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Autoneum Annual Report 2016
Business Year at a Glance
Autoneum’s pioneering acoustic competence also
became evident in 2016 with the upgrade of
the acoustic simulation software VisualSISAB.
Autoneum’s multifunctional noise and heat
protection components increase driving comfort
and thereby also make an important contribution
to vehicle quality. As these components have
to fulfill a variety of complex requirements de-
pending on where they are deployed in the
vehicle, Autoneum makes use during their
development of a simulation software designed
especially for this purpose. VisualSISAB
enables material compositions and thicknesses
of components to be reviewed and adjusted
if necessary by means of computer-controlled
simulations. The software not only plays a
decisive role in the development of new product
technologies but also offers a whole range of
benefits for the further development of existing
components – design adjustments can be
quickly reviewed in terms of possible effects on
acoustic behavior, thereby reducing toolmaking
and prototype costs, for instance. This allows
Autoneum to support the OEM development
departments in swiftly evaluating powerful, light-
weight and cost-effective noise protection
components.
In addition to this growth in technological
expertise, numerous activities also took place
in the reporting year that contributed to the
expansion of market leadership. Autoneum
presented a large number of product innovations
to customers across the world at in-house
exhibitions. These “Innovation Days” were held
in 2016 at US, German and Chinese car manu-
facturers in Belgium, the USA and China. In
particular, the award-winning Prime-Light and
Hybrid-Acoustics technologies, Di-Light-based
carpet systems, engine covers made of the
ultralight material Theta-FiberCell and RIMIC
heatshields were presented. In order to further
strengthen the awareness of the Autoneum
brand beyond the automotive industry, the
Company launched a global image campaign in
2016 intended to portray its innovation
leadership in acoustic and thermal management
in a modern way. The image campaign will
be continued in 2017 as a key element of brand
management.
New record highs in sales and profitability
Autoneum continued to grow significantly
and profitably in 2016. Thanks to a good order
situation and corresponding utilization of
production capacities, the Company succeeded
in offsetting weak regional demand and once
again considerably increased its net sales in
local currencies compared with the previous
year. Although after the weak growth of the
previous year the automobile industry picked up
again in 2016, with 93 million light vehicles
produced worldwide, the intensity of the upward
trend varied greatly among the market regions.
At Autoneum, all four Business Groups con
tributed to the sales growth achieved in 2016,
with three of them significantly outperforming
the market. However, the positive development
of the Company’s financial performance was not
limited to sales: With an EBIT margin of over
8%, Autoneum achieved a new profitability level
in 2016. The profitability increases achieved
since the spin-off in 2011 clearly reflect the
successful improvement in business potential by
means of consistent strategy implementation.
This includes, among other things, continuous
efficiency gains in production, enhanced
capacity utilization particularly in Europe and
flexible adjustments to the production network
in line with demand.