Yes to the capital increase

Stuttering e-mobility does not slow Rosenbauer down

Rosenbauer CEO Sebastian Wolf is in the process of implementing the capital increase with his colleagues on the Executive Board.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Daniel Scharinger, Harald Dostal)

At the Annual General Meeting, Rosenbauer shareholders gave their "yes" to the capital increase, which is intended to give the firefighting equipment supplier from Leonding (Upper Austria) stability for the future. Although e-mobility in the commercial vehicle sector has not yet really taken off and the trend has recently even suffered setbacks, this does not worry Rosenbauer.

The Dachstein room in the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Linz: Rosenbauer's Annual General Meeting began here shortly after 10 a.m. on Tuesday, at which the shareholders set the course for the future of the firefighting equipment manufacturer by agreeing to increase the share capital. How much money this will bring to the Leonding-based company and how exactly this will take place remains to be seen.

New Supervisory Board Chairman
One thing is certain, however: "The capital increase is intended to strengthen equity and enable the further growth of the Group," says Rainer Siegel, who stepped down as Chairman of the Supervisory Board and handed over the reins to Jörg Astalosch.

The fact that Rosenbauer had a record order intake at the end of the previous year is encouraging for the Leonding-based company. The company is also on track when it comes to e-mobility: 76 e-firefighting vehicles have already been ordered, and series production has been underway in Leonding since May 2023.

In the commercial vehicle sector, however, e-mobility has stuttered, reports CEO Sebastian Wolf: "In some cases, there is a lack of political will to maintain and pursue the e-mobility boom."

Wobbly combustion engine phase-out put a strong damper on things
The fact that EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is having the 2026 ban on combustion engines reviewed "has put a strong damper on the trend". However, this does not deter Rosenbauer, which also sees great potential in equipping airport fire departments in order to reduce CO2 emissions.