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Stabilus SA

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FY2020 Annual Report · Stabilus SA
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A N N U A L 
R E P O R T

F O C U S   O N   I N N O V A T I O N ,   G R O W T H   &   E F F I C I E N C Y

A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

KEY FIGURES

IN  € MILLIONS

Revenue

EBIT

Adjusted EBIT

Profit for the period

Capital expenditure 

Free cash flow (FCF)

Adjusted FCF

EBIT as % of revenue

Adjusted EBIT as % of revenue

Profit in % of revenue

Capital expenditure as % of revenue

FCF in % of revenue

Adjusted FCF in % of revenue

Net leverage ratio 

Ye ar  e nded Sept  30,

20 20

822.1

56.1

96.7

30.0

(47.6)

61.2

62.3

6.8%

11.8%

3.6%

5.8%

7.4%

7.6%

1.2x

2019

951.3

124.0

142.7

80.9

(56.5)

48.5

89.9

13.0%

15.0%

8.5%

5.9%

5.1%

9.5%

1.0x

Ch an ge

% c hange

IN % 

14

Revenue by operating segment (i.e. region, location of Stabilus company)

(129.2)

(67.9)

(46.0)

(50.9)

8.9

12.7

(27.6)

(13.6%)

(54.8%)

(32.2%)

(62.9%)

(15.8%)

26.2%

(30.7%)

50

50%

36%

14%

EMEA

AMERICAS

APAC

36

Revenue by business unit

39

41

IN % 

26

33

41% 

Industrial Business

33%

26%

Automotive Gas Spring

Automotive Powerise®

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONA TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

OU R 
GLOB AL
FOOTPRINT

A M E R I C A S

Argentina Buenos Aires 
Brazil Itajubá 
Mexico Ramos Arizpe 
USA Farmington Hills / MI  
USA Gastonia / NC  
USA Lynnwood / WA 
USA Miamisburg / OH  
USA Sterling Heights / MI  
USA Stoughton / MA

E M E A

France Poissy 
Germany Aichwald 
Germany Büttelborn 
Germany Eschbach 
Germany Koblenz 
Germany Langenfeld 
Italy Pinerolo 
Luxembourg Luxembourg 
Romania Brasov 
Russia Moscow 
Spain Derio 
Turkey Bursa 
UK Banbury 
UK Haydock

A P A C

Australia Dingley 
China Changzhou 
China Pinghu 
China Shanghai 
Japan Yokohama 
New Zealand Auckland 
Singapore Singapore 
South Korea Busan 
South Korea Suwon

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONCONTENTS

A

B

TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS  

LETTER FROM THE CEO 

REPORT OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD 

FOCUS ON INNOVATION, GROWTH & EFFICIENCY  

STABILUS SHARE 

COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT  

GENERAL  

STRATEGY  

BUSINESS AND GENERAL ENVIRONMENT  

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS  

DEVELOPMENT OF OPERATING SEGMENTS  

FINANCIAL POSITION  

LIQUIDITY 

STATUTORY RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND

FINANCIAL POSITION OF STABILUS S. A. 

RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES  

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE  

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS  

OUTLOOK  

4

6

 8

15

18

18

20

23

27

29

30

 33

33

38

41

41

C

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME   

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF

FINANCIAL POSITION   

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF

CHANGES IN EQUITY   

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS   

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL

STATEMENTS   

RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT  

MANAGEMENT BOARD OF STABILUS S. A.  

SUPERVISORY BOARD OF STABILUS S. A.  

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT  

D

ANNUAL ACCOUNTS  

BALANCE SHEET  

PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT  

NOTES TO THE ANNUAL ACCOUNTS  

RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT  

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT  

E

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

FINANCIAL CALENDAR 

DISCLAIMER  

TABLE DIRECTORY 

INFORMATION RESOURCES  

43

44

45

46

47

100

101

102

103

107

108

109

115

116

 119

119

 120

123

S T A B I L U S   A N N U A L   R E P O R T   2 0 2 0

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONA LETTER FROM THE CEO 

STABILUS SHARE 

TO OUR 
SHAREHOLDERS

REPORT OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD 

FOCUS ON INNOVATION, GROWTH & EFFICIENCY  

4

6 

 8

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S T A B I L U S   A N N U A L   R E P O R T   2 0 2 0

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  LETTER FROM THE CEO

LET TE R
FROM   
THE  CEO

Dr. Michael Büchsner 
Chief Executive Officer

Dear shareholders, customers, 
 business partners, employees, 
 ladies and gentlemen,

We look back on an unusual 2020 fiscal year – and with confidence toward the future. After 
meeting our targets for the first quarter, which ended on December 31, 2019, the remaining 
three quarters were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a negative 
effect worldwide on all our target industries in both the automotive and industrial business. 
However, our revenue for the year as a whole fell by only a comparatively moderate percentage. 
Not only were we able to finish the year profitably, we also expect to see revenue growth 
in the fiscal year ahead. Taken together, these developments demonstrate the resilience of 
our business model, which is strongly influenced by our wide-ranging product portfolio and  
innovative strength. In the year under review, the rapid and effective rollout of a pandemic 
plan at all our locations also made a major contribution to allowing us to effectively protect 
our employees and maintain production without interruption.

At  €822.1  million,  revenue  was  down  13.6%  year  on  year  from  the  prior-year  figure  of   
€951.3  million. The  adjusted  EBIT  margin  amounted  to  11.8%. As  a  result,  we  exceeded 
our forecast for the 2020 fiscal year, which was updated after the third quarter, thanks to a 
 recovery of the markets in the last three months of the year. 

Compared  to  the  prior  year,  the  share  of  industrial  business  increased  from  39%  to  41% 
of  Group’s  total  revenue.  In  this  business  segment  we  achieved  €337.1  million  revenue, 
 after €369.9 million in the previous fiscal year. Revenue in Automotive Gas Spring stood at   

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONA TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  LETTER FROM THE CEO

€268.0  million  (PY:  €331.4  million)  and  in  Automotive  Powerise  at  €217.0  million   
 (PY: €250.0 million). Broken down by region, revenue was down by 14.7% to €411.1 million 
in EMEA and by 18.1% to €299.6 million in the Americas. However, revenue was up by 7.8% 
to €111.4 million in the APAC region.

For the 2021 fiscal year, we expect revenue of €850 million to €900 million and an adjusted 
EBIT margin of between 12% and 13%. These assumptions are based on a stabilizing global 
economy and the expected recovery in global automotive production.

Even in turbulent times, we continue strengthening the future viability of our company. In the 
period under review, we invested €47.6 million (total capex), with a focus on the development 
of new products and on further future growth. Because the Asian market is a key region in 
our long-term strategy, we are continuously expanding our capacities there. In particular, the 
Powerise® products, which have been produced locally in China since 2017, are set to make a 
significant contribution to the development of Stabilus in Asia. 

The  pandemic  also  impacted  our  earnings  in  the  2020  fiscal  year,  with  adjusted  EBIT  of   
€96.7  million  standing  in  contrast  to  the  prior-year  figure  of  €142.7  million.  Following  
€80.9  million  in  the  prior  year,  net  profit  amounted  to  €30.0  million  in  the  period  under 
review. The  decline  was  due  in  particular  to  non-cash  impairments  of  intangible  assets  of 
the  aerospace  segment,  which  was  significantly  impacted  by  the  pandemic. We  want  our 
shareholders to participate in the company’s positive net profit situation once again this year 
and will propose the payment of a dividend of €0.50 per share to the Annual General Meeting.

»Even in turbulent times, we continue strengthening 
the future viability of our company… Our vision is 
to attain a leading position in the field of motion 
control solutions worldwide by 2025.«

The  megatrends  behind  our  long-term  growth  remain  intact  despite  the  pandemic.   
Demographic change, higher standards of life, a rising desire for comfort, and more stringent 
health and safety standards will continue to influence societies worldwide, as well as their 
consumption and buying decisions, in the future. Our motion control solutions for a wide range   
of  industries will allow us to benefit disproportionately from these trends. In certain fields,  
such as contactless applications, the current crisis is also acting as a catalyst for accelerated   
development that offers us further opportunities.

Our vision is to attain a leading position in the field of motion control solutions worldwide by 
2025. Expressed in numbers, that vision translates into a goal of achieving revenue growth 
of 6% a year on average between now and the 2025 fiscal year. Our adjusted EBIT margin 
target for 2025 stands at 15%. Innovative strength will continue to be a major success factor 
going forward. One aim is to generate €250 million in revenue with new products in the 2025 
fiscal year. With our highly motivated staff, our strong international management team, proven 
innovative strength and efficiency, and our consistent and systematic customer orientation, 
we have everything it takes to achieve this ambitious goal. 

On behalf of the entire management team, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our 
shareholders for the confidence they have shown in Stabilus. I would also like to thank our 
employees for their continued hard work and for the team spirit that has so far helped our 
company successfully navigate the pandemic. Last but by no means least, I would like to thank 
our customers for their confidence and loyalty, as well as our business partners for the focused 
and successful cooperation we enjoy. We are well positioned to ascend to new heights with 
a host of new product ideas once the pandemic has been overcome and the global economy 
has started to recover.

Yours sincerely,

D R .   M I C H A E L   B Ü C H S N E R 
C H I E F   E X E C U T I V E   O F F I C E R

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 
  
A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  REPORT OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD

REP ORT 
OF THE 
SUP E R VISORY
BOAR D

Dr. Stephan Kessel 
Chairman of the Supervisory Board

Dear shareholders,

The past year was extremely volatile witnessing the start and global spreading of a pandemic. 
COVID-19  impacted  all  areas  of  the  Stabilus  business  particularly  the  automotive  and  the 
aviation branches. The Management Board headed by Dr. Büchsner, who started on October 
1, 2019, was confronted with a difficult task. The wellbeing of our employees was paramount 
to the company resulting in the creation of a specific task force, which regularly updated staff, 
management and the Executive Board. The Supervisory Board increased its oversight, too, to 
ensure that the Stabilus S. A. provides the basis for a speedy and well-organized recovery. The 
focus of the Managing Board was approved by the Supervisory Board and shows a first sign of 
recovery. Nevertheless, we at Stabilus S. A. are aware that the pandemic is far from over and 
the year ahead will be as challenging as the past fiscal year.

In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, the Supervisory Board of Stabilus S. A.  performed 
its tasks and monitored the Management Board in accordance with legal requirements and 
the Articles of Association of Stabilus S. A. The Management Board and the Supervisory Board 
maintained close and regular contact. The Supervisory Board advised the Management Board 
regarding strategic and operational decisions as well as governance topics and decided on 
matters requiring Supervisory Board approval. In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, 
the  members  of  the  Supervisory  Board  were  Dr.  Stephan  Kessel  (Chairman),  Dr.  Joachim 
Rauhut, Dr. Ralf-Michael Fuchs and Dr. Dirk Linzmeier.

The Supervisory Board held in total eleven meetings during the fiscal year ending September 
30, 2020. Six of aforementioned meetings were extraordinary meetings mainly focusing on 
the COVID-19 impact on Stabilus S. A.

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONA TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  REPORT OF THE SUPERVISORY BOARD

In all of the Supervisory Board meetings, all members were present. To comply with the  social 
distancing  requirements,  seven  of  the  meetings  were  held  via  conference  calls.  Ongoing 
 subjects  in  the  meetings  were  the  current  status  and  performance  of  the  Stabilus  Group, 
including its commercial position as well as its relevant financial data. The discussions were 
based on regular and extensive reports in verbal and written form by the Management Board. 
Other  activities  included  strategy  presentations  and  a  strategy  workshop,  as  well  as  the 
 organizational development and potential acquisitions to enhance the profitable growth of 
the Stabilus Group.

on  their  findings,  provided  a  written  presentation  and  were  available  to  give  additional 
 explanations and opinions. The Supervisory Board did not raise objections to the  Company’s 
annual accounts or to the consolidated financial statements drawn up by the Management 
Board  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  September  30,  2020,  and  to  the  auditors’  presentation.   
The Supervisory Board agreed to the proposal of the Management Board, recommended by 
the Audit Committee, and approved the Company’s annual accounts and the consolidated 
 financial  statements  for  fiscal  year  2020. The  auditor  issued  unqualified  audit  opinions  on 
December 10, 2020.

One  additional  meeting  composed  by  three  members  of  the  Supervisory  Board,  the 
 Management Board and the Senior Management of Stabilus was held on February 13, 2020, 
in  Luxembourg.

During the reporting period, the members of the Audit Committee were Dr. Joachim Rauhut 
(Chairman), and Dr. Stephan Kessel. Material questions concerning auditing, accounting, risk 
management, compliance and respective controls and systems were subject to the  monitoring 
duties  of  the Audit  Committee. The Audit  Committee  discussed  in  particular  the  Quarterly 
 Reports,  the  relationship  with  investors  and  the  audit  assignment  to  KPMG  Luxembourg  
Société coopérative including the focus areas of the audit. In the fiscal year ending September 
30, 2020, the Committee held six meetings. In the meetings, all members were present; three 
meetings were conducted via conference call.

During the reporting period, the members of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee 
were Dr. Stephan Kessel (Chairman) and Dr. Ralf-Michael Fuchs. Remuneration, nomination 
and general Board matters were discussed by the Committee. The Committee prepared the 
remuneration report in accordance with the Luxembourg law of August 1, 2020, the Second 
Shareholders’  Rights  Directive  (“SRD  II”,  Directive  (EU)  2017/828). The  Remuneration  and 
Nomination Committee held three meetings two of which via conference call. In all meetings, 
all members of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee were present. 

The Supervisory Board examined the Company’s annual accounts, the consolidated financial   
statements  and  the  management  report  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  September  30,  2020. 
 Representatives of the auditor KPMG Luxembourg Société coopérative attended the  meetings 
of the Audit Committee on November 11, 2020, and on December 10, 2020, at which the 
financial statements were examined. The representatives of the auditor reported  extensively 

»COVID-19 impacted all areas of the Stabilus business… 
The Supervisory Board increased its oversight… to ensure 
… a speedy and well-organized recovery.«

On behalf of the Supervisory Board, I would like to thank the Stabilus management for  excellent 
achievements  throughout  the  challenging  last  fiscal  year  and  for  the  open  and   effective 
 collaboration. I want to thank the Stabilus employees for their remarkable  contributions to the 
Company’s success as well as our shareholders for the highly valued trust which they place 
in Stabilus.

Luxembourg, December 10, 2020 
On behalf of the Supervisory Board of Stabilus S. A. 

Yours sincerely,

D R .   S T E P H A N   K E S S E L   
C H A I R M A N   O F   T H E   S U P E R V I S O R Y   B O A R D

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 
A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  FOCUS ON INNOVATION,   

GROWTH & EFFICIENCY

F OC US ON 
INNOVATION,
GROW TH & 
EFF IC IENCY
STABILUS – OUR 
FUTURE IN MOTION

Founded  more  than  85  years  ago  as  a  producer  of 
retrofittable  stabilizers  for  the  American  automotive 
 industry,  Stabilus  continues  to  set  new  technological 
standards  as  a  pioneer  for  the  development  of  gas 
springs,  dampers,  and  electromechanical  drives.  We 
have  continuously  expanded  this  pioneering  role: 
With a comprehensive range of applications, a unique 
product range and decades of experience, we are the 
world’s leading manufacturer of solutions in the area 
of  motion  control.  Developing  innovative  products 
and technologies plays an important part in Stabilus’ 
 success, as we have been able to continuously reinvent 
our products and identify new areas of application.

Innovative solutions –  
satisfied customers

We  systematically  improve  our  products,  integrate 
 electronics, and use new materials. That is our strength 
and how we create solutions that inspire our customers. 

»We systematically 
improve our products, 
integrate electronics, and 
use new materials. 
That is our strength 
and how we create 
solutions that inspire our 
customers.«

Dorstop

With the DORSTOP, we were the first company in the 
world  to  develop  a  variable  hydraulic  door  stay  for 
the automotive industry. The DORSTOP  has been the 
benchmark  for  vehicle  door  adjustment  for  premium 
vehicles for many years. It offers a true plus in terms of 
comfort and safety when getting in and out of the car.

Powerise

The POWERISE electromechanical drive for automati-
cally  opening  and  closing  vehicle  doors  represents 
the logical development of the gas spring and points 
the way to the electronic age. Since realizing the first 
 POWERISE  system  in  a  series-produced  vehicle,  we 
have  systematically  expanded  our  excellent  market 
position in this product area and are now the market 
leader in this sector.

Image: SD90 POWERISE

DA90

The  latest  innovation  from  Stabilus  is  the  POWERISE 
DOOR ACTUATOR, which combines the benefits of the 
DORSTOP and the POWERISE to allow vehicle doors to 
be  comfortably  opened  and  closed  automatically  for 
the  first  time. The  technology  will  play  a  particularly 
important  role  in  autonomous  driving,  as  fully  auto-
matic doors will be one of the fundamental conditions 
for  this  technology.  Stabilus  has  already  attracted 
four  customers  from  the  premium  segment  for  the  
POWERISE  DOOR ACTUATOR  (DA90).  Production  for 
these  customers,  which  include  providers  of  electric 
 vehicles, will begin successively from 2021 onward. 

Image: Coaxial spindle drive (POWERISE)

Image: Axially parallel spindle drive (POWERISE)

Image: DA90 DOOR ACTUATOR

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  FOCUS ON INNOVATION,   

GROWTH & EFFICIENCY

INNOVATION 
DRIVI NG GRO WTH

Innovation Race – an innovation 
culture for long-term success

In  order  to  further  expand  Stabilus’ 
innovative 
strength, we launched an investment program as part 
of our STAR 2025 long-term strategy, with an internal 
innovation competition called Innovation Race as a key 
component. The aim of the competition is to continue 
to promote the culture of innovation at Stabilus as a 
means  of  securing  the  technology  leadership  of  the 
Stabilus Group for the long term. More than 20% of all 
employees participated in the first round of this global 
idea collection process, which began in 2019. To date, 
the competition has resulted in 426 creative product 
and  process  suggestions.  All  of  the  ideas  submitted 
to the dedicated digital platform were inspected and 
discussed by in-house experts and evaluated in terms 
of their customer benefit and feasibility. Everyone who 
submitted an idea received feedback. The jury selected 
the 15 best ideas from a preselected list so that they 
could be developed in greater detail by support teams. 
In a subsequent assessment round, six teams qualified 
for the final.

All  the  finalists  were  actively  assisted  and  supported 
in  continuing  their  projects  by  internal  sponsors  at 
management level. The top ideas included suggestions 
from Romania, China, the USA, and Germany, thereby 
underlining the international reach of the competition.

The  winner  of  the  first  innovation  competition  was  a 
team headed by development engineer Alexander Reiser 
which succeeded in finding a clever solution to compen-
sate for the temperature-dependent forces of traditional 
gas springs. For a wide range of application fields, this 
approach will help to ensure reliable motion control at 
different ambient temperature levels, also in conjunc-
tion with existing Stabilus systems. The winning team is 
now sponsored by the respective Stabilus business units 
and is expected to move forward to series development 
 based on a successful proof of concept.

Image: Celebrating the winning team of 
the 2019 Innovation Race

»Temperature and temperature 
fluctuation is the Achilles heel 
of a traditional gas spring and 
temperature compensation is 
therefore the holy grail in this 
field.«

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONA TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  FOCUS ON INNOVATION,   

GROWTH & EFFICIENCY

INTERVIEW WITH  
DR. BÜCHSNER ON 
THE TOPIC OF  
INNOVATION

Progress  is  fueled  by  new  ideas. This  is  why  Stabilus 
is  actively  generating  new  impetus  in  this  area  with 
its  innovation  competition. We  talked  to  Dr.  Michael 
Büchsner,  CEO  of  Stabilus,  about  the  ideas  that  are 
 currently coming to fruition – and what else is required 
to be successful in the long term.

You have been with Stabilus for just over 
a year now. What do you believe makes 
Stabilus  special,  and  how  important 
is the topic of innovation in particular?
I had come into contact with Stabilus on many 
occasions during my career to date. I already viewed 
the  company  as  being  synonymous  with   innovation 
and  high-quality  products.  My  first  year  at  Stabilus 
only  served  to  confirm  this  impression.  Across  our 
 organization,  we  place  considerable  emphasis  on 
 innovation, as we see it as representing the revenues 
of tomorrow. One example of our innovative strength 
is the POWERISE DOOR ACTUATOR, which brings the 
act of getting into a car to a new level by automatically 
opening and closing the doors. We are continuing to 
promote this culture of innovation with the launch of a 
competition entitled “Innovation Race”. 

How  has  the  innovation  competition 
gone so far?
Extremely well. It has set an incredible  number 
of things in motion – across business units, across loca-
tions, and even across company boundaries. The entire 
Stabilus  Group  has  shown  tremendous  commitment. 
I  had  hoped  that  this  would  be  the  case,  but  it  was 
not guaranteed. After all, this is the first time we have 
 organized a competition like this.

Has the response been at the level you 
expected?
The figures alone are impressive: With 1,352 
participants  and  426  ideas  submitted,  we  practically 
exceeded even our most optimistic expectations. What 
I  am  just  as  pleased  to  see,  however,  is   employees 
who  did  not  previously  know  each  other  coming 
into  contact through their ideas and entering into an 
 intensive  dialog. Many colleagues are clearly  enjoying 
the  opportunity to think outside the box. This is  almost 
more  important  to  me  than  the  number  of  ideas 
 generated.

Are there any initial findings about the 
quality of the ideas?
We  have  seen  a  broad  mix  of  ideas,  all  the 
way  through  to  some  revolutionary  concepts   whose 
 feasibility  is  impossible  to  judge  right  now.  But  it 
would be negligent to talk about quality in this phase 
of the process. Quality is what is added subsequently. 
Everyone  is  invited  to  look  at  the  ideas  and  join  in 
the  discussion  on  the  competition  platform. This  will 
undoubtedly help to make them even better.

What  do  you  see  as  being  the  perfect 
Stabilus DNA?
It  is  a  combination  of  many  things.  Pride  in 
your ability and your achievements. But also  humility –  
because  being  ahead  and  staying  ahead  are  two 
very  different  animals.  Then  there  is  the  staying 

 power  you  need  to  analyze  difficulties  and  not  give 
up   immediately.  The  willingness  to  shine  a  light  on 
 weaknesses so that they can be rectified. The ability to 
reach out in order to think and work across business 
units. Product and process developers need to pull in 
the  same  direction  or  even  the  best  idea  is  doomed 
to  fail. And  perhaps  the  most  important  thing  of  all 
for me: Staying hungry! Even the global market leader 
cannot afford to rest on its laurels.

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 
 
A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  FOCUS ON INNOVATION,   

GROWTH & EFFICIENCY

What do you currently see as the  biggest 
opportunities?
Our statement is “Your motion, our solution”. 
This  encapsulates  what  we  and  our  developments 
stand for. We are focusing on products in the areas of 
comfort  and  motion.  In  the  automotive  segment,  we 
see opportunities in the trend toward electric  mobility 
and  semi-autonomous  driving.  We  are  supporting 
this trend with our automatic door and tailgate drive 
 systems.  Our  global  footprint  ensures  that  all  of  our 
developments  are  made  with  the  customer  in  mind. 
In  the  Industrial  business  unit,  this  proximity  to  the 
 customer  also  represents  a  significant  opportunity 
for us. Applying the same model as in our automotive 
business,  our  products  in  the  Industrial  business  are 
manufactured in all regions, bringing us closer to our 
customers  and  making  us  more  effective  than  many 
of  our  competitors.  I  see  a  major  opportunity  in  the 
breadth  of  our  Industrial  product  portfolio,  which 
 extends from commercial vehicles and energy applica-
tions through to medical applications and aerospace.

What are the main development  topics 
currently  being  addressed  by  your 
team?
In  the  area  of  door  and  tailgate  drive 
 systems,  we  are  working  on  complete  solutions  for 
our  customers that include the drive unit, the  control 
unit  and  electronic  components,  so  that  it  is  easier 
for  customers  to  integrate  the  systems  into  their 
 vehicles.  We  are  also  especially  keen  to  ensure  the 

robustness  of  our  products  and  processes,  so  that 
we  can  deploy  our  products  quickly  and   efficiently 
around  the  world.  We  are  in  the   process  of  further 
expanding our portfolio in the Industrial  business unit 
with  a  focus  on  applications  in  the  area  of   damping 
technology  for  solar  and  energy  management.  We 
are  also  continuing  to  work  on  our  portfolio  for 
medical  technology  and  mechanical  engineering.  
Here, too, we are concentrating on complete  solutions, 
such  as  products  with  integrated  measuring  and 
 control technology. 

»Staying hungry! 
Even the global market
leader cannot afford to rest 
on its laurels.«

11

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONA TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  FOCUS ON INNOVATION,   

GROWTH & EFFICIENCY

INNOVATION TREE – 
IDENTIFYING 
MEGATRENDS IN 
MOTION CONTROL

As part of its long-term strategy, Stabilus has visualized 
its  innovation  and  development  areas  in  the  form  of 
an innovation tree so that it can continue to gear its 
product  portfolio  toward  the  development  of  global 
megatrends in the future. In particular, this is  intended 
to  significantly  heighten  the  focus  on  the  customer 
and  allow  the  experience  gained  over  time  to  be 
 harnessed systematically for product development and 
 enhancement. The innovation tree also makes it easier 
to  identify  white  spots  in  Stabilus’  product  portfolio 
and regional focus so that strategies and initiatives can 
be defined in order to close these gaps. This will allow 
Stabilus to reinforce its leading role in the market for 
motion control over the coming years.

In  developing  the  innovation  tree,  Stabilus  already 
generated  some  initial  ideas  for  applications.  In  the 
area of electric mobility, for example, it is focusing on 
charging and battery change technology. In the future, 
it  could  be  possible  for  batteries  to  be   automatically 
 exchanged  at  gas  stations.  The  battery  change 
 mechanism is an example of a field in which Stabilus 
could offer its solutions based on its leading position 
in the market for motion control. 

