- Around 78,000 employees in 63 countries profit from this year's share allocation as part of the Share Matching Plan
- President and CEO Joe Kaeser hands over two-millionth matching share
- Growing number of employee shareholders at Siemens
A growing number of Siemens employees are becoming shareholders of their company: Worldwide, around 144,000 of the 343,000 active company employees are also company shareholders. Since the Siemens Share Matching Plan was introduced in 2009 as an extra incentive to buy shares, the number of employee shareholders has climbed by more than half from 92,000 at the plan's start. With the Share Matching Plan, employees who buy Siemens shares as part of the company's share plans receive one additional share for every three shares they hold for three years. This year, Siemens issued around 549,000 matching shares worth roughly €52 million. This marked a 25-percent increase over the previous year's total of 440,000 shares.
- First pre-clearance terminal in the Middle East runs on Siemens technology: Passengers to the USA can check their baggage through to their destination without further formalities
- Expansion of baggage handling systems in Terminals 1 and 3 completed
- Operation and maintenance contract for baggage and cargo renewed
Siemens Logistics and Airport Solutions has equipped the first US pre-clearance terminal in the Middle East with a modern baggage handling system. In the facility adjacent to Terminal 3 at Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates Siemens' new baggage handling system ensures full passenger convenience. Those traveling to the USA, not using the pre-clearance facility, must still reckon on lengthy delays to pursue the necessary immigration process on arrival. By using the pre-clearance facility, passengers on US bound flights clear immigration and customs at Abu Dhabi International Airport already. On arriving in the US they are treated as domestic passengers, which allows for a faster processing including the checking through of any baggage to their final destination.
Effective as of March 15, 2015, Willi Meixner (50) will be appointed as the CEO of the Power and Gas Division as the successor to Roland Fischer (52), who left Siemens at his own request. Up to now, Meixner served as the CEO of the Distributed Generation and Compressors business unit and thus was responsible for service business for compressors, steam turbines and small gas turbines used primarily in the oil and gas industry. He has worked for more than 20 years in various positions in the power generation industry and is holding a degree in mechanical engineering as well as an MBA degree from the European School of Management and Technologies in Berlin.
- Strategic repositioning of Logistics and Airport Solutions (LAS) systematically continued
- New perspectives for cross-industry growth in logistics software opened up by acquisition of AXIT
- Cloud-based IT platforms consistently advanced by LAS for the logistics industry
Siemens Logistics and Airport Solutions has acquired AXIT, the software specialist for cloud-based IT platforms for logistics process management. This acquisition opens up new perspectives for both companies for cross-industry growth in the logistics software business. The transaction is subject to approval by the German Federal Cartel Office and is expected to be completed by April. Both companies have agreed to keep financial details confidential.
- Amberg Electronics Factory paving the way to Industrie 4.0
- Virtual and real worlds merge in this "digital factory"
On February 23, 2015, German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Siemens' Electronics Factory in Amberg, Bavaria, and was briefed on the current status of production automation as it moves toward Industrie 4.0. Key elements of the coming industrial world are already being used at the Amberg factory: Products communicate with machines and all processes are optimized and controlled via IT.
The Amberg Electronics Factory showcases Siemens' concept for a "digital enterprise." The factory already employs production methods that will be the standard in many manufacturing facilities in a number of years. Products in the plant control their own assembly by directly communicating their specific requirements and their next production steps via a product code to the machines.
- Management informs employee representatives about impact of new organizational structure
- As part of the streamlining of administrative and overhead functions announced in May 2014, about 7,800 jobs to be cut worldwide – including 3,300 in Germany
- Savings of about €1 billion to be invested in innovation, productivity and growth initiatives
- Workforce size worldwide to remain virtually stable
As previously announced, Siemens has informed the relevant employee representatives about the personnel adjustments planned in connection with the company's new organizational structure. In a drive to streamline administrative and overhead functions, about 7,800 jobs are to be cut worldwide – including some 3,300 in Germany. "Our Vision 2020 concept will enable us to get our company back on a sustainable growth path and close the profitability gap to our competitors. Our strategic reorientation has enabled us to considerably streamline our organization and remove entire intermediate levels. These steps will bring our businesses closer to our customers and make us significantly faster. As a result, certain tasks and functions will be completely eliminated. We're going to tackle this challenge together and implement the resulting measures responsibly. This completes the restructuring of our company in line with the new organizational setup of October 1, 2014," said Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens AG.
- Complete electrified bus systems for cities
- First buses running in Hamburg, Germany, since December 2014
- In 2015, the cities of Gothenburg and Stockholm, Sweden, will follow
Volvo Buses and Siemens have signed a global agreement regarding supply of complete electrified bus systems to cities. Under the agreement, Volvo Buses will supply electric-hybrid buses and full-electric buses to customers, and Siemens will supply and install high-power charging stations (charging capacity of up to 300 kW) for the electric vehicles.
- First-quarter revenue up 5% to €17.415 billion; on a comparable basis, excluding currency translation and portfolio effects, revenue up 3%
- Orders of €18.013 billion for a book-to-bill ratio of 1.03; 11% decline compared to Q1 FY 2014, which included a €1.6 billion order in Saudi Arabia
- Industrial Business profit of €1.819 billion 4% lower due mainly to Power and Gas as expected; Industrial Business profit margin within the expected range
- Income from continuing operations of €1.106 billion burdened outside the Industrial Business; furthermore negative swing within discontinued operations affects Net income which was €1.095 billion, with basic earnings per share (EPS) of €1.30
- Strong contribution to Free cash flow from Industrial Business
- During the first quarter, Siemens classified the hearing aid business as discontinued operations; prior-period results are presented on a comparable basis
- Portfolio milestones include closing the acquisition of the Rolls-Royce Energy aero-derivative gas turbine and compressor business in the first quarter; followed, in January 2015, by closing the divestment of the hearing aid business (expected pretax gain: approximately €1.6 billion), closing the divestment of Siemens' stake in BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH (BSH) (expected pretax gain: approximately €1.4 billion), and completing the contribution of the metals technologies business into a joint venture; furthermore, we expect a profit impact due to a funding commitment of €0.3 billion related to Unify Holdings B.V. in the second quarter
"The performance of most of our businesses was within our expectations. While some Divisions provided excellent performance, Healthcare needs to step up its efforts to quickly resume to its outstanding performance and Power and Gas will need a more comprehensive concept to return to historical margins longer turn."
- Shareholders discuss with experts at foyer exhibits
- Roadshow on digitalization@Siemens
- Dream Chaser© orbital spacecraft is this year's star attraction
- Victims of National Socialism commemorated
The Annual Shareholders' Meeting of Siemens AG brought together thousands of shareholders and employees again in 2015. Large numbers of shareholders took advantage of the opportunity to gather detailed information and talk with experts at the exhibits in the foyer of Munich's Olympiahalle. The company mission and the knowhow on display in the foyer highlighted a wide range of topics and perspectives.