- German Federal Railway Authority approves trains' deployment in Germany
- Four new ICE trains delivered to Deutsche Bahn
- Approval process for operation in France and Belgium still underway
The new ICE trainsets from Siemens for Deutsche Bahn (DB) have been approved for immediate deployment in Germany. The German Federal Railway Authority (EBA) approved the trains' operation – also in multiple-unit or so-called double-traction mode – on DB's rail network. Two trains were delivered in November for test purposes. Siemens has now supplied DB with two more ICE trains of the Velaro D type for deployment in Germany, with four additional trains to follow in the spring of 2014. "With the approval to operate these trains in Germany now granted, we've reached an important milestone in this project," said Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Siemens' Rail Systems Division. As agreed with DB, the remaining eight of the 16 ICE trains originally ordered are reserved for test runs in Belgium and France in preparation for implementing cross-border operation and obtaining the requisite authorizations.
Klaus Moosmayer has been named to head Siemens' entire compliance organization as Chief Compliance Officer, effective January 1, 2014. Since 2007, Moosmayer has played a key role in building up Siemens' new, globally recognized compliance system. Since 2010, he has been responsible for all legal and regulatory-related compliance duties at Siemens. Klaus Moosmayer is considered nationally and internationally to be a leading compliance expert. At the beginning of November 2013, he was appointed by the OECD's Business and Industry Advisory Committee to serve as the new honorary head of its anti-corruption taskforce.
- Members of the Managing Board make private donations totaling roughly half a million euros
- Siemens contributes an additional half a million euros on behalf of its employees
On behalf of the Managing Board of Siemens AG, the company and its employees, Joe Kaeser, Siemens' President and CEO, presented €1 million to Germany's 'Ein Herz für Kinder' charity for children at a benefit gala in Berlin. The donation is primarily intended to support the charitable organization's efforts to give socially disadvantaged children access to better education and healthcare. "Children are our future, because it is through them that social progress is achieved! For me personally, they're also an inspiration and an example to be followed: they speak their minds openly, and they learn by simply trying things out. And children can't be coerced; a good upbringing entails using the power of persuasion – and that's why kids never cease to amaze me," said Joe Kaeser.
- Siemens honors 12 inventors with a total of 500 individual patents
- Investment in research and development climbs to €4.3 billion
The number of Siemens patents has risen to a record level. In fiscal 2013, the number of patents granted in continuing operations increased by five percent year-over-year to 60,000. Twelve Siemens researchers and developers, who together account for around 600 invention disclosures and 500 granted individual patents, played a leading role here. They were honored by Siemens as Inventors of the Year 2013 in Munich on December 4. "The technological expertise and knowhow of the Siemens inventors contribute substantially to our company's success," said Klaus Helmrich, the member of Siemens' Managing Board responsible for Human Resources and the company's Chief Technology Officer at the awards ceremony.
Siemens AG – with its 362,000 employees worldwide and 1,600 employees in South Africa – joins with the people of South Africa in mourning the passing of Nelson Mandela. "With the death of Nelson Mandela, we bid farewell to a man who is admired and honored all around the world for the battle for freedom that he waged unflinchingly and with total personal commitment. His unconquerable will, his charisma and his lifetime of achievement will remain for us a model and an inspiration," said Siemens President and CEO Joe Kaeser.
For the first time, Siemens' Annual Report 2013 is a combination of the company's previously separate Annual and Sustainability Reports. This report now shows Siemens' full spectrum of topics – from the company's strategic direction and business development in the Sectors to the most important sustainability aspects such as research and development, energy-efficient technologies, environmental protection and suppliers.
At the General Meeting of Works Councils in Berlin on November 20, the Chairman of the Central Works Council of Siemens AG, Lothar Adler, announced that he will leave the company at the end of May 2014, upon reaching mandatory retirement age. His term of office as a member of the Supervisory Board will end on the same date. Adler is thus no longer willing to extend his employment contract, as he had contemplated earlier.
- Joe Kaeser underscores trusted partnership with Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the production plant of Ural Locomotives yesterday as the company – a joint venture of the Sinara Group and Siemens AG – began the mass production of the new regional trains which go by the name of Lastochka in Russia. Putin was accompanied by Denis Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Yakunin, President of JSC Russian Railways, Dmitry Pumpyansky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sinara Group, and Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens AG.
- Up to €4 billion in volume within the next up to 24 months
Siemens AG plans to carry out a share buyback of up to €4 billion in volume within the next up to 24 months. "We want to let our owners continually share in the company's success. To this end, we have defined a corridor for the company's capital structure in the framework of our 'One Siemens' financial system. We have committed to the shareholders and are holding to this commitment," said Ralf Thomas, Chief Financial Officer of Siemens AG.
- Clear plus in orders, slight decline in revenue
- Income from continuing operations at €4.2 billion
- Profit includes €1.3 billion in charges related to Siemens 2014 (before taxes)
- At least 15 percent increase in basic earnings per share (net income) expected for fiscal 2014
Siemens AG met its previously adjusted targets for the fiscal year ended on September 30, 2013, thanks to a solid fourth quarter. Income from continuing operations was €4.2 billion, compared with €4.6 billion in the previous year. Total Sectors Profit included €1.3 billion (before taxes) related to the Siemens 2014 efficiency program. "With a solid fourth quarter, we completed an eventful year in fiscal 2013. Now we're looking ahead and concentrating on measures aimed at improving our profitability, which we are implementing rigorously and prudently. With realignment of the regions, we've made the first strategic moves," said Joe Kaeser, President and CEO of Siemens AG.