23 Annual report

Letter to shareholders

Dear shareholders, employees, clients, business partners and friends

“The water cycle is of decisive
importance for humans, animals,
and the environment.
Decisive action is required to
ensure we use our water sustainably.”

In 2023, HOLINGER celebrated the 90th anniversary of its foundation. Today, we are better positioned and equipped than ever before to achieve our goal: to shape the future sustainably and to create added value that benefits both people and the environment.

From our earliest beginnings in Liestal in 1933, HOLINGER has been adapting to changing market and customer requirements. Thus, we are now well positioned to benefit from demands in the today’s water and environmental markets, especially as the demand for engineering services exceeds our capacity.

Numerous development projects and the involvement of our staff in professional organisations have contributed to the public perception of HOLINGER as a progressive, competent and ambitious group of companies. Still, we owe a great deal to our clients, who have provided us with exciting and inspiring challenges and with whom we have worked closely to create numerous innovations.

The highly successful acquisition of flagship projects to be planned and executed over the coming decades, as well as the high order backlog and project pipeline for 2023, are an impressive endorsement of our market performance. Capacity utilisation is high and the medium-term outlook for our core competences is very positive.

“Confidence in
HOLINGER and
its employees is
high, as shown by
the gratifying order
book and the high
level of customer
satisfaction”.

Internally, 2023 was characterised by significant organisational changes. On 1st March 2023, we restructured to create market-oriented, flexible units. Our aim is to create a leaner and more agile organisation that is better able to respond to the needs of our customers and regional markets.

Despite sales growth of over CHF 80 million, our financial result and profit margins were disappointing due to currency losses, write-offs of goodwill and massive impairments on individual projects.

In 2024, we will focus on improving business performance, managing projects more tightly and increasing productivity significantly. Entrepreneurial thinking and action, team spirit and solutions-oriented cooperation will be crucial to our success in the year 2024. Fortunately, the conditions are promising, at least in our home markets of Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland. All in all, we look to the future with optimism: we are excellently positioned with our core competences.

We would like to thank our employees, customers and shareholders for their commitment and trust. Together, we are optimistic about the future and look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Dr. Uwe Sollfrank

Chairman of the
Board of Directors

Andreas Borer

CEO of the
HOLINGER Group

Focus on 90 years of HOLINGER

A successful anniversary celebration

On 8th September, HOLINGER gathered its employees and their partners to celebrate our 90th anniversary. Getting to know each other and having fun were on the agenda. The event was a resounding success that the 600 guests will long remember.

In Focus

Experience our focus in 2023 and immerse yourself in the world of the HOLINGER Group.

HOLINGER Group

HOLINGER Switzerland

HOLINGER Germany

Mauler AG

TK Consult AG

HOLINGER Switzerland

Strong growth in personnel

With the reorganisation of the management within the HOLINGER Group and a pleasingly strong increase in personnel, HOLINGER Switzerland is seizing regional market opportunities and is well equipped for future challenges.

HOLINGER Germany

Changing conditions and new opportunities

HOLINGER Ingenieure GmbH has strengthened its market position in 2023, growing in all core areas and opening up new fields of activity. Our employees are committed to customer service and the development of future-oriented solutions for the environment.

Mauler AG

Strong player in regional development

From roads to railways, from water sources to waste water treatment plants: MAULER AG plans and constructs infrastructure facilities of great regional importance.

TK Consult AG

Consistent and reliable

With expertise in numerical water modelling, TK CONSULT AG was also able to gain the trust of new customers last year.

Voices of employees

Joscha GiamboniniHOLINGER Switzerland

Manuela DeigenteschHOLINGER Switzerland

Stefano GodenziHOLINGER Switzerland

Florian GrafHOLINGER Switzerland

Vera WyrschHOLINGER Switzerland

Mathias BinkleHOLINGER Germany

Stephan WasielewskiHOLINGER Germany

Gjeneta CurriMauler AG

Dila Demiral YüzügüllüTK Consult AG

Joscha Giambonini

BSc FHNW Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
Head of Department EMSRT
HOLINGER AG, Liestal

“Electrical control technology is the central nervous system of a plant, the engineering is multi-faceted and complex. In challenging moments, I help to keep an eye on the big picture”.

Manuela Deigentesch

Dipl.-Ing. Civil Engineering
Project Engineer WV / Structural Engineering
HOLINGER AG, Zurich

“My work in the water supply sector is varied and meaningful. I like switching between working in the office and outside, for example visiting construction sites.”

