clearly” in the industrial sector. “Despite our clear improvement of the operating performance indicators at Sempermed from the second quarter of 2019 on, we are faced with drastically intensified competitive dynamics in the Medical Sector; the capacity-based gap between us and the market leaders is growing. This is why we are firmly convinced that our medical business can be better continued and developed by different owners.”
Semperit employs around 7,100 people worldwide, including about 3,800 in Asia and around 900 in Austria. The company has 14 manufacturing facilities worldwide and numerous sales offices in Europe, Asia, Australia, and America.