2023 was a challenging year for the furniture industry from an economic point of view with skyrocketing construction costs, particularly high interest rates, inflation and general investment uncertainty in many countries around the world. A difficult economic situation for the German furniture industry was also perceived by the Hettich Group, which recorded a turnover of EUR 1.3 billion but saw a year-on-year decline of 14 per cent. The export share accounted for 75 per cent. Worldwide, over 7,700 people worked for Hettich in 2023, 3,600 of them in Germany alone.

Hettich investments for the future 

In the course of 2023, the Hettich Group carried out significant future-oriented projects, optimised its processes and adopted important developments.

Jana Schönfeld, Managing Director of the Hettich Group, emphasises that "It is precisely in difficult times like these that we feel it is particularly important to look ahead and act with future generations in mind. 

Around EUR 170 million was invested in new projects, infrastructure, buildings, plant, digitisation, sustainability and capacity expansion. These include the expansion of production areas in Kirchlengern and Frankenberg (Eder), and investments in Asian growth markets such as Vadodara in India and Zhuhai in China.

FurnSpin, the revolutionary system from Hettich 

At interzum 2023, the Hettich Group presented several innovative solutions as part of the 'It's all in Hettich' campaign, including the revolutionary FurnSpin system for the high-end hardware range. Sascha Groß, Managing Director of the Hettich Group, is delighted with this new product and says: "Whether it's full-height furniture or small window elements, with FurnSpin everything becomes swivelling. It makes the hardware almost invisible and offers all the familiar comfort functions such as soft close or push-to-open for handle-less furniture. FurnSpin is a mechanism that can revolutionise the furniture world.

Outlook for 2024 

A milestone for the Hettich Group at the start of 2024 was certainly the merger with FGV. The two companies complement each other's strengths, thus being able to offer even better solutions and greater added value to their customers while continuing to develop existing business activities and processes together. Relying on the great team of Hettich and FGV, as well as a strong network of reliable suppliers and partners, the group looks to the future with confidence, even if the upturn in the furniture industry still seems to be a long time coming. 

Determined to make an active contribution to shaping the future, Hettich will continue to develop innovative solutions and make the most of the worldwide growth potential.