WashTec AG, the Augsburg-based global leader in carwash solutions, announced a significant acceleration of its strategic transformation on September 14, 2026. The company is streamlining its management structure to boost efficiency, speed of implementation, and customer focus, while also revising its earnings guidance for the 2026 fiscal year.
The Supervisory Board has extended the contract of CEO Michael Drolshagen until the end of April 2030, signaling continuity and confidence in the company's strategic direction. The Management Board will now consist of two members: Drolshagen as CEO and Andreas Pabst as CFO. The areas previously overseen by the Chief Sales Officer will be reorganized and integrated into overall operational responsibility to achieve more efficient collaboration across functions and regions.
As part of this reorganization, Arthur Wessels, a long-standing manager and proven industry expert within the WashTec Group, is taking on global responsibility for sales and marketing. This move is expected to strengthen the company's international market presence and drive customer-oriented solutions and service offerings. Additionally, the management structure at the middle management level has been adjusted and streamlined.
The organizational changes come in light of business and earnings performance falling short of expectations. WashTec now anticipates that revenue growth for 2026 will be in the mid-single-digit percentage range, driven mainly by the Equipment and Service business lines, while the Consumables business line is not yet meeting expectations. Delays in the first half of the year, particularly regarding the relocation of production and optimization of installation costs, cannot be made up in the current fiscal year but will contribute positively to earnings from the following year onwards. The organizational changes will also negatively impact revenues for the current fiscal year by a single-digit million euro amount.
Consequently, WashTec has revised its earnings guidance for 2026. The company now expects a declining EBIT margin of between 8% and 9%, compared to the previous expectation of an increase in EBIT disproportionately higher than revenue growth. Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) is now expected to be below the prior year's level, rather than an increase of 0.5 to 2.0 percentage points as previously forecast.
The Management Board is convinced that these organizational changes will accelerate the implementation of its strategy, with a focus on clear lines of responsibility, short decision-making processes, and a consistent customer-centric approach. The company expects this focus to translate into sustainable growth and improved profitability, enabling it to achieve its mid- and long-term goals.
WashTec employs around 1,850 people worldwide and is present with own subsidiaries in North America and Europe, as well as through independent distributors in around 80 countries. For more information, visit the original release at www.newmediawire.com.
