Employees ask, the Board of Management answers
Where do we stand with regards to the implementation of our strategy? What's next for the expansion of renewable energies?
These and similar questions from employees have been posed to the members of the Board of Management at various events during the year. They all came together to answer questions posed by employees as part of the internal “EnBW aktuell” series. We have summarised the most important questions posed by employees.
2017 was an important milestone in the achievement of our strategic goals.
Dr. Frank Mastiaux:
"2017 was an important milestone in the achievement of our strategic goals. We made good progress in areas important to us and have reached the planned turning point in terms of earnings. The earnings contributions made by the individual units already look quite different to five years ago. Our rigorous approach is now paying off: We made progress in the expansion of renewable energies and have launched smart customer solutions and the first products from the Innovation Campus onto the market. However, it is still crucial that we do not let up on our efforts to improve efficiency because they will be indispensable for the further transformation of EnBW. One example: In 2017, we were the first company to have a bid accepted for a large offshore wind farm without the need for state funding and have thus given a confident signal to the market. Onshore, we erected as many wind power plants in one year as we did over several years in the past and also invested a lot in the grids. More and more quick charging stations from EnBW can be found on the motorways, which demonstrates how progress is also being made in the area of electromobility."
Thomas Kusterer:
"The 2017 financial year was an important turning point from an economic viewpoint. The operating result of EnBW was better than that of the previous year for the first time since 2010. This shows that our strategy is bearing fruit and will thus form a good basis for the future viability of EnBW and for further growth. Both of these things are immensely important. In the summer, legislators regulated the responsibilities for the disposal of nuclear waste and we now have clarity in this area as well. And we have had the nuclear fuel rod tax reimbursed, which has given us more financial headroom."
Dr. Hans-Josef Zimmer:
"We initially faced some challenges in the 2017 financial year. We had to deal with the temporary shutdown of Block 2 of the Philippsburg nuclear power plant. Due to low water levels, we produced less electricity at the run-of-river power plants and the electricity prices on the forward market were lower than the previous year. This makes me even more pleased with how EnBW caught up during the course of 2017. We were also supported by the full consolidation of VNG and its good result."
Our employees manage large, technically complex systems. We want to use this strength to develop infrastructure services.
Dr. Hans-Josef Zimmer:
"Our long-standing experience will help us here. Our employees manage large, technically complex systems. We want to use this strength to develop infrastructure services. That's why we have founded the business unit “System Critical Infrastructure”. It will develop new business models and take on two important roles: Firstly, it will act as a networker, mediator and facilitator within the Group because many infrastructure themes, such as broadband or also electromobility, are already being pursued in the business units. The new unit will combine them into one complete package and market them. Secondly, it will develop themes that we have not yet pursued at EnBW. We have been identifying business fields in the last few months that are starting to take shape, such as the areas of district development, safety infrastructure and transport management."
Dr. Frank Mastiaux:
"I would firstly like to emphasise that the achievement of our 2020 goals has priority. We still have a long way to go. And then we will align ourselves for the period after 2020. The framework conditions are continuing to change: the market, customers and technology will lead the way to a greater extent than legislators. We have already identified themes that fit to our areas of expertise and with which we can earn money in the future, and more will follow. We want to strategically orientate our company more and more towards the infrastructure aspects of existing business fields."
We need to think beyond departmental boundaries.
Dr. Bernhard Beck:
"It can be summed up in two words: Get involved! Everybody should ask themselves: What can I do to help make our company successful? When we are working on solutions for our customers, we need to think beyond departmental boundaries. This requires a sense of innovation and discovery, combined with team spirit. Making mistakes is fine when something new is being developed – as long as the same mistakes don't keep happening. New and agile working practices are just as important here as traditional approaches. As you can see, there are many aspects that need to be considered under the label of cultural change.
Dr. Frank Mastiaux:
"I would also like to say something about "keeping employees on board": I have got to know the employees at EnBW as experienced people with their own opinions. They do not need any "supervision" from the Board of Management. The role of the Board of Management is, above all, to provide the framework, direction and space.
EnBW supports climate-related corporate reporting.
Thomas Kusterer:
"We take sustainability and climate protection very seriously and this is why they have become a fixed component of the EnBW strategy. We focus intensively on the future development of the energy landscape including the associated opportunities and risks for our business. Society and many of our stakeholders are interested in these subjects and judge us on them. Therefore, we don't just act but we also report transparently about them. EnBW thus supports, for example, the development of climate-related corporate reporting. We have taken the first steps in this direction in the Integrated Annual Report 2017. And further steps will follow."