Osram outlines technological leadership ambition
At this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), OSRAM Licht AG Chief Executive Olaf Berlien gave details of the innovation and growth initiative to the lighting company’s shareholders. “Everyone’s talking about digitalization – but we’re investing in it,” Berlien said in Munich on Tuesday. “Only those who navigate through the dramatically changing lighting industry decisively and with courage and speed can be successful.” Through this initiative, Osram is putting the focus on sustainable growth and wants to take even greater advantage of the potential offered by semiconductor-based lighting technologies. Prior to that, another important strategic step, the carve-out process of the general lighting lamps business, got under way. “The operational carve-out is planned as of April 1, while the legal carve-out is planned as of July 1,” said Berlien, confirming the timeline announced earlier.
Following the carve-out of the lamps business, Osram will be based on three strategic pillars: Specialty Lighting (SP); luminaires, solutions, and electronic components (Lighting Solutions & Systems, LSS); LED components (Opto Semiconductors, OS); “With our three-pillar strategy, we have a solid foundation upon which to position ourselves even more strongly as a technology company,” said Olaf Berlien.
Given Osram’s strong financial standing, the company is proposing a dividend of €0.90 per share at Tuesday’s AGM. In parallel, Osram has in the meantime also started a share buyback program of up to €500 million. “Osram is financially strong and lets its shareholders benefit from its success,” Chief Financial Officer Klaus Patzak said at the AGM. “At the same time, we retain the capacity to invest for the future.”
This year’s Osram AGM is taking place at the International Congress Center in Munich. With still more than half a million shareholders at the end of fiscal 2015, the company’s ownership structure remained broadly based. As of September 30, about 68 percent of the shares were held by institutional investors. Retail investors held about 14 percent of the company’s shares.
ABOUT OSRAM
OSRAM, based in Munich, is a globally leading lighting manufacturer with a history dating back more than 100 years. The portfolio ranges from high-tech applications based on semiconductor technology, such as infrared or laser lighting, to smart and connected lighting solutions in buildings and cities. OSRAM had around 33,000 employees worldwide at the end of fiscal 2015 (September 30) and generated revenue of almost €5.6 billion in that fiscal year. The company is listed on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt and Munich (ISIN: DE000LED4000; WKN: LED 400; trading symbol: OSR). Additional information can be found at www.osram-group.com.
DISCLAIMER
This document contains statements and information pertaining to our future business and financial performance and future developments that may constitute forward-looking statements – i.e. statements about processes that take place in the future, not in the past. These statements pertaining to the future can be identified by expressions such as "anticipate", "expect", "want", "intend", "plan", "believe", "aspire", "estimate", "will”, "predict" or words of similar meaning. Such statements are based on current expectations and certain assumptions of OSRAM‟s management. They are, therefore, subject to certain risks and uncertainties. A variety of factors, many of which are beyond OSRAM‟s control, affect OSRAM‟s operations, performance, business strategy and results and could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of OSRAM to be material different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or anticipated on the basis of historic trends. These factors include in particular, but are not limited to the matters described in the chapter “Report on Risks and Opportunities” in the Annual Report of OSRAM Licht Group. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results, performance or achievements of OSRAM may vary materially from those described in the relevant forward-looking statement as being expected, anticipated, intended, planned, believed, sought, estimated or projected. OSRAM neither intends, nor assumes any obligation, to update or revise these forward-looking statements in light of developments which differ from those anticipated. Due to rounding, numbers presented throughout this and other documents may not add up precisely to the totals provided and percentages may not precisely reflect the absolute figures they reference.