14 Feb 14. Airbus Group (stock exchange symbol: AIR) has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with Raiffeisenverband Salzburg to acquire Salzburg München Bank AG, in order to provide additional financing options for the aeronautics and defence company. Salzburg München Bank, owned 100% by Raiffeisenverband Salzburg, is a small fullylicensed bank based in Munich serving small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and private clients. After closing, it will be renamed Airbus Group Bank and gradually be developed to provide finance solutions to support the Group’s businesses. The transaction will not have any immediate effects on Salzburg München Bank’s existing clients or business.
“Acquiring Salzburg München Bank provides us with a good platform to launch our company bank project,” said Airbus Group Chief Financial Officer Harald Wilhelm. “In the coming years the whole Group can benefit through increased financing flexibility.”
The acquisition is subject to obtaining regulatory approvals, namely the Ownership Control Procedure (“Inhaberkontrollverordnung”) with the German regulator (BaFin) and also from the German competition authority (BKartA). Airbus Group aims to close the deal as early as possible in 2014, subject to receiving all necessary regulatory approvals.
13 Feb 14. Saab’s results January-December 2013. Håkan Buskhe CEO Comment: 2013 was a historic year for Saab. Order bookings were at an all time high and we had important breakthroughs and positive news for Saab. Meanwhile, market conditions are challenging and the competition fierce. Saab shall therefore continue its focus on being an innovative and cost efficient company, which are key factors for continued success in a changing market. We have also completed the implementation of the new market organisation during the year, which has increased our ability to understand and meet customer demands. The business area Aeronautics received several groundbreaking orders during the year, especially related to Gripen. In February, an agreement was signed with FMV regarding the next generation fighter, Gripen E. In Switzerland, the parliament approved the procurement of Gripen E. In May 2014, the Swiss citizens will make the final decision in a referendum. Also, during the fourth quarter the Brazilian government announced that it had selected Gripen for its next fighter system. Negotiations are ongoing, and the ambition is to sign an agreement during 2014. The interest in the high tech and cost effective fighter, Gripen, has never been greater. During the year, a Joint Development Agreement was signed with Boeing to develop and build a completely new, advanced and cost efficient training aircraft. The purpose is to participate in the U.S. Airforce’s upcoming procurement of new training aircraft. Order bookings increased by 141 per cent in 2013 compared to 2012. The increase is mainly attributable to the orders by FMV regarding development and production of Gripen E, but also many other significant orders were received. As an example, Saab received an order for development and integration of the radar and combat management systems on a new frigate for the Royal Thai Navy. Brazil placed orders for an upgrade of the airborne radar system Erieye, as well as for the electromagnetic signal-sensor part of their border security programme Sisfron. Budget constraints in the U.S. had a negative impact on our training and traffic management operations in the U.S. Business area Dynamics was also affected by budget constraints and delays in customers’ investment processes, which resulted in reduced order intake compared to 2012. Sales amounted to MSEK 23,750, an organic decline of 2 per cent. We saw a lower activity level primarily within the business area Dynamics. This was compensated by growth in the business areas Aeronautics and Combitech. Reported operating income amounted to MSEK 1,345 (2,050) and the operating margin was 5.7 per cent (8.5), including a non-recurring ite