Stefano Godenzi

B.Sc. ZFH Civil Engineering
Project Manager / Site Manager
HOLINGER AG, Zurich

“By implementing drinking water systems, I contribute to a safe water supply. I particularly enjoy working with experts and implementing innovative solutions.”

Florian Graf

Draughtsman specialising in civil engineering
Vocational Trainer
HOLINGER AG, Liestal

“I am delighted to be able to accompany our apprentices on their career path. As a vocational trainer, it is important to me not only to impart knowledge, but also to develop the skills and potential of the apprentices.”

Vera Wyrsch

MSc Environmental Engineering EPFL
Head of Urban Drainage
HOLINGER AG, Basel

“Understanding our customers’ needs and offering them tailor-made services with our wide-ranging expertise is important to me.”

Mathias Binkle

M.Sc. Environmental Protection Engineering
Project Manager
iat-Ingenieurberatung GmbH, Stuttgart

“Seeing a project through from the initial idea to construction is both challenging and professionally rewarding. Our product is clean water – that inspires me.”

Stephan Wasielewski

Environmental Engineering Dr.-Ing.
Office Manager
HOLINGER Ingenieure GmbH, Stuttgart

“I am proud to be able to plan and implement unique projects together with our subsidiaries. Starting the week with a cappuccino and a team meeting to discuss the key points of current projects is really helpful for me and fosters team spirit at HOLINGER”.

Gjeneta Curri

B.Sc. Civil Engineering HES-SO
Civil Engineer
Mauler AG, Neuchâtel

“With reflection, determination and patience, we are always able to complete large and important projects to everyone’s satisfaction.”

Dila Demiral Yüzügüllü

Dr Hydraulic Engineering ETH
Project Engineer
TK Consult AG, Zurich

“At TK Consult AG, I enjoy applying my expertise in hydromechanics to real-life challenges such as flood events. The supportive environment and flexible working hours are great and I am encouraged to think outside the box.”

Competences

Top-class expertise – the basis for success

Water has been our element for 90 years. Every year, we develop and support around 2000 projects in 20 countries. We deliver added-value thanks to the expertise and wealth of experience of all our employees and through true teamwork.

Waste water

Building

Energy

Urban drainage

Environment & Sustainability

Hydraulic engineering

Water supply

Waste water

Cleaning performance boosted with our knowledge

Thanks to HOLINGER’s numerous locations in Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg our municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant specialists are always close to their customers.

Building

Careful approaches to existing buildings

When it comes to extensions or additional new buildings in an urban environment, it is not only the geotechnical and structural analysis of the planned buildings that counts, but also the careful handling of the existing structures.

Energy

Integrated concepts for sustainable energy

Our Energy specialists provide advanced engineering services for fuels, electricity and useful heat – from environmentally friendly capture to conversion, transport, storage and delivery.

Urban drainage

Versatile commitment to drainage

HOLINGER’s urban drainage team is growing. They carry out interesting projects and face a wide range of challenges in dealing with rainwater in towns, cities and surrounding areas.

Environment & Sustainability

Interdisciplinary practical & environmental

From the desk to construction site: Thanks to their versatility, HOLINGER’s environmental specialists are able to implement construction projects in an environmentally friendly manner.

Hydraulic engineering

New approaches to varied challenges

Climate change, resource efficiency and environmental protection: The daily challenges for our Hydraulic Engineering experts are many and varied. Innovative and sustainable concepts must be developed.

Water supply

Invisible heroes - focus on water suppliers

Although people working in water supply are usually in the background, their efforts are indispensable for normal everyday life. HOLINGER has been at their side for decades as a competent and experienced partner; together we create sustainable and meaningful projects.

Facts and Figures

The consolidated financial statements of the HOLINGER Group are prepared in accordance with Swiss GAAP FER.

	31.12.2023 [CHF million]	Change compared to previous year
Net proceeds	81,6	+9,7%
Income from own services	75,9	+10,2%
EBITDA	4,9	-5,8%
Incoming orders	85,6	+15,9%
Order backlog	87,6	+9,1%
Investments	3,2	+52,4%

	2023	Change compared to previous year
Number of employees	679	+11,3%
Women	251	+22,4%
ETH/FH ((Fed. Inst. of Technology / Technical College)	441	+14,8%
Technical school	57	+11,8%
Site manager, designer, draughtsman	106	+2,9%
Commercial employee/IT	56	+5,7%
Apprentices	19	+0%
Staff turnover (%)	7,8	-1,1%
Average absence due to illness or accident per employee (h)	56	-16,3%