The Linde Group continued to give a steady business performance in the 2013 financial year, again achieving increases in group revenue and operating profit. Operations in the Healthcare product area, and positive trends in the engineering business, made a particular contribution.
With its robust business model based on sustainability and its well-balanced global position, Linde believes that it is properly equipped for the future. “After adjusting for exchange rate effects, we are expecting solid growth in group revenue in the 2014 financial year. We anticipate that we will achieve a moderate improvement in Group operating profit,” declared Professor Dr Wolfgang Reitzle, Chief Executive Officer of Linde AG.
In the 2016 financial year, Linde is still seeking to achieve group operating profit of at least €5bn and a return on capital employed (reported ROCE) of around 13% (or adjusted ROCE of around 14%). These medium-term targets were set at the end of 2012 based on the assumption that there would not be any significant shifts in exchange rates compared with the rates prevailing at that time. However, if the unfavourable exchange rates which applied at the end of 2013 were to continue to apply over the coming years, this would reduce group operating profit in 2016 by around €400m and might also have an adverse impact on return on capital employed.
Gases Division
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