Half-year financial report 2026 - CEO quote
The second quarter of 2026 was very strong from an orders perspective for Konecranes. Order activity was robust across all three Business Areas, resulting in a clearly higher order book. We kept our profitability on a solid level while our net sales reflected the timing of deliveries.
In the second quarter our order intake increased by 13.4% in comparable currencies versus a year ago and amounted to EUR 1.24 billion. We saw positive development with our orders in the Americas and APAC regions and some weakening in the EMEA region.
Our net sales amounted to EUR 1.02 billion in the second quarter, decreasing by 2.8% in comparable currencies versus a year ago. This was mainly due to the timing of the order book. The impact from the conflict in the Middle East remained limited and there have been no new effects on our customer deliveries. We have seen some upward pressure in our fuel and freight costs, but we have managed to offset the impact through our own actions.
The group comparable EBITA margin was 12.7% in the second quarter. Our profitability was lower compared to the previous year, mainly due to lower volumes. Profitability improved in Industrial Equipment but decreased in Industrial Service and Port Solutions.
As a result of good customer activity, our order book increased both sequentially and compared to the previous year. At the end of the quarter, our order book stood at a very high level of EUR 3.4 billion. We have a clearly higher order book for the rest of the year than a year ago and therefore expect higher deliveries for the second half.
In Business Area Industrial Service, order intake was EUR 399 million in the second quarter, increasing by 5.2% in comparable currencies. Net sales decreased slightly to EUR 377 million. Comparable EBITA margin decreased to 21.2% and was mainly driven by lower volumes. The agreement base grew sequentially and by 4.2% in comparable currencies versus a year ago. As part of our continuous business development, we added new features to our AI assisted sales and service delivery tools, including enhancements to the online customer experience.
In Business Area Industrial Equipment, external order intake increased by 18.9% compared to a year ago and reached EUR 350 million. We saw good, continued activity within the defence segment, especially in the Americas, as well as in the power and aviation segments. External sales increased by 9.0% in comparable currencies and amounted to EUR 304 million. The comparable EBITA margin improved to 6.9%, mainly due to higher volumes and positive pricing.
In Business Area Port Solutions, order intake increased by 16.9% in comparable currencies versus a year ago, amounting to EUR 509 million. Net sales, however, decreased by 12.9% to EUR 355 million. The comparable EBITA margin was 10.8%. The decrease was mainly due to lower volumes partly offset by a slight positive impact from the US tariff refunds. At the end of the quarter, Business Area Port Solutions’ order book reached EUR 1.8 billion. One of the highlights of the quarter was that we reached our ambition to electrify all our product lines by the end of 2026. Following the launch of the modular Generation D Konecranes lift truck platform with electric reach stackers in May, the whole lift truck product family is now available with electric options.
I am very pleased that we have been active in acquisitions, which have been a cornerstone of Konecranes’ growth history. We recently announced that we will acquire a majority interest in Mitsubishi Electric FA Industrial Products in Japan, which is a key step for our geographical expansion. This acquisition enables us to enter one of the largest wire rope hoist markets in the world and further strengthens our global presence. Also, earlier this year we announced acquisitions to expand our APAC Industrial Service presence in Thailand and New Zealand and our crane and port service network in Spain. These are the kind of acquisitions that we do within our core businesses and aim to continue in the future.
Demand outlook and financial guidance
Going forward, we expect our demand environment to remain on a healthy level within industrial customer segments. For our port customers, container throughput continues to be on a high level, and the long-term prospects for container handling remain good. However, uncertainty related to geopolitics and trade policy tensions remains high.
We reiterate our financial guidance for year 2026. We expect our net sales to remain approximately on the same level or to increase in 2026 compared to 2025, and our comparable EBITA margin to remain approximately on the same level in 2026 compared to 2025.
Capital Markets Update
During the past year, we have been working with our teams to crystalize Konecranes’ strategic direction and ambition. We are clearly on the right track, and I believe there is an opportunity for further acceleration. We are committed to our core businesses. They provide clear synergies for us, and there is room to grow there.
Our focus on organic and inorganic growth and long-term shareholder value creation remains strong. We are pleased to give you an update on our strategy and ambitions at a Capital Markets Update event on October 23, 2026. More details will follow closer to the event.