Circular Economy

Agricultural Vehicles

Green Energy 

Autonomous 
Electric Cars

Military Vehicles

Efficiency

Industry 4.0

Eco Materials

High EHS Standards

M O D E R N
I N D U S T R Y

Planes

RVs

Street Scooter

N E X T
G E N E R A T I O N
V E H I C L E S

Digital Engineering

Infrastructure

Drones

Trains

H U M A N
W E L L - B E I N G

Comfort

Sport & Fitness

Safety

Micro 
Mobility

Compact Living

U R B A N
L I F E

Public Mass
Transportation

Sharing

Digital
Interface

Delivery

Green
Living

Entertainment

Medical /
Demographic
Change

M O T I O N   &
M O B I L I T Y

12

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONA TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  FOCUS ON INNOVATION,   

GROWTH & EFFICIENCY

Another  future  area  of  activity  is  solar  technology, 
where  the  linear  motion  technology  in  Stabilus’ 
 existing   product  portfolio  can  be  applied  to  various 
 comfort-oriented products. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to serious challenges for 
many parts of our society. At the same time,  demand 
for  innovation  has  enjoyed  a  significant  boost.  The 
virus  has  changed  the  typical  behavioral  patterns  of 
our society. COVID-19 has given rise to considerable 
demand for contactless applications. For example, we 
are developing systems for the contact-free opening of 
overhead bins on aircraft. Thanks to its technologies, 
Stabilus is excellently positioned to offer solutions that 
help society to master the changed needs of public life 
in the form of innovative products.

FOCUS: STABILUS  
IN MEDICAL 
TECHNOLOGY

Mobile X-ray machines at the 
epicenter of the epidemic

When  the  then  unknown  COVID-19  illness  turned 
the  Chinese  city  of Wuhan  into  the  epicenter  of  the 
 pandemic  in  early  2020,  it  was  vitally  important  for 
local  intensive  care  medics  to  be  able  to  assess  the 
condition  of  patients’  lungs  using  rapidly  deployable 
imaging  techniques.  Mobile  X-ray  machines  proved 
to be among the most effective tools – and  machines 
manufactured  by  Wangdong,  an 
internationally 
 recognized  specialist  for  imaging  techniques,  were 
in  use  right  from  the  start.  Thanks  to  its  connected 
product  network,  the  company  was  able  to  produce 
hundreds of machines in a short period of time,  making 
an important contribution to the treatment of tens of 
thousands  of  patients.  The  mobile  X-ray  machines 
manufactured by Wangdong use gas springs from the 
Stabilus  brand ACE  to  safely  position  the  X-ray  arm 
of  the  machine  above  the  patient. The  movement  of 
the  arm  is  complex,  as  it  has  to  be  set  individually 
depending  on  the  anatomy  of  the  respective  patient 
and  stay  in  a  secure  and  stable  position  throughout 
the X-ray procedure. The technology used also serves 
to underline the strong synergies and smooth interplay 

between the various brands within the Stabilus Group: 
The tension gas spring is a Hahn design that is used in 
ACE application technology and marketed by the local 
ACE team via Stabilus China. 

Custom-made stainless steel gas 
springs for hygiene chairs make 
life easier for caregivers

A  hygiene  chair  specially  designed  for  children  and 
young people with disabilities requires a sturdy locking 
mechanism in the seat and tilt positions. Thanks to two 
lockable gas springs specially developed and manufac-
tured for this application, the chair has a tilt-in-space 
function to make life easier for relatives and  caregivers. 
It allows the stepless adjustment of the hygiene chair 
as it is tilted forward and backward, making it more 
comfortable  and  safer  to  use  for  caregivers  and 
 patients alike. The gas springs are made from stainless 
steel in order to satisfy all hygiene requirements.

Gas springs provide enhanced 
protection for laboratory  
equipment

ACE industrial gas springs protect samples in  incubators 
used  in  chemical  and  biochemical   applications.  The 
perspex  hood  that  covers  the  laboratory  material  is 
securely  held  in  an  open and closed position by two 
maintenance-free,  ready-to-install  gas  springs.  This 
makes it easy for the user to open the hood and lock 
it in place, while the hood remains safely closed when 
the incubator is in use.

13

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 
A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  FOCUS ON INNOVATION,   

GROWTH & EFFICIENCY

GROW TH &
EFF IC IENCY

New segment structure – 
one face to the customer

Stabilus  adjusted  the  structure  of  its  business  segments  at  the  start 
of  the  2020  fiscal  year  and  now  reports  three  business  units:  Auto-
motive  Gas  Spring,  Automotive  Powerise,  and  Industrial.  To  improve 
 efficiency  following  the  acquisitions  made  in  recent  years  and  enable 
more  effective  access  to  customers  in  particular,  the  former  Industrial / 
Capital  Goods  and  Vibration  and  Velocity  Control  business  units  were 
 combined  to  form  the  Industrial  business  unit.  As  a  result  of  these 
 adjustments, Stabilus is now managing its sales activities in the  Industrial 
business unit on the basis of its customers’ individual industrial  segments 
rather  than  by  product  category  as  previously. This  serves  to   underline 
Stabilus’  customer  orientation  and  the  growing  importance  of  the 
 industrial business, as well as unlocking additional growth potential. 

We  have  continued  to  expand  our  product  portfolio  in  recent  years 
with  the  integration  of ACE,  Hahn  Gasfedern,  Fabreeka, Tech  Products, 
 General Aerospace, Clevers, and Piston into the Stabilus Group, meaning 
that  our  customers  now  benefit  from  the  concentration  of  even  greater 
 expertise in the area of motion control. The new structure of the Industrial 
 business  unit  comprises  following  customer / market  segments:  Mobility, 
 Health, Recreation & Furniture, Energy, Construction, Industrial Machinery   
&  Automation.  In  addition,  independent  aftermarket  and  distributor 
 businesses are part of the Industrial business unit. 

Industrial Business Unit

Industrial sales by market segment

IN % 

21%

2019

2020

20%

19%

21%

33%

33%

27%

26%

Distributors, Independent Aftermarket, E-commerce

Mobility

Healthcare, Recreation & Furniture

Energy, Construction, Industrial Machinery & Automation

14

https://www.stabilusindustryline.com/

https://www.acecontrols.com

https://www.hahn-gasfedern.de/en.html

https://www.fabreeka.com/

https://www.novibes.com

https://www.general-aero.com/en

http://www.piston.com.tr/

http://www.clevers.com.ar/ 

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONA TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  STABILUS SHARE

STAB I LUS
SHAR E

Stabilus share data

Ticker symbol

Bloomberg ticker symbol

Reuters ticker symbol

STM

STM:GR

STAB.DE

ISIN

LU1066226637

German security   
identification number (WKN)

Number of shares outstanding 
(Sept 30, 2020)

A113Q5

24,700,000

Type of shares

Dematerialized shares with    
a nominal value of €0.01

Capital stock (Sept 30, 2020)

€247,000

Stabilus share price up by 12%

Shareholder structure

As of September 30, 2020, and in year-on-year comparison, Stabilus’  share 
price  increased  by  twelve  percent  and  noticeably  outperformed  its  peer 
 index DAXsector Industrial. The annual progress was roughly in line with 
the development of the SDAX and DAXsector All Automobile indices during 
the same period of time.

According  to  the  voting  rights  notifications  received  until  September 
30, 2020, Marathon Asset Management LLP, London, UK, Allianz  Global 
 Investors GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany and Teleios Capital  Partners 
LLC,  Zug,  Switzerland  each  hold  more  than  5%  of  Stabilus  shares. 
Stabilus management, i.e. members of the Management Board and of the 
 Supervisory Board, hold 0.3% of the total shares.

Share price development

The aforementioned and all other voting-right notifications are published 
on WWW.IR .STABILUS.COM.

50%

40%

30%

20%

 10%

0%

– 10%

– 20%

– 30%

– 40%

– 50%

Closing pric e  
 Sept 30, 2020 €50.15

Open ing price   
Oct 1, 2 019 €44 .6 2

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Stabilus

SDAX (Price index)

DAXsector All Automobile (Price index)

DAXsector Industrial (Price index)

15

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONA TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS

  STABILUS SHARE

Shareholder structure

IN % AS OF SEPTEMBER 30, 202 0

7.1

5.2

5.0

0.3

82.4

7.1%

5.2%

5.0%

0.3%

Marathon Asset Management LLP, London, UK

Allianz Global Investors GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Teleios Capital Partners LLC, Zug, Switzerland 

Management 

82.4%

Other institutional and private investors

Annual General Meeting

Approximately  60%  of  equity  capital  was  represented  at  our   Annual 
General  Meeting  which  was  held  on  February  12,  2020,  in  Luxem-
bourg.  Each  resolution  proposed  by  the  company’s  management 
was  approved  with  more  than  95%  of  votes.  All  documents  and 
 information  regarding  the  Annual  General  Meeting  can  be  found  at  
WWW. IR.STAB IL U S. COM.

Dividend proposal of €0.50 per share

The  Management  Board  and  the  Supervisory  Board  have  resolved  to 
 propose a dividend distribution of €0.50 per share to the Annual General 
Meeting to be held in Luxembourg on February 10, 2021. It corresponds 
to a total dividend of €12.4 million (PY: €27.2 million) and the distribution 
ratio of around 41.2% (PY: 33.7%) of the  consolidated profit attributable 
to the Stabilus shareholders.

Development of Stabilus share price since IPO

First trading  d ay 
May  2 3, 2 014 
€2 2.75

Closing price 
Sept 30, 2020 
€50.15

€ 100

€ 80

€ 60

€ 40 

€ 20

€ 0

SEP

MAY

2014

SEP

MAY

2015

SEP

MAY

2016

SEP

MAY

2017

SEP

MAY

2018

MAY

2019

SEP

SEP

MAY

2020

Regular dialog with investors and analysts

 J.P. Morgan Annual Auto Conference,  London  (virtual conference)

In  fiscal  year  2020  we  continued  to  pursue  our  goal  of  providing  all 
 market  participants  with  relevant  and  reliable  information.  In  the  first 
half  of  the  fiscal  year  2020  we  conducted  seven  investor  events  (i.e. 
 roadshows and site visits), while in the second half of the year, during 
the COVID-19 pandemic, the IR events were held in virtual format (video 
and  audio  conferences).  In  addition,  in  FY2020  we  participated  in  the 
following international conferences:

 Berenberg Milan Seminar, Milan

 Commerzbank Sector Conference, Frankfurt am Main   
(virtual conference)

 Baader Investment Conference, Munich (virtual conference)

 Berenberg and Goldman Sachs German Corporate Conference, 
Munich (virtual conference)

The following equity analysts publish regular assessments and recommen-
dations on Stabilus stock:

 Berenberg European Corporate Conference,  Pennyhill Park, Surrey

Research coverage

 Commerzbank German Investment Seminar, New York

 Baader German Corporate Day, Toronto

Berenberg

Commerzbank

 Kepler Cheuvreux German Corporate Conference,  Frankfurt am Main

Hauck & Aufhäuser

 UBS Pan European Small and Mid-Cap Conference,   
London (virtual conference)

 Commerzbank Northern European Conference, New York   
and Boston (virtual conference)

 Berenberg Conference USA, Tarrytown (virtual conference)

J.P. Morgan

Kepler Cheuvreux

Quirin

Societe Generale

Stifel

UBS

 Societe Generale Nice Conference, Nice (virtual conference)

Warburg Research

Philippe Lorrain

Yasmin Steilen

Christian Glowa

Jose M Asumendi, Akshat Kacker

Hans-Joachim Heimbürger

Daniel Kukalj

Stephen Reitman

Alexander Wahl

Sabrina Reeh

Marc-René Tonn

16

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
B GENERAL

STRATEGY

COMBINED  
MANAGEMENT REPORT

as of and for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020

BUSINESS AND GENERAL ENVIRONMENT 

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 

DEVELOPMENT OF OPERATING SEGMENTS 

FINANCIAL POSITION 

18 

STATUTORY RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND 

18

20

FINANCIAL POSITION OF STABILUS S. A. 

RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES 

23 

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE  

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS  

OUTLOOK  

 27

 29

30 

33

33

38

41

 41

LIQUIDITY

S T A B I L U S   A N N U A L   R E P O R T   2 0 2 0

B COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

 GENERAL 

 STRATEGY

GENERAL

Stabilus  S.  A.,  Luxembourg,  hereafter  also  referred  to  as  “Stabilus”  or 
the “Company”  is  a  public  limited  liability  company  (Société Anonyme)  
incorporated  in  Luxembourg  and  governed  by  Luxembourg  law.  The 
 registered office is 2, rue Albert Borschette, L-1246 Luxembourg, Grand 
Duchy of Luxembourg. 

Stabilus S. A. is the parent company of the Stabilus Group. The Group is 
organized and managed primarily on a regional level. The three  reportable 
operating  segments  of  the  Group  are  EMEA  (Europe,  Middle  East  and 
 Africa),  Americas  (North  and  South  America)  as  well  as  APAC  (Asia 
 Pacific). Stabilus’ fiscal year is a twelve-month period from October 1 until 
 September 30 of the following year. 

The  Stabilus  Group  is  a  leading  manufacturer  of  gas  springs,  dampers, 
 vibration isolation products as well as electromechanical tailgate opening 
systems (motion control solutions). The products are used in a wide range 
of applications in the automotive and the industrial and domestic sector. 
 Typically, the products are used to aid the lifting and lowering or  dampening 
of movements. As world market leader for gas springs, the Group manufac-
tures for all key vehicle producers, a broad spectrum of industrial  customers 
diversifies  the  Group’s  customer  base.  Almost  41%  (PY:  40%)  of  the 
Group’s revenue in fiscal year 2020 was achieved with industrial customers.

STRATEGY

The  Stabilus  Group  is  a  leading  supplier  of  gas  springs  to  automotive 
and  industrial  customers.  In  addition,  the  Company  has  successfully 
 expanded into the production and sale of automatic opening and  closing 
systems, primarily used for vehicle tailgates. With the acquisition of Hahn 
Gasfedern, ACE, Fabreeka and Tech Products in fiscal year 2016 and the 
acquisition of General Aerospace (Germany), Piston (Turkey) and  Clevers 
(Argentina)  in  fiscal  year  2019,  the  Group  expanded  its  product  offe-

ring and regional presence. The Group offers a broad range of  solutions 
for  motion  control  including  damping  vibration  insulation   solutions. 
Stabilus’  strategic  aim  is  to  further  extend  its  leadership  positions  in 
this  product  range.  The  key  focus  areas  of  its  strategy  process  STAR 
are to: (i) drive profitable and cash-generating growth, (ii) benefit from 
 megatrends,  such  as  increased  standard  of  living,  increasing  comfort 
 requirements and aging population, (iii) focus on innovative gas spring 
solutions, especially in the industrial business through new applications 
and selected add-on acquisitions and (iv) maintain and strengthen the 
Company’s cost and quality leadership.

Drive profitable and cash generating growth in 
all regional segments and across end markets

The  Stabilus  management  aims  to  continue  to  increase  revenue,  profits 
and cash flows across all business segments by further focusing on regions 
and sectors where the Stabilus Group has room to grow, by entering new 
 markets and by strengthening the Group with selected add-on acquisitions.

Automotive Gas Spring & Powerise®: Focus on rapidly growing 
regions and increased comfort demand 
Stabilus intends to continue to further expand its international presence in 
rapidly growing markets, in particular in Asia, which has become a significant 
growth driver for the automotive sector and where the Company’s market 
share still lags behind the market share in EMEA and Americas. Management 
seeks  to  increase  revenue  from Asian  OEMs  in  the  automotive   business, 
supported by targeted investments in additional production capacity in this 
region. To achieve this goal, management has implemented a targeted sales 
strategy and is further strengthening application engineering capabilities in 
China, which has already secured orders from several local Chinese OEMs, 
both for Gas Spring and Powerise®. Stabilus´s market share with European 
and US car manufactures has long since been strong.

Increased demand for boxy car designs like crossover, hatchback and estate 
body type, as well as family van and SUV will provide a strong foundation 
for increased sales. Powerise®, our automatic opening and closing system 
for vehicle tailgates fulfills increased comfort requirements of end customers 
across all regions. The Company is in the process of setting up a dedicated 
Powerise® production building in Pinghu, China, besides existing Powerise® 
plants in Mexico and Romania.

Industrial: Increase regional coverage 
While  Stabilus  has  a  large  industrial  market  share  in  some  European 
 countries  in  which  the  Company  has  a  strong  commercial  presence,  the 
Group  believes that there is still potential to increase market share in Asia 
and North  America, where the Company’s market coverage is comparatively 
less  strong.  Management  has  identified  regions  and  countries  in  which 
the Company has the opportunity to repeat the successful strategies from 
 markets where Stabilus has a high share, by improving market coverage with 
the objective of strengthening the local sales footprint. In addition, Stabilus 
is duplicating its production, application engineering and sales know-how 
from EMEA and Americas to the APAC region, to strengthen the Group’s 
footprint  there. The  Company  has  increased  its  product  offering  in Asia, 
especially China. Stabilus has extended its Chinese production  capabilities 
and  set  up  local  application  engineering,  sales  and  project  management 
teams. The  Stabilus  management  believes  that  a  strong  local  presence  in 
China will further strengthen the Group’s position in the APAC region.

The acquired entities in last fiscal year, General Aerospace (Germany),  Piston 
(Turkey) and Clevers (Argentina) to strengthen the Industrial  business in 
all regions and in specific end markets. One important end market is the 
aerospace business. The rationale is to expand the motion control  product 
portfolio  in  the  aviation  industry  and  to  further  develop  the  aircraft 
 aftermarket and the retrofit business.

18

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 STRATEGY

Benefit from megatrends, such as increasing 
comfort requirements and aging population

Stabilus  continues  to  adapt  its  product  offerings  towards  megatrends, 
such as comfort requirements. The Powerise® solution enhances comfort 
through automatically opening and closing car tailgates and trunk lids. In 
addition, the Company’s gas springs offer more comfortable opening and 
closing solutions as well as increased comfort in commercial furniture and 
industrial applications, such as airplane seats. 

The  share  of  people  older  than  55  years  of  the  global  population  is 
 growing considerably faster than the population as a whole in a number 
of  countries. Stabilus aims to benefit from this megatrend. It is  inevitable 
that an aging consumer base in mature markets requests more  movement 
 support  and  more  automated  systems  in  aspects  of  their  daily  lives 
and specifically in their vehicles. The Group intends to benefit from this 
 megatrend as a leading system provider of automatic opening and closing 
systems which will continue to experience an increasing demand.

Focus on innovative components and  systems 
to take advantage of global industry trends

The  products  of  Stabilus  are  at  the  forefront  of  innovation  in  moti-
on   control. The  Company  employs  399  people  (PY:  405  people)  in  R&D 
across its three regional segments as of September 30, 2020. Stabilus is 
focused on designing and manufacturing highly engineered  components, 
modules  and  system  solutions  that  address  key  global  trends  in  the 
 automotive and industrial sectors. The Company aims to adapt to these 
trends by  continuously improving its existing technology, in particular the 
 requirement for ergonomic solutions as well as automated opening and 
closing systems. Management believes that actively addressing these key 
trends reinforces the Company’s ability to maintain its market share and 
profitability.

In the industrial sector, the Company continues to develop products for 
enhanced safety and comfort. For example, it is selling a seat application 
based  on  the  Bloc-O-Lift®  system  for  use  in  airplane  seats.  In  addition, 
dampers manufactured by Stabilus are increasingly used in sun tracking 
solar parks. Our dampers protect the modules by reducing wind induced 
vibration. 

Continue to optimize cost base
Stabilus  continuously  implements  operational  improvements  relating  to 
plant and overhead, which includes productivity improvements, overhead 
optimization and the rollout / implementation of local sourcing, to improve 
the Company’s operating cost structure. 

Management expects that the recent and ongoing growth of our  customer 
base for Powerise® solutions due to the superior technology features of 
the  Company’s  products  will  be  a  key  growth  driver  for  Stabilus.  While 
 Powerise® systems were in the past deployed only in the luxury and SUV 
car  segments,  Powerise®  has  successfully  gained  market  shares  with 
 mid-class vehicles. The Company is working on and investing in  improving 
and  further  developing  its  current  spindle  drive  technology  to  further 
 reduce noise, weight and costs. In addition, Stabilus is exploring industrial 
applications for its Powerise® systems.

For the coming years, management expects to continue on this path with 
productivity improvements and a range of initiatives to increase profitability. 
This is backed by a high level of business which has already been locked 
in. Due to the Company’s production know-how and long-standing client  
relationships  backed  by  Stabilus’s  quality  leadership,  management  is  
confident  that  it  can  protect  the  Group’s  market  shares  in  gas  springs  in 
EMEA and Americas and gain further market shares for gas springs in the 
APAC region, especially with local customers. An increasing market share of 
Powerise® supports this positive outlook, as well as on expanded range of 
innovative products for the broad market. 

Maintain and strengthen cost 
 and  quality leadership

Build on the Group’s global footprint and 
proximity to customers
Based  on  Stabilus  guiding  strategy “in  the  region,  for  the  region”,  we 
have established our facilities in close proximity to the Group’s customers 
and have done so continuously over the past years e.g. the US, in  China, 
South Korea, Mexico. It is the Company’s goal to continue to provide a 
 comprehensive product and service offering to current and new  customers 
globally.  The  Group  seeks  to  fully  globalize  its  product  portfolio  and 
to   provide  an  even  broader  range  of  components  and  systems  to  each 
 customer. The companies acquired in 2019 will benefit from the access to 
a broader customer base.

19

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

  BUSINESS AND GENERAL ENVIRONMENT

BUSINESS AND GENERAL 
ENVIRONMENT

Stabilus Group operates in automotive and in industrial markets. 

In  the  industrial  markets,  Stabilus  supplies  customers  in  a  large  number 
of  sub-industries,  e.g.  distributors,  independent  aftermarket,  e-commerce, 
 mobility, healthcare, recreation and furniture, energy, construction,  industrial 
machinery and automation. Hence, our revenue development in the  industrial 
business depends to a certain degree on the macroeconomic  development, 
i.e. the growth rate of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the countries and
regions we operate in. 

Latest growth projections for selected economies

% YE AR-ON- YEAR  CHA NGE IN T H E  C A LEN D AR  YEA R

World

Advanced economies

Euro Area

United Kingdom

United States

Canada

Japan

Developing economies (emerging markets)

Emerging and developing Europe

Russia

China

Mexico

Brazil

Source: IMF, October 2020 World Economic Outlook.

* Projections

In the automotive market, an important driver of our revenue growth is the 
global production volume of light vehicles (which comprise  passenger cars 
and light commercial vehicles weighing less than six tons) and  ultimately the 
number of vehicles sold, e.g. the registration of new vehicles as an  indicator 
of car sales. The average content of Stabilus products per vehicle differs with 
the car body configurations (for instance, hatchbacks,  crossovers, family vans 
have generally a higher Stabilus content per car). Therefore, the demand and 
popularity of certain vehicle body configurations should be considered as an 
additional variable in a revenue forecast model.

2019

2.8%

1.7%

1.3%

1.5%

2.2%

1.7%

0.7%

3.7%

2.1%

1.3%

6.1%

(0.3)%

1.1%

2020*

(4.4)%

(5.8)%

(8.3)%

(9.8)%

(4.3)%

(7.1)%

(5.3)%

(3.3)%

(4.6)%

(4.1)%

1.9%

(9.0)%

(5.8)%

T_001

20 21*

5.2%

3.9%

5.2%

5.9%

3.1%

5.2%

2.3%

6.0%

3.9%

2.8%

8.2%

3.5%

2.8%

Macroeconomic development
As  per  the  latest  figures  published  by  the  International  Monetary  Fund 
(IMF),  the  negative  global  GDP  growth  in  the  calendar  year  2020  is 
 projected  to  be  - 4.4%  (2019:  2.8%).  Global  GDP  growth  is  projected 
to   increase  to  5.2%  in  the  calendar  year  2021  whereas  the  growth  in 
 advanced economies will be less than the growth in developing  economies. 
Advanced economies are projected to decrease by - 5.8% in the calendar 
year 2020. This is significantly lower than the 1.7% growth experienced by 
advanced economies in the calendar year 2019. It is projected that growth 
in advanced economies will strongly increase by 3.9% in the  calendar year 
2021. Developing economies are projected to decrease less than  advanced 
economies in 2020 and continue to enjoy stronger growth than advanced 
economies in calendar year 2021. The growth rate in  developing  economies 
is projected to be significantly lower at - 3.3% in the calendar year 2020 
(2019: 3.7%) and improving to 6.0% in 2021. The overall  development is 
affected by the uncertainties from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

  BUSINESS AND GENERAL ENVIRONMENT

Development of vehicle markets

The  global  production  of  light  vehicles  in  the  last  twelve  months  
decreased  significantly.  The  COVID-19  outbreak  in  2020  is  the  main  
reason  for  this  development. According  to  IHS  forecasts  as  of  October 
2020, the global production of light vehicles is expected to decrease from  
88.9  million  units  in  calendar  year  2019  to  approximately  73.0  million   
vehicles in 2020, a decrease of -17.9%. Thus, in 2020, the output of new 
 passenger  cars  and  light  commercial  vehicles  in APAC  is  forecasted  to 
reach around 39.7  million vehicles (-14.1% versus 46.2 million units in 
2019), approximately 18.0 million vehicles (- 22.1% versus 23.1 million 
units in 2019) in EMEA and around 15.3 million vehicles (- 21.9% versus 
19.6 million units in 2019) in the Americas region.

