Krones’ customers continue to show robust willingness to invest. In the first quarter of 2026, the company increased order intake by 5.3%, from €1,435.9 million in the previous year to €1,512.1 million. This means that the contract value of orders is also higher than in the fourth quarter of 2025 (€1,460.0 million).

Adjusted for currency translation effects, revenue increased by 1.4%. Reported revenue was €1,379.1 million (previous year: €1,410.0 million). Based on the book-to-bill ratio of 1.10 in the first quarter, Krones expects revenue growth to accelerate through to the year-end.

The EBITDA margin from January to March improved from 10.6% in the previous year to 10.8%, which is within the guidance range for the current financial year.

Due to the managed increase in working capital, Krones generated free cash flow before M&A activities of −€9.5 million in the first quarter of 2026 (previous year: €165.2 million). ROCE amounted to 17.6% (previous year: 20.5%).

Following the positive first-quarter trend, Krones has confirmed the guidance for the full year 2026. The company expects revenue growth of 3% to 5% adjusted for currency translation effects, an EBITDA margin of 10.7% to 11.1% and ROCE of 19% to 20%.