by Velizar Uzunov
Companies from the oil and gas sector kept their leading position in the SEE Industrial ranking in terms of total revenue for a fourth year running. Twenty-eight companies from the sector entered the TOP 100 companies ranking. Their combined revenue rose by 24.5% to 41.2 billion euro in 2011.
The combined net profit of the companies operating in the oil and gas sector almost doubled to 1.4 billion euro in 2011. The rise can be attributed mainly to the favourable crude oil prices and the improved operating efficiency of the companies in the industry, a process which began in 2010 and continued throughout last year.
The electricity sector ranked second with 18 representatives, the same number as in the previous year. These companies’ combined total revenue rose by 13.9% to 14.4 billion euro last year, while their combined net profit fell to 352 million euro from 487.4 million euro.
Wholesale/retail remained the third strongest industry in the region for a second year in a row. The sector is represented in the 2011 ranking by 13 companies which had a combined total revenue of 11.9 billion euro, 3.12% higher than in 2010. Their combined net profit, however, fell to 178.5 million euro from 255.1 million euro.
Companies from the telecommunications sector registered a 3.0% decrease in their combined total revenue to 7.3 billion euro in 2011, but kept their fourth position in the ranking. The 10 representatives from the industry had a combined net profit of 500.1 million euro, up from 266.8 million euro in 2010. The metals and automobile industries also kept their places in the SEE Industrial ranking, occupying fifth and sixth position, respectively.
The six metal companies in the SEE TOP 100 had a combined total revenue of 6.6 billion euro in 2011, an increase of 25.9% over the previous year. This comes to show that the gradual increase in demand for the products of SEE-based metals producers witnessed in 2010 continued last year. Companies from the sector managed to pare their combined net loss to 122.2 million euro in 2011 from 149.5 million euro a year earlier.
The automotive industry ranked sixth, just like in 2010, with total revenue of 5.6 billion euro. The four sector companies in the 2011 ranking registered a 6.6% fall in their combined net profit to 115.1 million euro.
The sector of ICT Equipment was the only newcomer in the 2011 SEE Industrial ranking. It ranked 10th with total revenue of 1.6 billion euro and a net profit of some 900,000 euro.
The pharmaceutical industry was the most profitable in the TOP 100 companies ranking with return on revenue of 13.88%. The sectors of construction and telecommunications followed with 9.67% and 6.81% respectively.
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