- Strong demand in all markets
- Higher output volume and earnings
- Sustained positive development anticipated
The focus of our civil engineering business is on complex infrastructure projects in selected regions. In view of strong global demand and limited personnel resources, the careful selection of our target markets is essential. We prioritize regions with stable demand for construction in order to achieve our target margins. In addition to a number of European countries such as France and Poland, this includes Australia and the Gulf region. In North America, the focus of our civil engineering activities has shifted to Canada. In Germany, we are mainly involved in major projects in selected business centers and metropolitan areas.
The strong competitive position of our Civil business segment is primarily based on our advanced technical expertise. We are leaders in our core technologies of tunneling, bridge building, road construction, special foundations, waterways and environmental technology. An efficient organization and the qualification, motivation and mobility of our employees are the basis for the successful acquisition and execution of major infrastructure projects.
Capacity utilization in our Civil business segment was very high in 2007. Output volume increased by 23% to €3,647 million, while business outside Germany once again accounted for a high proportion of the total at 80%. Orders received of €4,528 million were substantially higher than output volume. The order backlog of €5,507 million at the end of 2007 was 17% higher than a year earlier. In line with our planning, EBITA increased to €58 million (2006: €43 million).
As a result of the growth in output volume and the procurement of equipment for new major projects, capital expenditure on property, plant and equipment increased to €112 million (2006: €73 million). The number of persons employed by the Civil segment rose by 12% to 16,440 at the end of the year.
