Supply Chain Solutions segment

Business performance and order intake

In the Supply Chain Solutions segment, the value of order intake fell by 22.3 percent to €3,361.9 million and was therefore down sharply compared with the high prior-year figure (2021: €4,329.4 million), which had been influenced by big-ticket orders. It was clear that customers were unwilling to make capital expenditure decisions, especially as growth rates had returned to normal levels in the e-commerce sector, and this led to the slump in order intake. Customers postponed orders to 2023, while a few big-ticket orders that had already been confirmed were cancelled altogether. The reduction in new business (business solutions), which affected both North America and EMEA, was only partly offset by an encouraging rise in order intake in the service business (customer services).

The marked decline in new e-commerce business meant a high proportion of orders was attributable to investment in new facilities by customers in the general merchandise and textile sectors. Further growth in the installed base of completed projects also resulted in a greater volume of orders in the high-margin service business.

Currency effects boosted order intake by a total of €245.6 million, mainly thanks to the strength of the US dollar.

Revenue

The total revenue of the Supply Chain Solutions segment amounted to €3,806.9 million, which was up by 0.3 percent year on year due to currency effects (2021: €3,796.2 million). Progress on working through the sizeable order book built up in 2021 was hampered by disruptions to supply chains and the resulting project delays. In addition, the revenue attributable to orders secured in 2022 was limited as resources were tied up in existing projects and there was a shortage of skilled workers in North America. In the service business (customer services), the rise in revenue was mainly due to the modernization and expansion of facilities and the supply of spare parts. At 25.4 percent, the service business made a disproportionately strong contribution to the segment’s external revenue compared with the previous year (2021: 20.5 percent). Currency effects boosted the revenue of the SCS segment by a substantial €285.5 million.

Earnings

The adjusted EBIT of the Supply Chain Solutions segment was down sharply year on year at minus €45.6 million (2021: €409.5 million). The supply chain disruptions increasingly reduced the availability of key parts at project sites over the course of the year, resulting in inefficiencies due to project delays. The segment was able to pass on only a small proportion of the huge project-related cost increases to customers. As the overall project costs expected in the long-term project business rose sharply, earnings were squeezed significantly in the third quarter. Countermeasures were initiated at operating level, such as including updated price adjustment clauses in new contracts, initiating major improvements in project execution and project management, and expanding the supplier base.

Consequently, the SCS segment’s adjusted EBIT for the year as a whole was in negative territory and the adjusted EBIT margin therefore stood at minus 1.2 percent (2021: 10.8 percent). After taking into account non-recurring items amounting to an expense of €10.1 million (2021: expense of €6.6 million), which were partly attributable to winding down the project business in Russia, and an expense of €90.9 million for purchase price allocation effects (2021: expense of €83.1 million), EBIT amounted to minus €146.6 million (2021: €319.8 million).

Adjusted EBITDA decreased to €32.2 million (2021: €476.6 million); the adjusted EBITDA margin was just 0.8 percent (2021: 12.6 percent).