Siemens has been honored for its outstanding research and development activities in two key innovation markets. In the U.S., the company has been included for the first time on the list of the world’s 50 most innovative companies by the prestigious technology magazine “MIT Technology Review.” And in China, the leading business magazine “Global Entrepreneur” has ranked Siemens among the country’s best research centers for the third time in a row.
Siemens is conducting an international fundraising campaign to help the victims of the earthquake and its aftermath in Japan. Through March 31, 2011, Siemens will match every euro that employees around the world donate to a special bank account opened for that purpose. The company itself will set aside at least €1 million to cover these donations. In addition, Siemens is providing immediate on-site assistance, including medical equipment like mobile ultrasound devices and reagents for lab tests, as well as urgently needed water purification systems with a total value of €2 million. “We are deeply saddened by the extent of the disaster in Japan. Our fundraising campaign is a symbol of the profound solidarity we feel with our colleagues in Japan and with all the people of Japan,” said Siemens CEO Peter Löscher.
The University of Maastricht has contracted with Siemens Healthcare to deliver and install three powerful, high-field magnetic resonance tomographs (MRT). This order is one of the largest to date in the history of Siemens Healthcare in the Netherlands. The imaging devices will be used by the Brains Unlimited research project of the University of Maastricht. The objective of the project is to further investigate how the human brain functions.
Singapore is Asia's greenest metropolis. This is the conclusion of the Asian Green City Index – a study commissioned by Siemens and performed by the independent Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). For the study, which was carried out over the past few months, the EIU analyzed the aims and achievements of 22 major Asian cities with respect to environmental and climate protection. Singapore City stands out in particular for its ambitious environmental targets and its efficient approach to achieving them. In other Asian cities as well, however, environmental awareness and climate protection guidelines are playing an increasingly important role."The Asian Green City Index supports cities in their efforts to expand their infrastructures on a sustainable basis. We want to enable Asia's up-and-coming urban centers to achieve healthy growth rates coupled with a high quality of life," said Barbara Kux, member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and the company’s Chief Sustainability Officer.
Siemens AG intends to increase its stake in its publicly listed Indian company Siemens Ltd. from currently about 55 percent to 75 percent. To this end, the company will offer public shareholders of Siemens Ltd. INR930 per share. In the case of full acceptance of the offer, the investment will total roughly €1 billion. Siemens is expanding its stake with the aim of further developing its business in India.
Capital-efficient growth is our aspiration. We have lived up to it. Orders and revenue grew in all regions, particularly in emerging markets. That benefits us in Germany as well. We delivered excellent bottom-line performance and are fully on track to reach the targets we set for fiscal 2011.
In the first quarter of fiscal 2011, Siemens maintained the positive growth trend of the previous quarters, with a strong 19 percent increase in new orders year-over-year. Revenue also rose sharply by 12 percent. Income from continuing operations reached a record level, increasing 17 percent on strong development in the company’s short-cycle industry activities and power plant business. “Capital-efficient growth is our aspiration. We have lived up to it. Orders and revenue grew in all regions, particularly in emerging markets. From this our business in Germany benefits as well. We delivered excellent bottom-line performance and are fully on track to reach the targets we set for fiscal 2011,” said Siemens President and CEO Peter Löscher. The company confirmed its targets for the current fiscal year 2011 (ends September 30).
The Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of Siemens AG has approved the current compensation system for the Managing Board as well as a new compensation system for the Supervisory Board. The shareholders have also ratified the acts of the Managing and Supervisory Boards for fiscal 2010. As recommended by the Managing and Supervisory Boards, the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting has approved a dividend of €2.70 per share. The proposals regarding these agenda items were approved by large majorities.
Despite of wintery road conditions, this year’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of Siemens AG was again well attended. Roughly 8,000 shareholders attended the event in the Munich Olympiahalle on Tuesday, compared with some 8,200 last year. A total of about 44 percent of Siemens AG’s capital stock was represented at this year’s meeting.