Annual General Meeting 2020

Press Release May 28, 2020

Bietigheim-Bissingen, May 28, 2020 – Gerhard Federer is the new Chairman of Dürr AG’s Supervisory Board. The former CEO of the Schunk Group was today elected as head of the Supervisory Board by its members. Prior to that, the previous Chairman, Karl-Heinz Streibich, had resigned from office, as announced, effective after today’s online annual general meeting, and stepped down from the Supervisory Board.

Gerhard Federer has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2016 and has, until now, been Chairman of the Audit Committee. After holding management positions in Germany and the United States, he moved to the materials and mechanical engineering company Schunk Group in 2003, where he was CEO between 2007 and 2013. “The Dürr Group is in a particularly good strategic and financial position. In my capacity as Chairman of the Supervisory Board, I will do my utmost to ensure that the company takes full advantage of its market opportunities in such fields of the future as digitalization, electromobility and sustainable production”, says Gerhard Federer.

Karl-Heinz Streibich has resigned from office since he is standing as a candidate for the Supervisory Board of Software AG with a view to becoming its Chairman. This would mean he would hold more than the maximum five supervisory board mandates recommended by the German Corporate Governance Code (chair counts double). Ralf W. Dieter, CEO of Dürr AG, thanked Mr. Streibich: “Karl-Heinz-Streibich has supported the Dürr Group with great dedication and analytical vision, and he has been actively involved in shaping the company’s strategic direction. With his knowledge of the IT industry, he has provided invaluable impetus for our digital transformation.” Karl-Heinz Streibich had been a member of the Dürr AG Supervisory Board since 2011 and took over as Chairman in 2018.

Arnd Zinnhardt was elected to the Supervisory Board as a new member at today’s annual general meeting. The financial expert first worked as a tax advisor and auditor before serving as CFO at Software AG for 18 years. He will be taking over as Chairman of the Audit Committee on the Dürr AG Supervisory Board.

Well prepared for the coronavirus crisis
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Dürr AG’s annual general meeting was held virtually and streamed live on the Internet. The shareholders approved the proposed dividend of € 0.80 per share by a large majority (previous year: € 1.00).

Speaking in front of around 550 online participants, Ralf W. Dieter emphasized the Dürr Group’s financial strength during the coronavirus crisis: “With free funds of € 1.8 billion, we are in a solid position and will overcome the upheaval caused by coronavirus.” In addition, the CEO looked to the future and emphasized the positive development of business in China over the last few weeks: “Despite the coronavirus-induced recession, we do see opportunities after the crisis, when companies will be making up for investments that are currently on hold. Our sites in China are leading the way: They are already in post-coronavirus mode, making up for lost sales and winning new orders. Demand in China is high particularly for production technology for electric cars.”

With 70% of the share capital present at the annual general meeting, the Board of Management and the Supervisory Board were discharged from liability with 98% of the votes each. The shareholders also approved all other motions put to the vote. The voting results are available → here.

Press photos

**Gerhard Federer**
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Dürr AG

Ralf W. Dieter portrait — **Ralf W. Dieter**
Chairman of the Management Board

About Dürr

The Dürr Group is one of the world's leading mechanical and plant engineering firms with extensive expertise in automation and digitalization/Industry 4.0. Its products, systems and services enable highly efficient manufacturing processes in different industries. The Dürr Group supplies sectors like the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, chemical, pharmaceutical and woodworking industries. It generated sales of € 3.92 billion in 2019. The company has around 16,500 employees and 112 business locations in 34 countries. The Group operates in the market with the brands Dürr, Schenck and HOMAG and with five divisions:

Paint and Final Assembly Systems: paint shops as well as final assembly, testing and filling technology for the automotive industry
Application Technology: robot technologies for the automated application of paint, sealants and adhesives
Clean Technology Systems: air pollution control, noise abatement systems and coating systems for battery electrodes
Measuring and Process Systems: balancing equipment and diagnostic technology
Woodworking Machinery and Systems: machinery and equipment for the woodworking industry

Disclaimer

This publication has been prepared independently by Dürr AG/Dürr group. It may contain statements which address such key issues as strategy, future financial results, events, competitive positions and product developments. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, but not limited to those described in disclosures of Dürr AG, in particular in the chapter “Risks” in the annual report of Dürr AG. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties and other factors materialize, or should underlying expectations not occur or assumptions prove incorrect, actual results, performances or achievements of the Dürr group may vary materially from those described in the relevant forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by words such as “expect,” “want,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” “will,” “project” or words of similar meaning. Dürr AG neither intends, nor assumes any obligation, to update or revise its forward-looking statements regularly in light of developments which differ from those anticipated. Stated competitive positions are based on management estimates supported by information provided by specialized external agencies.

Our financial reports, presentations, press releases and ad-hoc releases may include alternative financial metrics. These metrics are not defined in the IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards). Net assets, financial position and results of operations of the Dürr group should not be assessed solely on the basis of these alternative financial metrics. Under no circumstances do they replace the performance indicators presented in the consolidated financial statements and calculated in accordance with the IFRS. The calculation of alternative financial metrics may vary from company to company despite the use of the same terminology. Further information regarding the alternative financial metrics used at Dürr AG can be found in our → financial glossary on the web page.