Kortrijk, Belgium, 15 February 2017 – Last week, global technology leader Barco (Euronext: BAR; Reuters: BARBt.BR; Bloomberg: BAR BB) presented a strong set of results for 2016, with high single-digit sales growth and EBITDA margin accretion. At the same time, the company published its 2016 Annual Report online. Titled ‘Focused to perform’, the report summarizes the 2016 results and zooms in on Barco’s activities and its sustainability plan. The fresh design (new branding) and innovative concept (four booklets + online report) clearly reflect Barco’s direction for the future.
2016 was a year of important organizational changes at Barco: the company welcomed a new CEO, new CFO and new Chief HR Officer, and its headquarters moved to an iconic new building in Kortrijk. In the midst of all these changes, Barco achieved solid growth, both in sales and in EBITDA margin. In his opening letter to the report, CEO Jan De Witte thanks Eric Van Zele, former CEO, for bringing Barco back to growth. He also describes the opportunities that he has spotted to take Barco to the next level. A focus on performance will be key in the future, hence the title of the 2016 report. In the coming years, Barco will keep up its innovation efforts while sharpening its focus on execution, i.e. its operational and commercial excellence. In this way, Barco wishes to drive value for all its stakeholders.
Fresh, engaging and online
The course that De Witte and his team have determined for the coming years is clearly reflected in the 2016 Annual Report. In the past few months, Barco evolved its brand identity to be on par with its evolution as a company. The 2016 Annual Report provides a sneak peek of that new identity. The layout is refreshing, with clear infographics and engaging photos of staff, activities and products. As for structure, the report is composed of four separate booklets, allowing readers to dig into the information of their particular interest: Our Company, Director’s Report, Barco Consolidated and the full Sustainability Plan. The Sustainability Report, which will be updated in June, is based on the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) reporting framework.
As befits a technology leader, Barco also decided to embrace digital: for the first time, it brings its results and story to life in an easy-to-navigate, interactive and inviting annual report website, which provides a user-friendly entry point to the online report. This, too, marks the company’s development and its vision for the future.
Further details regarding Barco’s strategy will be disclosed along with other information at the Capital Markets Day on 16 March 2017. In June, Barco will publish an update of its Sustainability Report.
View Barco’s annual report website or browse through/download the PDF on issuu (downloadable per module). In line with its sustainability strategy, Barco chose to adopt printing on-demand: interested shareholders can request a printed copy.