NEUTRAUBLING (dpa-AFX) - Filling and packaging equipment manufacturer Krones performed well in the second quarter despite the recent weakness of the economy in many countries. Sales and earnings increased. A key reason for this was that the company's markets were hardly affected by economic fluctuations, the SDax-listed company announced in Neutraubling on Tuesday. Following the exceptionally high order intake in the first quarter, customer orders in the second quarter "normalized" at a high level, as expected.

In the three months to the end of June, order intake fell by 18 percent year-on-year to 1.27 billion euros. By contrast, sales increased by 12.5 percent to 1.12 billion euros. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) increased by 20.9 percent to 106.5 million euros. Below the line, profit increased by 34.3 percent to 57.9 million euros.

The recently raised forecast for sales growth was confirmed. The Group also confirmed its target figures for operating profit and return on capital employed./mne/jha/