During the business year 2013, the Biesterfeld Group Hamburg continued its steady growth.

In a challenging market environment, the group increased its revenue by 6.1% to around €1.057 billion, thereby clearly surpassing the 1 billion euro line.

Biesterfeld expanded its market shares and increased revenue. The operative profit (EBIT), at around €29.4 million, remained just below prior year's figure (€29.7 million), which had been influenced by extraordinary items. Inconsistent price and margin trends - particularly in the plastics and natural rubber industries - as well as weak international trade stimuli affected the group's profit.

The Biesterfeld Group's positive business development was due in large part to the two business units, Biesterfeld Plastic and Biesterfeld Spezialchemie. The acquisition of Küttner GmbH in Germany and SMPC Production S.A in France, in addition to the joint venture Biesterfeld Nordic AB, founded in 2013, and the recently established Thai company Biesterfeld International Ltd., also had a positive impact on business operations.

"In the past year, we were successful in increasing our market share in Europe, expanding into new regions, and widening our portfolio with new products and product groups. We entered 2014 with renewed strength. The remarkable first quarter results affirm our strategy," said Birger Kuck, CEO of Biesterfeld AG.

The Biesterfeld Group expects continued growth in 2014.