Austrian Fire-Equipment Maker Rosenbauer Grows Revenue Despite Iran War Disruptions
Rosenbauer, the Upper Austria-based fire and rescue equipment manufacturer, reported a solid first half of 2026, with revenue and profit both climbing even as the company absorbed real disruption from the war in Iran and a major internal software overhaul.
Revenue for the first six months rose 3.5 percent year-on-year to €625.9 million, the Leonding-based company announced Friday, marking its 160th anniversary year. Adjusted EBITDA improved from €28.2 million to €38.8 million, while EBIT nearly tripled to €20.4 million. Pre-tax profit swung from a €10.5 million loss a year earlier to an €11.1 million gain.
Growth drivers: more vehicles, more prevention business
CEO Robert Ottel attributed the growth chiefly to a higher number of fire truck deliveries and expanding business in preventive fire protection, alongside improved profit margins across the business. Order intake held at what the company called a high level, €717.8 million, up from €705.2 million a year earlier, and the order backlog grew to €2.434 billion.
Real costs from a war far from Austria
The war in Iran had a direct, measurable impact: the closure of the Strait of Hormuz delayed shipments into the Middle East region, costing the company roughly €8 million in EBIT during the half-year, according to CFO Jörg Schuschnig, though management doesn’t expect this to weigh on the full-year result. A separate factor, the April rollout of the SAP S/4HANA software system across the company’s main Austrian entities, also temporarily disrupted production planning and vehicle deliveries.
A workforce and outlook both growing
Rosenbauer employed 5,039 people worldwide at midyear, 371 more than a year earlier, while emphasizing the continued importance of its Austrian home base even as more than 90 percent of revenue now comes from outside the country. Looking ahead, Ottel pointed to rising civil-protection investment as wildfire risk and global conflict both increase, citing growing drone use in both the Iran and Ukraine wars targeting “soft targets” like logistics centers as a factor shaping future demand. The company still targets up to €1.6 billion in full-year revenue and an EBIT margin above 6 percent for 2026.
Despite the improved results, Rosenbauer’s share price fell notably in Friday trading, reflecting broader market caution rather than any specific concern flagged in the earnings themselves.
