But no matter which way the pendulum swings, it is the experience and commitment of the many, often longstanding, employees that have ensured that the Group has always emerged stronger from economic downturns. And with this in mind, Plansee Group board member Bernhard Schretter thanked all the staff, who are so committed to the wellbeing of the company and its employees and who regularly go the extra mile to satisfy customers.

Schretter recalled the financial and economic crisis a decade ago, when Plansee and Ceratizit initially had to "slow things down dramatically" before they were able to step on the gas again a short while later, much earlier than expected. And the upward trend continued over the next ten years. Since the spring, the “drag from the weak global economy” has been felt at Plansee. Schretter: “We have plenty of experience with ups and downs. So I am convinced that we have no need to be afraid and that we can overcome this downturn in business and some of the operational problems.”

But Schretter was concerned about complex and unpredictable external influences. War in Syria, unrest in Hong Kong and Chile, trade conflicts, the arguments about future drive concepts in the automotive industry and the debate about climate change. “All these external influences are creating uncertainty around our market and are causing our customers to order less,” he said.

He stressed that at this stage, it is particularly important to work on the performance of the company. Schretter: “We are continuing to work on the issues that we believe will make us stronger and fitter in the competitive arena.” He cited aspects such as highly specialized project business, the expansion of the training workshop, new training paths in information technologies, continued investment in key areas and the elimination of weaknesses in production and service.

Karlheinz Wex, member of the Executive Board of the Plansee Group, then congratulated each of the employees present who were celebrating their anniversaries by reading out short poems and other tributes written by their colleagues or managers.