Sales rose 10.2% quarter-on-quarter to 550m (E791m), but fell by more than a fifth to 1.04bn in the first half. Adjusted for currency and consolidation effects, the fall was 15%.
Heidelbergs operating loss almost halved quarter-on-quarter to 23.6m. It will continue with short-time working in its sheetfed division up to and including May 2004, and is in talks about improving costs in its Digital and Web divisions.
Although MAN Rolands orders fell 4% in the first nine months, it reported a 5% increase in Q3 on this time last year.
Sales fell 20% to 695m for the first nine months, and by 19% to 230m in Q3. MAN Roland also reported a 40m loss before tax for the first nine months.
Sheetfed sales fell 9% below the already low level of last year, while orders in its web division fell 14% and sales dropped 32% for the year so far. MAN Roland is still expected to report a high loss for the full year.
KBA reported its first double-digit increase in orders in two and a half years and predicted substantially higher sales and earnings next year due to increased production at its web press factories. It also thought next Mays Drupa should stimulate sales.
For the nine months to 30 September, KBAs order intake rose 10.4% to 596m (E854.3m). Sheetfed orders rose 13.2% to 336m, while orders for web/special presses rose 7%.
However, sales dropped 18.6% to 565m. Sheetfed sales fell 5.7%, while sales of web/special presses fell by almost 30%.
KBA made a pre-tax loss of 28.5m, compared to a 25m profit year on year, and a net loss of 18.3m (2002: 350,000 profit).
Its figures did not include the orders it signed at Ifra in October. It thinks its sales for the year will be at least 840m, but expects a double-digit loss.
Story by Gordon Carson and John Davies