Production of light vehicles

Estimations of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) 
for  the  period  January  until  September  2020  show  a  more  and  more  
uniform negative development of new car registrations in the major car 
markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic. New car registrations in Germany 
from  January  to  September  decreased  by  - 25%  compared  to  the  same  
period  in  2019  while  total  Europe  new  car  registrations  were  down 
by  - 29%.  The  sales  in  the  US  light  vehicle  market  shows  a  similar  
development with a decrease of -19% compared to the same period in 
2019, whereas Japan decreased by -18%. China decreased by -13%. 

According  to  information  released  by  the  China  Association  of  Automobile 
 Manufacturers  (CAAM)  for  the  period  January  until  September  2020, 
the sales of passenger cars was down by -12.4% compared to the same  
period in 2019. Sale of SUVs and MPVs declined by - 5.5% and - 32.7% 
respectively in the same period. 

Alternative Performance Measures (APMs)   
in the annual report of fiscal year 2020

In accordance with the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) 
guidelines  on  Alternative  Performance  Measures,  the  Stabilus  Group  
provides a definition, the rationale for use and a reconciliation of APMs 
used. The Group uses the following APMs: organic growth, adjusted EBIT, 
free cash flow (FCF), adjusted free cash flow and the net leverage ratio. 
The calculation of the net leverage ratio is based on net financial debt and 
adjusted EBITDA, which are also considered APMs. 

T_002

IN MIL LIONS OF  UNITS  PER C A LEN D A R  YEAR

20 19

2020**

2021**

2022**

2023**

2024**

202 5 **

EMEA

Americas

APAC

Worldwide production of light vehicles*

Source: IHS

* Passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (<6t)

** IHS forecast as of October 2020

23.1

19.6

46.2

88.9

18.0

15.3

39.7

73.0

20.9

18.9

43.3

83.1

22.1

19.6

45.6

87.2

22.6

19.7

47.7

89.9

23.0

19.9

49.4

92.3

23.3

20.2

51.3

94.7

The APM organic growth is presented because we believe it aids in under-
standing our operating performance. We have modified this definition in the 
current financial year with regards to foreign exchange effects. In the past 
we have only reported at constant USD / EUR exchange rates for the NAFTA 
region. However, due to increasing impacts also from other foreign currencies 
we will determine organic growth based on all relevant foreign currencies. 

In  Germany,  the  German  Department  of  Motor  Vehicles  (Kraftfahrt-  
Bundesamt, KBA), a government agency administering vehicle registrations 
publishes monthly statistics of new passenger car registrations, classified by 
car models and segment types. According to KBA statistics, there is a very 
strong decrease in the SUV segment of -  24.1% for the period January to 
September 2020, compared to the same period in 2019 while registrations 
for off-road vehicles recorded a decrease of -    18.2% over the same period in 
comparison to 2019. The overall new car registrations decreased by -  25.5% 
in the period from January until September 2020.

The  modified  definition  is  as  follows:  Organic  growth  is  defined  as  the 
reported  revenue  growth  after  removing  the  effects  of  acquisitions,  
divestitures and at constant foreign exchange rates. The effects  resulting 
from  constant  foreign  exchange  rates  are  calculated  as  current  year  
revenues  converted  at  current  year's  exchange  rates  less  current  year  
revenues converted at prior year’s exchange rates. 

The definitions and required disclosures of all other APMs are provided in 
the relevant sections of this annual report.

21

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

  BUSINESS AND GENERAL ENVIRONMENT

Change in the organizational structure since the beginning of 
fiscal year 2020
As of October 1, 2019, the Stabilus Group changed its organizational and 
management structure to better address the requirements of regions and 
markets. Stabilus continues focus on regions to manage its business. The 
change is that South America and the former NAFTA are now managed 
within Stabilus as Americas, and, consequently, South America is not part 
of Asia / Pacific anymore. As such the new regions are as follows:

Europe, Middle East and Africa 

 – EMEA: 
 – AMERICAS:  North and South America
Asia Pacific
 – APAC: 

These regions are the operating segments of the Stabilus Group. Further-
more,  the  Industrial  business  will  not  be  split  into  different  business 
units  anymore. We  have  merged  the  business  units Vibration  & Velocity 
Control and Industrial / Capital Goods into Industrial. This is to align the 
market  approach  for  all  industrial  markets,  e.g.  to  realize  cross  selling  
opportunities and to optimize cost structures in managing the industrial 
business. Consequently, Stabilus has three business units:

 – Automotive Gas Spring
 – Automotive Powerise®
– Industrial

The presentation of prior year figures is adjusted to provide comparative 
information already reflecting the new structure. 

Impact of COVID-19 on the Stabilus Group

Fiscal year 2020 was significantly affected by the COVID-19 crisis, which 
had a negative on all regions and all our market segments in which we 
operate, i.e. automotive and industrial business. In the first three quarters 
of  calendar  year  2020  the  macroeconomic  environment  and  the  global 
economy as a whole were significantly impacted. This bears various risks 
for  Stabilus,  e.g.  decreasing  customer  demand,  shortages  in  the  supply 
chain,  governmentally  enforced  closure  of  plants,  limited  cost  flexibility, 
devaluation of assets, cash shortages or the health of our employees. 

To mitigate the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stabilus has implemented 
a  global  multidisciplinary  crisis  management  team  that  monitors  and 
 analyzes the situation on a local and a global level and is taking actions to 
address and mitigate identified risks. Amongst others Stabilus has  reduced 
capacities,  e.g.  by  making  use  of  short  time  work,  furlough  as  well  as 
selected  redundancies.  In  addition,  Stabilus  emphasizes  on  a  very  strict 
monitoring  of  cost,  liquidity  as  well  as  impairment  risks. All  employees 
are  well  informed  about  safety  measures  in  business  and  private  life. 
Also  adjusted shift patterns, increased offering of home office and pulling 
 forward of vacation, reduce the risk of the virus spreading further. Due to 
our rapid response to the new global situation and the effective rollout 
of pandemic plans to all our locations we were able to effectively  protect 
our  employees  and  maintain  production  without  interruption.  In  fiscal   
year  2020,  Stabilus  received  government  grants  for  social  security 
 contributions  and  rental  subsidies  due  to  the  impact  of  COVID-19  with   
an  amount  of  €4.4  million. These  grants  are  directly  recognized  in  the 
various functional areas in which they were incurred as a direct deduction 
from the related expenses. Furthermore, Stabilus received reimbursements 
for short time work of €3.9 million (set out in Note 5). 

On July 31, 2020, the Group signed an amendment of the senior facility 
agreement dated June 7, 2016, to prepare for potential future  challenges 
from  the  COVID-19  crisis.  The  amendment  provides  for  an  additional  
committed  credit  line  of  €50.0  million,  a  temporary  increase  of  the 

 maximum leverage ratio permitted under the senior facility agreement and 
opens the ability to issue promissory loan notes (Schuldscheindarlehen) up 
to an aggregated amount of €150.0 million. The senior facility agreement, 
as amended, provides additional financial stability.

At  the  balance  sheet  date,  the  Group  has  a  committed  revolving 
 facility of €70.0 million (PY: €70.0 million). As at September 30, 2020, 
the  committed   
the  Group  had  drawn  €29.9  million  under 
€70.0  million   revolving  credit  facility. The  Group  utilized  €0.8  million  
out  of  the  €70.0  million  revolving  credit  facility  to  secure  existing 
 guarantees. Furthermore, the Group has the above mentioned  undrawn 
committed  credit  line  of  €50.0  million  (PY:  €-  million)  (we  refer  to 
Note 22). In the financial year 2020, the COVID-19 crisis did not have 
any   material  adverse  effects  on  the  financial  stability  of  the  Stabilus 
Group (details in Note 32). The financial covenants of the senior facility 
 agreement were complied with any time (we refer to net leverage ratio 
on page 32). 

Due  to  the  weak  overall  economy  the  Group’s  total  revenue  decreased 
by (13.6)% to €822.1 million in fiscal year 2020. The decrease in Group 
revenue  in  fiscal  year  2020  primarily  occurred  in  EMEA  by  (14.7)%  to 
€411.1  million,  and  in  the Americas  by  (18.1)%  to  €299.6  million. The 
revenue in APAC increased by 7.8% to €111.4 million.

This global market development is also reflected in the development of the 
market segments in which we operate. The Automotive Gas Spring business 
was strongly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and decreased by (19.1)% 
to  €268.0  million  and  the  Automotive  Powerise®  business   decreased 
by (13.2)% to €217.0 million. The decline in the Automotive Powerise® 
 business is lower than in the Automotive Gas Spring  business which is a 
result of the rising demand for Automotive Powerise® in our  Chinese entity 
which led to an increase of revenue by €8.1 million  compared to prior year. 
Currently, Stabilus is in the process of setting up a dedicated Powerise® 
production building in Pinghu, China, besides already existing Powerise® 
plants in Mexico and Romania.

22

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

  BUSINESS AND GENERAL ENVIRONMENT

  RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Our Industrial business was also impacting from the COVID-19  crisis, 
the  revenue  decreased  by  (8.9)%  to  €337.1  million.  The   smaller 
decline  in  the  industrial  business  compared  to  the  automotive 
 business reflected the high diversification of the product portfolio and 
of our broad customer portfolio in the industrial sector which helps to 
mitigate the impact.

The  Group  tested  impairments  on  goodwill,  development  cost  and 
other  non-financial  assets  on  an  annual  basis,  or  if  there  is  an 
 indication that the carrying  amount may  not be  recoverable.  Based 
on  the   triggering  event  “COVID-19”  the  Group  has  performed 
 impairment  tests,  especially  for  goodwill  and  for  other  intangible 
 assets  from  purchase  price  allocations.  For  goodwill  no  impairment 
has  to  be  recognized  in  fiscal  year  2020.  However  the  headroom’s 
have decreased; the underlying assumptions are described in Note 13. 
For other intangible assets the Group accounted in the third quarter 
of fiscal year 2020 a non-cash impairment of €25.7 million, related 
to our aerospace business which is heavily impacted by the COVID-19 
crisis. This primarily lead to reduced demand of our products for the 
aviation  industry  due  to  reduced  production  of  aircrafts  and  fewer 
retrofits  of  existing  aircrafts.  However,  we  are  confident  that  the 
 aerospace  business  is  still  an  excellent  addition  to  Stabilus´  motion 
control portfolio with future growth potential. 

The impairment test for fiscal year 2020 confirms that the book value 
of goodwill is fully recoverable and that the goodwill attributable to 
the individual operating CGUs is not impaired. In addition, no further 
other  intangible  assets  from  purchase  price  allocations  have  been  
impaired.

The  overall  impact  of  the  COVID-19  crisis  is  also  affecting  our  net  
profit in fiscal year 2020, which declined from €80.9 million in fiscal 
year 2019 by €(50.9) million to €30.0 million in the current  financial 
year.  The  decline  contains  the  non-cash  impairment  from  other 
 intangible assets of €(18.0) million (net of tax). 

For the fiscal year 2021, we expect revenue of €850 million to €900 million 
and an adjusted EBIT margin of between 12% and 13%. These assumptions 
are based on a stabilizing global economy and the expected recovery in  global 
automotive production and no further unexpected impacts of the COVID-19 
pandemic. 

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared under the going 
concern assumption. From the current perspective there are no risks to the 
continued existence of the Stabilus Group.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The table below sets out Stabilus Group’s consolidated income statement for 
the fiscal year 2020 in comparison to the fiscal year 2019: 

Income statement

IN €  MILLIONS

Revenue

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Research and development expenses

Selling expenses

Administrative expenses

Other income

Other expenses

Profit from operating activities (EBIT)

Finance income

Finance costs

Profit / (loss) before income tax

Income tax income / (expense)

Profit / (loss) for the period

Year  en ded Sep t 30 ,

2020

822.1

(590.6)

231.5

(40.6)

(106.1)

(35.5)

8.9

(2.1)

56.1

2.3

(11.0)

47.4

(17.4)

30.0

20 19

951.3

(675.0)

276.4

(39.2)

(84.2)

(35.7)

8.3

(1.7)

124.0

1.3

(10.4)

114.9

(34.0)

80.9

T _ 003

Cha nge

% ch ange

(129.2)

84.4

(44.9)

(1.4)

(21.9)

0.2

0.6

(0.4)

(67.9)

1.0

(0.6)

(67.5)

16.6

(50.9)

(13.6)%

(12.5)%

(16.2)%

3.6%

26.0%

(0.6)%

7.2%

23.5%

(54.8)%

76.9%

5.8%

(58.7)%

(48.8)%

(62.9)%

23

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

  RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Revenue

Group’s total revenue developed as follows: 

Revenue by region and business unit

T _ 004

IN  € MILLIONS

EMEA

Automotive Gas Spring 

Automotive Powerise® 

Industrial2)

Total EMEA1)

Americas

Automotive Gas Spring 

Automotive Powerise® 

Industrial2)

Total Americas1)

APAC

Automotive Gas Spring 

Automotive Powerise® 

Industrial2)

Total APAC1)

Stabilus Group

Total Automotive Gas Spring 

Total Automotive Powerise® 

Total Industrial2)

Revenue1)

Ye ar  e nded Se pt 3 0, 

20 20

20 19

C hange

% c hange

% acquisition 
effect

% c urrency 
effect

% organic 
grow th

111.7

84.2

215.2

411.1

88.2

105.7

105.7

299.6

68.1

27.1

16.2

111.4

268.0

217.0

337.1

822.1

145.4

98.1

238.6

482.1

118.9

133.0

114.0

365.9

67.1

19.0

17.2

103.3

331.4

250.0

369.9

951.3

(33.7)

(13.9)

(23.4)

(71.0)

(30.7)

(27.3)

(8.3)

(66.3)

1.0

8.1

(1.0)

8.1

(63.4)

(33.0)

(32.8)

(129.2)

(23.2%)

(14.2%)

(9.8%)

(14.7%)

(25.8%)

(20.5%)

(7.3%)

(18.1%)

1.5%

42.6%

(5.8%)

7.8%

(19.1%)

(13.2%)

(8.9%)

(13.6%)

–

–

4.6%

2.3%

–

–

0.6%

0.2%

–

–

–

–

–

–

3.2%

1.2%

0.0%

(1.7%)

(0.1%)

(0.4%)

(2.7%)

(6.7%)

(0.2%)

(3.4%)

(1.0%)

(1.8%)

(1.3%)

(1.2%)

(1.2%)

(4.3%)

(0.2%)

(1.6%)

(23.2%)

(12.5%)

(14.3%)

(16.6%)

(23.1%)

(13.8%)

(7.7%)

(14.9%)

2.5%

44.4%

(4.5%)

9.0%

(17.9%)

(8.9%)

(11.9%)

(13.2%)

1) Revenue breakdown by location of Stabilus company (i.e. “billed-from view”).

2)  As of October 1, 2019, our Vibration & Velocity business and Industrial / Capital Goods business units were combined into the Industrial business. 

The presentation of prior-year figures was changed accordingly.

Total  revenue  of  €822.1  million  in  fiscal  year  2020  decreased  by  
€(129.2)  million  or  (13.6)%  compared  to  the  fiscal  year  2019.  The  
Group´s  organic  growth  in  fiscal  year  2020  was  €(125.3)  million  or  
(13.2)%.  The  entities  acquired  in  fiscal  year  2019  (General  Aerospace  
in April 2019, Clevers and Piston in July 2019) contributed €11.7 million 
revenue to the organic growth in fiscal year 2020, while the effect from 
exchange rate movements amounted to €(15.5) million.

The  decline  in  Group  revenue  in  fiscal  year  2020  primarily  occurred  in 
EMEA (€(71.0) million or (14.7)%, organic growth rate (16.6)%) and in 
the Americas (€(66.3) million or (18.1)%, organic growth rate (14.9)%). 
Meanwhile, revenue in APAC increased by €8.1 million or 7.8%. APAC´s 
organic growth rate was 9.0%.

24

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

  RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Cost of sales and overhead expenses

Cost of sales
Cost of sales decreased from €(675.0) million in fiscal year 2019 by (12.5)% 
to €(590.6) million in fiscal year 2020, primarily due to decreased revenue. 
The decrease in cost of sales (12.5)% is lower than the decrease in revenue 
(13.6)%. This is reflecting a weaker fixed cost absorption as certain fixed 
cost elements are not reduced in line with revenue and impairment losses 
on other intangible assets amounting to €(1.3) million are recognized in 
cost of sales. The Group took stringent cost saving measures to address the 
COVID-19 impact on the business. Cost savings are e.g. realized by aligning 
the headcount structure in all regions, to the reduced business volume. Cost 
of sales as a percentage of revenue increased by 80 basis points to 71.8% 
(PY: 71.0%) and the gross profit margin declined to 28.2% (PY: 29.1%).

R&D expenses
R&D  expenses  (net  of  R&D  cost  capitalization)  increased  by  3.6% 
from €(39.2) million in fiscal year 2019 to €(40.6) million in fiscal year 
2020  and  reflecting  our  innovative  R&D  focused  business  approach. 
The   capitalization  of  R&D  expenses  (less  related  customer  contribution) 
 increased  from  €(14.2)  million  in  fiscal  year  2019  to  €(16.7)  million  in 
fiscal  year  2020.  This  increase  reflects  especially  the  project  specific 
 development activities for our Powerise® business as well as the increased 
engineering activities to develop new products and product applications 
to open new areas of business for Stabilus. In addition, the increase is due 
to the non-recurring impairment charges of €2.3 million in fiscal year 2020 
compared to €0.4 million in fiscal year 2019. Furthermore, the  acquired 
entities  General   Aerospace  and  Piston  contributed  €0.5  million  to  the   
€1.4 million increase. As a percentage of revenue, R&D expenses increased 
by 80 basis points to 4.9% (PY: 4.1%).

Selling expenses
Selling  expenses  increased  from  €(84.2)  million  in  fiscal  year  2019  by 
26.0% to €(106.1) million in fiscal year 2020. This increase is primarily due 
to an impairment loss on customer relationships in the aerospace  business 
amounting to €(24.4) million. Excluding the effect from this impairment the 
selling expenses decreased by €2.5 million in fiscal year 2020  compared 
to fiscal year 2019. The acquired entities (General Aerospace, Clevers and 
Piston)  contributed  expenses  of  €1.9  million  to  the  development  of  the 
selling expenses. As a percentage of revenue, selling expenses increased 
by 400 basis points to 12.9% (PY: 8.9%). Excluding the  impairment  losses 
on  intangible  assets,  the  selling  expenses  (as  percentage  of  revenue) 
 increased by 100 basis points to 9.9%. 

Administrative expenses
Administrative expenses decreased slightly from €(35.7) million in fiscal 
year 2019 by (0.6)% to €(35.5) million in fiscal year 2020. The  acquired 
entities  (General  Aerospace,  Clevers  and  Piston)  contributed  expenses 
of  €0.9  million  in  fiscal  year  2020. The  prior  year  includes  €0.7  million 
 advisory  costs  related  to  the  acquisitions  of  General Aerospace,  Clevers 
and Piston. As a percentage of revenue, administrative expenses increased 
by 50 basis points to 4.3% (PY: 3.8%).

Other income and expense
Other  income  increased  from  €8.3  million  in  fiscal  year  2019  by  
€0.6  million  to  €8.9  million  in  fiscal  year  2020.  Other  income  includes 
a non- recurring effect of €3.0 million (PY: €3.3 million) from a  purchase 
price   adjustment  related  to  the  acquisitions  of  General Aerospace  and 
 Piston. The increase is due to the foreign currency translation gains from 
the  operating business amounting to €1.2 million. 

Other  expense  increased  from  €(1.7)  million  in  fiscal  year  2019  by  
€(0.4) million to €(2.1) million in fiscal year 2020. 

Finance income and costs
Finance income increased from €1.3 million in fiscal year 2020 to €2.3  million 
in fiscal year 2020. The increase is mainly due to net foreign  exchange gains 
amounting to €0.9 million from the translation of intragroup loans, cash and 
cash equivalents and financial liabilities.

Finance  costs  increased  from  €(10.4)  million  in  fiscal  year  2019  to  
€(11.0)  million  in  fiscal  year  2020. The  increase  is  primarily  due  to  the 
initial   application  of  IFRS  16  (Leases)  which  results  in  an  additional 
€(1.5) million (PY: €- million) interest expense. In addition, €(0.9) million  
(PY:  €(1.1)  million  relates  to  the  derecognition  of  unamortized  debt  
issuance costs and unamortized adjustments of the carrying value from a 
voluntary prepayment of the term-loan facility in February 2020.

Finance costs primarily contain ongoing interest expense. Interest expense 
in  fiscal  year  2020  of  €(10.3)  million  (PY:  €(9.7)  million)  are  especially 
related to the term-loan facility, of which €(4.8) million (PY: €(3.6) million) 
is  cash  interest,  the  current  fiscal  year  includes  €(1.5)  million  interest  
expenses  from  IFRS  16.  In  addition,  an  amount  of  €(5.5)  million  
(PY: €(6.1) million) is due to the amortization of debt issuance cost and   
the  amortization  of  the  adjustment  of  the  carrying  value  using  the  
effective interest rate method.

Income tax expense 
The  tax  expense  decreased  from  €(34.0)  million  in  fiscal  year  2019  to 
€(17.4) million in fiscal year 2020. The Group´s effective tax rate in fiscal 
year 2020 is 36.7% (PY: 29.6%). In fiscal year 2020 the effective tax rate 
is negatively affected by withholding tax charges on intragroup dividend 
payments mainly from Mexico, US and China. For ongoing tax audits for 
fiscal years 2017 to 2019 the Group recognized an income tax liability.

25

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

  RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Reconciliation of EBIT to adjusted EBIT
The following table shows a reconciliation of EBIT (earnings before  interest 
and taxes) to adjusted EBIT for the fiscal years 2020 and 2019:

Reconciliation of EBIT to adjusted EBIT

IN € MIL LI ONS

Profit from operating activities (EBIT)

PPA adjustments – depreciation and amortization

PPA adjustments – impairment on intangible assets

Environmental protection measures

Advisory

Purchase price adjustment

Adjusted EBIT

Year  en ded Sept  30,

2020

56.1

17.9

25.7

–

–

(3.0)

96.7

2019

124.0

19.8

–

1.5

0.7

(3.3)

142.7

Ch an ge

(67.9)

(1.9)

25.7

(1.5)

(0.7)

0.3

(46.0)

T _ 005

% cha nge

(54.8)%

(9.6)%

n/a

(100.0)%

(100.0)%

(9.1)%

(32.2)%

Adjusted  EBIT  represents  EBIT,  adjusted  for  exceptional  non-recurring 
items  (e.g.  restructuring  or  one-time  advisory  costs)  and  depreciation  /
amortization  of  fair  value  adjustments  from  purchase  price  allocations 
(PPAs). 

Adjusted EBIT is presented because we believe it helps understanding our 
operating performance.

The  PPA  adjustments  for  depreciation  and  amortization  in  fiscal  year 
2020 amounted to €17.9 million (PY: €19.8 million). Thereof, €7.0 million   
(PY:  €9.3  million)  stem  from  the  April  2010  PPA  and  €8.4  million   
(PY: €8.4 million) result from the June 2016 PPA. 

Furthermore, €2.5 million (PY: €2.1 million) arise from the acquisitions in 
fiscal year 2019 (General Aerospace in April, Piston and Clevers in July).

The PPA adjustment for impairments of other intangible assets, predominantly 
of customer relationships, amounted to €25.7 million in fiscal year 2020.

In  addition,  the  purchase  price  adjustment  amounting  to  €(3.0)  million   
(PY:  €(3.3)  million)  in  the  current  year  relates  almost  exclusively  to  a 
purchase price reduction from the acquisition of General Aerospace.

26

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

  DEVELOPMENT OF OPERATING SEGMENTS

DEVELOPMENT OF 
OPERATING SEGMENTS

The Stabilus Group is organized and managed primarily on a regional level. 
The three reportable operating segments of the Group are EMEA (Europe, 
Middle East and Africa), Americas (North and South America) and APAC 
(Asia Pacific).

The table below sets out the development of our operating segments for 
the fiscal years 2020 and 2019:

Operating segments

IN € MILLIONS

EMEA

External revenue1)

Intersegment revenue1)

Total revenue1)

Adjusted EBIT

as % of total revenue

as % of external revenue

Americas

External revenue1)

Intersegment revenue1)

Total revenue1)

Adjusted EBIT

as % of total revenue

as % of external revenue

APAC

External revenue1)

Intersegment revenue1)

Total revenue1)

Adjusted EBIT

as % of total revenue

as % of external revenue

Ye ar  e nded Sept  30,

20 20

411.1

25.9

437.0

42.4

9.7%

10.3%

299.6

20.6

320.2

40.3

12.6%

13.5%

111.4

0.2

111.6

14.0

12.5%

12.6%

2019

482.1

28.6

510.7

68.4

13.4%

14.2%

365.9

24.7

390.7

61.8

15.8%

16.9%

103.3

0.1

103.4

12.6

12.2%

12.2%

T _ 006

Ch an ge

% cha nge

(71.0)

(2.7)

(73.7)

(26.0)

(66.3)

(4.1)

(70.5)

(21.5)

8.1

0.1

8.2

1.4

(14.7)%

(9.4)%

(14.4)%

(38.0)%

(18.1)%

(16.6)%

(18.0)%

(34.8)%

7.8%

100.0%

7.9%

11.1%

1) Revenue breakdown by location of Stabilus company (i.e. “billed-from view”).

