Construction giant stabilized in the first three quarters of 2024 Strabag seine Construction performance at the level of the same period last year of 13.6 billion euros.
The order backlog increased by 4 percent to 25.3 billion euros, the company announced on Thursday. Compared to the value at the end of 2023, the increase was 8 percent.
Strabag expanded its order backlog
“After nine months, we believe our assessment for the 2024 financial year has been confirmed. What is particularly pleasing is that we have been able to expand our order backlog by around 1.9 billion euros to 25.3 billion euros over the course of the year so far,” said the CEO Klemens Haselsteiner with.
This growth trend continued in the third quarter. “The basis for this is a good mix of new orders, especially in the area of the energy transition – this particularly applies to our infrastructure and services business,” says Haselsteiner. The order cushion already offers “good visibility towards 2026 and a solid starting position for the coming year”.
Decline in the housing construction market in Austria is noticeable
According to the information, the largest increases were recorded in Poland, Germany and in tunnel and traffic route construction in Italy. However, a decline in performance was noticeable in Austria and Hungary, reported the CEO. “In Austria, the declining housing construction market is having a negative impact, as expected.”
After exceeding the 25 billion euro mark for the first time in the first half of the year, the order backlog was further expanded to 25.3 billion euros at the end of the third quarter of 2024.
The largest increases in absolute numbers occurred in Germany, Poland and Slovakia. In Germany, “notable bridge building and network expansion projects for the energy transition” were acquired in the third quarter of this year.
Strabag employs 77,953 people
In the United Kingdom and Hungary, the order backlog decreased due to the completion of major projects. “A decline was also observed in Austria – due to challenging conditions in building construction,” said the management.
The construction giant employed an average of 77,953 people (full-time equivalents) worldwide in the first nine months of this year – 2 percent more than in the same period last year. According to Strabag, as a result of takeovers in the areas of technical building equipment and energy management as part of the Property & Facility Service portfolio, staff were increased primarily in Germany and the Benelux region.
For the entire 2024 financial year, the Executive Board continues to expect construction output of around 19.4 billion euros. The forecast for an EBIT margin of “at least 4 percent” also remains unchanged. The outlook for net investments has been raised from a maximum of 750 million euros to a maximum of 800 million euros.