French aerial equipment manufacturer Haulotte achieved sales of €106.0 million in the first quarter of 2021, compared to €132.9 million at the end of March 2020, which was the last quarter not affected by the global pandemic, a decline of 20 percent. Like many industrial sectors, the mobile elevating work platform market is still struggling with procurement difficulties of certain components, with supply chain tension inherent in the recovery.
In North America, Haulotte posted a limited sales decline of 2 percent in the first quarter, with the aerial work platform business continuing to grow by around 6 percent over the period.
In Europe, Haulotte's sales tumbled 24 percent in the first quarter compared to 2020 but increased 10 percent compared to the previous quarter.
In Asia Pacific, the Group recorded a decline in sales of 14 percent in the quarter compared to the same period in 2020.
In Latin America, sales were down by 12 percent compared to the same period last year, in a market still strongly impacted by the health crisis.
At the end of the 2021 first quarter, equipment sales were down 22 percent compared to the first quarter of 2020, rental activity dropped 12 percent, while service activity jumped 9 percent.
Haulotte is far more optimistic about its prospects for 2021. Buoyed by the rebound in the aerial market and despite the current tensions in the supply chain, which the group hopes to see resolved during the summer, Haulotte expects to grow its sales by more than 15 percent in 2021 and to achieve a current operating margin (excluding foreign exchange gains and losses) of between 3 percent and 4 percent of sales.