The external revenue generated by our companies located in the EMEA 
region  decreased  from  €482.1  million  in  fiscal  year  2019  by  (14.7)% 
or  €71.0  million  to  €411.1  million  in  fiscal  year  2020.  The  acquired 
 entities  General Aerospace  and  Piston  contributed  €11.1  million  to  the 
revenue growth in EMEA and the currency translation effect amounted to  
€(1.9) million resulting in an organic growth rate of (16.6)%. The  reduction 
is mainly driven by our Automotive Gas Spring business, which  decreased 
from  €145.4  million  by  (23.2)%  or  €(33.7)  million  to  €111.7  million.  
Organic  growth  of  the  Automotive  Gas  Spring  business  was  (23.2)%. 
Our  Automotive  Powerise®  business  decreased  from  €98.1  million  by 
(14.2)% or €(13.9) million to €84.2 million. The organic growth rate of  
the  Automotive  Powerise®  business  was  (12.5)%.  In  the  first  half  of 
fiscal  year  2020  the  ongoing  weak  light-vehicle  production  in  Europe  
influenced our business. Since April 2020 this was significantly intensified 
by  the  COVID-19  crisis  which  started 
in  February  and  strongly  
influenced our business, especially in the third quarter of fiscal year 2020. 
To  address  the  general  weak  demand  from  the  COVID-19  crisis  various 
stimulus programs from governments were initiated aiming to support the 
recovery in the global economy. These measures resulted in a first increase 
in demand and a slight market recovery in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 
2020. The  Industrial  business  decreased  from  €238.6  million  by  (9.8)%  
or  €(23.4)  million  to  €215.2  million,  the  entities  acquired  in  the  third  
quarter of fiscal year 2019, i.e. General Aerospace and Piston, contributed 
€11.1 million to the revenue of the Industrial business. Organically, the 
 Industrial  business  decreased  by  (14.3)%. This  slowdown  in  the  Indust-
rial business reflects the continuously weak macroeconomic environment 
and the omnipresent effects from the global COVID-19 crisis. Our broad  
customer portfolio in the industrial sector helps to mitigate the impact of 
this weaker demand. The adjusted EBIT of the EMEA segment decreased 
by (38.0)% or €(26.0) million and the adjusted EBIT margin, i.e.  adjusted 
EBIT  in  percent  of  external  revenue,  decreased  in  fiscal  year  2020  to 
10.3% (PY: 14.2%). 

27

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  DEVELOPMENT OF OPERATING SEGMENTS

The  external  revenue  of  our  companies  located  in  Americas  decreased  
from €365.9 million in fiscal year 2019 by (18.1)% or €(66.3) million to 
€299.6 million in fiscal year 2020. The currency translation effect  amounted 
to €(12.3) million and especially stems from the weak Mexican peso and 
revenue of €0.7 million from the Clevers acquisition. This led to an organic 
growth rate of (14.9)%. The Automotive Gas Spring business decreased  
from  €118.9  million  by  (25.8%)  or  €(30.7)  million  to  €88.2  million, 
the  organic  growth  rate  was  (23.1)%.  The  Automotive  Powerise®  
business decreased from €133.0 million by (20.5)% or €(27.3) million to  
€105.7  million  and  decreased  (13.8)%  organically.  The  Automotive 
 business  was  also  strongly  impacted  by  the  COVID-19  crisis  leading 
to  plant  closures  from  end  of  March  until  mid  of  May.  In  the  fourth  
quarter  of  fiscal  year  2020,  the  US  light- vehicle  market  recovered  with 
stronger  sales  in  the  private  car  sector  as  well  as  in  the  commer-
cial   vehicle  market.  The  economic  environment  is  still  difficult  and   
challenging  and 
 various 
 governments  and  the  -  at  that  time  -  upcoming  election  in  the  US. 
Our   Industrial  business  decreased  from  €114.0  million  by  (7.3%)  or   
€(8.3) million to €105.7 million. The decline in the industrial business is 
 smaller than in the automotive business. The industrial business benefits  
 from the diversification of the product portfolio e.g. growth in the  solar 
damper  and  e-commerce   business,  which  was  more  than  offset  by  the 
 independent  aftermarket  segment.  Organically,  the  Industrial   business 
decreased  by  (7.7)%.  The  adjusted  EBIT  of  the   Americas  segment 
 decreased  by  (34.8)%  or  €(21.5)  million  and  the  adjusted  EBIT  margin 
decreased in fiscal year 2020 to 13.5% (PY: 16.9%).

influenced  by  stimulus  packages 

from 

Spring  business  increased  slightly  from  €67.1  million  by  1.5%  or   
€1.0 million to €68.1 million. The organic growth rate was 2.5%. The 
Industrial business decreased slightly from €17.2 million by (5.8)% or 
€(1.0) million to €16.2 million. The organic growth rate of the  Industrial 
business  was  (4.5)%.  The  overall  positive  development  especially  in 
 China, with stronger sales and wins of new OEM platforms in the region, 
was stopped by the  temporary closure of production facilities in February 
and March, initiated by the  government as a consequence of COVID-19. 
Following the reopening of the production facilities in APAC the auto-
motive production is  stabilizing with constant rising demand, especially 
in China. The government in  China initiated several funding programs to 
alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the overall economy. In 
particular the automotive market benefits strongly from the stabilization 
programs. Nevertheless, the  market environment is challenging especial-
ly driven by international trade  conflicts between the US and China. The 
adjusted EBIT of the APAC  segment increased by 11.1% or €1.4 million 
and  the  adjusted  EBIT  margin  increased  in  fiscal  year  2020  to  12.6% 
(PY: 12.2%).

The  external  revenue  of  our  companies  located  in  APAC  increased 
from  €103.3  million  in  fiscal  year  2019  by  7.8%  or  €8.1  million  to  
€111.4  million  in  fiscal  year  2020.  The  currency  translation  effect  
amounted to €(1.3) million and led to an organic growth rate for APAC 
of  9.0%. This  increase  was  mainly  driven  by  the Automotive  Powerise®  
business,  which  increased  by  42.6%  or  €8.1  million  to  €27.1  million,   
the  organic  growth  rate  was  44.4%.  In  addition,  the Automotive  Gas 

28

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

  FINANCIAL POSITION

FINANCIAL POSITION

Balance sheet

IN  € MILLIONS

Assets

Non-current assets

Current assets

Total assets

Equity and liabilities

Total equity

Non-current liabilities

Current liabilities

Total liabilities

Total equity and liabilities

20 20

678.2

405.4

1,083.6

469.6

425.5

188.4

614.0

1,083.6

2019

706.0

393.2

1,099.2

499.6

428.2

171.4

599.6

1,099.2

Ch an ge

% cha nge

(27.8)

12.2

(15.6)

(30.0)

(2.7)

17.0

14.4

(15.6)

(3.9)%

3.1%

(1.4)%

(6.0)%

(0.6)%

9.9%

2.4%

(1.4)%

Total Assets
The  Group’s  balance  sheet  total  decreased  from  €1,099.2  million  as  of  
September 30, 2019, by (1.4)% to €1,083.6 million as of September 30, 
2020. 

Non-current assets
Our non-current assets decreased from €706.0 million as of September 30, 
2019, by (3.9)% or €(27.8) million to €678.2 million as of September 30, 
2020. This decrease is especially driven by the impairment losses of €(25.7) 
million and ongoing amortization of €(17.8) million on other  intangible 
 assets  from  purchase  price  allocations  but  also  to  foreign   exchange 
 rate- related  carrying  value  adjustments,  e.g.  decrease  in  goodwill  of  
€(7.1)  million. This  was  partly  offset  by  the  recognition  of  right-of-use 
 assets  from  operating  leases  due  to  the  initial  application  of  IFRS  16 
amounting to €43.7 million as well as from new leasing contracts in fiscal 
year 2020  amounting to €4.5 million. The Group invested €29.9 million 
in property, plant and equipment for ongoing capacity expansion projects.

Current assets
Current assets increased from €393.2 million as of September 30, 2019, 
by 3.1% or €12.2 million to €405.4 million as of September 30, 2020. 
This was primarily driven by an increase of the cash balance amounting 
to €23.4 million. Furthermore, current tax assets increased by €4.6 million 
and other financial assets increased by €2.5 million. This was partly offset 
by the decrease in trade accounts receivable amounting to €(13.2) million 
due to weaker sales reflecting the COVID-19 crisis. In addition, inventories 
decreased by €(3.1) million.

Equity
The  Group’s  equity  decreased  from  €499.6  million  as  of  September 
30,  2019,  by  €(30.0)  million  to  €469.6  million  as  of  September  30, 
2020.  This  results  from  other  comprehensive  expenses  amounting  to  
€(32.8)  million  especially  from  unrealized  losses  from  foreign  currency 
translation amounting to €(34.2) million (detailed in Note 21). In addition, 

dividends  amounting  to  €(27.2)  million  paid  to  our  shareholders  in  the 
second quarter of fiscal year 2020. This was offset by the profit in fiscal 
year 2020 of €30.0 million. 

T _ 007

Non-current liabilities
Non-current liabilities decreased slightly from €428.2 million as of September 
30, 2019, by (0.6)% or €(2.7) million to €425.5 million as of September 30, 
2020. Our other financial liabilities increased due to the initial application of 
IFRS 16, amounting to €36.9 million, and due to new leasing contracts with 
an amount of €3.5 million. This increase was more than offset from a voluntary 
prepayment of the term-loan facility amounting to €(20.0) million in February 
and from the derecognition of deferred tax liabilities of €(7.7) million relating 
to the impairment of intangible assets. In addition, the decrease is due to a 
reclassification of financial liabilities from long-term to short-term amounting 
to €3.0 million. Furthermore, pension liabilities decreased by €(2.9) million as 
a consequence of the increased discount rate (September 30, 2020: 1.14% 
versus September 30, 2019: 0.93%). The amortization of debt issuance costs 
and the amortization of the adjustment of the carrying value using the effective 
interest rate method amount to €4.3 million.

Current liabilities
Current liabilities increased from €171.4 million as of September 30, 2019, 
by €17.0 million or 9.9% to €188.4 million as of September 30, 2020. This 
increase is due to a sharp rise of our financial liabilities by €31.5 million which 
mainly resulted from the partial drawdown of our revolving credit facility of 
€29.9 million and from a reclassification of financial liabilities from long-term 
to short-term amounting to €3.0 million. In addition, other financial  liabilities 
increased by €6.2 million, especially from the initial application of IFRS 16. 
This  was  partially  offset  by  decreased  trade  accounts  payables   amounting 
to  €(19.9)  million  as  a  consequence  of  reduced  business  volume  and  by 
 decreased current tax liabilities amounting to €(3.4) million.

29

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 LIQUIDITY

LIQUIDITY

Cash flow from operating activities
Cash flow from operating activities decreased from €145.4 million in fiscal 
year 2019 by €(36.5) million or (25.1)% to €108.9 million in fiscal year 
2020,  mainly  reflecting  a  reduced  business  volume. The  operating  cash 
flow of the current fiscal year compared to last fiscal year is influenced by 
the initial application of IFRS 16 amounting to €9.7 million (see cash flow 
from financing activities).

Cash flow from investing activities
Cash  outflow  for  investing  activities  decreased  from  €(96.9)  million  in 
fiscal year 2019 by €49.2 million or (50.8)% to €(47.7) million in fiscal 
year 2020. This decrease is mainly attributable to the business combina-
tions from prior year amounting to €41.4 million (net of cash acquired). 
In addition, the decrease is due to lower capital expenditures in property, 
plant and equipment which decreased by €(11.5) million to €29.9 million 

reflecting the stringent cash management during the COVID-19 crisis. This 
was offset by an increased cash outflow for intangible assets of €2.5 million 
to €17.7 million. Furthermore, a payment of €(1.1) million relates to the 
July 2019 acquisition of Piston.

Cash flow from financing activities
Cash outflow from financing activities decreased from €(54.2) million in 
fiscal year 2019 by €22.3 million or (41.1)% to €(31.9) million in fiscal 
year 2020. This is generally driven by the partial drawdown of the revol-
ving credit facility amounting to €29.9 million (PY: €- million). This is partly 
offset by payments for lease liabilities of €(8.2) million (PY: €0.4 million) 
and to interest expenses on lease liabilities amounting to €(1.5) million 
(PY: €0.0 million), substantially resulting from the initial application of IFRS 
16. As last year we repaid senior facilities amounting to €20.0 million (PY: 
€21.1 million). Furthermore, we paid higher dividends of €(27.2) million
(PY: €(24.7) million) to our shareholders. In addition, we repaid financial
liabilities amounting to €(1.6) million in fiscal year 2020 (PY: €3.7 million).

Cash flows

IN € MIL LI ONS

Cash flow from operating activities

Cash flow from investing activities

Cash flow from financing activities

Net increase / (decrease) in cash

Effect of movements in exchange rates on cash held

Cash as of beginning of the period

Cash as of end of the period

Year  en ded Sept  30,

2020

108.9

(47.7)

(31.9)

29.3

(5.9)

139.0

162.4

2019

145.4

(96.9)

(54.2)

(5.7)

1.7

143.0

139.0

Ch an ge

(36.5)

49.2

22.3

35.0

(7.6)

(4.0)

23.4

T _ 008

% cha nge

(25.1%)

(50.8%)

(41.1%)

<(100.0)%

<(100.0)%

(2.8%)

16.8%

30

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

 LIQUIDITY

Free cash flow (FCF)
Free cash flow (FCF) is defined as the total of cash flow from operating and 
investing  activities. The  Group  considers  FCF  as  an  essential  alternative 
performance measure as it aids in the evaluation of the Group´s ability to 

generate cash which can be used, among others, for further investments. 
The following table sets out the composition of FCF:

Free cash flow

T _ 009

IN € MIL LI ONS

Cash flow from operating activities

Cash flow from investing activities

Free cash flow

Year  en ded Sept 30,

2020

108.9

(47.7)

61.2

2019

145.4

(96.9)

48.5

Ch an ge

% chang e

(36.5)

49.2

12.7

(25.1)%

(50.8)%

26.2%

Adjusted free cash flow
Adjusted free cash flow is defined as the total of cash flow from operating 
and  investing  activities  before  acquisitions. The  adjusted  free  cash  flow 

decreased from €89.9 million in fiscal year 2019 to €62.3 million in fiscal 
year 2020.

Adjusted free cash flow

T _ 010

IN  € MILLIONS

Cash flow from operating activities

Cash flow from investing activities before acquisitions

Adjusted FCF 

Year  en ded Sept  30,

2020

108.9

(46.6)

62.3

2019

145.4

(55.5)

89.9

Ch an ge

% chang e

(36.5)

8.9

(27.6)

(25.1)%

(16.0)%

(30.7)%

31

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

 LIQUIDITY

Net leverage ratio
The net leverage ratio is defined as net financial debt divided by adjusted 
EBITDA.

The  net  leverage  ratio  is  presented  because  we  believe  it  is  a  useful 
 indicator to evaluate the Group’s debt leverage and financing structure.

Net financial debt is the nominal amount of financial debt, i.e. current and 
non-current financial liabilities, less cash and cash equivalents.  Adjusted 
EBITDA is defined as adjusted EBIT before depreciation / amortization and 
before  exceptional  non-recurring  items  (e.g.  restructuring  or  one-time 
 advisory costs). 

The  net  leverage  ratio  increased  from  1.0x  in  fiscal  year  2019  to  1.2x   
in fiscal year 2020. See the following table:

Net leverage ratio

IN  € MILLIONS

Financial debt

Cash and cash equivalents

Net financial debt

Adjusted EBITDA

Net leverage ratio 

Financial debt

IN € MIL LI ONS

Financial liabilities (non-current)

Financial liabilities (current)

Adjustment carrying value

Financial debt

Year  en ded Sept  30,

2020

334.7

(162.4)

172.3

148.9

1.2x

2019

328.1

(139.0)

189.1

183.2

1.0x

T _ 011

Ch an ge

% chang e

6.6

(23.4)

(16.8)

(34.3)

Year  en ded Sept  30,

2020

288.1

34.3

12.3

334.7

2.0%

16.8%

(8.9%)

(18.7%)

T_012

20 19

308.8

2.8

16.5

328.1

32

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

 LIQUIDITY

  STATUTORY RESULTS OF OPERATIONS  

AND FINANCIAL POSITION OF STABILUS S. A.

  RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Adjusted EBITDA

IN  € MIL LI ONS

Profit from operating activities (EBIT)

Depreciation

Amortization

PPA adjustments – impairment on 
intangible assets

EBITDA

Advisory

Environmental protection measures

PPA adjustments – inventory step-up

Purchase price adjustment

Adjusted EBITDA

Ye ar  e nded Sept  30,

20 20

56.1

35.9

34.2

25.7

151.9

–

–

–

(3.0)

148.9

2019

124.0

26.8

32.8

–

183.6

0.7

1.5

0.7

(3.3)

183.2

Ch an ge

(67.9)

9.1

1.4

25.7

(31.7)

(0.7)

(1.5)

(0.7)

0.3

(34.3)

(54.8)%

34.0%

4.3%

n/a

(17.3)%

(100.0)%

(100.0)%

(100.0)%

(9.1)%

(18.7)%

STATUTORY RESULTS 
OF OPERATIONS AND 
FINANCIAL POSITION 
OF STABILUS S. A.

For the statutory annual accounts of Stabilus S. A., please refer to Chapter D.

Results of operations

The  Company’s  income  amounts  to  €4.2  million  (PY:  €3.9  million)  and 
results  from  services  that  are  provided  to  other  Stabilus  Group  entities 
based on service level agreements.

Other  external  expenses  decreased  slightly  from  €2.9  million  in  fiscal  year 
2019 to €2.8 million in fiscal year 2020 mainly due to reduced consulting fees. 

The loss for fiscal year 2020 amounted to €(1.9) million (PY: €1.1 million).

Financial position

Total assets decreased from €577.9 million as of September 30, 2019, to 
€549.3 million as of September 30, 2020.

Fixed  assets  essentially  comprise  shares  in  affiliated  undertakings  which 
decreased from €553.4 million as of September 30, 2019, to €545.9 million 
as of September 30, 2020. The Company decreased its investment in Stable 
II S. à r. l. by distributing €7.5 million out of the share premium account 
of Stable II S. à r. l. in February 2020 and Blitz F10 neun GmbH liquidated 
during financial year 2020.

Current assets decreased from €24.2 million as of September 30, 2019, to 
€3.2 million as of September 30, 2020. This was driven by a decrease in 
the cash balance by €20.5 million which reflects the dividend payment of  
€(27.2) million which was partly offset by the distribution from affiliated 
companies.

T _ 013

%  chang e

The Company’s capital and reserves decreased from €576.1 million as of 
September 30, 2019, to €547.0 million as of September 30, 2020, due to 
the dividend payment to our shareholders of €(27.2) million and due to 
the loss for the fiscal year 2020 amounting to €(1.9) million.

RISKS AND  
OPPORTUNITIES

Risk management and control over financial 
reporting in the Stabilus Group

The Company considers Risk Management (RM) to be a key part of  effective 
management and internal control. The Company strives for  effective RM 
and financial navigation to safeguard the assets of the Company and to 
proactively  support  the  Company’s  strategic  and  compliance  initiatives. 
The goal of RM is to help the Company to operate more effectively in a 
 dynamic environment by providing a framework for a systematic  approach 
to  risk  management  and  exploring  opportunities  with  an  acceptable 
 level of risk. The Supervisory Board and the Management Board regularly 
 discuss the operational and financial results as well as the related risks.

Risk  management  covers  financial,  strategic,  compliance  as  well  as 
 operational  aspects.  Operational  risk  is  the  risk  of  direct  or  indirect 
loss   arising  from  a  wide  variety  of  causes  associated  with  the  Group’s 
 processes,  personnel,  technology  and  infrastructure,  and  from  external 
factors other than credit, market and liquidity risks such as those arising 
from legal and regulatory requirements and generally accepted  standards 
of corporate behavior. These operational risks arise from all of the Group’s 
operations. The Group’s objective is to manage operational risk in a way 
to balance the avoidance of financial losses and damage to the Group’s 
 reputation  with  overall  cost  effectiveness,  as  well  as  avoiding  control 
procedures that  restrict initiative and creativity. The Company’s policy on 
managing  financial risks seeks to ensure effective liquidity and cash flow 

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  RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES

 management  and  protection  of  Group  equity  capital  against   financial 
 risks.  As  part  of  its  evolution,  the  Company  implements  continuous 
 improvements in its risk management and internal control systems.

Our  accounting  control  system  is  designed  to  ensure  all  business 
 transactions  are  correctly  and  promptly  accounted  for  and  that   reliable 
data  on  the  Company’s  financial  situation  is  available.  It  ensures 
 compliance with legal stipulations, accounting standards and accounting 
rules. By  separating financial functions and through ongoing review, we 
ensure that potential errors are identified on a timely basis and accounting 
standards are complied with. 

Our internal control system is an integral component of the risk management. 
The purpose of our internal control system for accounting and  reporting is 
to  ensure  its  compliance  with  legal  stipulations,  the  principles  of  proper 
 accounting,  the  rules  on  the  International  Financial  Reporting  Standards 
as adopted by the EU and with Group standards. In addition, we perform 
 assessments to help identify and minimize any risk with a direct  influence 
on  our  financial  reporting. We  monitor  changes  in  accounting  standards 
and enlist the advice of external experts to reduce the risk of accounting 
 misstatements in complex issues.

The  Company  and  individual  entity  financial  statements  are  subject 
to  external  audits  which  act  as  an  independent  check  and  monitoring 
 mechanism  of  the  accounting  system  and  its  output. The  principal  risks 
that could have a material impact on the Group are set out in the Note 
32 of the consolidated financial statements and are summarized below.

Risks and opportunities related to the 
 markets in which we operate 

We  are  exposed  to  risks  and  opportunities  associated  with  the  perfor-
mance of the global economy and the performance of the economy in the 
jurisdictions in which we operate.

Due  to  our  global  presence,  we  are  exposed  to  substantial  risks  and 
 opportunities  associated  with  the  performance  of  the  global  economy.  In 
 general, demand for our products is dependent on the demand for  automotive 
products as well as for commercial vehicles, agricultural  machinery, medical 
equipment, renewable energy (in particular solar, wind), aerospace, marine 
and furniture components, which in turn is directly related to the strength 
of  the  global  economy.  Therefore,  our  financial  performance  has  been 
 influenced, and will continue to be influenced, to a significant extent, by the 
general state and the performance of the global economy.

Although  the  global  economy  has  recovered  a  lot  from  the  severe 
 downturn in 2008 and 2009, the recent volatility of the financial markets 
and  also  the  slower  than  expected  economic  growth  in Asia  show  that 
there can be no assurance that any recovery is sustainable or that there 
will be no recurrence of the global financial and economic crisis or similar 
adverse  market  conditions.  In  addition,  the  current  uncertainties  in  the 
market environment due to the COVID-19 crisis are still omnipresent and 
the  economy  recovered  slightly. The  overall  development  is  affected  by 
considerable uncertainties against the background on the course of the 
COVID-19 pandemic. 

Stabilus manages these risks and opportunities by operating in different 
regions and markets for local and global customers.

We operate in cyclical industries
Our  business  is  characterized  by  high  fixed  costs.  Should  our  facilities 
be  underutilized,  this  could  result  in  idle  capacity  costs,  write-offs  of 
 inventories  and  losses  on  products  due  to  falling  average  sales  prices. 
Furthermore,  falling  production  volumes  cause  declines  in  revenue  and 
earnings. On the other hand, our facilities might have insufficient capacity 
to  meet  customer  demand  if  the  markets  in  which  we  are  active  grow 
faster than we have anticipated.

Our automotive business, from which we generate 59% (PY: 61%) of our 
revenue in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020, sells its products 

primarily  to  automotive  original  equipment  manufacturers  (“OEMs”)  in 
the automotive industry. These sales are cyclical and depend, among other 
things, on general economic conditions as well as on consumer spending 
and preferences, which can be affected by a number of factors, including 
employment,  consumer  confidence  and  income,  energy  costs,  interest 
rate  levels  and  the  availability  of  consumer  financing.  Given  the  variety 
of such economic parameters influencing the global automotive demand, 
the  volume of automotive production has historically been, and will cont-
inue to be, characterized by a high level of fluctuation, making it difficult   
for  us  to  accurately  predict  demand  levels  for  our  products  aimed  at 
 automotive OEMs.

We  generated,  in  the  aggregate,  41%  (PY:  39%)  of  our  revenue  in  the  
fiscal  year  ended  September  30,  2020,  from  sales  to  our   industrial 
 customers. We sell our products to customers in diverse industries,  including 
 agricultural  machines,  renewable  energy  (in  particular   solar,  wind), 
 railway,  aircraft   applications,  commercial  vehicles,  marine   applications, 
 furniture, health care and production equipment. These sales depend on 
the  industrial  production level in general as well as on the development 
of  new   products  and  technologies  by  our  customers,  which  include  our 
products as  component parts. Stabilus manages these opportunities and 
risks by  operating in different regions and markets for the local and global 
customers.

The business environment in which we operate is characterized by strong 
competition, which affects some of our products and markets, which could 
reduce our revenue or put continued pressure on our sales prices. 

The markets in which we operate are competitive and have been characterized 
by changes in market penetration, increased price competition, the develop-
ment and introduction of new products, product designs and technologies 
by significant existing and new competitors. The majority of gas springs and 
electromechanical lifting and closing systems manufactured globally are used 
for either automotive, industrial or commercial furniture  applications, which 
are core markets for us. Our competitors are typically regional  companies 

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  RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES

and our competition with them is generally on a regional scale. We compete 
primarily on the basis of price, quality, timeliness of delivery and design as 
well as the ability to provide engineering support and services on a global 
basis. Should we fail to secure the quality of our products and the reliability 
of  our  supply  in  the  future,  then  more  and  more  of  our  customers  could 
decide to procure products from our competitors.

Our efforts to expand in certain markets are subject to a variety of  business, 
economic, legal and political risks.

We  manufacture  our  products  in  several  countries,  and  we  market  and 
sell our products worldwide. We are actively operating and expanding our 
 operations  in  various  markets,  with  a  focus  on  the  rapidly  growing  and 
 emerging  markets  in  the APAC  region,  where  we  have  production  plants 
in China and South Korea, operate a wide network of representative sales 
offices and employ our own sales force and distribution network. We plan 
to expand our Asian production capacities to meet growth expectations and 
supplement demand with our other regional production plants as needed.

