"We are now better positioned than ever"

The CEO paid tribute to the hard work of the Group’s more than 36,000 employees in the last financial year: “The pandemic has also brought tremendous personal challenges and stresses for our employees. I am therefore all the more impressed by the extraordinary commitment of our teams. In a situation unlike anything that anyone of us had ever experienced, we all pulled together.” Riske added that it had been an enormous challenge to keep the Group’s supply chains going in order to ensure that it was ultimately able to deliver to its customers. “And sometimes, we are still having to operate in difficult circumstances when we provide services to our customers, and when we install new systems and bring them on line,” Riske pointed out.

The Company always regards the health and safety of every single employee as its number one priority. In early March 2020, the KION Group developed and implemented a package of health and safety measures. Riske explained that these measures were adapted continuously to reflect changes in the course of the pandemic and new scientific findings.

Digitalization and automation are key trends for the future

In his report to shareholders, Gordon Riske also emphasized the significance of industry trends in the fields of automation, digitalization, and energy. “We all see it, every day: The digital transformation and the increasing degree of automation are game changers in intralogistics. The acquisitions of Dematic in 2016 and the software company DAI last year have thus been tremendous additions to our business.” Riske expects that the trend toward fully automated warehouses will gather further pace. He explains that rapid, reliable, and efficient supply chains are the backbone of the web economy.

New energy systems were also a particular focus of research and development in the KION Group. From internal combustion engines to various types of electric drive systems and fuel cells – the products of the brand companies Linde Material Handling, STILL, Baoli, Fenwick, and OM, along with Dematic’s material handling solutions, offer customers the full range of drive technologies: “Our intelligent trucks, our data management, and our automated storage systems keep supply chains running smoothly all over the world – which is particularly important at the current time as we continue to live with the pandemic,” said Riske.

Proposals of Supervisory Board and Executive Board approved by majority

The proposals of the Supervisory Board and Executive Board – including the distribution of a dividend of €0.41 per share in 2021 – were approved by a majority of shareholders. With earnings per share of €1.81, this equates to a dividend payout rate of around 25 percent. In 2020, the KION Group had distributed a dividend of just €0.04 per share due to extreme uncertainty in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, a new remuneration system for Executive Board members was adopted, which conforms with the requirements of the Act Implementing the Second Shareholder Rights’ Directive (‘ARUG II’) and the recommendations of the amended German Corporate Governance Code. For the first time, the remuneration system now also includes sustainability/ESG-related targets, which thus also become a guiding principle for the entire company.

Around 225 shareholders and shareholder representatives watched the virtual Annual General Meeting.

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