The past year has shown that we are all capable of making good and quick decisions. This was also necessary in view of the extraordinary situation. There is no question that the Corona crisis has hit us hard. We have to close Operation Alsfeld as a result of the economic impact. Nevertheless, we have all fought together to get through the crisis better than many other companies. On behalf of the entire management team, I would like to encourage you to maintain this attitude. Trust in your experience and skills, don’t be afraid to decide. We should be courageous and never give up, just because a mistake might happen to us.

We will not be able to avoid firmly integrating this philosophy into our daily work. Because the next crisis is already here: Almost all car manufacturers are having major problems and are no longer collecting sufficient quantities of their products from us, energy and steel prices are steadily reaching new highs, while at the same time the world around us is seemingly spinning faster and faster. We are rushing from one digital innovation to the next. For us, this also means that we have to be fast!

In order to be able to steadily call up such a speed, breaks are also needed. In many countries, the Christmas and New Year holidays are coming up soon. We are all looking forward to this time off. I hope you can use it to relax with your loved ones and switch off from your everyday work routine.

On behalf of the entire Group Executive Board, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a good start into the new year. I am sure that we have everything in us to also master the upcoming challenges together.