AAK Annual Report 2018

23 23 Solutions Our solutions within Chocolate & Confectionery Fats continue to cover a wide range of product applications, including chocolate fats and compound fats for coating and molding, filling fats, barrier fats and spreads. Trends Some of the major global trends are individualization, consciousness, premiumization, lifestyles and seamless experience. In the course of 2018, we have launched our new trend presentation which was very well received by our customers globally. New products During the year, we have launched a global filling fats campaign. Our tailor-made filling fats give our customers great opportunities to work with new characteristics, flavors and textures, and enable them to create pralines, truffles, bars, filled tablets, nougat, and wafer fillings for consumers constantly on the lookout for new chocolate products that are tastier, healthier and more natural. The campaign has resulted in a significantly increased demand from both existing and new customers. Future growth According to Euromonitor, the global chocolate and confectionery market is expected to grow with 2–3 percent per year, with higher numbers predicted for emerging markets. With new products and solutions driven by our co-development approach, we are well positioned to grow with and above the market. 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Volumes, thousand tons 314 312 367 404 430 Net sales, SEK million 4,891 5,315 6,117 7,354 7,611 Operating profit, SEK million 460 553 664 735 747 Operating profit per kilo, SEK 1.46 1.77 1.81 1.82 1.74 Volumes (19% of Group total) (Thousand tons) 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 500 400 300 200 100 0 430 404 367 312 314 Operating profit (36% of Group total) (SEK million) 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 747 735 664 553 460 Operating profit per kilo (SEK) 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2.10 1.80 1.50 1.20 0.90 0.60 0.30 0.00 1.74 1.82 1,81 1,77 1.46