(In the 3rd paragraph, 1st sentence, the year was corrected. It should read 2021 rpt 2021).

GÖTTINGEN (dpa-AFX) - Laboratory supplier Sartorius says it is making faster progress with its growth plans. Currently, the DAX-listed group is about two years ahead of its own plan, company CEO Joachim Kreuzburg told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 2022 was the third year of an intensive growth phase, Kreuzburg said. "This was a very successful phase."

After strong growth in 2020 and 2021, double-digit growth was again achieved in 2022, he said. Compared to the two previous years, when sales were also boosted by the pandemic, a "normalization" was felt, he said. For example, customers were hoarding less inventory, as supply chain problems had decreased.

In 2021, Sartorius had raised its 2025 sales target to five billion euros. "But our targets for 2025 basically remain unchanged because the market fundamentals have not changed," Kreuzburg said. After all, he said, the number of patients and drugs needed is not expected to change in the coming years.

In September 2021, the company was promoted to Germany's leading stock market index as part of the Dax restructuring. This has changed little for the company, Kreuzburg said. The promotion had made the company a bit more prominent, he said. That is something positive in times of labor shortages, he said./xma/DP/mis