"Investment appetite is waning significantly this year," reports Franz Führer, owner of the trading agency of the same name and representative of renowned machinery manufacturers such as Kronen, Feuma, and Boss Vakuum on the Austrian market. "In terms of sales, 2024 was my best year ever, but many companies are currently uncertain due to ongoing inflation and the change of government. This uncertainty is, in turn, contributing to large investments being put on hold for now."
Führer has been involved in the sale and maintenance of machines for the fruit and vegetable sector for 13 years now, including fresh-cut systems from Kronen. "Major projects last year included the installation of a new K-650 large centrifuge and a GKS tube bagging machine. In addition, we sold numerous smaller stand-alone systems for cutting and washing fruit and vegetables." The bestsellers on the Austrian market continue to be Kronen's GEWA washing machines, the Feuma HU 1020 high-performance food processor, and the Max-F46 vacuum sealer, he added.
Franz Führer and Kronen CEO Stephan Zillgith at this year's Fruit Logistica. According to Führer, hygiene and cleaning requirements have increased significantly over the years.
Declining demand in farm sales
From a geographical perspective, there have been some interesting shifts in the Austrian market in recent years, Führer continues. "We have several major customers in Vienna and the surrounding area, including one of Austria's leading delicacy manufacturers. Styria has also become much more important in recent years, as more and more regionally produced fruit is being processed locally. The same applies to the province of Tyrol, where vegetable cultivation has grown strongly, and with it interest in the processing of these vegetable products."
According to Führer, fresh-cut products are becoming increasingly popular in the catering and commercial kitchen sectors. However, the industry supplier still sees considerable development potential in the Austrian food retail sector. "Pre-cut salad is mainly sourced from Italy. For a while, Polish products were very popular in the cut and processed fruit sector." However, the decisive factor will be how the 'small-scale sector' develops in the near future: "During Corona, there was a strong boom in farm-gate sales, which was also reflected in increased demand for smaller machines. However, this sector is now in sharp decline."
Volatile market
Nevertheless, Führer is confident about the near future: "There are a handful of major players who do not invest generously every year, but who need a reliable local partner for maintenance. I have a strong competitive advantage in that I am very well-connected in various industries and have been serving many customers locally for years. Our business is also extremely volatile: it's quite possible that someone will come to me during the season and require a machine as quickly as possible. This flexibility and agility, coupled with high-quality equipment, continue to set us apart."
For more information:
Franz Führer
Handelsagentur Führer
Linzer Street 23a
3004 Ried am Riederberg, Austria
Tel:+43 (0) 699 195 637 42
[email protected]
www.handelsagentur-fuehrer.at