€ 2 million more in sales despite pandemic: Axess continues on its path of growth despite difficult times
With € 52.1 million in overall sales, success kept climbing in the last financial year. Even Covid-19 wasn’t enough to spoil the company’s growth; several major projects were completed during the pandemic, and three business areas were further developed. Unavoidable digitization in many areas accelerated projects, and new technologies stimulated demand.
While a company can be proud of its success during a global economic crisis, we also need to look back at the mark this time has left on the world. By dynamically adjusting to the new market conditions, Axess was able to quickly gain momentum after the first lockdown. The urgency for digitization resulted in many projects in the leisure and trade fair sectors. Restrictions that limited numbers of visitors and required spectator checks called for new solutions. “The success of the past year is a testament to how adaptable the company is, as well as to having the right strategy in times of crisis,” explains Oliver Suter, Board Member and CSO of the company. “By staying on the cutting edge and working hand-in-hand with our customers, we were able to quickly bring innovations to the market.” This is confirmed by the company’s € 52.1 million in sales with an EBITDA of € 15.2 million.
This year saw growth in the stadium, theme park and trade fair sectors. The foundation of Axess Americas Events Inc., which targets stadiums and arenas in the United States, brought numerous new projects. Well-known stadiums such as the LAFC’s Bank of California Stadium, the Alamodome in San Antonio, the Anaheim Ducks’ Honda Center, the Seattle Seahawks’ Lumen Field, the Seattle Mariners’ T-Mobile Park, and world-famous Yankee Stadium were all completely re-equipped with Axess access systems. The AX500 Smart Post NG was specially equipped for the US market with NFC technology, given WIFI and a battery, and mounted on a mobile pallet. It can be used anywhere and placed flexibly, regardless of cabling or the power supply.
Developments in the European trade fair market include software products that allow visitor flow to be regulated. Online registration and online ticket sales are must-haves for the future. Axess’ USP here is the ability to control everything from a single data center. New developments can easily be integrated into an existing system. Numerous trade fair halls and exhibition centers took the lockdown as an opportunity to invest in and upgrade their venues with new technology. The third major area of growth was the leisure industry. Theme parks, museums, zoos and other entertainment facilities needed systems that could regulate the number of visitors, whether in the park itself or to an individual attraction. Digitization has also made a major contribution to growth here.
The North America region, including the USA and Canada, was busy implementing projects won the previous year, and was also able to secure new projects. Mount St. Louis Moonstone, Calabogie Peaks Resort, Hilltop, Saddleback and Sugar Bowl ski areas now use Axess systems. The same goes for the Sunday River and Sugarloaf resorts of the Boyne Group, one of the largest ski resort operators in the world. In addition to the successful resort software solutions, the UHF access system has now reached commercial maturity and brings additional growth potential.
The German-speaking DACH area (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) increased the previous year’s already high sales by 5.1%. Austria was especially noteworthy, with an increase of 41.8% on the previous year. In addition to serving the existing customer base, many new small and mid-sized projects were completed. A pilot phase with Bluetooth low energy access, which converts smartphones into tickets, has started in twelve well-known ski areas. Projects in the non-ski sector include the Messe Dornbirn trade fair center, the “Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen”, the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, the Bayerische Seenschifffahrt and the Eisriesenwelt Werfen. Modules developed for ski customers, such as bookings or food and beverages, have also been successfully put into use in other areas of the leisure sector.
The new subsidiaries in Australia and Spain lived up to expectations and will make a strong contribution to growth in the coming financial year. Spain has already doubled sales with its second major project, Telesquis De La Tossa De Alp. Japan and China saw no growth due to the difficult situation during the pandemic, with severe supply conditions and cautious investment dominating these markets. France also saw sharp decline. This was caused partly by local elections, the reason why no major new orders were awarded in 2020, and also because the fall in ticket sales was much more significant than in other regions due to the complete closure of French ski areas as a result of the pandemic. Nevertheless, new customers, for example the Chamrousse ski area, were also acquired.
Sales in the CEE region increased by 7.3% compared to the previous year, with Serbia and Kazakhstan showing the strongest growth. Serbia’s largest ski resort, Kopaonik, was set up with Axess equipment, as was the world’s longest gondola – the Gold Gondola in the Tornik ski resort. In Kazakhstan, the Oi Quaragai ski resort was acquired through the company’s Russian subsidiary. The Czech Republic also saw high sales and acquired new ski customer Kralicak.
“Investment in research and development was at a record high at 12% of sales, or an increase of € 970,000 compared to the previous year. In the past year, we expanded our portfolio of products to include further digital solutions, and tested technologies for the future,” explains Christian Windhager, Board Member and CTO of the company. To advance further developments even more intensively, Daniel Wakounig has strengthened the team, joining as Head of Software and Hardware Development and authorized signatory from April 2020. His expertise in e-commerce will lead to many new products and solutions for the future. Lars Wolf, long-time CFO of the company, was promoted to Board Member in 2021. He will keep the company focused on its path of success.
The company is on solid ground – a fact that has been proven during the Covid-19 pandemic. With a healthy dose of respect, Axess is looking ahead to the new year. Despite growth and ongoing digitization, it is not yet clear when business will return to normal.
