The German manufacturer of passive devices, Epcos, has closed off its business year 2005. The turnover was 1.24 billion Euro, which was 9% less than in the year 2004. The bottom line showed a company loss of 119.3 m Euro. This loss compares with a profit of 49.2 m in the previous year. The reduction in turnover affects all product groups: capacitors -5%, ceramic components -3%, texture waviness modules -18% and inductivities and ferrites -8%.
The fourth quarter resulted in a turnover of 341 M Euro with a loss of 62.6 m Euro. This turnover is 1% below that of Q4/2004 and 10% above that of Q3/2005.
On the 30th September 2005 Epcos employed approximately 16,100 people worldwide, around 500 more than in the previous year. The growth of staff took place almost exclusively in countries with low working costs with the emphasis on China and the Czech Republic. The company has 48% of its staff in Asia, 13% in Germany, 28% in the rest of Europe and 11% in America.
