In the second quarter of fiscal 2011, Siemens achieved broad-based growth and increased new orders 28 percent year-over-year. Revenue climbed seven percent. All Sectors and regions contributed to growth in both orders and revenue. Income from continuing operations more than doubled due to a strong improvement in operating profit and proceeds from the sale of Siemens' 34 percent stake in Areva NP. "We've achieved outstanding, broad-based orders growth. We're raising our earnings forecast for fiscal 2011 to at least €7.5 billion," said Siemens President and CEO Peter Löscher.
Five months before the launch of the fourth Siemens Sector, Infrastructure & Cities, the company has made a number of key decisions. The new Sector will be headquartered in Munich. The expansion of the global sales and marketing structures for the fourth Sector is also progressing rapidly. "We're systematically creating the foundation for participation in the fast-growing cities and infrastructure markets," said Siemens President and CEO Peter Löscher.
Siemens AG and its employees have demonstrated their profound concern for the victims of the natural disaster in Japan. The company's international fundraising campaign has collected €4 million in monetary donations to support those affected by the earthquake and its aftermath. Employees from 45 countries contributed a total of around €2 million. The company has matched this amount and, in addition, donated €2 million in kind to provide immediate assistance.
With the support of Siemens, Hamburg, as the European Green Capital 2011, today launched the rolling, interactive exhibition "Visions for future cities." In the coming months, the "Train of Ideas" will be showing over 100 environmental projects in its six exhibit cars and providing information on central topics such as energy and mobility. Through its participation, Siemens wants to give fresh impetus to environmental protection and create a communication channel for sustainable technologies that will reach all parts of Europe.
Siemens AG will increase its stake in the publicly listed Indian company Siemens Ltd. from 55.3 percent to 75 percent. During the offer period, which commenced on March 25, 2011 and closed on April 13, 2011, shareholders of Siemens Ltd. offered to sell Siemens AG a total of 29 percent of all outstanding shares. This was nearly 1.5 times the amount to be acquired. To reach the 75 percent figure, Siemens will acquire from the offerers, on a proportional basis, an additional stake of 19.7 percent. This move will enable Siemens to successfully further develop its business in India.
Siemens has again posted robust business development in the second quarter of the current fiscal year 2011. In this period, the company expects a double-digit increase in new orders compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2010. Revenue will also probably increase significantly year-over-year. Net income from continuing operations in the second quarter is expected to be above the level of the comparable prior-year period but – excluding the proceeds from the Areva stake – below the record figure of the first quarter of fiscal 2011. "As expected, we've again achieved robust growth in the second quarter. However, I assume that growth will cool down in the second half of the year," said Siemens CFO Joe Kaeser to analysts on Tuesday.
From April 4 to 8, Siemens is showcasing its urban solutions expertise for visitors to the Hannover Messe. With the help of selected lighthouse projects, the company is demonstrating, among other things, how smart grids can interact with intelligent building systems and how urban traffic flows can be optimized. Siemens' activities in the areas of smart grids, power distribution and mobility solutions are all part of its newly established Infrastructure & Cities Sector. "Cities are a key growth market for the future. As an integrated technology company, we're already better positioned than any other company to meet the demand for sustainable urban infrastructures," said Roland Busch, member of Siemens' Managing Board and CEO of its Infrastructure & Cities Sector, in Hanover, Germany. "At this trade fair, we're showcasing innovations that can make tomorrow's cities ecofriendlier and more livable."
Siemens plans to publicly list its subsidiary Osram GmbH in the fall of 2011. The parent company intends to retain a minority stake in Osram, in which it will remain a long-term anchor shareholder. “Osram has an outstanding position worldwide as Siemens’ lighting brand, and we intend to maintain our close ties to the future Osram AG as a long-term anchor shareholder. With the IPO, we want to give Osram complete entrepreneurial freedom to comprehensively further develop its leading competitive position in a lighting market being swept by technological changes,” said Siemens President and CEO Peter Löscher. Siemens also wants to participate in future growth in the market for new lighting technologies.
Siemens AG intends to be a leading participant in the dynamic growth of cities and infrastructure investments. To achieve this, the company is founding a fourth Sector – Infrastructure & Cities – that will be comprised of selected businesses from the Industry and Energy Sectors. In the future, the Industry Sector will concentrate exclusively on industry customers and reinforce its industry and service business. “We are orienting Siemens toward technology leadership in a broad spectrum of energy-efficient solutions for cities and industries. With this move, we intend to top the €100-billion mark in business volume in the next few years,” said Siemens President and CEO Peter Löscher. In addition, Siemens is planning an initial public offering (IPO) for its subsidiary Osram in the fall of 2011. This step will give Osram full entrepreneurial freedom to secure and further expand its leading position in a lighting market being swept by technological change. The Supervisory Board of Siemens AG gave its approval for the IPO at an extraordinary meeting on March 28.