R&M reports that 2025 was a strategically pivotal year marked by a major leadership transition and a renewed focus on long-term profitable growth. According to CEO Dr. Roger Baumann, the company has launched targeted initiatives to restore sustainable profitability after consolidated sales fell to CHF 260.3 million, a 2.6 percent decline from the previous year and below expectations. The EBIT margin remained weak at 2.4 percent, underscoring the need for strategic realignment.
The company’s performance varied significantly across regions. In Switzerland and Germany, cautious investment activity led to a 10 percent drop in sales, while stagnation in construction and modernization projects across Central and Western Europe dampened demand for LAN cabling systems. In contrast, R&M recorded strong growth of 10 to 17 percent in Eastern and Southern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, driven by major project acquisitions. The LAN portfolio continued to be the company’s largest revenue contributor, supported by high-end solutions for ultra-fast data transmission, Power over Ethernet, and intelligent building automation. R&M is also prioritizing quick-assembly innovations designed to reduce installation workloads.
Despite a slowdown in Fiber-to-the-Home expansion—particularly in Germany—R&M maintained momentum with solutions that accelerate broadband rollout, including pre-terminated distribution stations and easy-to-install splice closures. In India, the company strengthened its position as a key partner for 5G infrastructure, supplying fiber-optic cabling for mobile antennas. North America saw a turnaround as R&M revamped its sales strategy and secured new projects in the Public Networks and Data Center sectors. Globally, the Data Center business grew by 15 percent, fueled by rising demand for AI and digitalization.
The year also brought significant changes to the company’s leadership structure. Alongside the appointment of Dr. Roger Baumann as CEO, long-time Asia head Laurent Amestoy became Chief Sales Officer, responsible for global market development. Jonas Güresir, promoted from within, assumed the role of COO and now oversees operations and sustainability strategy. The new leadership team has introduced strategic initiatives aimed at sharpening customer focus, reducing product and organizational complexity, and strengthening global integration across Sales, Purchasing, and Production. Baumann emphasized that the strategy reinforces R&M’s core values of innovation, quality, customer orientation, flexibility, and sustainability.
Looking ahead, R&M expects 2026 to remain a complex market environment, with uneven investment patterns across LAN, broadband, and 5G. However, the global surge in demand for AI-driven computing power continues to accelerate the data center market. The company is also expanding its presence in vertical sectors such as healthcare, rail infrastructure, defense, and renewable energy, which are expected to play an increasingly important role in future growth.
