COPA-DATA CEE/ME reports record results for 2021
Growth spurt in Central and Eastern Europe
Increasing numbers of industrial businesses, energy suppliers and infrastructure operators rely on COPA-DATA’s zenon software platform. zenon makes it easy to create holistic management and control systems for machines, plant sections and control equipment from diverse manufacturers. It enables users to simply and transparently monitor and control their equipment for efficient, flexible and resilient operation.
Exceeding revenue expectations
Within the COPA-DATA Group, COPA-DATA CEE/ME manages the business in Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. “2021 was the most successful business year of our history,” said Johannes Petrowisch, Managing Director of COPA-DATA CEE/ME. “We achieved around 5.3 million euros in revenue. This represents a 12.3 percent growth worth an extra EUR 575,000.“ This is a substantial contribution by the subsidiary to the COPA-DATA Group reaching its mid-term goals, which were set five years ago. Group revenues more than doubled during this period from 31 to 64 million Euros.
All industries, all countries
“Part of our rapid growth in 2021 was generated by the energy and infrastructure segment, although numerous new customers in the manufacturing industry also use our interdisciplinary solutions to transform their production equipment in smart factories,” stated Petrowisch. Within the sales region, growth was strongest in Austria, where it reached 36 percent. The uncertainties caused there by the pandemic in 2020 were followed by a strong upturn in industrial activity. Moreover, companies’ digitalization initiatives received government support in the form of investment grants in 2021.
In the Middle East, revenue development was less satisfying due to rather cautious investment activity. This was due to an economically difficult year in 2020. The region saw a 4.1 percent reduction of gross domestic product (GDP) compared to 2019 as well as difficult oil price developments. “Despite a difficult 2021, we continue to see the great potential of the Middle East. Therefore, throughout 2022 we will continue to staff the Riyadh office that we established in 2020,” Petrowisch said.
Stronger into the future
The central COPA-DATA CEE/ME site in Salzburg, Austria, saw growing staff numbers through 2021. This included the establishment of an apprenticeship to support future growth plans. “We continue to look for new colleagues. Across the group, we are planning to hire 10 to 15 additional people,” the COPA-DATA CEE/ME Managing Director advised. Some of the new staff will work in the new office building in Salzburg that is in the final stages of construction. Upon its completion, headquarters staff will move into it and the subsidiary will be able to expand within the existing building.
What counts is customer benefit
Functionally, COPA-DATA puts a strong focus on production modularization in the process industry with MTP integration. This allows pharmaceutical or life sciences businesses, for example, to benefit from more flexibility, cost-effectiveness and innovation. Another focal topic is digitalization as an enabler for development toward more sustainable power generation and production. zenon 11, the software platform’s next release, is expected by mid-2022. “Our growth continues unabated,” Petrowisch commented. “We again expect a two-digit growth rate in 2022 and we hope this will take our revenues beyond the six million euro mark next year.”
