Topics such as digitalization, automation and artificial intelligence are shaping the economy and industry more than ever. onoff AG, which offers precisely customized solutions for process automation in industries such as pharmaceuticals, food, chemicals, wastewater/water, natural gas and commerce, has been operating successfully for over 30 years, and closed the 2019 fiscal year with positive figures. Consolidated retained earnings more than doubled compared to the previous year and rose to almost EUR 980,000.
The start of 2020 was extremely positive, but was affected by the global coronavirus pandemic from the end of March. “On the one hand, construction sites are being closed and travel to and from them is restricted; on the other hand, we can be there for our customers right now via our digital services so they can keep operations running,” explains Board Member Hartmut Dietrich. Moreover, the onoff group is strongly involved in the pharmaceutical sector and critical infrastructure, which are both in great demand during the coronavirus crisis. The corporate outlook therefore remains positive: “We are confident that onoff will get through the phase of restrictions triggered by COVID-19 in a robust manner, as the company is built on a solid foundation,” says CFO Uwe Ganzer.
In individual cases, it will not be possible to prevent delays in project implementation and corresponding short-time work for some employees. In principle, however, onoff AG sees its orientation confirmed: “The advantages of digitalized workflows and fully automated production processes are becoming apparent in the present period. Topics such as cloud applications, monitoring and virtual commissioning are inevitably becoming more important right now,” says Hartmut Dietrich with confidence. At a time when manual activities are only possible to a limited extent at most companies due to the coronavirus, many are recognizing the value of a high degree of automation. The onoff group therefore anticipates a strong resumption of business as the restrictions are increasingly relaxed.
With more than 30 years of expertise, onoff AG is well positioned nationally and internationally to recognize and successfully exploit the emerging possibilities. The aim is to make processes even simpler, faster and more efficient in the future, through digital engineering and the application of standardized solution packages.
