Thanks to the emphasis on our core medical segments and the renewed improvement in Other Group Activities, the volume of unit sales has risen 6.9% on the year, which translates into a 5.4% increase in organic sales to EUR 1.28 billion. It is particularly gratifying that all our business segments contributed to this tendency. Growth was once again emphatically stimulated by our Operating Theater Management segment, which saw sales surge 13.5%. The Wound Management and Incontinence Management segments and Other Group Activities increased sales by 4.6%, 6.0% and 7.8% respectively.
This pleasing vibrant sales trend derives from the consistent implementation of our FOCUS strategy. It has enabled us to improve operating EBIT by 15.5% to EUR 64.1 million and operating Group income by 14.0% to EUR 38.8 million and thus far faster than sales.
In the year under review, HARTMANN not only became more profitable but also more dynamic. As noted by our customers as well as the entire industry, HARTMANN set new standards with innovative and market-driven system offerings in the rapidly changing and highly competitive healthcare market.
In 2008, we will continue to maintain our course for sustained, organic growth by boosting the profitability and dynamics of our operations. With a versatile organization and leaner cost structures we aspire to grow our range of customized systems offerings and thus selectively tap markets outside Europe as well. In this way we help our customers to offer better and easier healthcare.
