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| Wilkhahn moves ahead fast [09-14-2006] In the first half-year 2006 office furniture manufacturer Wilkhahn posted substantial growth compared with the previous year. Consolidated sales of the company with global operations through subsidiary companies, licence partners and sales partners increased by seven per cent in the first six months of the year. Incoming orders rated even better and were some 10% up on the previous year. The internationally acclaimed company reckons with a further boost to business due to its platform at the key fair in the industry: Orgatec in Cologne (24 - 28. 10). Wilkhahn intends to present trendsetting innovations to underscore its claim to being the global leader in the field of high-quality and excellently designed conference and office furniture. Bad Münder. The mood at Wilkhahn just before the onset of autumn is marked by full order books, a bed of roses and optimism. And there is every good reason for this: performance in international markets produced above-average increases. Managing director Holger Jahnke is particularly delighted with developments at the Australian subsidiary which works the entire Asian-Pacific market. Jahnke, who recently joined the group of Wilkhahn directors with voting rights, summarizes the situation as follows: "With a 26% increase in incoming orders compared with the previous year, our Australian subsidiary company, which only opened its new premises including plant operations, administration and showroom in May this year, made a considerable contribution to this result." The Japanese licence partner, who had also generated double-digit growth rates, had also worked highly successfully. Other growth markets in which high-quality, prize-winning Wilkhahn ranges are becoming increasingly popular are the Arab peninsula and, within Europe, particularly the Scandinavian countries, the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria. Wilkhahn France also posted a rise in incoming orders of some 10%. Jahnke demonstrates sales prospects as follows: "All in all we are highly satisfied with these results. And we are making high investments to ensure that this positive trend continues: following premises in Sydney, we opened a new prestigious showroom in Madrid this June. Further positive momentum can be expected from Wilkhahn at Orgatec, the largest international office furniture fair, which is taking place in October. We intend to use this platform to present new models to underscore our leadership in terms of innovation and quality, particularly in the conference furniture market segment." Large investments have also been carried out in the production facility of Bad Münder in the last few months: a new fabric cutting machine allowing more efficient production accompanied by approximately 12% savings on clippings and a new machining centre in table top finishing mark state-of-the-art production technology. "The whole place is buzzing # and apart from the excellent figures # that is the key source of motivation and proof of confidence for our staff. Everyone, be it employee, customer or even competitor, can feel that Wilkhahn is pressing forward. We are proving that our innovative and design strength, which truly stands for "design made in Germany", is marked by success in all markets throughout the world" Dr. Jochen Hahne, Chairman of the Board of Management, says by way of summarizing the general mood.
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