Fresenius reports record financial performance in 2012

Fresenius has reported its financial results for 2012, the centennial year of the company, during which it achieved its best-ever business performance.

The healthcare company's sales for the 12 months came to 19.3 billion euros (16.68 billion pounds), representing an 18 percent year-on-year improvement at actual rates, while earnings came to 3.1 billion euros, up by 20 percent on last year.

Both of these figures set new yearly records for Fresenius, which has seen an eightfold increase in net income over the last decade and increased the size of its workforce by 13 percent in 2012.

Over the next 12 months, the company expects to achieve further sales growth of between seven and ten percent, while meeting its 2014 net income target of more than one billion euros a year ahead of plan.

Ulf Mark Schneider, chief executive officer of Fresenius, said: "The pursuit of medical progress with affordable high-quality products and services and helping seriously ill people is at the heart of everything we do."

Fresenius' products and services are available to people in more than 100 nations worldwide, making it one of the world's most prominent healthcare groups.