After a difficult 2020, the Liège industrialist John Cockerill says he has returned to pre-crisis levels. For 2021, the group plans to further strengthen its expertise in the energy sector.
It’s a complicated year that ends for the Liege industrial group John Cockerill. With a turnover of 1 billion euros against 1.3 last year, the company of Seraing has however succeeded in limiting the breakage., and this despite a battered cash flow in the first half of 2020. The operating result remains in the green, at 13 million euros, and the group intends to enter 2021 as it ended 2020.
“We had switched to survival mode in March, but it didn’t last long. We have been feeling a recovery wind since June.”
“2020 was a stressful and inspiring year for us. It ended noticeably better than it started and today we are proud of our results“, commented CEO Jean-Luc Maurange on the sidelines of the presentation of the group’s annual results.” We had switched to survival mode in March, but that did not last long. We feel a wind of recovery since June, “he continued.
Energy, pillar of the group
It is therefore with a well-filled order book that the engineering group is entering 2021. Defense remains a key sector, as evidenced by the signing of contracts with the Belgian army, but also in France and Indonesia, but it is especially in the energy sector that the group will have to wait in the coming months.
“Our current strategy is focused on energy. Our expertise in thermo-solar power plants, gas power plants, wind power, storage and especially hydrogen has been greatly strengthened and contracts have multiplied“, underlined Jean-Luc Maurange. John Cockerill, now one of the world leaders in the production of hydrogen, intends to continue to establish his domination on the sector.