Potential  social,  political,  legal,  and  economic  instability  may  pose 
 significant  risks  to  our  ability  to  conduct  our  business  and  expand  our 
activities  in  certain  markets.  Inherent  in  our  international  operations  is 
the risk that any number of the following circumstances could affect our 
operations: underdeveloped infrastructure; lack of qualified management 
or  adequately  trained  personnel;  currency  exchange  controls;  exchange 
rate fluctuations and devaluations; changes in local economic conditions; 
governmental restrictions on foreign investment, transfer or repatriation 
of  funds;  protectionist  trade  measures,  such  as  anti-dumping  measures, 
duties,  tariffs  or  embargoes;  prohibitions  or  restrictions  on  acquisitions 
or  joint  ventures;  changes  in  laws  or  regulations  and  unpredictable  or 
 unlawful government actions; the difficulty of enforcing agreements and 
collecting receivables through foreign legal systems; variations in protection 
of intellectual property and other legal rights; potential nationalization of 
enterprises or other expropriations; and political or social unrest or acts of 
sabotage or terrorism. As personnel costs have a significant effect on our 

business, we are also exposed to the risks of labor cost  inflation and  limited 
employment contract flexibility in the countries in which our  production 
 facilities are located and where we have sales personnel. Any of these risks 
could have a material adverse effect on our business,  financial condition 
and results of operations.

components   and  manufacturing  services  we  purchase  from  our  suppliers 
 depend on a number of factors, including to a limited extent the  development   
of  prices  of  raw  materials  used  in  these  products,  such  as  steel,  copper,   
rubber and water, as well as energy, which have been volatile in the past.

We are exposed to opportunities and risks associated with 
market trends and developments
There can be no assurance that (i) we will be successful in developing new 
products or systems or in bringing them to market in a timely manner, or 
at all; (ii) products or technologies developed by others will not render our 
offerings obsolete or non-competitive; (iii) our customers will not substitute 
our products with competing products or alternate technologies (such as 
third-arm systems, hydraulic drives or hinge / direct drives); (iv) the market 
will accept our innovations; (v) our competitors will not be able to produce 
our non-patented products at lower costs than we can; and (vi) we will be 
able to fully adjust our cost structure in the event of contraction of demand.

The  Company  develops  appropriate  strategies  as  a  response  to   these  or 
 similar  market  trends  and  to  enhance  existing  products,  develop  new 
 products  or  keep  pace  with  developing  technologies,  to  counter  loss  of 
growth opportunities, pressure on margins or the loss of existing  customers. 
We devote resources to the pursuit of new technologies and  products. In 
 addition,  technological  advances  and  wider  market  acceptance  of  our 
 Powerise® automatic drive systems (or the development and wider market 
acceptance of similar automatic lid drive systems by our competitors) could 
result in cannibalization of our gas spring applications.

Risks and opportunities related to our business

We are exposed to fluctuations in prices of prefabricated materials and 
components.

We procure large quantities of prefabricated materials and  components 
from  third-party  suppliers.  The  prices  of  prefabricated  materials,   

So far, this has not resulted in a general increase in the cost of  prefabricated 
materials and components we procure for the manufacture of our products. 
However,  it  cannot  be  excluded  that  this  volatility  may  result  in  a  cost 
 increase  in  the  future.  If  we  are  not  able  to  compensate  for  or  pass  on 
our cost increases to customers, such price increases could have a  material 
adverse  impact  on  our  financial  results.  Even  to  the  extent  that  we  are 
 successful  in  compensating  for  or  passing  on  our  increased  costs  to  our 
customers  by  increasing  prices  on  new  products,  the  positive   effects  of 
such price  increases may not occur in the periods in which the  additional   
 expenses have been incurred, but in later periods. If costs of raw materials 
and energy rise, and if we are not able to undertake cost saving measures  
  elsewhere  in  our  operations  or  increase  to  an  adequate  level  the  
  selling  prices  of  our  products,  we  will  not  be  able  to  compensate  such 
cost  increases, which could have a material adverse effect on our  business, 
 financial  condition  and  results  of  operations.  The  long-term  increase  of 
our  costs  (and  resultant  increase  in  the  price  of  our  products)  may  also 
 negatively impact demand for our products.

Our future business success depends on our ability to maintain the high 
quality of our products and processes. For customers, one of the determi-
ning factors in purchasing our components and systems is the high quality 
of  our  products  and  manufacturing  processes. A  decrease  in  the  actual 
and perceived quality of these products and processes could damage our 
image and reputation as well as those of our products. Any errors or delays 
caused by mistakes or miscalculations in our project management could 
negatively  affect  our  customers’  own  production  processes,  resulting  in 
 reputational damage to us as supplier as well as to the affected  customer 
as  manufacturer.  In  addition,  defective  products  could  result  in  loss  of 
 sales, loss of customers and loss of market acceptance. 

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  RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Legal, taxation and environmental risks and opportunities
We are exposed to warranty and product liability claims.

As  a  manufacturer,  we  are  subject  to  product  liability  lawsuits  and 
other proceedings alleging violations of due care, violations of warranty 
 obligations,  treatment  errors,  safety  provisions  and  claims  arising  from 
 breaches of contracts (like delivery delays), recall actions or fines  imposed 
by government or regulatory authorities in relation to our products. Any 
such  lawsuits,  proceedings  and  other  claims  could  result  in  increased 
costs for us. Additionally, authorities could prohibit the future sale of our 
 products,  particularly  in  cases  of  safety  concerns.  The  aforementioned 
scenarios could result in loss of market acceptance, loss of revenue and 
loss of customers, in particular against the background that many of our 
products are components which often have a major impact on the overall 
safety, durability and performance of our customers’ end-product. 

The  risks  arising  from  such  warranty  and  product  liability  lawsuits, 
 proceedings  and  other  claims  are  insured  as  we  consider  economically 
 reasonable, but the insurance coverage could prove insufficient in  individual 
cases. Any major defect in one of our products could also have a material 
adverse effect on our reputation and market perception, which in turn could 
have a significant adverse effect on our revenue and results of operations.

In addition, vehicle manufacturers are increasingly requiring a contribution 
from, or indemnity by, their suppliers for potential product liability, warranty 
and  recall  claims  and  we  have  been  subject  to  continuing  efforts  by  our 
customers to change contract terms and conditions concerning warranty and 
recall participation.

 discontinued until the cause of the product defect has been identified and 
remedied. Furthermore, our OEM customers could potentially bring claims for 
damages on the basis of breach of contract, even if the cause of the defect is 
remedied at a later point in time. In addition, failure to perform with respect 
to quality requirements could negatively affect the market  acceptance of our 
other products and our market reputation in various market segments.

We  are  and  may  become  party  to  certain  disadvantageous  contracts 
 pursuant to which we are required to sell certain products at a loss or to 
agree to broad indemnities. For example, we may enter into a contract at 
an  agreed  price  and  production  costs  may  end  up  exceeding  what  was 
assumed in the development phase. If the assumptions on which we rely in 
contract negotiations turn out to be inaccurate, this could have an adverse 
effect on our revenue and results of operations.

We are exposed to certain risks and opportunities with regards to our in-
tellectual property, its validity and the intellectual property of third parties.

Our  products  and  services  are  highly  dependent  upon  our  technological 
know-how and the scope and limitations of our proprietary rights therein. 
We  have  obtained  or  have  applied  for  a  number  of  intellectual  property 
rights, which can be difficult, lengthy and expensive to procure. Furthermore, 
patents  may  not  provide  us  with  meaningful  protection  or  a  commercial 
advantage. In addition, where we incorporate an individual customer’s input 
to  create  a  product  that  responds  to  a  particular  need,  we  face  the  risk 
that such customer will claim ownership rights in the associated intellectual 
property.

Furthermore,  we  manufacture  many  products  pursuant  to  OEM  customer 
specifications and quality requirements. If the products manufactured and 
delivered by us are deemed not to be fit for use by our OEM customers at 
the agreed date of delivery, production of the relevant products is generally 

Our competitors, suppliers, customers and other third parties also submit 
a large number of intellectual property protection applications. Such other 
parties could hold effective and enforceable intellectual property rights to 
certain processes, methods or applications and consequently could assert 
infringement claims (including illegitimate ones) against us. 

A  major  part  of  our  know-how  is  not  patented  and  cannot  be   protected 
 through  intellectual  property  rights.  Consequently,  there  is  a  risk  that 
third parties, in particular competitors, may utilize our know-how without 
 incurring  any  expenses  of  their  own.  Our  intellectual  property  is  often 
 discovered  by  and  during  the  course  of  our  employees’  employment. As 
a   result,  there  is  a  risk  that  we  have  failed  or  will  fail  to  properly  utilize 
 inventions   of  our   employees.  Present  or  former  employees  who  made  or 
make  employee  inventions might continue to be the owners of the valuable 
rights to  inventions if we fail to claim the invention in a timely manner.

The realization of any of these risks could give rise to intellectual  property 
claims  against  us.  Such  claims,  if  successful,  could  require  us  to  cease 
 manufacturing, using or marketing the relevant technologies or products 
in   certain   countries  or  be  forced  to  make  changes  to  manufacturing 
 processes or products. In addition, we could be liable to pay compensation or 
damages for  infringements or could be forced to purchase licenses to make 
use of  technology from third parties. This could have a material  adverse effect 
on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to risks from legal, administrative and arbitration proceedings.

We  are  involved  in  a  number  of  legal  and  administrative  proceedings 
 related to products, patents and other matters incidental to our  business 
and  could  become  involved  in  additional  legal,  administrative  and 
 arbitration   proceedings  in  the  future.  These  proceedings  or  potential 
 proceedings could involve, in particular in the United States,  substantial 
claims  for   damages  or  other  payments.  Based  on  a  judgment  or  a 
 settlement  agreement, we could be obligated to pay substantial damages. 
Our litigation costs and those of third parties could also be significant.

Due to our high market share, we may be exposed to legal risks regarding 
anti-competition fines and related claims for damages.

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  RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Our  market  share  in  most  of  the  markets  in  which  we  operate  is  high, 
which may induce competition authorities to initiate proceedings or third 
parties  to  file  claims  against  us  alleging  violation  of  competition  laws. 
A   successful  anti-competition  challenge  could  adversely  affect  us  in  a 
 variety of ways. For example, it could result in the imposition of fines by 
one  or  more   authorities  and  /or  in  third  parties  (such  as   competitors 
or  customers)  initiating  civil  litigation  claiming  damages  caused  by 
 anti- competitive  practices.  In  addition,  anti-competitive  behavior  may 
give rise to  reputational risk to us. The realization of this risk could have 
a   material  effect  on  our  business,  financial  condition  and  results  of 
 operations.

Interest  carryforwards  may  be  forfeited  in  part  or  in  full  as  a  result  of 
subsequent share sales.

Some  Stabilus  subsidiaries  have  significant  interest  carryforwards  as  a 
 result  of  the  application  of  the  statutory  interest  ceiling  rules  that   limit 
the   deduction  of  net  interest  expenses  for  tax  purposes.  The   interest 
 carry- forward  may  be  deducted  to  the  extent  that  in  subsequent 
 assessment periods the then current interest expenses do not reach the 
interest  ceiling  applicable  to  the  relevant  assessment  period,  and,  thus, 
reduce the tax payable by the relevant subsidiary. 

However, the interest carry-forward will be forfeited on a pro rata basis 
or in full if more than a defined percentage of the shares in entities are 
directly or indirectly transferred to a new shareholder, persons related to 
such shareholder or a group of shareholders acting in the same interest, 
or in case of similar transactions (such as a capital increase) that result in 
a change of the shareholder structure. Such forfeiture would increase the 
tax payable by the relevant subsidiary if without the forfeiture the interest 
carry-forward could have been used in part or in full.

We could be held liable for soil, water or groundwater contamination or for 
risks related to hazardous materials.

Many  of  the  sites  at  which  we  operate  have  been  used  for   industrial 
 purposes  for  many  years,  leading  to  risks  of  contamination  and  the 
 resulting  site  restoration  obligations.  In  addition,  we  could  be  held 
 responsible  for  the  remediation  of  areas  adjacent  to  our  sites  if  these 
areas  were   potentially  contaminated  due  to  our  activities.  Groundwater 
contamination was discovered at a site in Colmar, Pennsylvania operated 
by us from 1979 to 1998. In June 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection  
 Agency (“EPA”) issued an administrative order against our U.S. subsidiary 
and  determined  requirements  in  respect  of  the  remedy  and  the  remedy 
cost. Our subsidiary, together with the other responsible parties, is  requested   
to  reimburse  the  EPA  for  past  and  current  expenses  and  to  bear  the   
remediation costs. If additional contamination is discovered in the future, the 
competent authorities could assert further claims against us, as the owner or 
tenant of the affected plots, for the examination or remediation of such soil 
or groundwater contamination or order us to dispose of or treat contamina-
ted soil excavated in the course of construction. We could also be required to 
indemnify the owners of plots leased by us or of other properties, if the autho-
rities were to pursue claims against the relevant owner of the property and 
if we caused the contamination. Costs typically incurred in connection with 
such claims are generally difficult to predict. Also, if any contamination were 
to become the subject of a more intense public discussion, there is a risk that  
our reputation or relations with our customers could be harmed.

Furthermore, at some of the sites at which we operate, or at which we 
operated in the past, small quantities of hazardous materials were used 
in the past, such as asbestos-containing building materials used for heat 
insulation. While we consider it unlikely, it cannot be ruled out that the 
 health and safety of third parties (such as former employees) may have 
been affected due to the use of such hazardous materials or that other 
claims  may  be  asserted,  and  we  could  therefore  be  exposed  to  related 
claims for damages in the future. Even if we have contractually excluded or 
limited our liability in connection with the sale of such properties, we could 
be  held  responsible  for  currently  unknown  contamination  on  properties 
which we previously owned or used.

The  in-house  legal  department  monitors  these  risks  continuously  and 
 reports regularly to Group management and the Supervisory Board.

Risks and opportunities related to our capital 
structure

Since the Company's IPO we have been able to continuously reduce our 
financial leverage which also supported our objective to actively manage 
and reduce the Group’s liquidity risks. 

Our  cash  from  operating  activities,  current  cash  resources  and  existing 
sources  of  external  financing  could  be  insufficient  to  meet  our  further 
 capital needs, especially if our sales decrease significantly. Disruptions in 
the financial markets, including the bankruptcy, insolvency or restructuring 
of a number of financial institutions, and restricted availability of  liquidity 
could  adversely  impact  the  availability  and  cost  of  additional  financing 
for  us  and  could  adversely  affect  the  availability  of  financing  already 
 arranged  or  committed.  Our  liquidity  could  also  be  adversely  impacted 
if our  suppliers tighten terms of payment as the result of any decline in 
our  financial  condition  or  if  our  customers  were  to  extend  their  normal 
payment terms.

Stabilus has set an appropriate liquidity risk management framework for 
the management of the Group’s short, medium and long-term funding and 
liquidity requirements. The Group manages liquidity risk by regular reviews, 
maintaining certain cash reserves, as well as open credit lines. 

We  are  exposed  to  risks  and  opportunities  associated  with  changes  in 
currency exchange rates.

We operate worldwide and are therefore exposed to financial risks that 
arise  from  changes  in  exchange  rates.  Currency  exchange  fluctuations 
could  cause  losses  if  assets  denominated  in  currencies  with  a  falling 
 exchange rate lose value, while at the same time liabilities denominated in 
currencies with a rising exchange rate appreciate. In addition,  fluctuations 

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  RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES

  CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

in foreign exchange rates could enhance or minimize fluctuations in the 
prices of materials, since we purchase a considerable part of the prefabri-
cated materials which we source in foreign currencies. As a result of these 
factors, fluctuations in exchange rates could affect our results of opera-
tions. External and internal transactions involving the delivery of products 
and services to and /or by third parties result in cash inflows and outflows 
which are denominated in currencies other than the functional currency 
of  our  respective  Group  member. Among  other  factors,  we  are  particu-
larly  exposed  to  fluctuations  of  net  inflows  in  U.S.  dollar  (surplus)  and 
net outflows in Romanian leu (demand). To the extent that cash outflows 
are not offset by cash inflows resulting from operational business in such 
currency, the remaining net foreign currency exposure is not hedged as of 
September 30, 2020.

Although we may enter into certain hedging arrangements in the future, 
there can be no assurance that hedging will be available or continue to 
be  available  on  commercially  reasonable  terms.  In  addition,  if  we  were 
to  use  any  hedging  transactions  in  the  future  in  the  form  of  derivative 
 financial  instruments,  such  transactions  may  result  in  mark-to-market 
 losses. In  addition, we are exposed to foreign exchange risks arising from 
internal  loan  agreements,  which  result  from  cash  inflows  and  outflows 
in currencies other than the functional currency of our respective Group 
member. As of September 30, 2020, these foreign exchange risks are not 
hedged against by using derivative financial instruments. Our net foreign 
investments are generally not hedged against exchange rate fluctuations. 
In addition, a number of our consolidated companies report their results in 
currencies other than the euro, which requires us to convert the relevant 
items  into  euro  when  preparing  our  consolidated  financial  statements. 
Translation risks are generally not hedged.

Other risks

At the beginning of the first quarter of calendar year 2020 the worldwide 
coronavirus crisis (COVID-19) has significantly affected the macroeconomic 
environment and the global economy as a whole and also bears  various risks 

for Stabilus, e.g. decreasing customer demand, shortages in the supply chain, 
governmentally enforced closure of plants, limited cost flexibility, devaluation 
of assets, cash shortages or the health of our employees. To mitigate these 
risks Stabilus has implemented a global multidisciplinary crisis management 
team that monitors and analyzes the situation on a daily basis on a local and 
a global level and is taking actions to address and mitigate identified risks. 
Amongst others Stabilus has reduced capacities, e.g. by making use of short 
time work, furlough as well as selected redundancies. In addition, Stabilus 
emphasizes a very strict monitoring of cost, liquidity as well as impairment 
risks. All employees are well informed about safety measures in business and 
private life. Also adjusted shift patterns, increased offering of home office 
and pulling forward of vacation reduce the risk of the virus spreading further. 

Risks and opportunities: Overall assessment 

The Management Board does not see any individual or aggregate risk that 
could endanger the future of Stabilus in any material way to continue as 
going concern.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

As a Luxembourg société anonyme, the Company is subject to the  corporate 
governance regime as set forth in particular in the law of August 10, 1915, 
on  commercial  companies. As  a  Company  whose  shares  are  listed  on  a 
 regulated  market,  the  Company  is  further  subject  to  the  law  of  May  24, 
2011, on the exercise of certain shareholder rights in listed companies.

As a Luxembourg société anonyme whose shares are exclusively listed on 
a regulated market in Germany, the Company is not required to adhere to 
the  Luxembourg  corporate  governance  regime  applicable  to  companies 
that are traded in Luxembourg or to the German corporate governance re-
gime applicable to stock corporations organized in Germany. The  Company 
has decided to set up own corporate governance rules as described in the 
following paragraphs rather than to confirm such corporate governance 

regimes in order to build up a corporate governance structure which meets 
the specific needs and interests of the Company.

Stabilus  Group  is  obliged  by  the  European  directive  and  Luxembourg 
law  to  report  on  non-financial  and  diversity  information.  Stabilus’ 
 Non- Financial  Report  will  be  published  with  this Annual  Report,  i.e.  on  
December 11, 2020.

From fiscal year 2019 on, Stabilus is obliged by the European directive 
and Luxembourg law to draw up a remuneration policy for the Super-
visory Board as well as for the Management Board. The principles and 
measurement of the remuneration policy for the Management Board and 
Supervisory Board of the Stabilus S. A. are prepared in accordance with 
Article 7bis of the Luxembourg law of May 24, 2011, on  Shareholders 
Rights, as amended. The remuneration report will be published  separately 
from this Annual Report.

The internal control systems and risk management for the establishment 
of financial information is described in the section “Risk management and 
control over financial reporting in the Stabilus Group”.

According to the Articles of Incorporation of the Company, the  Management 
Board must be composed of at least two Management Board  members, 
and the Supervisory Board must be composed of at least three Supervisory 
Board members. The Supervisory Board has set up the following commit-
tees  in  accordance  with  the Articles  of  Incorporation: Audit  Committee 
and  Remuneration  Committee.  The  Audit  Committee  is  responsible  for 
the consideration and evaluation of the auditing and  accounting policies 
and  its  financial  controls  and  systems. The  Remuneration  Committee  is 
 responsible  for  making  recommendations  to  the  Supervisory  Board  and 
the  Management  Board  on  the  terms  of  appointment  and  the  benefits 
of  the  managers  of  the  Company.  Further  details  on  the  composition 
and  purpose  of  these  committees  and  of  the  Management  Board  and 
the   Supervisory  Board  are  described  in  the  section  “Management  and  
Supervisory Board of Stabilus S. A.”.

38

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

  CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The Annual General Meeting shall be held at such time as specified by the 
Management  Board  and  the  Supervisory  Board  in  the  convening  notice. 
The Management Board and Supervisory Board may convene  extraordinary 
 general  meetings  as  often  as  the  Company’s  interests  so  require.   
 An extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting must be convened upon the 
request of one or more shareholders who together represent at least one 
tenth of the Company’s share capital.

Each share entitles the holder to one vote. The right of a shareholder to 
participate in a General Meeting and to exercise the voting rights  attached 
to  his  shares  are  determined  with  respect  to  the  shares  held  by  such 
shareholder the 14th day before the General Meeting. Each shareholder 
can exercise his voting rights in person, through a proxyholder or in writing 
(if provided for in the relevant convening notice).

The  information  required  by  Article  10.1  of  Directive  2004 / 25 / EC  on 
 takeover bids which has been implemented by Article 11 of the Luxembourg 
Law on Takeovers of May 19, 2006, (the “Law on Takeovers”) is set forth 
here below under “Disclosure Regarding Article 11 of the Law on Takeovers 
of May 19, 2006”.

DISCLOSURES PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 11 OF THE LUXEMBOURG 
LAW ON TAKEOVERS OF MAY 19, 2006
A)  For information regarding the structure of capital, reference is made to

Note 21 of the consolidated financial statements.

B)  The  Articles  of  Incorporation  of  the  Company  do  not  contain  any

 restrictions on the transfer of shares of the Company.

C)  According to the voting rights notifications received until  September 30, 
2020, the following shareholders held more than 5% of total  voting
rights  attached  to  Stabilus  shares:  Marathon Asset  Management  LLP,
London,  UK  (direct:  1,745,599  voting  rights  attached  to  shares  or
7.07% of total voting rights, indirect: 1,459,614 voting rights  attached
to  shares  or  5.91%  of  total  voting  rights),  Allianz  Global  Investors

GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (indirect: 1,291,376 voting rights 
attached to shares or 5.23% of total voting rights) and Teleios Capital 
Partners, Zug, Switzerland (indirect: 1,242,713 voting rights attached to 
shares or 5.03% of total voting rights).

the Company is not met at the Annual General Meeting, then the 
shareholders may be re-convened to a second General Meeting. No 
quorum is required in respect of such second General Meeting and 
the  resolutions are adopted by a super majority of two-thirds of the 
votes validly cast, without counting the abstentions.

D)  The  control  rights  of  any  shares  issued  in  connection  with  employee

share schemes are exercised directly by the respective employee.

H)  Powers of the Management Board: 

 – The  Company  is  managed  by  a  Management  Board  under  the

E)  The  Articles  of  Incorporation  of  the  Company  do  not  contain  any

 supervision of the Supervisory Board.

 restrictions on voting rights.

F)  There  are  no  agreements  with  shareholders  which  are  known  to  the
Company  and  may  result  in  restrictions  on  the  transfer  of  securities
or  voting  rights  within  the  meaning  of  Directive  2004 / 109  /EC,  as
 amended, (Transparency Directive).

G)  Rules  governing  the  appointment  and  replacement  of  Management
Board members and the amendment of the Articles of Incorporation:
 – The Management Board members are appointed by the  Supervisory
Board  by  the  majority  of  the  votes  of  the  members  present  or
 represented  (abstention  or  non-participation  being  taken  into
 account  as  a  vote  against  the  appointment),  or  in  the  case  of  a
vacancy, by way of a decision of the remaining Management Board
members for the period until the next Supervisory Board Meeting.
 – Management Board members serve for the following terms: Chief
Executive Officer up to four years, and for any other Board  members 
up  to  three  years.  Management  Board  members  are  eligible  for
re-appointment.

 – Management  Board  members  may  be  removed  at  any  time  with
or without cause by the Supervisory Board by a simple majority of
the votes.

 – Resolutions to amend the Articles of Incorporation may be  adopted
by  a  majority  of  two-thirds  of  the  votes  validly  cast,  without
 counting the abstentions, if the quorum of half of the share capital
is  met.  If  the  quorum  requirement  of  half  of  the  share  capital  of

 – The  Management  Board  is  vested  with  the  broadest  powers  to
 perform or cause to be performed any actions necessary or useful in
connection with the purpose of the Company. 

 – All  powers  not  expressly  reserved  by  the  Luxembourg  Companies
Act or by the Articles of Incorporation to the General Meeting or the
 Supervisory Board fall within the authority of the Management Board.
 – Certain transactions and measures are subject to the prior approval
of  the  Supervisory  Board  on  the  terms  set  out  in  the Articles  of
Incorporation.

 – The  Management  Board  may  appoint  one  or  more  persons,  who
may  be  a  shareholder  or  not,  or  who  may  be  a  member  of  the
 Management Board or not, to the exclusion of any member of the
Supervisory Board, who shall have full authority to act on behalf of
the Company in all matters pertaining to the daily management and 
affairs of the Company. 

 – The  Management  Board  is  also  authorized  to  appoint  a  person,
either  a  director  or  not,  to  the  exclusion  of  any  member  of  the
 Supervisory Board, for the purposes of performing specific functions
at every level within the Company.

