Company profile As a company, we continue to uphold the values and principles first established by our founder Julius Blum. Our value system is underpinned by two fundamental principles that lie at the heart of all our operations: By consistently upholding our values and principles in our everyday operations, we demonstrate the type of business that we are and confirm our position as a reliable business partner. Our sustainability agenda is an important part of this. We see no contradiction between economics and the environment. On the contrary, we believe that by pursuing sustainable business practices, we benefit both our bottom line and the planet. For us, preserving our natural resources for future generations is both a necessity and, at the same time, an opportunity, which is why we are working to help build a better future wherever we can. Our values and principles We need to ensure the company has a long-term future for the sake of our employees. We pursue a long-term financial policy in order to maintain financial independence and thus freedom of choice for our company for as long as possible. Our approach and strategy Stability and reliability are central to our approach to our everyday business operations. Our business strategy reflects this approach and unites it with our values and purpose as a business. Strategies, trends and innovation We continually develop our strategies in response to ongoing changes in our everyday business activities. However, it is important that we also look ahead to ensure that our company is ready to tackle future opportunities and challenges. We therefore take the time to develop and implement our strategies as part of a collective process. We have created a network within the business and with some select market organisations that continuously monitors the latest trends (e.g. lifestyle, societal, economic and environmental) and assesses their potential impact for our company, including outside of our current core business. We talk transparently about any relevant trends within the company, and our trend network collaborates closely with our innovation network to ensure that these trends are integrated into our work. For us, innovation is the key to safeguarding our future and the basis for continual improvements across all areas of our business. It also requires us to invest consistently in research and development. Thanks to this investment, over many years, we have cemented our position as a pioneering industry leader. Many of our product developments are considered milestones in furniture manufacture. For example, in May 2013, the hinge variant of our multiple award winning BLUMOTION soft-close system for drawers, doors and lift systems was awarded the European Inventor Award by the European Patent Office (EPO). We also rank consistently among Austria's top innovators year on year and have been granted over 2,100 patents worldwide. 9
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