Profile of Evonik

Our specialty chemicals activities focus on high-growth megatrends—especially health, nutrition, resource efficiency, and globalization—and our goal is to enter attractive future-oriented markets. To support this we use integrated state-of-the-art technology platforms which are constantly being refined. Our strengths include the balanced spectrum of our business activities, end-markets and regional presence, and working closely with customers. We intend to systematically pursue our ambitious growth strategy in the coming years and drive forward our leading market positions and technological edge. At the same time, we intend to step up our presence in economically attractive emerging markets, especially in Asia, through significant investment projects. Our market-oriented research and development is a key driving force for profitable growth in the future. A steady improvement in the cost position of the Evonik Group, for example, through operational excellence, is also very important to us.

Our operations are grouped in three segments, each of which has two business units which act as entrepreneurs within the enterprise. Site Services bundles typical services for the chemicals industry such as utilities, waste management, logistics and plant management, and thus improves our competitiveness. The Corporate Center supports the Executive Board in its strategic management, while Evonik Business Services provides standardized business services for the Group.

In order to focus on specialty chemicals, at the end of 2010 we signed an agreement to sell 51 percent of the shares in the energy company Steag to a consortium of municipal utilities in Germany's Rhine-Ruhr region. We also made binding arrangements to sell our remaining shares in these activities between 2014 and 2017.

Our real estate activities, which we plan to exit entirely in the medium term, focus on letting homes to private households in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Alongside Evonik's portfolio of residential real estate, it comprises a 50 percent stake in THS. Effective January 1, 2012, Evonik and THS bundled the management of their properties in a newly formed joint venture, Vivawest Wohnen.

In 2011 Evonik’s roughly 33,000 employees generated sales of €14.5 billion and an operating result (EBITDA) of €2.8 billion. More than 70 percent of sales are generated outside Germany, providing convincing evidence that our business is global.