 – The  Management  Board  may  also  appoint  committees  and
sub-committees in order to deal with specific tasks, to advise the
Management Board or to make recommendations to the Manage-
ment Board and / or, as the case may be, the General Meeting, the
members of which may be selected either from among the members 
of the Management Board or not, to the exclusion of any member
of the Supervisory Board.

39

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

  CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

 – The Management Board does not have currently any authority to
issue shares in the Company under the Articles of Incorporation. 
 – The Management Board is authorized to buy back shares under the
Articles of Incorporation or a buy-back program, for a period of five
years  (resolution  of  the Annual  General  Meeting  on  February  12,
2020). The maximum number of the shares to be acquired, shall be
not exceeding 2 million shares of the aggregate nominal amount
of  the  issued  share  capital. The  purchase  shall  be  affected  either
through the stock exchange or on the basis of a public purchase
offer to all shareholders. If the shares are acquired on the Frank-
furt Stock Exchange the consideration payable per share shall not
exceed  by  more  than  10%  and  shall  not  undercut  by  more  than
20% the arithmetic mean of the closing price in XETRA trading on
the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on the last three days of trading prior
to the decision to repurchase shares.

I)  There are no significant agreements to which the Company is party, and
which  take  effect,  alter  or  terminate  upon  a  change  of  control  of  the
Company following a takeover bid.

J)  There  are  agreements  between  the  Company  and  its  Management
Board members or employees providing for compensation if they  resign
or  are  made  redundant  without  valid  reason  or  if  their  employment
 ceases because of a takeover bid.

40

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORT

  SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 OUTLOOK

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

As of December 10, 2020, there were no further events or developments 
that could have materially affected the measurement and presentation of 
the Group’s assets and liabilities as of September 30, 2020.

OUTLOOK

For  the  fiscal  year  2021,  we  expect  revenue  of  €850  million  to   
€900  million  and  an  adjusted  EBIT  margin  of  between  12%  and  13%. 
These   assumptions  are  based  on  a  stabilizing  global  economy  and  the 
expected  recovery  in  global  automotive  production  and  no  further  
unexpected impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Stabilus Group also confirms its STAR 2025 long-term forecast, which 
expects organic annual revenue growth of an average of 6% per year until 
fiscal 2025 and the return to an adjusted EBIT margin of 15%.  Innovative 
strength  will  continue  to  be  a  major  success  factor  going  forward.  One 
aim is to generate €250 million in revenue with new products in the 2025   
fiscal  year.  With  our  highly  motivated  staff,  our  strong  international 
 management  team,  proven  innovative  strength  and  efficiency,  and  our 
consistent  and  systematic  customer  orientation,  we  have  everything  it 
 takes to achieve this ambitious goal.

41

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONFINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

C CONSOLIDATED   

for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF  

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF  

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF 

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME   

FINANCIAL POSITION   

CHANGES IN EQUITY   

 43 

 44

45

19 Current tax assets 

20 Cash and cash equivalents  

21 Equity  

22 Financial liabilities  

23 Other financial liabilities  

24 Leases 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS  

 46

25 Provisions 

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL  

26 Pension plans and similar obligations 

STATEMENTS   

 47

27 Trade accounts payable 

76

76

77

78

79

79

80

83

85

85

85

85

87

88

91

91

92

94

98

99

99

99

1 General information 

2  Basis for presentation   

3 Accounting policies   

4 Revenue   

 5  Cost of sales, research and development, 

selling and administrative expenses  

6  Other income   

7 Other expenses   

8 Finance income   

9 Finance costs  

10 Income tax expense  

11 Earnings per share   

12 Property, plant and equipment   

13 Goodwill   

14 Other intangible assets   

15 Other financial assets   

16 Other assets  

17 Inventories  

18 Trade and other receivables  

47

47

56

61

62

63

63

63

63

63

66

67

70

72

73

74

74

74

28 Current tax liabilities 

29 Other liabilities 

30   Contingent liabilities and other 

financial commitments 

31 Financial instruments 

32 Risk reporting 

33 Capital management 

34  Notes to the consolidated statement of  

cash flows 

35 Segment reporting 

36 Share-based payments 

37 Auditor’s fees 

38 Related party relationships 

39  Remuneration of key management 

personnel

  40 Subsequent events 

RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT   

MANAGEMENT BOARD OF STABILUS S. A.  

SUPERVISORY BOARD OF STABILUS S. A.   

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT   

 100

 101

 102

 103

S T A B I L U S   A N N U A L   R E P O R T   2 0 2 0
S T A B I L U S   A N N U A L   R E P O R T   2 0 2 0

42

C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

  CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF   

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

IN € THOUSANDS

Revenue

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Research and development expenses

Selling expenses

Administrative expenses

Other income

Other expenses

Profit from operating activities

Finance income

Finance costs

Profit / (loss) before income tax

Income tax income / (expense)

Profit / (loss) for the period

thereof attributable to non-controlling interests

thereof attributable to shareholders of Stabilus

Other comprehensive income / (expense)

Foreign currency translation difference1)

Unrealized actuarial gains and losses2)

Other comprehensive income / (expense), net of taxes

Total comprehensive income / (expense) for the period

thereof attributable to non-controlling interests

thereof attributable to shareholders of Stabilus

Earnings per share (in €): 

basic

diluted

Note

4

5

5

5

5

6

7

8

9

10

21

21

11

11

Yea r e nded Sep t 30 ,

20 20

822,126

(590,627)

231,499

(40,645)

(106,068)

(35,510)

8,927

(2,060)

56,143

2,258

(11,013)

47,388

(17,400)

29,988

(1,445)

31,433

(34,184)

1,347

(32,837)

(2,849)

(1,445)

(1,404)

1.27

1.27

1) Item that may be reclassified (“recycled”) to profit and loss at a future point in time when specific conditions are met.

2) Item that will not be reclassified to profit and loss.

3) Since October 1, 2019, the Stabilus Group has adopted the new standard IFRS 16 (Leases) by using the modified retrospective transition method. In accordance with this method, prior year figures were not restated.

T _ 014

20 19 3 )

951,339

(674,955)

276,384

(39,150)

(84,191)

(35,655)

8,294

(1,667)

124,015

1,254

(10,417)

114,852

(33,953)

80,899

273

80,626

11,753

(6,424)

5,329

86,228

273

85,955

3.26

3.26

43

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

  CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF   

FINANCIAL POSITION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

as of September 30, 2020

Consolidated statement of financial position

T _ 015

Consolidated statement of financial position

T _ 015

IN € THOUSANDS

Assets

Property, plant and equipment2)

Goodwill

Other intangible assets

Other assets

Deferred tax assets

Total non-current assets

Inventories

Trade and other receivables

Current tax assets

Other financial assets

Other assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Total current assets

Total assets

No te

Sep t  30,  2020

Sept 30, 2019 1)

IN €  THOU SAND S

Note

Se pt 3 0, 202 0

Sep t 30 , 2 019 1 )

12

13

14

16

10

17

18

19

15

16

20

229,809

207,661

229,251

281

11,149

678,151

97,237

117,071

9,591

7,274

11,816

162,431

405,420

199,946

214,821

276,159

1,711

13,371

706,008

100,339

130,328

4,987

4,743

13,814

139,020

393,231

Equity and liabilities

Issued capital

Capital reserves

Retained earnings

Other reserves

Equity attributable to shareholders of Stabilus

Non-controlling interests

Total equity

Financial liabilities

Other financial liabilities

Provisions

Pension plans and similar obligations

Deferred tax liabilities

Total non-current liabilities

1,083,571

1,099,239

Trade accounts payable

Financial liabilities

Other financial liabilities

Current tax liabilities

Provisions

Other liabilities

Total current liabilities

Total liabilities

Total equity and liabilities

21

21

21

21

22

23

25

26

10

27

22

23

28

25

29

247

225,848

287,702

(52,120)

461,677

7,921

469,598

288,078

33,066

3,699

57,029

43,656

247

225,848

283,423

(19,283)

490,235

9,382

499,617

308,761

83

3,565

59,893

55,933

425,528

428,235

71,080

34,306

16,345

9,658

40,168

16,888

188,445

613,973

90,992

2,824

10,096

13,088

38,144

16,243

171,387

599,622

1,083,571

1,099,239

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

1)  Since October 1, 2019, the Stabilus Group has adopted the new standard IFRS 16 (Leases) by using the modified retrospective   

transition method. In accordance with this method, prior year figures were not restated.

2)  The Stabilus Group is disclosing the right-of-use assets to property, plant and equipment in the same balance sheet position as the 

underlying assets, as if they were own property.

44

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

  CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF   

CHANGES IN EQUITY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020

Consolidated statement of changes in equity

IN  € THOUSAND S

Balance as of Sept 30, 2018

Effects IFRS 9

Balance as of Oct 1, 2018

Profit / (loss) for the period

Other comprehensive income / (expense)

Total comprehensive income for the period

Dividends

Change in ownership interest in subsidiaries without a change of control

Change in non-controlling interest

Receipts from non-controlling interest

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Profit / (loss) for the period

Other comprehensive income / (expense)

Total comprehensive income for the period

Dividends

21

21

21

Change in ownership interest in subsidiaries without a change of control

Change in non-controlling interest

Receipts from non-controlling interest

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

Note

Issued  
capi tal Capi tal  reserves

Retai ned  
earni ngs

Other re serves

T _ 016

Eq uity  
attributable to  
share holders  
of Stabilus

Non - 
controlling 
interests

Total equity

247

–

247

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

225,848

–

225,848

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

247

225,848

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

225,090

834

225,924

80,626

–

80,626

(24,700)

1,573

–

–

283,423

31,433

–

31,433

(27,170)

16

–

–

(24,612)

–

(24,612)

–

5,329

5,329

–

–

–

–

(19,283)

–

(32,837)

(32,837)

–

–

–

–

426,573

834

427,407

80,626

5,329

85,955

(24,700)

1,573

–

–

490,235

31,433

(32,837)

(1,404)

(27,170)

16

–

–

(50)

–

(50)

273

–

273

(62)

(2,774)

11,415

580

9,382

(1,445)

–

(1,445)

–

(16)

–

–

426,523

834

427,357

80,899

5,329

86,228

(24,762)

(1,201)

11,415

580

499,617

29,988

(32,837)

(2,849)

(27,170)

–

–

–

247

225,848

287,702

(52,120)

461,677

7,921

469,598

45

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

  CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020

Consolidated statement of cash flows

T _ 017

Consolidated statement of cash flows

T _ 017

IN € THOUSANDS

Profit / (loss) for the period

Income tax expense

Net finance result

Interest received

Note

8 / 9

Depreciation and amortization (incl. impairment losses)

13 / 15

Gains / losses from the disposal of assets

Changes in inventories

Changes in trade accounts receivable

Changes in trade accounts payable

Changes in other assets and liabilities

Changes in provisions

Income tax payments

Cash flow from operating activities

Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment

Purchase of intangible assets

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

Acquisition of assets and liabilities within the business 
combination, net of cash acquired

Cash flow from investing activities

34

14

12

Year  en ded Sept 30,

Yea r e nded Sep t 30 ,

2020

29,988

17,400

8,756

499

95,816

38

3,102

13,257

(19,912)

(4,795)

1,159

(36,427)

108,881

938

(17,663)

(29,915)

(1,062)

(47,702)

2019 1)

IN €  THOU SAND S

80,899

33,953

9,163

419

59,633

(136)

(4,847)

(11,395)

3,661

11,497

(1,500)

(35,930)

145,417

Receipts under financial liabilities

Payments for redemption of financial liabilities

Receipts from non-controlling interests

Payments for redemption of senior facilities

Payments for lease liabilities

Dividends paid

Dividends paid to non-controlling interests

Payment for acquisition of non-controlling interests

Payments for interest

Cash flow from financing activities

Net increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

Effect of movements in exchange rates on cash held

Cash and cash equivalents as of beginning of the period

1,032

Cash and cash equivalents as of end of the period

Note

34

21

34

20 20

29,894

(1,550)

–

(20,000)

(8,245)

(27,170)

–

–

(4,814)

(31,885)

29,294

(5,883)

139,020

162,431

20 19 1 )

–

(3,694)

580

(21,073)

(443)

(24,700)

(62)

(1,200)

(3,643)

(54,235)

(5,722)

1,742

143,000

139,020

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

1)  Since October 1, 2019, the Stabilus Group has adopted the new standard IFRS 16 (Leases) by using the modified retrospective   

transition method. In accordance with this method, prior year figures were not restated. 

(15,108)

(41,413)

(41,415)

(96,904)

46

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED    

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  GENERAL INFORMATION

  BASIS FOR PRESENTATION

NOTES TO THE 
 CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL 
STATEMENTS

as of and for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020

1  General information

Stabilus S. A., Luxembourg, hereinafter also referred to as “Stabilus” or 
the “Company”  is  a  public  limited  liability  company  (Société Anonyme) 
incorporated in Luxembourg and governed by Luxembourg law. The Com-
pany  is  registered  with  the  Luxembourg Trade  and  Companies  Register 
(Registre de Commerce et des Sociétés Luxembourg) under No. B151589 
and  its   registered  office  is  located  at  2,  rue Albert  Borschette,  L-1246 
 Luxembourg,  Grand  Duchy  of  Luxembourg. The  Company  was  founded 
under the name Servus HoldCo S.à r. l. on February 26, 2010.

The  Company´s  fiscal  year  is  from  October  1  to  September  30  of  the 
 following  year 
(twelve-month  period).  The  consolidated  financial 
 statements of Stabilus S. A. include Stabilus and its subsidiaries (hereafter 
also referred to as “Stabilus Group” or the “Group”).

The  Stabilus  Group  is  a  leading  manufacturer  of  gas  springs,  dampers, 
vibration isolation products as well as electric tailgate opening and  closing 
equipment. The products are used in a wide range of applications in the 
automotive,  industrial  and  domestic  sector,  as  well  as  in  the  furniture 
 industry. Typically, the products are used to support the lifting and  lowering 
or dampening of movements. As world market leader for gas springs, the 
Group ships to all key vehicle manufacturers. Various Tier 1 suppliers of the 
global car industry as well as large technical focused  distributors further 
diversify the Group’s customer base. 

The consolidated financial statements are prepared in euro (€) rounded to 
the nearest thousand. Due to rounding, numbers presented may not add 
up precisely to totals provided.

The  consolidated  financial  statements  of  Stabilus  and  its  subsidiaries 
have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
 Standards (IFRS), as adopted by the EU.

The  consolidated  financial  statements  were  authorized  for  issue  by  the 
Management Board on December 10, 2020.

2  Basis for presentation

Preparation

In the statement of financial position assets and liabilities are classified as 
non-current and current. They are reported as current if the remaining term 
is less than one year and as non-current if the remaining term is over one 
year. Deferred tax assets and liabilities, as well as provisions for defined 
benefit pension plans and similar obligations are reported as non-current. 
The consolidated statement of comprehensive income is presented using 
the cost of sales method.

In relation of the first-time application of IFRS 16 ”Leases” and IFRIC 23 
“Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments“ as of October 1, 2019. Stabilus 
Group has applied the modified retrospective method for the transition to 
IFRS 16 and IFRIC 23.

Measurement

The  consolidated  financial  statements  have  been  prepared  on  historical 
cost basis, except for certain items, that are measured at fair value, like 
derivative financial instruments. The exceptions are described below.

Use of estimates and judgments

The  preparation  of  financial  statements  requires  estimates  that  involve 
complex and subjective judgments and the use of assumptions for  matters 
that are uncertain and are subject to change. Estimates can change from 
period to period and can have a material impact on financial  positions, 
income and expenses. Estimates and underlying assumptions are  reviewed 
on  an  ongoing  basis  from  the  Management.  These  are  updated,  if 
 necessary. Revisions to estimates are recognized prospectively. 

Impairment of non-financial assets
Stabilus monitors whether there are indications that its non-financial  assets 
may  be  impaired.  Goodwill  and  development  cost  under   construction 
are  tested  for  impairment  annually.  Further  tests  are  carried  out  if  there 
are   indications  for  impairment.  Other  non-financial  assets  are  tested  for 
 impairment  if  there  are  indications  that  the  carrying  amount  may  not  be 
recoverable. If the fair value less costs of disposal is calculated, management 
must estimate the expected future cash flows from the asset or the cash- 
generating unit and select an appropriate discount rate in order to determine 
the present value.

Trade and other receivables 
The allowance for doubtful accounts requires management judgment and 
review of individual receivables based on individual customer creditworthi-
ness, current economic trends, analysis of historical allowances and deter-
mination of expected credit losses (ECL) on financial assets. Details of bad 
debt allowances on trade receivables are presented in Note 18.

Deferred tax assets 
The valuation of deferred tax assets is based on mid-term business plans 
of  the  entities  carrying  the  deferred  tax  asset.  The  mid-term  business 
plans  range  from  three  to  five  years  and  include  various  assumptions 
and  estimates  relating  to  the  business  development,  strategic  changes, 

47

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  BASIS FOR PRESENTATION

cost  optimization  and  business  improvement  and  also  general  market 
and   economic  development.  Deferred  tax  assets  are  recognized  to  the 
extent  that   sufficient  taxable  profit  will  be  available  for  the  utilization 
of  the   deductible  temporary  differences.  Stabilus  recognizes  a  valuation 
 allowance for deferred tax assets when it is unlikely that sufficient future 
taxable profit will be available. Please also refer to Note 10.

Provisions 
Significant  estimates  are  required  in  the  determination  of  provisions 
 related to pensions and other obligations, contract losses, warranty costs 
and legal proceedings. Please also refer to Notes 25 and 26.

Risks and uncertainties

The  Group’s  net  assets,  financial  position  and  results  of  operations  are 
subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results can vary from expectations 
due  to  changes  in  the  overall  economy,  evolvement  of  price- aggressive 
competitors,  significant  price  changes  for  raw   materials  and  overall 
purchase costs. Furthermore, quality issues may result in significant costs 
for  the  Group. The  Group  financing  is  based  on  variable  interest  rates  
and is subject to risks and uncertainties due to the development of the 
Euribor and the net leverage level of the Stabilus Group. 

Going concern

These  consolidated  financial  statements  have  been  prepared  under  the 
going concern assumption, from the current perspective there are no risks 
to the continued existence of the Stabilus Group.

Scope of consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of 
Stabilus S. A. and all subsidiaries, which are directly or indirectly controlled 
by Stabilus. Control exists if the Company has the decision-making power 
over the relevant activities of an entity and it participates in positive and 
negative variable returns from that entity and it can affect these returns by 
its decision-making power. 

Non-controlling interests represent the portion of profit and loss and net 
assets  not  held  by  the  Company. They  are  presented  separately  in  the 
consolidated  statement  of  comprehensive  income  and  the  consolidated 
statement of financial position. 

The  results  of  subsidiaries  acquired  or  disposed  during  the  period  are 
included  in  the  consolidated  statement  of  comprehensive  income  from 
the date of acquisition or until the date of disposal, as appropriate. 

48

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  BASIS FOR PRESENTATION

Next to Stabilus S. A., 37 (PY: 36) subsidiaries (see following list) are in-
cluded in the consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2020.

Subsidiaries

T _ 018

NO . 

NA ME  OF THE COMPANY

Regi stered  offic e  of the entity

In terest and c ontrol h eld  b y

Holding in %

Con so lidation me thod

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Stable II S.à r.l.

Stable Beteiligungs GmbH

Stable HoldCo Australia Pty. Ltd.

Stabilus UK Ltd.

Stabilus GmbH

Stabilus Pty. Ltd.

Stabilus Ltda.

Stabilus Espana S.L.

Stabilus Co. Ltd.

Stabilus S.A. de C.V.

Stabilus Inc.

Stabilus Limited

Stabilus Japan Corp.

New Clevers S.A.

Piston Amortisör San. ve Tic. A. Ş.

Stabilus France S.à r.l.

Stabilus Romania S.R.L.

Stabilus (Jiangsu) Ltd.

Stabilus Mechatronics Service Ltd.

Stabilus PTE Ltd.

Stabilus (Zhejiang) Ltd.

Stabilus US Holding Corp.

Stabilus Motion Controls GmbH

General Aerospace GmbH

General Aerospace Inc.

Fabreeka Group Holdings, Inc.

Luxembourg

Koblenz, Germany

Dingley, Australia

Banbury, United Kingdom

Koblenz, Germany

Dingley, Australia

Itajubá, Brazil

Lezama, Spain

Busan, South Korea

Ramos Arizpe, Mexico

Stabilus S.A.

Stable II S.à r.l.

Stable II S.à r.l.

Stable Beteiligungs GmbH

Stable Beteiligungs GmbH

Stable HoldCo Australia Pty. Ltd.

Stabilus GmbH

Stabilus GmbH

Stabilus GmbH

Stabilus GmbH

Stabilus UK Ltd.

Gastonia, USA

Stabilus US Holding Corp.

Auckland, New Zealand

Yokohama, Japan

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Bursa, Turkey

Poissy, France

Brasov, Romania

Wujin, China

Shanghai, China

Singapore

Pinghu, China

Wilmington, USA

Langenfeld, Germany

Eschbach, Germany

Lynnwood, USA

Stoughton, USA

Stabilus GmbH

Stable Beteiligungs GmbH

Stable Beteiligungs GmbH

Stable Beteiligungs GmbH

Stabilus GmbH

Stable Beteiligungs GmbH

Stabilus GmbH

Stabilus GmbH

Stabilus (Jiangsu) Ltd.

Stabilus GmbH

Stable II S.à r.l.

Stable II S.à r.l.

Stable II S.à r.l.

Stabilus Motion Controls GmbH

General Aerospace GmbH

Stabilus US Holding Corp.

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

99.9998%

0.0002%

100.00%

80.00%

100.00%

60.00%

53.00%

100.00%

0.001%

99.999%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

90.00%

100.00%

100.00%

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

49

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  BASIS FOR PRESENTATION

Subsidiaries

(continued)

T _ 018

NO. 

NA ME  OF THE COMPANY

Regi stered  offic e  of the entity

In terest and c ontrol he ld b y

Holding in %

Con so lidation me thod

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

ACE Controls Inc.

ACE Controls International Inc.

Fabreeka International Holdings Inc.

Fabreeka International Inc.

Tech Products Corporation

Fabreeka GmbH Deutschland

ACE Controls Japan L.L.C.

ACE Stoßdämpfer GmbH

HAHN-Gasfedern GmbH

YAKIDO B.V.1)

Stabilus Actio GmbH

Farmington Hills, USA

Farmington Hills, USA

Stoughton, USA

Stoughton, USA

Stabilus US Holding Corp.

Stabilus US Holding Corp.

Fabreeka Group Holdings Inc.

Fabreeka International Holdings Inc.

Miamisburg, USA

Fabreeka International Holdings Inc.

Büttelborn, Germany

Fabreeka International Holdings Inc.

Farmington Hills, USA

Langenfeld, Germany

ACE Controls Inc.

Stabilus Motion Controls GmbH

Stable II S.à r.l.

Aichwald, Germany

Stabilus Motion Controls GmbH

Zwijndrecht, Netherlands

HAHN-Gasfedern GmbH

Langenfeld, Germany

Stabilus Motion Controls GmbH

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

100.00%

94.90%

5.10%

100.00%

50.00%

100.00%

1) The entity has been fully consolidated as the Stabilus Group can exercise control over the company in the meaning of IFRS 10. 

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

Full

50

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  BASIS FOR PRESENTATION

The  decrease  of  subsidiaries  is  due  to  the  ongoing  simplification  of  the 
 legal structure of the Stabilus Group. In fiscal year 2020, one subsidiary was 
 liquidated  and  two  entities  were  founded  in  fiscal  year  2020. This  had  no 
 material effect on the Group’s consolidated financial statements.

Foreign currency translation

The consolidated financial statements are presented in euro (€).

Principles of consolidation

The assets and liabilities of domestic and foreign entities included in the conso-
lidated financial statements are accounted for in accordance with the uniform 
accounting policies of the Stabilus Group. Receivables and liabilities or provi-
sions  between  the  consolidated  entities  are  eliminated.  Intragroup  revenue 
and other intragroup income and the corresponding cost and expenses are 
eliminated. Intercompany gains and losses on intragroup delivery and service 
transactions are eliminated through profit or loss, unless they are immaterial. 

Business combination

Business combinations are accounted for using the acquisition method as 
of the acquisition date, which is the date on which control is obtained by 
the Group. Goodwill is measured as: 

For each entity in the Group its functional currency is determined, which 
is the currency of the primary economic environment in which the  entity 
operates.  Items  included  in  the  financial  statements  of  each  entity  are 
measured using the functional currency. Transactions in foreign currencies 
are initially translated into the functional currency using the exchange rate 
at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated 
in foreign currency are translated into the functional currency using the 
exchange  rate  at  the  balance  sheet  date. The  resulting  foreign  currency 
exchange gains or losses are recognized in profit and loss.

Non-monetary items in a foreign currency that are measured at historical 
cost  are  translated  using  the  exchange  rates  as  of  the  date  of  the   initial 
transaction. Non-monetary items in foreign currency measured at fair value 
are translated using the exchange rate at the date when the fair value is 
determined. 

Assets and liabilities of foreign subsidiaries with a functional currency other 
than euro (€) are translated using the exchange rates as at the  balance 
sheet  date,  while  their  income,  expenses  and  cash  flows  are   translated 
using the average exchange rates during the period.

Foreign  currency  exchange  gains  and  losses  on  operating  activities  are 
 included in other operating income and expense. Foreign currency gains 
and  losses  on  financial  receivables  and  debts  are  included  in  interest 
 income and expense.

Translation adjustments arising from exchange rate differences are recog-
nized directly in shareholder’s equity and are presented as a separate com-
ponent of equity. On disposal of a foreign entity, the translation adjustment 
relating to that particular foreign operation is recognized in profit or loss.

