Change defines our path

The European automotive industry has been undergoing a structural transformation for several years. Demand has sustainably dropped by a quarter, the overall picture is marked by overcapacities, and a return to past volumes cannot be expected anytime soon. This environment is challenging for the entire supplier industry – also for us.

It is our ambition and continued expectation to not only handle this change, but to translate it into sustainable performance. That is why “Transforming Change into Performance” is far more than the title of this annual report – it describes our journey.

We have consistently realigned our company over the past years. Since 2017, we have adjusted capacity, established, closed or sold plants, and streamlined our organisation. These measures were drastic, but necessary. At the same time, we succeeded in largely maintaining our revenue level despite a massive market decline – and we did so with about 1,000 fewer employees. We consider this clear evidence of the progress we have made in achieving operational excellence.

At the same time, we continued to diversify our business model. In particular, the non-automotive sector holds considerable potential. The global trend towards sustainable logistics solutions is opening up new growth opportunities for us in the field of circular concepts for reusable products. Many projects have advanced a long way. In the medium term, we aim to generate approximately 30 percent of our revenue outside the automotive sector.

These positive developments are also reflected in our figures: despite a difficult environment, we recorded very solid earnings in 2025 and are pleased to propose the distribution of a dividend to the annual general meeting. Once again, we also reduced our net financial liabilities significantly. As a result, we have a solid balance sheet today and enjoy the trust of our financing partners. In view of the challenges in our industry, this is definitely something to be proud of.

Although the automotive business remains challenging, we look to the future with optimism. In its 40-year history, POLYTEC has proven time and again that we are adaptable and can emerge stronger from changes. Our broad technology portfolio, our committed employees, our good reputation in the market and our strategic discipline give me confidence: we will continue to successfully transform change into performance.
 

​​​​​​​Yours sincerely,
Markus Huemer, CEO