At the beginning of 2022, when we started thinking about how to reflect on the year just past, the world was a very different place. We looked back with pride on a financial year that, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, still resulted in the second-best turnover in our company’s history. We talked about major investments and significant technological advances. And our forecast for 2022 looked very optimistic.

But the world has changed overnight. As we write this, a war is raging in Ukraine. Stunned, we are witnessing a situation in Europe that we did not think possible just a short time ago. We are hoping for a de-escalation in the very near future and for negotiations that will end the suffering and restore peace to the region. Our thoughts are with the affected people of Ukraine. We have stepped up as a company and are donating to help the refugees and those in the crisis region.

At times like these, business seems less important. And yet, as we look back on the past year, we would not want to miss the opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks to our customers. They have once again placed enormous trust in us. And we will live up to this trust, even in these difficult times.

We also want to thank our employees, who now number nearly 50,000. We are grateful for their commitment to our company and the extraordinary creativity and flexibility they show day after day. Our goal continues to be an employer they can rely on.

The new business year started off with plenty of new orders on our books. At this point in time, however, it is still too soon to predict how the war in Ukraine will impact the European as well as the world economy. This year, as always, we will do our utmost to live up to our reputation as a stable and reliable partner.

Dr. h.c. Dipl.-Kfm. Isolde Liebherr and Dr. h.c. Dipl.-Ing. (ETH) Willi Liebherr

Presiding Committee of the administrative board of Liebherr-International AG