Exchange differences from foreign currency loans that are part of a net 
investment in a foreign operation are recognized directly in equity.

The  exchange  rates  of  the  significant  currencies  of  non-euro  countries 
used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements were as 
follows:

•  The fair value of the consideration transferred, plus the recognized 
amount  of  any  non-controlling  interests  in  the  acquiree,  less  the 
net recognized amount (generally the fair value) of the identifiable 
 assets acquired and liabilities assumed.

Exchange rates

The  consideration  transferred  does  not  include  amounts  related  to  the 
settlement of transactions existing before the business combination. Such 
amounts  are  generally  recognized  in  profit  or  loss.  Costs  related  to  the 
acquisition, other than those associated with the issue of debt or equity 
securities that the Group incurs in connection with the business combination 
are expensed as incurred. 

Non-controlling  interests  in  the  net  assets  of  consolidated  subsidiaries 
consist of the value of those interests at the date of the original business 
combination and their share of changes in equity since that date.

COUN TRY

ISO Code

Australia

Argentina

Brazil

China

South Korea

Mexico

Romania

Turkey

USA

AUD

ARS

BRL

CNY

KRW

MXN

RON

TRY

USD

Closing ra te Sept 30, 

Ave rage rate for th e 
yea r e nded Sept 30 , 

20 20

1.6438

89.1154

6.6308

7.9720

1,368.5100

26.1848

4.8725

9.0990

1.1708

20 19

1.6126

62.4212

4.5288

7.7784

1,304.8300

21.4522

4.7496

6.1491

1.0889

20 20

1.6525

73.3367

5.4205

7.8460

1,337.3401

23.7171

4.8118

7.2972

1.1199

T _ 019

20 19

1.6029

47.9888

4.3604

7.7569

1,300.9884

21.8837

4.7189

6.3238

1.1281

51

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  BASIS FOR PRESENTATION

In the financial year 2020 the Stabilus Group applied the new standards 
IFRS 16 Leases and IFRIC 23 Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments and 
the Amendments to IFRS 16 and IAS 19 for the first time. The effect of 
the initial application of IFRS 16 was an increase in property, plant and 
 equipment of €43.7 million due to the recognition of right-of-use assets 
as  of  October  1,  2019.  In  compliance  with  the  transitional  provisions, 
 comparative  information  was  not  restated.  Nonetheless,  this  does  not 
 significantly impact overall comparability with prior year figures.

T _ 020

IFRS 16 Leases

CHANGES IN ACCOUNTING POLICIES / NEW 
STANDARDS ISSUED 

The accounting policies applied in the consolidated financial statements 
comply with the IFRSs required to be applied in the EU as of September 30, 
2020. In financial year 2020, the following new and revised standards and 
interpretations had to be applied for the first time in the Stabilus Group’s 
financial statements:

New standards, interpretations and amendments in the financial year

IFRS 16

IFRIC 23

Leases  
(issued on January 13, 2016)

Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments 
(issued on June 7, 2017)

Amendments to IFRS 9

Prepayment Features with Negative Compensation  
(issued on October 12, 2017)

Amendments to IAS 19

Plan Amendment, Curtailment or Settlement 
(issued on February 7, 2018)

Amendments to IAS 28

Long-term Interests in Associates and Joint Ventures  
(issued on 12 October 2017)

Annual Improvements

Annual Improvements to IFRSs 2015-2017 Cycle  
(issued on December 12, 2017)

Amendments to IFRS 16

COVID-19-Related Rent Concession 
(issued on May 28, 2020)

The effective date presented above is the date of mandatory application in annual periods beginning on or after that date.

Effective date 
sti pul ated  
by  IASB

Effective date 
sti pul ated  
by  EU

January 1, 2019

January 1, 2019

January 1, 2019

January 1, 2019

Impa ct on  
Stabilus  
fina ncial  
statements

Reference is made to the 
descriptions below

Reference is made to the 
descriptions below

January 1, 2019

January 1, 2019

No impact

January 1, 2019

January 1, 2019

Reference is made to the 
descriptions below

January 1, 2019

January 1, 2019

No impact

January 1, 2019

January 1, 2019

No impact

June 1, 2020

June 1, 2020

Reference is made to the 
descriptions below

IFRS 16 (Leases) changes the regulations for the recognition,  measurement, 
presentation  and  disclosure  of  leases.  IFRS  16  (Leases)  supersedes  the 
previous standard for lease accounting (IAS 17 Leases) and the  relating 
interpretations  (IFRIC  4  Lease Arrangement,  SIC-15  Operating  Leases  – 
 Incentives and SIC-27 Evaluation of Lease Transactions).

In the financial year 2020 starting October 1, 2019, the Stabilus Group 
applied  the  new  standard  IFRS  16  (Leases)  for  the  first-time  using  the 
modified retrospective transition method. In accordance with this method, 
the prior year figures were not restated. In addition, the Group used the 
practical expedient in IFRS 16.C3 to apply IFRS 16 (Leases) only to those 
contracts that were previously identified as leases under IAS 17 (Leases) 
or  IFRIC  4  (Lease  Arrangement).  In  the  ordinary  business,  the  Stabilus 
Group is the lessee of property, plant and equipment (e.g. IT hardware, 
cars, and other machinery and equipment). For all leases respective  lease 
term  options (e.g. renewal options) are considered. The application of such 
lease term options provides the Group with the greatest possible  flexibility 
concerning its leased assets. The majority of the current options to  extend 
or terminate the leases can only be exercised by the Group and not by 
the  respective  lessor.  Within  the  Stabilus  Group  the  extension  options 
are   solely  used  for  the  asset  class “buildings”.  For  all  other  leases  the 
 minimum term of lease is considered.

Within  the  scope  of  a  group-wide  project  a  software  for  contract  data 
management was introduced. 

52

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
Based on the retrospective initial recognition as of October 1, 2019, the 
 effects  resulted  in  an  increase  of  the  balance  sheet  total.  Right-of-use 
 assets in the amount of €43.7 million and corresponding lease liabilities 
were  recognized  in  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  fiscal  year 
2020. The Stabilus Group decided to recognize the right-of-use assets in 
the same amount as the lease liabilities. The lease liabilities are divided 
into  €36.9  million  non-current  and  €6.8  million  current. The  effects  on 
the consolidated statement of cash flows in fiscal year 2020 are: Increase 
in the cash flow from financing activities amounting to €9.7 million. This 
increase is attributable to the payments for lease liabilities of €(8.2)  million 
and  to  the  interest  expense  from  lease  liabilities  amounting  to   €(1.5) 
 million. The cash flow from operating activities is reduced accordingly. 

The  Stabilus  Group  decided  to  use  some  practical  expedients  outlined  in 
IFRS 16 (Leases) like short-term leases (leases with a lease term less than 
12 months) and low-value assets (underlying asset < 5.000 EUR / USD e.g. 
 printers  and  copiers).  Thereof,  short-term  leases  can  be  classified  in  an 
amount  of  €(0.9)  million.  Leases  of  low-value  assets  amounted  to  €(0.8) 
million. The regulations of IFRS 16 (Leases) are not applied for the Group’s 
intangible assets. Furthermore, the Stabilus Group shows only a  distinction 
between  lease  and  non-lease  components  for  real  estate.  For  all  non- 
movable goods, there is no distinction between lease and non- lease compo-
nents. For leases with similar characteristics the portfolio  application is used.

The main impact of the transition resulted in the assessment of the lea-
se  term  options  from  real  estate  and  vehicles  (e.g.  cars,  forklifts).  Con-
sidering renewal options (solely for real estate) that are expected to be 
exercised with reasonable certainty, an amount of €17.4 million could be 
 measured. By determining if a renewal option will be exercised the Group 
considers  different  factors  that  have  an  impact  on  the  respective  lease 
term. The main factors are those that are directly related to the contract 
or the  Company.  Contract related factors  mean  that  only  for  those  real 
estates that have such renewal options in their contracts the Group can 
apply to. In addition, the high of the rental payments are relevant throug-
hout the decision process. Factors that are related to the Company, like a 

IN €  MILLIONS

Assets

Property, plant and equipment

Other non-current assets

Current assets

Total assets

Equity and liabilities

Equity

Other non-current liabilities

Other financial liabilities (non-current)

Other current liabilities

Other financial liabilities (current)

Total equity and liabilities

C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  BASIS FOR PRESENTATION

loss of production in case of non-renewal, costs for an acquisition of an 
asset or the going concern criteria on the business activity, are also part 
of the  decision process whether to take into account a renewal option or 
not. Due the fact that most of the contracts include such renewal options 
and the Group is expecting a going concern for all production and non- 
production buildings by considering all factors stated above, the amount 
of the exercised renewal options is reasonably certain.

The  lease  liabilities  were  discounted  as  of  October  1,  2019,  using  the 
 incremental  borrowing  rate.  The  Stabilus  Group’s  weighted  average 
 interest rate as at October 1, 2019, amounted to 3.86%.

The following tables set out the effects of the first-time application of IFRS 
16 (Leases):

Reconciliation of IFRS 16 effects on the consolidated statement of financial position

T_021

as of Sept 3 0, 2019

Effects of  
IFRS 16 
first- time  
ap plication

as of Oct 1 , 20 19

199.9

506.1

393.2

1,099.2

499.6

428.1

0.1

161.3

10.1

1,099.2

43.7

43.7

36.9

6.8

43.7

243.6

506.1

393.2

1,142.9

499.6

428.1

37.0

161.3

16.9

1,142.9

T_022

Reconciliation of IFRS 16 effects on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income

IN €  MILLIONS

Profit from operating activities (EBIT)

Net financial result

Profit / (loss) for the period

Yea r e nded  
Sept 30, 202 0

56.1

(8.8)

30.0

Effects of  
IFRS 16  
first- time  
ap plication

Yea r e nded  
Sep t 30 , 2 020 
without application 
of IFR S 1 6

Yea r e nded  
Sep t 30 , 2 019 
without application 
of IFR S 1 6

1.5

(1.5)

–

54.6

(7.3)

30.0

124.0

(9.2)

80.9

53

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  BASIS FOR PRESENTATION

Reconciliation of IFRS 16 effects on the consolidated statement of cash flows

IN € MIL LI ONS

Cash flow from operating activities

Cash flow from investing activities

Cash flow from financing activities

Reconciliation of lease liabilities

Ye ar  en ded  
Se pt  30, 2020

108.9

(47.7)

(31.9)

IN  € MILLIONS

Operating rental and lease agreements as of Sept 30, 2019

Lease liabilities resulting from finance leases as of Sept 30, 2019

Short-term leases with a lease term < 12 months

Leases of low value

Other1)

Extension and termination options reasonably certain to be exercised

Operating rental and lease agreements as of Oct 1, 2019

Discounted at the incremental borrowing rate as of Oct 1, 2019

Lease liabilities resulting from the initial application of IFRS 16 as of Oct 1, 2019

1) Commitments for leases that had not commenced on September 30, 2019. 

T_023

IFRIC 23 UNCERTAINTY OVER INCOME TAX 
TREATMENTS 

Effects  of  
IFR S 16  
first-time  
appl ication

Year  en ded  
Sept 30, 2020 
without application 
of I FRS 16

Year e nded  
Sept 30, 201 9 
without application 
of IFR S 1 6

(9.7)

–

9.7

99.2

(47.7)

(22.2)

145.4

(96.9)

(54.2)

T_024

as  of O ct 1, 201 9

32.7

0.5

(0.9)

(0.8)

1.1

17.4

50.1

(6.4)

43.7

In  June  2017,  the  IASB  issued  IFRIC  23  Uncertainty  over  Income  Tax 
 Treatments. IFRIC 23 is applicable to financial years beginning on or  after 
January 1, 2019 (Stabilus Group’s financial year 2020). The  interpretation 
supplements  the  provisions  of  IAS  12  Income Taxes  on  accounting  for 
 effective and deferred taxes with regard to uncertainties over the  treatment 
of  particular  circumstances  and  transactions  by  the  tax   authorities  and 
courts pertaining to income tax. Based on our current assessments, this 
clarification  does  not  have  a  significant  impact  on  the  consolidated 
 financial statements of the Stabilus Group. 

AMENDMENTS TO IAS 19: PLAN AMENDMENT, 
CURTAILMENT OR SETTLEMENT

The amendments to IAS 19 address the accounting when a plan amend-
ment,  curtailment  or  settlement  occurs  during  a  reporting  period.  The 
amendments  specify  that  when  a  plan  amendment,  curtailment  or 
 settlement occurs during the annual reporting period, an entity is required 
to recalculate the current service cost and the net interest for the  remainder 
of the period after the plan amendment, curtailment or settlement.

The  amendments  also  clarify  that  an  entity  first  determines  any  past 
 service cost, or gain or loss on settlement, without considering the effect 
of the asset ceiling. This amount is recognized in profit or loss. An entity 
then determines the effect of the asset ceiling after the plan amendment, 
curtailment or settlement. Any change in that effect, excluding amounts 
included in the net interest, is recognized in other comprehensive income. 
The amendments apply to plan amendments, curtailments, or settlements 
occurring  on  or  after  the  beginning  of  the  first  annual  reporting  period 
that begins on or after January 1, 2019 (Stabilus Group’s financial year 
2020). These amendments will apply only to any future plan amendments, 
curtailments, or settlements of Stabilus Group.

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  BASIS FOR PRESENTATION

AMENDMENTS TO IFRS 16: COVID-19-RELATED 
RENT CONCESSION

Lessees that apply the exemption will need to disclose that fact. Further-
more,  this  practical  expedient  must  be  applied  consistently  to  all  lease 
contracts with similar characteristics and in similar circumstances.

AMENDMENTS TO IFRS 9, IAS 39 AND IFRS 7: 
INTEREST RATE BENCHMARK REFORM

In  May  2020,  the  IASB  issued  the  amendments  to  IFRS  16  COVID-19- 
Related Rent Concession. The amendment can be applied from all lessees 
but not from lessors and provides for an optional simplification that allows 
lessees to dispense with the assessment of whether a rental agreement 
in  connection  with  COVID-19  constitutes  a  modification  of  the  lease  in 
accordance with IFRS 16. Instead, lessees should be given the option to 
treat such rent concessions as if they were not a modification of the lease. 
The  practical  expedient  would  apply  only  to  rent  concessions  occurring 
as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and only if all of the 
following conditions are met:

The amendments would be effective for annual reporting periods  beginning 
on  or  after  June  1,  2020.  Earlier  application  is  permitted,   including  in 
 financial statements not authorized for issue at May 28, 2020. 

The  Stabilus  Group  has  early  adopted  the  amendment  and  applied  the 
practical expedient of IFRS 16. The Stabilus Group received rent reductions 
granted by the lessor in an amount of €0.3 million, for the Chinese entities 
for the rent periods February and March. These lease reductions will reduce 
the rental expenses.

•   The change in lease payments results in revised consideration 
for the lease that is substantially the same as, or less than, the 
 consideration for the lease immediately preceding the change;
•   Any reduction in lease payments affects only payments originally 

The  IASB  issued  new  standards  and  amendments  which  have  been 
 endorsed  by  the  EU  and  whose  application  accordingly  is  not  yet 
 compulsory in financial year 2020. The Stabilus Group is not planning an 
early application of these standards, amendments and interpretations. 

due on or before June 30, 2021;

•   There is no substantive change to other terms and conditions of 

the lease.

New standards, interpretations and amendments issued and endorsed by the EU (not yet adopted)

T_025

Conceptual Framework for  
Financial Reporting

Amendments to IFRS 3

Amendments to IFRS 9,  
IAS 39 and IFRS 7

Amendments to   
IAS 1 and IAS 8

Amendments to References  
to the Conceptual Framework  
in IFRS Standards 
(issued on March 29, 2018)

Definition of a Business 
(issued on October 22, 2018)

Interest Rate Benchmark Reform 
(issued on September 26, 2019)

Definition of Material 
(issued on October 31, 2018)

Effective date  
sti pul ated  by IASB

Effective date  
sti pul ated  by EU

Impact o n  Sta bilu s 
financ ial stateme nts

January 1, 2020

January 1, 2020

January 1, 2020

January 1, 2020

No impact

No impact

January 1, 2020

January 1, 2020

Reference is made to the 
descriptions below

January 1, 2020

January 1, 2020

No impact

The effective date presented above is the date of mandatory application in annual periods beginning on or after that date.

In  September  2019,  the  IASB  issued Amendments  to  IFRS  9,  IAS  39  and 
IFRS  7  the  so-called  Interest  Rate  Benchmark  Reform.  The  amendments 
are  effective  for  annual  periods  beginning  on  or  after  January  1,  2020. 
The  amendments  provide  relief  from  the  highly  probable  and  prospective 
 assessment required by IFRS 9 and IAS 39 for hedging relationships that are 
affected by the uncertainties of the IBOR reform. With the same purpose, the 
amendments provide relief from the retrospective assessment under IAS 39. 
The exceptions described in the amendments apply only to those hedging 
relationships directly affected by uncertainties of the IBOR reform including 
cross-currency interest swaps (for the interest component affected). Based 
on our current assessments, the regulations do not have a significant impact 
on the consolidated financial statements of the Stabilus Group. Currently, 
there is no use of hedge accounting within the Group.

The  above-mentioned  new  and  revised  standards,  interpretations  and 
amendments  will  probably  have  no  material  impact  on  the  Stabilus 
Group’s consolidated financial statements.

The new and revised standards and amendments issued but not yet  endorsed 
by the EU mentioned in the table below are currently evaluated. Based on 
our current assessments, the new and revised standards and  interpretations 
mentioned in the table below will probably have no material impact on the 
Stabilus Group’s consolidated financial statements.

55

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  BASIS FOR PRESENTATION

  ACCOUNTING POLICIES

New standards, interpretations and amendments issued but not yet endorsed by the EU

T _ 026

Research expenses and non-capitalized 
 development expenses

IFRS 17

Amendments to IFRS 4

Amendments to IFRS 9,  
IAS 39, IFRS 7, IFRS 4  
and IFRS 16

Amendments to IFRS 3, 
IAS 16, IAS 37 and Annual 
Improvements 2018-2020

Insurance Contracts 
(issued on May 18, 2017)

Deferral of IFRS 9 
(issued on June 30, 2020)

Interest Rate Benchmark Reform 
(issued on August 27, 2020)

All issued on May 14, 2020

Amendments to IAS1 

Classification of Liabilities as Current or  
Non-current (issued on January 23, 2020)

Effective  
date  stip ulated  
by  IASB

Effective  
date  stip ulated  
by  EU

Im pact on  
Stab ilu s  financial  
statements

Research  expenses  and  non-capitalized  development  expenses  are 
 recognized in profit or loss as incurred. 

January 1, 2023

January 1, 2021

Pending

Pending

No impact

Evaluating

Selling expenses

January 1, 2021

Pending

Evaluating

January 1, 2022

January 1, 2023

Pending

Pending

Evaluating

Evaluating

Selling expenses include costs for sales personnel and other sales-related costs 
such as marketing and travelling as well as impairment on intangible  assets are 
included. Shipping and handling costs are expensed within  selling  expenses 
as incurred. Fees charged to customers are shown as sales.  Advertising costs 
(expenses for advertising, sales promotion and other  sales-related activities) 
are expensed within selling expenses as incurred. 

The effective date presented above is the date of mandatory application in annual periods beginning on or after that date.

Borrowing costs

3  Accounting policies

Revenue

Revenue is recognized when or as the control over distinct goods or  services 
is transferred to the customer and when it is probable that the economic 
benefits will flow to the Group and the revenue can be  measured  reliably. 
Revenue  is  measured  at  the  fair  value  of  the  consideration   received  or 
to  be  received.  Customer  bonuses,  discounts,  rebates,  and  other  sales 
 taxes or duties reduce the amount of revenue recognized. The effects of 
 significant financing components can be ignored if the vendor expects, at 
contract inspection, that the period between the transfer of a promised 
good or service to the customer and the date of payment will be one year 
or less. Revenue from the sale of goods is recognized when significant risks 
and rewards of ownership have been transferred to the customer, a price is 

agreed or can be determined and when the payment is probable. Revenue 
from a contract to provide services is recognized according to the stage of 
completion, if the amount of the revenue can be measured reliably and it 
is probable that the economic benefits will flow to the Group.

Borrowing  costs  are  expensed  as  incurred,  unless  they  are   directly 
 attributable to the acquisition, construction or production of a  qualifying 
asset and therefore form part of the cost of that asset.

Cost of sales

Cost of sales comprises costs for the production of goods and for merchan-
dise  sold.  In  addition  to  directly  attributable  material  and  production 
costs, indirect production-related overheads like production and purchase 
 management, warranty expenses, depreciation on production plants and 
amortization as well as impairment of intangible assets. Cost of sales also 
includes write-downs on inventories to the lower net realizable value. 

Interest income and expense

The  interest  income  and  expense  include  the  interest  expenses  from 
 liabilities and the interest income from the investment of cash. The interest 
components  from  defined  benefit  pension  plans  and  similar  obligations 
are reported within personnel expenses. 

Other financial income and expense

The other financial result includes all remaining income and expenses from 
financial  transactions  that  are  not  included  in  the  interest  income  and 
expense.

56

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Income taxes

Goodwill

Income tax expense comprises current and deferred tax.

Current tax comprises the expected tax payable or receivable for the year 
and any adjustment related to previous years and is measured using tax 
rates enacted or substantively enacted at the reporting date. Current tax 
assets and liabilities are offset only if certain criteria are met.

For potential risks related to uncertain tax positions the Group recognized 
provisions in accordance with IFRIC 23. Measurement is based on either 
the most likely amount or the expected value, depending on which amount 
best reflects the expectations.

Deferred tax is recognized on temporary differences between the carrying 
value  of  assets  and  liabilities  under  IFRS  and  their  tax  base,  except   for 
temporary differences arising from goodwill or from the initial  recognition, 
other  than  in  a  business  combination,  of  assets  and  liabilities  in  a 
 transaction that affects neither taxable nor accounting profit.

Deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary differences, 
tax loss carryforwards and tax credits to the extent that it is probable that 
future taxable profits will be available against which they can be  utilized. 
Deferred  tax  assets  are  reviewed  at  each  reporting  date  to  determine 
whether  it  is  probable  that  the  related  tax  benefit  will  be  realized. The 
carrying value is adjusted accordingly.

Deferred tax is measured at the tax rates that are expected to be applied 
to temporary differences when they reverse, based on tax rates enacted or 
substantively enacted at the reporting date. The measurement of  deferred 
tax  reflects  the  tax  consequences  that  would  follow  from  the  manner 
in which Stabilus expects to recover or settle the carrying amount of its 
 assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset only if 
certain criteria are met.

Goodwill is measured at cost less any accumulated impairment losses and 
is  not  amortized.  It  is  tested  for  impairment  at  least  annually  and  if  an 
indication for impairment exists.

The  Group  tests  goodwill  for  impairment  by  comparing  its  recoverable 
amount with its carrying amount. For this purpose, goodwill is allocated 
to  the  cash-generating  units  (CGU)  that  are  expected  to  benefit  from 
the business combination at the acquisition date. Goodwill is tested for 
 impairment at the lowest level within the Group at which goodwill is being 
monitored.

An impairment loss on goodwill is recognized if the recoverable amount of 
the cash-generating unit is below its carrying amount. Impairment losses 
are  recognized  in  profit  or  loss.  Impairment  losses  on  goodwill  are  not 
reversed.

Other intangible assets

Purchased  intangible  assets  are  measured  at  acquisition  cost  and  inter-
nally generated intangible assets at production cost less any accumulated 
amortization and impairment losses. Internally generated intangible assets 
are only recognized when the criteria in accordance with IAS 38 are met.

Intangible assets with finite useful lives are amortized on a straight-line 
basis over their useful economic life and tested for impairment if there is 
an  indication  that  the  intangible  asset  may  be  impaired. The  estimated 
useful life and the amortization method are reviewed at the end of each 
reporting period. The effect of changes in the estimate is being accounted 
for on a prospective basis. Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are 
not amortized and are tested for impairment at least annually and if an 
indication for impairment exists.

The following useful lives are used in the calculation of amortization:  Software 
(3 to 5 years), patented technology (16 years), customer  relationships (19 to 
24 years), unpatented technology (6 to 10 years) and trade names (7 years).

Research and development expenses

Development costs are capitalized when the criteria in accordance with 
IAS 38 are met, otherwise expensed as incurred.

To meet the recognition criteria of IAS 38, Stabilus has to demonstrate the 
following: (1) the technical feasibility of completing the intangible asset so 
that it will be available for use or sale; (2) the intention to complete the 
intangible asset and use or sell it; (3) the ability to use or sell the intangible 
asset; (4) how the intangible asset will generate probable future  economic 
benefits;  (5)  the  availability  of  adequate  technical,  financial  and  other 
 resources to complete the development and to use or sell the intangible 
asset; and (6) the ability to measure reliably the expenditure attributable 
to the intangible asset during its development.

Capitalized development costs comprise all costs directly attributable to 
the development process and are amortized systematically from the start 
of  production  over  the  expected  product  cycle  of  three  to  fifteen  years 
depending on the lifetime of the product.

Property, plant and equipment

Property,  plant  and  equipment,  exempt  from  right-of-use  assets  under 
leases (IFRS 16), is measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and 
impairment losses. 

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Cost for property, plant and equipment include the purchase price, costs 
directly  attributable  to  bringing  the  asset  to  the  location  and  condition 
necessary to be capable of operating  in the  manner intended. This also 
applies for self-constructed plant and equipment taking into account the 
cost of production.

Subsequent costs are capitalized only if they increase the future economic 
benefits embodied in the specific asset to which they relate.

Depreciation  on  property,  plant  and  equipment  is  recognized  on  a 
 straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the assets. The residual 
values, depreciation methods and useful lives are reviewed annually and 
adjusted, if necessary.

