Hofheim am Taunus, August 31, 2026
The Deufol Group, a global provider of integrated end-to-end supply chain solutions, grew significantly faster than its core market in the first half of 2026 and at the same time released its second voluntary sustainability report. In a still challenging economic environment, the company increased its revenue, continued its strategic transformation, and made targeted investments in digitalization, artificial intelligence, and sales development.
Business development in numbers
Revenue rose to €158.9 million in the first half of 2026, compared with €154.9 million in the same period of the previous year. With revenue growth of 2.6 per cent, Deufol outperformed the relevant core market: German machinery exports have so far this year been below the previous year’s level, due in particular to weak demand in the US and China. The Deufol Group’s growth is largely attributable to strategic customer initiatives and the ramp-up of new framework agreements. EBITDA remained stable at €17.8 million, in line with the previous year’s level (€17.7 million), underlining the operational strength of the business model. Operating profit (EBIT) amounted to €3.5 million, compared with €5.8 million in the same period last year. The decline is primarily attributable to higher depreciation and amortisation costs associated with investments in the expansion of the hub infrastructure and in ongoing IT and digitalisation projects, and is therefore predominantly investment-driven.
„We can see that our end-to-end strategy is paying off: demand for our digital and sustainable hub solutions is rising, and we are growing at a significantly faster rate than our core market. This demonstrates the resilience of our business model and makes us optimistic about the future. We are making a conscious investment in Deufol’s long-term viability and are now consistently translating the foundations we have laid into high-quality earnings. This also involves realistically adjusting our earnings expectations to reflect the current environment. We have deliberately accepted the decline in EBIT because we are investing today in tomorrow’s profitability,” explains Dennis Hübner, CEO of Deufol SE.
Digitalisation and artificial intelligence as drivers of efficiency
The first half of the year focused on group-wide IT roll-outs and the expansion of the standardised system landscape, for example in order and sales management. In doing so, Deufol is systematically pursuing its goal of achieving a digital maturity level at which 80 per cent of processes are fully digitised. Artificial intelligence is being deployed in an increasingly structured manner to accelerate decision-making processes and utilise resources more effectively.
Sales consistently focused on the customer
At the same time, Deufol has further developed its sales structure. The focus is on a sharper understanding of individual customer needs: not the best solution in general, but the best solution for each individual customer. This reorientation is underpinned by a group-wide, standardised digital sales management system and a clear separation of sales and resource management responsibilities. This marks a fundamental shift: from selling individual services to selling available capacity.
Sustainability further operationalised
In the 2025 financial year, the first customer projects involving reusable, circular packaging were launched: solutions designed for repeated use rather than single-use. In several projects, packaging now goes through up to ten cycles. For customers, this means less material and lower emissions whilst maintaining the same level of transport safety.
In addition to efficiency, a group-wide, interdisciplinary project team is driving forward the implementation of the EU Packaging Regulation (PPWR) to ensure that customers continue to receive legally compliant and resource-efficient packaging solutions in the future.
The second voluntary sustainability report, published in parallel, provides transparency on the Deufol Group’s progress. It was once again prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, incorporating the EFRAG VSME standard for the first time and covering the entire Group for the first time. The scope of the carbon footprint assessment was expanded from 28 to 33 companies. In addition, the Group-wide EcoVadis rating improved by six points to 60 out of 100.
Outlook
For the second half of the year, Deufol expects increasingly positive contributions to earnings from the programmes of measures introduced across the key value-added areas. In terms of earnings, the start to the second half of the year exceeded plan and supports the revised forecast range.
Furthermore, Deufol is working on a plan to optimise its global hub infrastructure network in order to capitalise more effectively on economies of scale and synergies across its sites. The revenue forecast for the 2026 financial year of between €315 million and €330 million is confirmed. The EBIT forecast has been revised to between €8 million and €11 million; this adjustment is primarily attributable to performance in the first half of the year and, additionally, to higher raw material prices. It does not include any one-off expenses or income arising from pending decisions regarding the implementation of the network concept.
About the DEUFOL Group
The DEUFOL Group is a global company and one of the leading providers of packaging and digitally enabled supply chain solutions for the heavy-duty industry. With many years of experience and extensive expertise, the DEUFOL Group offers its customers customized physical and digital solutions to optimize and sustainably design their supply chains.
With a global network spanning Europe, North America, and Asia, DEUFOL provides tailored services for various industries. The company is committed to sustainability and integrates environmentally friendly practices into its packaging and logistics operations. As a customer-focused organization, DEUFOL plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of packaging and logistics in the machinery and plant engineering sectors, as well as in heavy-duty logistics on an international scale.
