DELO, a leading manufacturer of industrial adhesives for the automotive, consumer electronics and semiconductor industries, generated revenues of almost €205 million during the fiscal year 2022/23 – a 12% increase compared to the previous year.

Significant growth drivers for DELO included the Japanese and US markets, which is reflected in the Americas’ share of total sales, which rose to 18%, while the Asia market share of sales, traditionally the company’s largest market, fell to 48%. A further 34% of revenues were recorded in Europe. At the industry level, the main pillars were the semiconductor, automotive and consumer electronics industries.

Dr Wolf Herold, managing partner at DELO, said: “The past fiscal year was very successful, but at the same time very challenging. While Russia doesn’t play a role for us as a market, the war in Ukraine led to sharply rising raw material prices, complicated logistics to Asia and major uncertainties in energy supply.”

The company also benefitted from high inventory and great operational flexibility during this period, as was the case during the Covid-19 pandemic, which gave customers peace of mind through supply security. Also, similar to previous years, investments in R&D accounted for approximately 15% of DELO’s 2022/23 turnover, in addition to which there was increased investment in international operations. For example, during this last fiscal year, DELO moved into new or enlarged premises in Shenzhen (China), Seoul (South Korea), Boston, as well as San José (USA). In addition, the search is currently underway for a new production site to be built in southeast Asia. Plus, in Windach, Germany, construction on a fully automated 6,000m² warehouse is set to begin this year.

As an employer, the company now has 100 more staff than it did a year ago, having welcomed its 1,000^th employee at the beginning of May; more than 200 further jobs are set to be created in the current fiscal year.