After eighteen acquisitions in less than thirty years and yesterday’s conquest of the Swiss Ruag Ammotec, which jumped the group’s revenues from 958 million to 1.5 billion, Beretta Holding announces a new factory in the USA, another 500 million in investments and , in the medium term, new acquisitions. “The project is to make the private defense pole grow and consolidate, a European family group with Italian origin,” explains Pietro Gussalli Beretta, president and CEO of Beretta Holding, which manages the group with his brother Franco. Also because the war in Ukraine has changed the scenario of the sector: “The main European countries and not today are pressing to have defense production on their territories and we, where possible, intend to support these requests”.
In short, a new process of transformation of one of the oldest societies in the world is underway. The Beretta group that manufactured weapons when Michelangelo had not yet put his hand to the brushes of the Last Judgment has not exhausted its expansionary drive in over 500 years and, with a 2021 profit up 56% and a positive net financial position after the acquisition of Ruag Ammotec, accelerates the process of internationalization and aggregation of the European supply chain: «The defense market has a turnover of 350 billion globally, competition is strong in all segments and dimensions are also crucial for research and technological development. In this context, Beretta holding is an aggregator pole and can leverage the world leadership in small arms, optical products and ammunition », explains Gussalli Beretta. “The next few years will be decisive in our development project”.
Today completed the acquisition of the Swiss Ruag Ammotec, with what prospects?
For us it is a transformative operation that allows Beretta Holding to rebalance the weight on Europe after the important growth and huge investments made in the United States and to reach approximately 1.5 billion in turnover and 6 thousand employees, with a leap of the Ebitda to 300 million compared to the 216 million of the balance sheet just closed. It is the largest defense acquisition made by a family-owned private group and changes our growth prospects. The operation, with the group that will keep all Ruag Ammotec plants, is complementary on the revenue and product front: we enter the ammunition sector with a European leadership role and we can develop Ruag Ammotec sales through our global network. , with important growth opportunities in particular in the United States and in non-European markets.
What growth numbers do you expect?