At the end of 2018, Kärcher, the world's leading manufacturer of cleaning equipment and cleaning systems, achieved a record turnover of 2.525 billion euros. The company's staff has also grown: in 2018, more than 700 new employees were hired - today 13,027 people work at the enterprises of the concern around the world.
Investment growth
“Last year, macroeconomic conditions were relatively difficult, and the harvesting equipment industry developed very slowly. However, we managed to increase our investment by a third compared to 2017, ”says Hartmut Jenner, Chairman of the Management Board at Kärcher. “Over the past year, we have invested 126 million euros in the future of our company.”
Around 100 new in-house Karcher Centers were opened around the world, and their total number reached 730. A new building was built at the headquarters in Winnenden, in which, in addition to office workspaces, a space was designed for developing new products. Another new area is Clean Park with car washes and self-service posts. Also investments were directed to the construction of representative offices in Germany, Czech Republic, Romania, USA and China.
Digital Product Development
One of the most important areas of work was the focus on digital transformation and the development of new innovative products - over the past year, about 100 of them were developed. The head of the concern, Hartmut Jenner, announced that in 2019 Karcher will present the world's first digital platform, with with the help of which cleaning on demand will be possible. The Cleaning on Demand system will allow cleaning companies to control the cleaning process using smart technologies, depending on the degree of pollution. Equally important for the future is the development of battery technology, which is why Kärcher is going to launch an efficient platform this year to use the same batteries for both professional and home appliances.
Record number of awards
In 2018, Kärcher received 110 awards - more than it has ever received. One of the most important is the German Marketing Award for successful brand development over the past 10 years. At the moment, "Karcher" is the only company that has won this award twice. Kärcher won the Corporate Culture Award for exemplary corporate culture and won four iF Design Awards, and the FC 5 wet floor cleaner won seven awards.
Participation in cultural and social life around the world
As always, much attention in 2018 was paid to participation in socially significant and cultural projects. Over the past year, Kärcher has cleared 17 architectural monuments, from Ulm Cathedral and Hamburg Kunsthalle in Germany to the Mexican Museum of Anthropology and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. In the social sphere, the company supports the SOS Children's Villages in Germany and other countries by sending equipment and donations there. In addition, green filter plants for wastewater treatment were built in collaboration with the Global Natural Fund (GNF) in rural communities in Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico and Paraguay.
