Annual Report 2010 - Melitta

The past months have also seen a number of changes in our senior management: we
are delighted to have been able to recruit two internationally acclaimed executives in
Dr. Frank Strege (CEO of Melitta Coffee Europe) and Jan Van Riet (CEO of Melitta
Household Products Europe). They will utilize their extensive experience to steadily
develop their respective operating divisions in line with the targets set.
We are also delighted to report that Volker Stühmeier became the first non-family
member of the Group’s Chief Corporate Management in March 2011. The shareholders
and Advisory Council of the Melitta Group have thus established the necessary conditions
to safeguard continuity in our top management and to lead our family business
into a successful future.
Irrespective of these personnel changes, our everyday company life continues to be
dominated by such core values as consistency, responsibility and trust. We fill these
values with life in both our dealings within the company as well as in our actions outside
it. For consumers and customers, these values are expressed through our reliable
brand promise with consistently high product quality. We are also committed to playing
an active role in our local communities and support numerous social and cultural
initiatives. Every single employee of our Group takes responsibility and makes an important
contribution to the company’s successful future development.
In order to remain successful in future, we will continue to apply our successful formula:
a healthy mixture of traditional, down-to-earth pragmatism and a desire for
change. Step for step, we have turned a company with a few core products into a group
of companies with a variety of product ranges in clearly defined strategic business fields
represented around the world by its sites in Europe, the Americas and Asia. As a classic
branded product manufacturer we always take the long-term view. With our strong
portfolio of brands, we will continue to occupy strong positions in our markets and
target further growth. Against this backdrop, we aim to be fast, efficient and innovative
once again in 2011 in order to enhance our market standing.
Melitta got off to a successful start in 2011 and we expect this development to continue
throughout the year. The economic recovery in Europe is expected to breathe life into
consumer spending. The same applies to our industrial and food service businesses. We
therefore expect to successfully place our products in their respective markets. In addition
to the positive trend in Europe, we see particularly attractive prospects for business
in our non-European regions. In total, we forecast growth in sales of five percent for the
current fiscal year. After having started to raise capital expenditures slightly in the past
year, we will invest more strongly in the quality of our products and in our production
capacities once again in 2011.
We would like to express our gratitude in particular to all employees, who once again
displayed tremendous dedication in 2010. We also thank our customers and partners for
the trust they placed in us. Together with you, we look forward to a successful 2011.
Minden, April 2011
Foreword of the Management
Dr. Thomas Bentz Dr. Stephan Bentz
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