Despite an overall challenging market environment, the Group of Companies performed very well in the 2023 financial year. With a turnover of 1.16 billion euro, the company reached a new high in its 75-year history. Fixing systems continue to drive growth. 

The family business from Waldachtal in the northern Black Forest exceeded its excellent figures of the previous year by two per cent. These sales figures are also the result of the company’s sustainable growth strategy, which has allowed fischer to continue to operate independently of negative global influences. In total, fischer employs around 5900 members of staff, 300 more than in 2022.

The company’s largest division, fischer fixing systems, once again made a growing contribution to the success of the Group of Companies with a two per cent year-on-year increase in turnover. Innovative new products and systems, consistent internationalisation and a comprehensive range of services for various customer groups had a positive effect on the company’s economic success. 

The past financial year was also highly successful thanks to the company’s collaboration with Jürgen Klopp, one of the world’s most successful football coaches and fischer’s new Brand Ambassador as of early 2023. The successful collaboration between Jürgen Klopp and fischer will continue in 2024, with the second marketing campaign having launched in late November 2023, with further events to follow.

Driving digitalisation in the construction industry
The company also proved to be successful with its digital offers. fischer’s customer-oriented services optimise the planning, construction and operation of buildings in the entire industry. Its services comprise digital solutions such as the innovative fischer BauBot construction robot, Building Information Modelling (BIM), automated construction and connected fastening products on the Internet of Things. The efficient fischer Construction Monitoring IoT solution for monitoring prestressing forces in existing fastenings has also proved to be successful in the market, as have the company’s other digital offers, such as fischer’s apps and software tools for designing, selecting and using its products and comprehensive e-commerce solutions for fischer’s retail partners. 

Lower workload in Automotive due to e-mobility
fischer Automotive was faced by issues that affect the entire industry and beyond. As Germany’s current government is primarily backing e-mobility, this has had a negative effect on the number of units in fischer Automotive’s production plants, resulting in a reduced workload in production. Despite the issues caused by political factors, the company division turnover increased by five per cent. 

fischertechnik – success through simulation model
In 2024, the toy manufacturer fischertechnik is set to continue its successful trend of the past year. Despite the challenging conditions in the industry, fischertechnik recorded an increase in turnover of ten per cent. This year, the division will be launching new design parts and a new colour concept for its toy products. A new and groundbreaking modular simulation model was launched last autumn in the industry segment with fischertechnik’s Agile Production Simulation. The new teaching material concept has proven to be particularly popular in STEM classes.

International success 
The company’s success has been above average, with a significant growth in turnover in most of its 52 subsidiaries around the globe. In 2023, fischer began establishing an IT hub in Bengaluru, India’s southern technological metropolis, with the aim of attracting skilled staff such as software developers and AI specialists.

Sustainability is a key component of the fischer DNA
A second photovoltaic system was connected to the power grid in the form of a solar park at the Tumlingen site in 2023. This has enabled the company to achieve energy self-sufficiency of around 26 per cent at this site, making an important contribution to the energy transition and to securing the economic future of the area. Biodiversity is also enhanced by the sheep grazing in the surrounding green spaces. 

The fact that the Group of Companies is on the right track with its diverse activities in the field of sustainability was confirmed by several prizes and awards in 2023. At the start of the year, the company was admitted into the ambitious network of climate protection companies by Germany’s Federal Minister of the Environment, Steffi Lemke. This demonstrates that fischer’s innovative strategies are making a significant contribution to achieving German and European climate targets, making it a pioneer in the fields of climate protection and energy efficiency.

In 2023, fischer was presented with the prestigious GREEN BRANDS quality seal, a significant and valuable recognition of the company’s efforts in the field of sustainability. In addition to this, fischer won the German SDG Award in the Youth and Education category, a prize presented by the Senate of Economy and UNIDO, an organisation of the United Nations. The award recognises that fischer assumes social responsibility and is committed to achieving the UN’s 17 sustainability goals on many levels.

A career with the world market leader
With 14 apprenticeship careers and 17 dual study programmes, fischer offers an appealing and versatile choice of careers and continues to encourage lifelong learning throughout its employees’ careers. The company continued to invest heavily in training and development in 2023. A varied and individual training experience within an international, value-driven family business awaits those who learn and study with fischer. This includes stays abroad in one of the company’s 52 international subsidiaries, a modern Trainee House, a multiple-award-winning staff restaurant, a free gym, as well as the Klaus Fischer BildungsZentrum (Education Centre, BiZ). Various talent pools subsequently prepare trainees for management and specialist careers.

2024 outlook
Based on its broad, international portfolio of innovations, the fischer Group of Companies is expecting another increase in turnover for the 2024 financial year; however, high energy costs and bureaucratic hurdles are hampering development, particularly in Germany. Overall, fischer will be very cautious with its investments in the current year, with the majority of the investments into the future of the company being made overseas.