KUKA 2013 annual general meeting: stretegy vindicated

KUKA continued to grow profitably in 2012 and beat its excellent 2011 results.

• Orders received last fiscal year reached EUR 1.89 billion, up 22 percent from the year prior.
• Sales revenues increased 21 percent to EUR 1.74 billion.
• EBIT rose faster than sales and was up 51 percent. EBIT margin improved from 5.1 percent last year to currently 6.3 percent.

These numbers prove that KUKA has successfully executed its strategy. By focusing on general industry markets in which there is significant untapped potential, KUKA is becoming less and less vulnerable to the business swings of a single sector with the passage of time.

KUKA has also expanded its global reach in response to the higher demand for automation solutions from emerging nations. A key target is China, which has become the world's largest robot market. The company's product strategy has also contributed significantly to its success. New offerings such as KR AGILUS were developed to meet the specific needs of general industry customers and prospects. The electronics, plastics and metal processing sectors were especially pleased to see the new small robot.

KUKA has also introduced an entirely new generation of robots: the LBR iiwa. Unveiled at Hanover Fair last April, it is the first ever sensitive lightweight robot for industrial manufacturing applications. This new species of robot will make possible entirely new automation concepts in which humans and robots collaborate more closely than ever before. 

The ingenuity our employees apply to developing new products and manufacturing systems is another major ingredient of our success.

KUKA is also promoting its corporate culture outwardly. The company's new slogan, "Captivating the future", aims to recruit innovative individuals.
KUKA has had an outstanding start to the current fiscal year, as demonstrated by the results of the first quarter of 2013. Orders received remained steady at a high EUR 482.7 million. In his speech, CEO Dr. Reuter said that for fiscal 2013 overall, KUKA expects sales of about EUR 1.8 billion and an EBIT margin of about 6.5 percent.  "As you can see from our first quarter results, we are well on the way to reaching these targets. Our projections are based on the generally uninterrupted global trend towards robot-based automation. Although we expect growth rates in Europe to be volatile, the pace of expansion in other regions should be strong, especially in China and North America.”

All resolutions at the meeting passed with a large majority. KUKA will distribute a dividend of EUR 0.20 per share entitled to dividends. The actions of the Executive Board and Supervisory Board during the 2012 fiscal year were ratified by virtually all shareholders. The term of office of all Supervisory Board members ended at the close of the June 5, 2013 Annual General Meeting. Retiring Supervisory Board members Dr. Uwe Ganzer (shareholders) and Fritz Seifert (employee representative) received a vote of thanks for their commitment. The new members of the panel are Dr. Walter Bickel, management consultant, Munich, and Armin Kolb, Chairman of the Works Council of KUKA Roboter GmbH. In addition to Dr. Bickel, shareholder representatives Bernd Minning, Prof. Dr. Dirk Abel, Prof. Dr. Uwe Loos, Dr. Michael Proeller and Guy Wyser Pratte were re-elected to the Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board’s employee representatives will be Armin Kolb, Thomas Kalkbrenner, Wilfried Eberhardt, Siegfried Greulich, Thomas Knabel and Carola Leitmeir.