Manz AG: Annual General Meeting elects Dieter Manz to the Supervisory Board

04.07.2017 | Filderstadt/Reutlingen

• All agenda items adopted with broad approval
• Former CEO and company founder Dieter Manz elected to the Supervisory Board
• Eckhard Hörner-Marass takes over company management as CEO effective immediately
• Actions of the Management and Supervisory Boards ratified for the 2016 fiscal year

Manz AG, a globally active high-tech equipment manufacturer with an extensive technology portfolio covering the three strategic business segments of “Electronics”, “Solar” and “Energy Storage,” successfully held its annual general meeting this Tuesday at the FILharmonie in Filderstadt. The presence of the represented share capital equaled approximately 57.9%, and all agenda items were adopted.

During the annual general meeting, the Management Board reported in detail on the operational and strategic development of Manz AG in the 2016 fiscal year. This was substantially characterized by the entry of the strategic anchor investor Shanghai Electric Group Co., Ltd. in May of 2016. The planned collaboration in the area CIGS thin film solar technology led to the largest order in company history in January of 2017. Manz received major orders with a total volume of 263 million euros, which become revenue and profit-relevant starting in the 2017 fiscal year. In addition to the immense potential for CIGS thin film solar technology around the globe, the Management Board also emphasized the excellent development possibilities in the business segments of Energy Storage and Electronics, as well as the successful collaboration with the LAM Research Corporation in connection with the Talus Manufacturing Ltd. joint venture, founded in 2016 in Taiwan.

According to the assessment of Dieter Manz, the former CEO, company founder and primary shareholder of Manz AG, the strategic collaborations, the major orders and the excellent prospects in all business segments have formed the basis for a profitable corporate development. After 30 years, during which he was primarily responsible for the operational development of Manz AG, he therefore feels the right time has come to transfer leadership of Manz AG to the hands of an experienced management team. Dieter Manz will use his experience to continue providing support to the company as its primary shareholder and as a member of the Supervisory Board. The annual general meeting accordingly followed the administration’s recommendation and elected Dieter Manz to the Supervisory Board of the company, with a majority of 99.1%.

Eckhard Hörner-Marass will take over Mr. Manz’s responsibilities as Management Board Chairman effective immediately. Mr Hörner-Marass joined the company’s Managing Board in 2016 and since then he has been in charge of the introduction and operative implementation of the Group’s restructuring measures which were initiated at the end of 2015. Mr. Hörner-Marass’s area of responsibility also includes the strategic business segments of Energy Storage and Electronics, as well as the central segments of Research & Development and Business Development. The responsibilities of Chief Operations Officer Martin Drasch will encompass not only the Production and Purchasing fields as well as the Contract Manufacturing and Service reporting segments, but also the strategic Solar segment. Also, as already reported, Gunnar Voss von Dahlen has taken up the post of Chief Financial Officer as of June 2017 and is responsible for the Finance and Controlling, HR, IT, and Organization and Administration divisions.