At €7.6 million, operating profit was on a par with the first quarter of last year. However, the figure for the prior-year period had been boosted by a contribution of €5.5 million from a licensing transaction in the DEUTZ Customised Solutions segment. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2016, EBIT before exceptional items went up by €3.9 million. The EBIT margin (before exceptional items) was 2.2% in the quarter under review. In the first quarter of 2017, the disposal of a building lease generated a positive exceptional item of €10 million. As a result, there was a marked increase in EBIT after exceptional items, which climbed to €17.6 million. Free cash flow also improved by a substantial €68.6 million to reach €39.7 million.
For 2017 as a whole, DEUTZ is reiterating its forecast of a marked rise in revenue and a moderate increase in the EBIT margin before exceptional items.