We traditionally hold a get-together in January for all api employees and many of our long-standing partners. At this gathering, we look back on the past twelve months and present our plans for the new year. Unfortunately, this event had to be canceled due to the pandemic. Instead, this year’s review and outlook are presented in writing through this article.
For many companies, the past year was marked by economic challenges and drastic changes. Of course, this was true for us as well. The start of the year in January and February was initially very promising. Both months were the most successful in our company’s history. Then the coronavirus reached Europe. The first lockdown unsettled customers and business partners, who consequently ordered fewer api products.
Looking at 2020 as a whole, we recorded fewer orders overall than in the previous year. This represents a noticeable decline. Nevertheless, it was one of the api-Group’s strongest years in terms of revenue. Thanks to smart and forward-looking management, we are financially robust enough to weather the decline in orders.
Investments in Machinery and Buildings
Despite the pandemic, we actually used the past year to make investments. First, we expanded our machinery. Second, we built a new administrative wing at our headquarters in Slapy, Czech Republic. With the three additional machines, we’ve increased production capacity for our FlexiRamp by 30 percent. At the same time, this has relieved our mechanics of physically demanding work. And our ten-person back-office team is delighted with their beautiful new offices.
api Wins Innovation Award
One of the highlights of last year was winning the Vodafone “Company of the Year” Award in the South Bohemia region. This award recognized the most innovative company in each of the fourteen Czech regions. In a nationwide comparison, API ranked a very respectable fifth out of more than 5,000 participating companies. We see this as recognition of the work of the entire API team, and of course, we’re a little proud as well.
2021 – A Look into the Crystal Ball: New FlexiRamp for the Caddy 5
Given the ongoing pandemic, it is difficult to make reliable plans for 2021. Our goal is to maintain production and ramp it up again over the course of the year.
We are currently manufacturing the FlexiRamp for the new Volkswagen Caddy 5 model. We are taking this opportunity to further improve our flagship product. The new FlexiRamp is not only safer and lighter, but also more efficient to install. To allow for even more flexible seating configurations in our customers’ converted vehicles, we’re offering it in three sizes: S, L, and XL. Details on the individual improvements are described in this post.
Here, too, COVID-19 is making our work more difficult. For example, we’re currently waiting for Caddy 5 vehicles so we can modify and test our prototypes. It can be frustrating at times, but all of our competitors are facing the same challenging conditions.
Overall, we are optimistic about the future and expect order volumes to start growing again starting in the summer months.
