Annual Report 2003 2004
Annual Report 2003 2004
Annual Report 2003 2004
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Services, a leading international supplier of materials and industrial services, is concentrating<br />
on its core strengths of Materials Services, Industrial Services and Special Products.<br />
The segment’s goals are to enhance efficiency, intensify cooperation with other<br />
segments and further expand its presence in Eastern Europe and North America.<br />
What was of particular importance for management and staff in <strong>2003</strong>/<strong>2004</strong>? For a technology-oriented<br />
company like ThyssenKrupp, innovation is vital. Our ability to innovate ultimately determines<br />
the success and future of the Company. That’s why we have created a climate in the Group<br />
that encourages unconventional thinking and new ideas.<br />
As a clear signal of this intent, both the Company and I personally are involved in actions<br />
aimed at raising public acceptance and enthusiasm for technology. One example of this<br />
was our Ideas Park, staged in Gelsenkirchen in early September <strong>2004</strong>. The focus was on<br />
explaining and understanding innovations and on discussions with the people behind them.<br />
The event was a resounding success, attracting more than 60,000 visitors including German<br />
President Horst Köhler and the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Peer Steinbrück<br />
as well as numerous customers, employees, partners, interested ThyssenKrupp neighbors<br />
and stockholders.<br />
ThyssenKrupp takes this dialogue seriously, and we intend to continue it in the future.<br />
We regard this as part of our overall responsibility – to our customers for innovative solutions,<br />
to our employees for viable jobs, and to the community, whose prosperity depends<br />
to a large extent on the economy.<br />
Our primary responsibility is of course to you, our stockholders. You have invested your<br />
capital in ThyssenKrupp and are entitled to an appropriate return. But we want more: We<br />
want you to be proud of your Company and to believe in its future. That is what we work<br />
toward every day.<br />
Sincerely yours,<br />
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h.c. Ekkehard D. Schulz, Chairman of the Executive Board<br />
Düsseldorf, November <strong>2004</strong><br />
IV<br />
Letter to stockholders
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