After the first half of 2023, the management of German photovoltaic wholesaler EWS draws a very positive conclusion. Turnover has more than doubled compared to the same period in the previous year. Expectations for further business development are also very high because or maybe even though the general conditions in the European solar markets have stabilized.
According to company founder Kai Lippert, a look at the preliminary sales result for the first half of 2023 is particularly noteworthy. The EWS team has processed more orders than in the entire previous year. "In just six months, we have shipped more solar modules, inverters, storage and mounting systems than in 2022 combined. Compared to the first half of 2022, this resulted in an increase in turnover of 120 %," the Managing Director is pleased to say. And he adds: "If we manage to keep up this rate in the second half 2023, as well, our annual turnover would be at around € 600 million and, thus, far above our original forecast."
At this level, such growth rates are obviously a huge challenge, since in absolute terms the same amount of capacities have to be created in one year as in the 38-year company history. "In the last two years, the processing capacities at EWS could be increased at this pace, but that also meant that everyone was at full stretch", Kai Lippert sums up. "We will hopefully continue to grow in line with the needs of our customers, but the energy turnaround still needs many supporters". To achieve this, EWS has invested massively in buildings, equipment, and staff. More than 200 dedicated professionals currently work on the almost 4 hectare site in Handewitt, and the next office building is already under construction.
Jan Paul Dahm, the son and successor of the EWS Managing Director, has already taken the helm in many areas at EWS and has ensured process optimisation with future-oriented solutions, especially through the digitalisation of all processes and communication channels.
He has succeeded in constantly increasing the efficiency of all work processes. As a consequence, EWS will continue to be in a good position in terms of competition and business results in the future. "We can only scale the business upwards competitively if we manage to increase our goods turnover faster than our team strength and our warehouse capacity. Modern structures, methods and working conditions are a prerequisite for this, as is a high level of motivation among all team members."
In addition to various voluntary employer benefits, EWS offers all employees attractive profit-sharing schemes in addition to various voluntary employer benefits and good career opportunities for their commitment even in turbulent market situations. Last year, this amounted to a new record of more than € 8.5 million. A great result for all, which in all likelihood will be surpassed again this year.
"The patience of our customers was put to the test during these past months when supply chains were strained," summarises Kai Lippert regretfully. "In the meantime, however, both the demand and the supply situation have eased considerably. We will use the time until the next allocation phase to further improve the quality and effectiveness of our services, but also of the structures in our cooperation with our customers and suppliers."
