Encouraging sales growth at Lantal

Corporate

The markets are still very demanding, and customer attitudes have changed considerably since the financial crisis. Despite these circumstances, Lantal was able to report consolidated sales of CHF 101.8 million in the year under review, an increase of 2.1% in comparison with financial 2013, which was a strong year. Additionally in 2014, Lantal created 4 new jobs, bringing the total personnel count in Switzerland, France, the USA, and Singapore to 377 full-time employees and 14 trainees as at the end of the year. Lantal continues to place great emphasis on promoting fresh talent and for this reason trains apprentices in five different occupations.

Aircraft

The extra growth achieved by the global leader in textiles and services for aircraft, train, bus, and executive interiors last year was due mainly to the strategic aircraft business segment and within it particularly to the carpet product lines. Revenues with products and services in this market segment increased by 5.3% to CHF 76.4 million in comparison with the previous year.

Ground

Sales in the ground segment (bus, train, and tram) closed with a decline of 9.5% versus the prior year. The train market continued to exhibit reassuring growth. Public transportation and tour bus interior project tenders remain aggressively competitive and very price-sensitive, however. In response to this situation, Lantal continues to invest in the development of new velvet and flat-weave qualities that are introduced in the marketplace on a step-by-step basis.

Parts & Services

Lantal also further broadened its competence in preassembled elements such as literature pockets, headrest components, and ready-to-fit seat covers. Considerably increased sales versus the prior year show that these convenient solutions are in great demand across all markets. Due to its status as a Production Organization (POA) and a Design Organization (DOA), and thanks to its accredited inhouse test laboratory, Lantal has the ability to pursue the development of such interior components.

Pneumatic Comfort System

Last year, Pneumatic Comfort System (PCS) sales closed at CHF 8.5 million and thus remained at the remarkably high level of the previous year. In Europe meanwhile, the PCS has been in service in SWISS Business and First Class cabins for six years, in Lufthansa's Business Class across nearly the entire fleet, and also aboard Edelweiss jets. After Lantal's Pneumatic Comfort System gained access to the North American aviation market in 2013 with 170 Business Class seats for New York's Jetblue Airways and 900 Business Class seats for Air Canada, the Swiss company also established a presence in the Middle East when acclaimed carrier Etihad selected the PCS for the Business Class and Super First Class seats of its A380s and B787s.

Executive

In 2014, Lantal also began to proactively service the newly defined “Executive” market. In its marketing initiative for premium products such as hand-tufted carpets, Lantal relies on the synergies between the Business Jet and the Superyacht sectors. Interesting projects in this segment have been implemented in the past, among others the interiors for the US government's two Air Force One aircraft.

SNB decision – abandonment of euro floor

Early this year, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) unexpectedly abandoned the minimum exchange rate between the Swiss franc and the euro – with immediate effect. As is the case for the entire Swiss textile and export industry, this is a serious move because Lantal generates 96% of its revenues abroad. It is impossible to forecast how the Swiss franc will trend versus the euro in the near future. At any rate, 2015 will be a challenging and largely unpredictable year fraught with many major uncertainties.

Lantal targets sustainable high-growth markets

Lantal is more systematically and more proactively investing in strategically important growth markets. Thus, there will be a stronger focus on Europe, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific region. Headquarters in Switzerland will remain the hub and gateway for the strategic management of the global business. By focusing on high-growth regions, Lantal is further evolving the international scope of its markets. Additionally, the Swiss SME is globally positioning itself in such a way that it can circumvent or minimize the impact of exogenous factors like currency fluctuations. Recent steps designed to build customer orientation and proximity included the establishment of so-called Sales Hubs in the USA for the American market and in Singapore for the Asian market.

Outlook

The mobility market remains a growth market, because so far, consumers in many countries still have no access to the experience of traveling. Substantial traffic and transportation volumes constitute formidable challenges for production and logistics. Materials must be produced, shipped, and installed within the shortest possible time. Consequently, Lantal is expediting its internationalization thrust to be able to deliver its products directly on site and on time. To support customers with efficient and time-saving solutions, Lantal is further escalating its transformation from a yardage supplier to a provider of all-in-one interiors, among other measures with Parts & Services innovations.

Collaboration Lantal PCS and Solar Impulse 2

Lantal's Pneumatic Comfort System has been embraced not only by the commercial aviation market. Lantal also supports the Solar Impulse project as an official supplier. Currently, André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard are flying around the world with the sunlight-powered Solar Impulse 2 aircraft. Lantal is actively contributing to the attainment of this ambitious goal with its Pneumatic Comfort System for the cockpit and its extensive experience in the domain of ergonomics. “With the lightest possible material, the highest attainable comfort, and sustainable new technologies, the Pneumatic Comfort System is a perfect match with the requirements and philosophy of the promising and forward-looking Solar Impulse project,” said Lantal CEO Urs Rickenbacher.