Our employees played a central role in our achievements during fiscal 2005/2006. They inspired and powered our exceptional growth, showing a winning combination of commitment, skill and flexibility in delivering on our vision to serve our customers best through our unique sense of responsibility. This commitment was evident across all areas of our company - from production through to sales and service. Through a sound understanding of real customer needs, our sales employees in particular orchestrated our growth by steering our customers towards meaningful investments that consolidated customer loyalty.

Our ongoing focus on productivity is reflected in the fact that, even allowing for strategic headcount investments in growth regions such as Middle East and Africa and Eastern Europe, the increase in our revenue stream did not necessitate a rise in our operating expenses.