Sales figures for the 2010 fiscal year

In the 2010 fiscal year, company sales of the Otto Bock HealthCare Group totaled €529.0 million, up by a nominal 5.8% over the previous year’s €499.8 million. When adjusted for changes in the conglomerate base and exchange rate effects, this amounts to organic growth of 0.5%.

During the course of the 2010 fiscal year, the number of full-time employees increased by 143 to 4,361, of which 96 persons are apprentices.

Sales by division

We develop, produce, and distribute technical orthopaedic (Orthobionic®) and rehabilitation (Bionicmobility®) products around the world. In addition to products for prosthetic fittings, the Orthobionic® product range also includes orthoses and epitheses as well as devices for passive exercise therapy. We are global market leader in prosthetics. Products in the Bionicmobility® division include high-quality lightweight and active wheelchairs, power wheelchairs, child rehabilitation devices and seating shell elements, neuroimplants and products for functional electrostimulation. In 2010, 84.2% of our net sales were attributed to the Orthobionic® division.

We have achieved good nominal growth rates in both business divisions. We recorded a nominal growth rate of 4.9% in the Orthobionic® division. This growth was driven by prosthetic fittings. The Bionicmobility® division grew by 6.4% when adjusted for currency effects. The Mobility Solutions business unit was our main driver of growth. In this business unit, we achieved double digit growth rates in many segments across the product range.

Once again, the emerging markets were our drivers of growth. We achieved double digit growth in the regions EEMEA (Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa), Asia/Pacific and Latin America. Making up for last year's relatively weak results, the EEMEA region recorded the strongest growth in sales with a currency-adjusted growth rate of 13%.

In Western Europe, growth was 0.6% without taking into account exchange rate differences and acquisitions.

In North America, our currency-adjusted sales dropped by 6.3%. While sales in our core business divisions rose slightly, revenues in the passive exercise therapy fell significantly.