A hundred-year balance Annual Report 2010 - Uzin Utz AG

Development and Earning Power
Preparing the ground, sowing ideas,
treading new paths, harvesting successes, insuring the yield –
this is called sustainable.
The essence of sustainability includes an overall perception
of entrepreneurial action and management. Innovation,
growth and earning power are in our opinion
inseparable from the concepts of responsibility, the
long-term view and environmental compatibility. Permanent
further development therefore always goes handin-hand
at Uzin Utz AG with forward-looking decisions
and activities designed to comply with customer interests,
company objectives, social and environmental aspects
to an equal degree.
»»
New effects, new systems and innovative problem
solutions are essential for the acceptance and the longterm
market success of our products. The innovation
sector therefore forms one of the main pillars of our
strategy, which will be further strengthened by the imminent
move into the new central building for Research
& Development. At the Ulm location in 2010, an average
of 77 highly motivated employees were devoted to
the ambitious task of producing forward-looking product
solutions – and with great success: the 45 projects have
so far resulted in 22 developments, which are currently
being perfected prior to market launch. Although R&D
costs have risen by almost 15% to €5.4 million, these
efforts have borne fruit: For the Jubilee year 2011 we are
aiming for a new product quota of 50%. Throughout the
group, the quota for 2010 was 49%, with the main company
in Ulm already reaching 51.9% in 2010.
»»
Well-trained staff naturally also play an important
role in the future projection. We are therefore placing
special emphasis on a long-term personnel policy directed
at quality. It is our aim to promote well-trained new
personnel in their own structures wherever possible –
this was implemented in 2010 with an average training
quota of 7.1% (company) and 4.3% (group).
»»
The analogy with agriculture also holds up with regard
to our ground theme: in the same way as traditional
cultivation methods preserve the resources of nature
and soils, our company strategy is designed to safeguard
the future, by careful and planned budgeting of our
capabilities and resources. Today we can look back on
100 years of successful entrepreneurship, and at the
same time look forward with realistic optimism. Because
the old farming rule applies: Whatever the weather, the
ploughing, sowing, weeding and harvesting still has to
be done.
»»
The ground at least is prepared for further successful
years and decades.
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
Pallmann GmbH & Co. KG in
Munich is acquired.
Opening of the logistics centre
in Ulm.
Introduction of the Euro as a
legal tender.
Summer of the century
in Germany.
The Unipro companies in the
Netherlands and Belgium,
are acquired.
Siga Floor AG (Sifloor AG)
in Ruswil, Switzerland, is
acquired.
36 R+D/U-Vision