Depreciation  is  primarily  based  on  the  following  useful  lives:  Buildings   
(40 years), machinery and equipment (5 to 10 years) and other equipment 
(5 to 8 years).

Any gain or loss on disposal of an item of property, plant and  equipment 
is  recognized  in  profit  or  loss.  If  necessary,  additional  impairment  is 
 recognized on the affected items.

As of October 1, 2019, the Stabilus Group applied the IFRS 16  (Leases) 
standard for the first time. For all leases (exempt practical expedients) a 
right-of-use asset has to be activated on the balance sheet. The Stabilus 
Group  is  disclosing  the  right-of-use  assets  to  property,  plant  and   
equipment in the same balance sheet position as the underlying assets, as 
if they were own property. 

Stabilus recognizes government grants when there is reasonable  assurance 
that  the  conditions  attached  to  the  grants  are  complied  with  and  the 
grants will be received. Government grants related to the purchase or the 
 production  of  fixed  assets  are  generally  offset  against  the  acquisition  or 
production costs of the respective assets so that the grant is recognized 
in  profit  or  loss  over  the  life  of  the  asset  through  reduced  depreciation 
expense.

Leases

Since fiscal year 2020, starting October 1, 2019, the Company accounted 
for leases using IFRS 16 (Leases). By adopting this standard, the Group 
changed its accounting method for all leases where Stabilus is the lessee. 
There is no distinction between finance lease and operating lease  anymore. 
In the last fiscal year, there was one finance lease classified by the Group. 

A lease is defined as a contract, or part of a contract, that conveys the right 
to use an asset (the underlying asset) for a period of time in exchange for 
consideration.  For  all  leases  that  are  not  classified  as  low-value  leases 
 (underlying asset < 5.000 EUR / USD), short-term leases (lease term less 
than 12 months) or intangible assets, a right-of-use asset with a corres-
ponding lease liability is classified. The right-of-use assets are measured 
at cost. All right-of-use assets are depreciated over the total lease term 
on  a  straight-line  basis. The  lease  liabilities  are  measured  by  increasing 
the carrying amount to reflect the interest expenses for the leases and by 
reducing the carrying amount to reflect the lease payments made. 

For  all  leases  respective  lease  term  options  (e.g.  renewal  options)  are 
 considered. The application of such lease term options provides the Group 
with  the  greatest  possible  flexibility  concerning  their  leased  assets. The 
majority of the current options to extend or terminate the leases can only 
be  exercised  by  the  Group  and  not  by  the  respective  lessor. Within  the 
Stabilus Group the extension options are solely used for the asset class 
“buildings”. For all other leases the minimum term of lease is considered. 

The residual terms of the lease agreements are as follows:

 – Building + land improvements (IFRS 16): 2 to 15 years
2 to 8,5 years
 – Machinery + equipment (IFRS 16):  
>1 to 8 years
 – Other tangible equipment (IFRS 16):  

The Stabilus Group is disclosing the right-of-use assets to property, plant 
and  equipment  in  the  same  balance  sheet  position  as  the  underlying 
 assets, as if they were own property. 

For all leases that are not classified under IFRS 16 (Leases) the corresponding 
lease payments are recognized as an expense in profit or loss on a straight-line 
basis over the lease term.

The Stabilus Group acts only as a lessee.

Impairment of non-financial assets

Stabilus  assesses  at  each  reporting  date  whether  there  is  an  indication 
that an asset may be impaired. If such indication exists Stabilus estimates 
the recoverable amount of the asset. Goodwill and intangible assets under 
construction are tested annually for impairment.

The  recoverable  amount  is  determined  for  individual  assets,  unless  an 
 asset does not generate cash inflows that are largely independent of those 
from other assets or groups of assets (cash-generating units).

The recoverable amount is the higher of its fair value less costs of disposal 
and its value in use. Stabilus determines the recoverable amount as fair 
value less costs of disposal and compares this with the carrying amounts 
(including goodwill). The fair value less costs of disposal is measured by 
discounting future cash flows using a risk-adjusted interest rate. The future 
cash flows are estimated on the basis of the operative planning (five-year 
window). Periods not included in the business plans are taken into account 
by applying a residual value which considers a growth rate of 1.0%. If the 
fair value less costs of disposal cannot be determined or is lower than the 
carrying amount, the fair value less costs of disposal is calculated. If the 
carrying amount exceeds the recoverable amount an impairment loss has 
to be recognized.

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The calculation of the value in use and the fair value less costs of  disposal 
is  most  sensitive  to  the  following  assumptions:  (1)  Gross  margins  are 
 based on average values achieved in the last two years adopted over the 
budget period for anticipated efficiency improvements. (2) Discount rates 
reflect the current market assessments of the risks of the cash- generating 
unit.  The  rate  was  estimated  based  on  the  average  percentage  of  a 
 weighted average cost of capital for the industry. (3) Estimates regarding 
the raw materials price developments are obtained by published indices 
from countries in which the resources are mainly bought. Forecast figures 
(mainly  in  Europe  and  the  US)  and  past  price  developments  have  been 
used  as  an  indicator  for  future  developments.  (4)  Management  notices 
that the Group’s position continues to strengthen, as customers shift their 
purchases  to  larger  and  more  stable  companies. Therefore,  there  is  no 
need for any doubt regarding the assumption of market share. (5) Revenue 
growth rates are estimated based on published industry research.

At each reporting date an assessment is made to determine whether there 
is any indication that impairment losses recognized in earlier periods no 
longer exist. In this case, Stabilus recognizes a reversal of the impairment 
loss up to a maximum of the amortized historical cost. Impairment losses 
on goodwill are not reversed.

Inventories

Inventories are recognized at the lower of cost and net realizable value 
using the average cost method. Production costs include all direct costs 
of  material  and  labor  and  an  appropriate  portion  of  fixed  and  variable 
overhead  expenses.  Net  realizable  value  is  calculated  as  the  estimated 
selling price less all estimated costs of completion and costs necessary to 
make the sale. Borrowing costs for the production period are not included. 
Previously recognized impairment losses must be reversed if the reasons 
for the impairment no longer exit. Impairment losses are reversed up to 
a maximum of the amortized historical cost. Provisions are set up on the 
basis of the analysis of stock moving and / or obsolete stock.

Government grants

According  to  the  regulations  of  IAS  20  government  grants  are  only 
 reported if there is reasonable assurance that the conditions are complied, 
and the grants will be received. Government grants are recognized at fair 
value.  Government  grants  related  to  expenses  are  recognized  over  the 
same period as the corresponding expenses were incurred.

In  fiscal  year  2020,  government  grants  especially  include  grants  for 
 short-time work, social security and rental subsidies due to the impact of 
COVID-19. Those  government  grants  are  presented  as  deduction  of  the 
related expenses in the same functional area as the related expense items 
were accounted for. Grants which were awarded for future expenses are 
presented as deferred income.

The  accounting  for  government  grants  related  to  the  purchase  or 
 production  of  fixed  assets  is  separately  described  in  the  notes  section 
 property, plant and equipment.

Financial instruments

A financial instrument is any contract that gives rise to a financial asset of 
one entity and a financial liability or an equity instrument of another entity. 
Financial instruments recorded as financial assets or financial liabilities are 
generally reported separately. Financial instruments are recognized as soon 
as the Stabilus Group becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the 
financial instrument. Financial instruments comprise financial receivables or 
liabilities, trade accounts receivable or payable, cash and cash equivalents 
and other financial assets or liabilities. A financial asset (unless it is a trade 
receivable without a significant financing component) or financial liability is 
initially measured at fair value plus, for an item not measured at fair value 
through  profit  and  loss,  transaction  costs  that  are  directly  attributable  to 
its  acquisition  or  issue. A  trade  receivable  without  a  significant  financing 
component is initially measured at the transaction price in accordance with 
IFRS 15.

The financial instruments are allocated to one of the categories defined 
in IFRS 9 “Financial Instruments”. The measurement categories relevant 
for Stabilus are financial assets at amortized cost and financial liabilities 
measured at amortized costs.

Financial assets

IFRS 9 contains three categories for classifying financial assets:  “measured 
at  amortized  cost  (AC)”,  “measured  at  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss 
(FVtPL)” and “measured at fair value through other comprehensive  income 
 (FVOCI)”.  The  classification  of  financial  assets  whose  cash  flows  are 
 comprised  entirely of interest and redemption payments is then  dictated by 
the  business  model. Financial instruments held so as to  collect  contractual 
cash flows are  recognized at amortized cost. With the  exception of  derivative 
 financial  instruments  and  of  contingent  consideration,  all  financial  assets 
fulfill   these  criteria  and  are  recognized  at  amortized  cost. The  contingent 
 consideration is classified in the category fair value through profit or loss 
(FVtPL). The Group does not currently apply the category fair value through 
other  comprehensive income (FVOCI).

Financial assets measured at amortized cost

A  financial  asset  measured  at  amortized  costs  includes  trade   accounts 
receivable, other receivables, assets related to the sale of trade  accounts 
receivable  (security  retention  amount),  cash  and  cash  equivalents  and 
 loans originated by the Group. They are held for the purpose of the Stabilus 
business model which is to hold the assets and generate  contractual cash 
flows. The cash flow criteria for these financial assets are met. After  initial 
recognition, the assets are subsequently carried at amortized cost using 
the  effective  interest  rate  method  less  impairment  losses.  Gains  and 
 losses are recognized in profit or loss when the assets are  derecognized 
or   impaired.  Interest  from  using  the  effective  interest  rate  method  is 
 similarly  recognized in profit or loss. Assets bearing no or lower interest 
rates   compared  to  market  rates  with  a  maturity  of  more  than  one  year 
are   discounted.  Dividends  are  recognized  in  profit  or  loss  when  legal 
 entitlement to the payment arises.

59

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Impairment of financial assets

Under IFRS 9, valuation allowances for expected credit losses  (“expected 
loss  model”)  must  be  recognized  for  all  financial  assets  measured  at 
 amortized cost and for all debt instruments measured at fair value  through 
other comprehensive income. IFRS 9 provides a three-level method for this 
purpose. Risk provisions are accrued on the basis either of the 12 months 
expected losses (level 1), or of the lifetime expected losses if the credit risk 
has increased significantly since initial recognition (level 2), or if the credit 
rating has been downgraded significantly (level 3). The  simplified  approach 
is  adopted  for  trade  accounts  receivable  with  no  material   financing 
 component. As such, the expected credit losses are always determined for 
the lifetime expected losses of the financial instruments.

Financial assets measured at amortized costs

For trade accounts receivables the Stabilus Group elects to use the  simplified 
approach based on expected credit losses over relevant terms. Default  rates 
are  based  on  historical  losses  and  forward-looking   expectations  under 
consideration of the relevant economic environment to determine regional 
risks. To determine the forward-looking economic  conditions, the Group 
considers  in  particular  the  credit  default  swaps  (CDS)  of  the  respective 
client’s  geographical  location  that  ensures  the  risks  of  the  counterparty 
in the respective country are taken into account. In the current fiscal year, 
the weighting of the CDS spreads was adjusted as part of the back-tes-
ting, the current ECLs may be lower than in the  previous year. In addition, 
the Group has taken out trade credit insurance to  insure against the de-
fault risk. Trade accounts receivables impaired due to  insolvency or other 
 similar situations or significantly overdue shall be written off on a case by 
case basis. The carrying amount of the asset is reduced through use of an 
 allowance account. The amount of the loss is recognized in profit or loss. 
If, in a subsequent period, the amount of the impairment loss decreases 
and the decrease can be related objectively to an event occurring after the 
impairment was recognized, the previously  recognized impairment loss is 
reversed, to the extent that the carrying value of the  asset does not exceed 

its amortized cost at the reversal date. Impaired debts are derecognized 
when they are assessed as uncollectible. Cash and cash equivalents are 
measured using the general impairment approach. Details of the impair-
ment approach of cash and cash  equivalents are presented in Note 20.

Derivative financial instruments

Pensions and similar obligations

The  contributions  to  our  pension  plans  are  recognized  as  an  expense 
when the entity consumes the economic benefits arising from the  services 
 provided by the employees in exchange for employee benefits. For  defined 
benefit pension plans the projected unit credit method is used to  determine 
the present value of a defined benefit obligation. 

As of September 30, 2020, and September 30, 2019, the Stabilus Group 
does not have derivative financial instruments.

Financial liabilities and equity instruments

Debt and equity instruments are classified as either financial liabilities or as 
equity in accordance with the substance of the contractual  arrangement. 

For the valuation of defined benefit plans, differences between actuarial 
assumptions used and actual developments as well as changes in  actuarial 
assumptions  result  in  actuarial  gains  and  losses,  which  have  a  direct 
 impact on the consolidated statement of financial position and on other 
comprehensive income. The pension obligations are measured on the basis 
of actuarial reports by independent actuaries.

Equity instruments

Other provisions

An  equity  instrument  is  any  contract  that  evidences  a  residual  interest   
in  the  assets  of  an  entity  after  deducting  all  of  its  liabilities.  Equity 
 instruments are recorded at the proceeds received, net of transaction costs. 

Financial liabilities

The  first-time  application  of  IFRS  9  had  no  significant  impact  on  the 
Group’s accounting policies for financial liabilities and derivative financial 
instruments. IFRS 9 largely retains the existing requirements of IAS 39 for 
the classification of financial liabilities. Financial liabilities primarily include 
a term loan, trade accounts payable and other financial liabilities.

Financial liabilities measured at amortized cost
Financial liabilities that are measured at amortized cost include a term loan. 

After initial recognition the financial liabilities are subsequently measured 
at amortized cost applying the effective interest rate method. Gains and 
losses are recognized in profit or loss through the amortization process or 
when the liabilities are derecognized.

Provisions are recognized when the Group has a present obligation (legal 
or constructive) as a result of a past event, it is probable that the Group will 
be required to settle the obligation and a reliable estimate can be made of 
the amount of the obligation. All cost elements that are  relevant flow into 
the measurement of other provisions – in particular those for  warranties 
and potential losses on pending transactions. Non-current  provisions with 
a residual term of more than one year are recognized at the balance sheet 
date with their discounted settlement amount. The amount recognized as 
a  provision  is  the  best  estimate  of  the  consideration  required  to   settle 
the present obligation at the balance sheet date, taking into account the 
risks  and  uncertainties  surrounding  the  obligation.  Where  a  provision 
is   measured  using  the  cash  flows  estimated  to  settle  the  obligation,  its 
carrying amount is the present value of those cash flows. When some or 

60

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
all of the economic benefits required to settle a provision are expected to 
be recovered from a third party, the receivable is recognized as an asset if 
it is virtually certain that reimbursement will be received and the amount 
of the receivable can be measured reliably. 

A restructuring provision is recognized when the Group has developed a 
detailed formal plan for the restructuring and has raised a valid  expectation 
in  those  affected  that  it  will  carry  out  the  restructuring  by  starting  to 
 implement the plan or announcing its main features to those affected by 
it. The measurement of a restructuring provision includes only the direct 
expenditure arising from the restructuring, which are those amounts that 
are both necessarily entailed by the restructuring and not associated with 
the ongoing activities of the entity. 

Termination benefits are granted if an employee is terminated before the 
normal retirement age or if an employee leaves the Company  voluntarily 
in  return  for  the  payment  of  a  termination  benefit. The  Group  records 
 termination  benefits  if  it  is  demonstrably  committed,  without   realistic 
possibility  of  withdrawal,  to  a  formal  detailed  plan  to  terminate  the 
 employment of current employees or if it is demonstrably committed to 
pay termination benefits if employees leave the Company voluntarily.

Provisions for warranties are recognized at the date of sale of the  relevant 
products, at the management’s best estimate of the expenditure  required 
to  settle  the  Group’s  obligation.  Provisions  for  expected  losses  from 
 onerous contracts are recognized if the unavoidable costs of meeting the 
obligations under the contract exceed the economic benefits expected to 
be received under it.

C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  ACCOUNTING POLICIES

  REVENUE

4  Revenue

The Group’s revenue developed as follows:

Revenue by region and business unit

T _ 027

IN €  THOU SAND S

EMEA

Automotive Gas Spring 

Automotive Powerise® 

Industrial2)

Total EMEA1)

Americas

Automotive Gas Spring 

Automotive Powerise® 

Industrial2)

Total Americas1)

APAC

Automotive Gas Spring 

Automotive Powerise® 

Industrial2)

Total APAC1)

Stabilus Group

Total Automotive Gas Spring 

Total Automotive Powerise® 

Total Industrial2)

Revenue1)

Year  en ded Sept  30, 

2020

20 19

111,689

84,181

215,253

411,123

88,184

105,734

105,637

299,555

68,137

27,099

16,212

111,448

268,010

217,014

337,102

822,126

145,507

98,032

238,560

482,099

118,859

132,985

114,144

365,988

67,057

18,979

17,216

103,252

331,423

249,996

369,920

951,339

1) Revenue breakdown by location of Stabilus company (i.e. “billed-from view”).

2)  As of October 1, 2019, our Vibration & Velocity business and Industrial / Capital Goods 
business unit were combined into Industrial business. The presentation of prior-year 
figures was changed accordingly.

Group revenue results from the sale of goods or services. Stabilus  operates 
in automotive and industrial markets. As of October 1, 2019, the Stabilus 
Group  changed  its  organizational  and  management  structure  to  better 
address  the  requirements  of  regions  and  markets.  The  change  is  that 
South America and the former NAFTA is now managed as Americas, and, 
 consequently, South America is not part of Asia / Pacific anymore. As such 
the new regions of the Group are EMEA (Europe, Middle East and  Africa), 
Americas  (North  and  South  America)  and  APAC  (Asia  Pacific).  These 
 regions are the operating segments of the Stabilus Group. 

Furthermore, the industrial business will not be split into different business 
units  anymore. We  have  merged  the  business  units Vibration  & Velocity 
Control and Industrial / Capital Goods into Industrial. This is to align the 
market  approach  for  all  industrial  markets,  e.g.  to  realize  cross  selling 
opportunities and to optimize cost structures in managing the  industrial 
business.  The  presentation  of  prior  year  figures  is  adjusted  to  provide 
 comparative information already reflecting the new structure. 

61

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  COST OF SALES, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT,  

SELLING AND  ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES

5 

 Cost of sales, research and development, 
 selling and  administrative expenses

The expense items in the statement of comprehensive income include the 
following personnel expenses:

Expenses by function

T _ 028

Personnel expenses

T _ 029

IN  € THOUSAND S

Capitalized development cost

Personnel expenses

Material expenses

Depreciation and amortization

Other

Total

IN € THOUSANDS

Capitalized development cost

Personnel expenses

Material expenses

Depreciation and amortization

Other

Total

Year  en ded Sept 30,  2020

Research  & 
develop ment 
expenses

Sell ing  expen ses

Admini s- 
trative expenses

17,340

(25,726)

(9,145)

(15,898)

(7,216)

(40,645)

–

(31,274)

(11,316)

(40,276)

(23,202)

(106,068)

–

(29,730)

(5,421)

(3,018)

2,659

(35,510)

Year  en ded Sept  30,  2019

Research  & 
develop ment 
expenses

Sell ing  expen ses

Admini s- 
trative expenses

14,319

(25,656)

(7,416)

(12,608)

(7,789)

(39,150)

–

(32,875)

(12,247)

(13,084)

(25,985)

(84,191)

–

(29,908)

(5,342)

(2,919)

2,514

(35,655)

Cos t of 
 sa le s

–

(162,445)

(371,969)

(36,624)

(19,589)

(590,627)

Cos t of 
 sa le s

–

(176,500)

(443,308)

(31,022)

(24,125)

(674,955)

Tota l

17,340

(249,175)

(397,851)

(95,816)

(47,348)

(772,850)

Total

14,319

(264,939)

(468,313)

(59,633)

(55,385)

(833,951)

IN € THOUSANDS

Wages and salaries

Compulsory social security contributions

Pension cost

Other social benefits

Personnel expenses

Yea r e nded Sep t 30 , 

20 20

20 19

(175,546)

(187,613)

(55,611)

(12,496)

(5,522)

(55,788)

(14,938)

(6,600)

(249,175)

(264,939)

In fiscal year 2020, Stabilus received government grants for social security 
contribution  and  rental  subsidies  due  to  the  impact  of  COVID-19  with 
an  amount  of  €4.4  million. These  grants  are  directly  recognized  in  the 
various functional areas in which they were incurred as a direct deduction 
from the related expenses. Furthermore, for short time work an amount of   
€3.9 million were recognized. 

The following table shows the Group’s average number of employees:

Average number of employees

T _ 030

Wage earners

Salaried staff

Trainees and apprentices 

Average number of employees

Yea r e nded Sep t 30 , 

20 20

4,703

1,562

109

6,374

20 19

4,823

1,549

116

6,488

62

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
6  Other income

8  Finance income

C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  OTHER INCOME

  OTHER EXPENSES

  FINANCE INCOME

 FINANCE COSTS

  INCOME TAX EXPENSE

Finance income

T _ 033

Other  income  increased  from  €8.3  million  in  fiscal  year  2019  by  
€0.6  million  to  €8.9  million  in  fiscal  year  2020.  Other  income  includes 
a non-recurring effect of €3.0 million (PY: €3.3 million) from a  purchase 
price  adjustment  related  to  the  acquisition  of  General  Aerospace  and 
 Piston. The increase is due to the foreign currency translation gains from 
the operating business amounting to €1.2 million. 

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Interest income on loans and financial 
receivables not measured at fair value 
through profit and loss

Other income

T _ 031

Net foreign exchange gain

Other interest income

Finance income

Year  en ded Sept 30 , 

2020

20 19

443

1,759

56

2,258

374

835

45

1,254

IN € THOUSANDS

Net foreign currency translation gains

Gains on sale / disposal of assets

Income from the release of other accruals

Miscellaneous other income

Other income

Ye ar  e nded Se pt 30, 

20 20

2,872

108

473

5,474

8,927

2019

1,636

207

475

5,976

8,294

Finance  income  increased  from  €1.3  million  in  fiscal  year  2019  to   
€2.3 million in fiscal year 2020. The increase is mainly due to net  foreign 
exchange  gains  amounting  to  €0.9  million  from  the  translation  of 
 intragroup loans, cash and cash equivalents and financial liabilities.

9  Finance costs

Finance costs

(PY: €- million) interest expense. Finance costs increased from €(10.4)  million 
in  fiscal  year  2019  to  €(11.0)  million  in  fiscal  year  2020. The  increase  is 
primarily due to the initial application of IFRS 16 (Leases) which results in an 
additional €(1.5) million (PY: €- million) interest expense. In addition, €(0.9) 
million (PY: €(1.1) million relates to the derecognition of unamortized debt 
issuance costs and unamortized adjustments of the carrying value from a 
voluntary prepayment of the term-loan facility in February 2020.

Finance costs primarily contain ongoing interest expense. Interest expense   
in  fiscal  year  2020  of  €(10.3)  million  (PY:  €(9.7)  million)  are  especially 
 related to the term-loan facility, of which €(4.8) million (PY: €(3.6) million) is 
cash interest, the current fiscal year includes €(1.5) million interest expenses 
from IFRS 16. In addition, an amount of €(5.5) million (PY: €(6.1) million) is 
due to the amortization of debt issuance cost and the amortization of the 
adjustment of the carrying value using the effective interest rate method.

10 

Income tax expense

7  Other expenses

Other expenses

T _ 032

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

IN  € THOUSAND S

Losses on sale / disposal of tangible assets

Miscellaneous other expenses

Other expenses

Ye ar  e nded Se pt  30, 

20 20

(146)

(1,914)

(2,060)

2019

(71)

(1,596)

(1,667)

Interest expense on financial liabilities 
not measured at fair value through  
profit and loss

Interest expenses lease liabilities1)

Other interest expenses

Finance costs

T _ 034

Year  en ded Sept 3 0, 

2020

20 19

(8,832)

(1,453)

(728)

(9,663)

(2)

(752)

Income  taxes  comprise  current  taxes  on  income  (paid  or  owed)  in  the 
 individual countries and deferred taxes. The tax rates which are  applicable 
on  the  reporting  date  are  used  for  the  calculation  of  current  taxes.   
Tax  rates  for  the  expected  period  of  reversal,  which  are  enacted  or 
 substantively enacted at the reporting date, are used for the calculation of 
deferred taxes. Deferred taxes are recognized as deferred tax  expenses or 
income in the statement of comprehensive income, either through  profit 
or  loss  or  other  comprehensive  income,  depending  on  the  underlying 
 transaction.

(11,013)

(10,417)

Income tax expense

1)  Since October 1, 2019, the Stabilus Group has adopted the new standard IFRS 16   
(Leases) by using the modified retrospective transition method. In accordance with  
this method, prior year figures were not restated. 

Yea r e nded Sept 30 , 

Finance costs increased from €(10.4) million in fiscal year 2019 to €(11.0) 
million  in  fiscal  year  2020.  The  increase  is  primarily  due  to  the  initial 
 application of IFRS 16 (Leases) which results in an additional €(1.5) million 

IN € THOUSANDS

Current income taxes

Income taxes prior year 

Deferred taxes

Income tax expense

20 20

(26,298)

(2,376)

11,274

(17,400)

T _ 035

20 19

(31,543)

(1,535)

(875)

(33,953)

63

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
  
  
  
  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  INCOME TAX EXPENSE

The respective local rates have been used to calculate the deferred taxes. 
The current income taxes comprise prior year taxes amounting to €(2,376) 
thousand (PY: €1,535 thousand).

The  actual  income  tax  expense  of  €(17,400)  thousand  is  €(5,582) 
 thousand higher than the expected income tax expense of €(11,818) that 
results from applying the Company’s combined income tax rate of 24.9% 
to the Group’s consolidated profit before income tax. The individual items 
that reconcile the expected income tax expense to the actual income tax 
expense are disclosed in the table below:

The  tax  effect  reported  as  a  foreign  tax  rate  differential  reflects  the 
 difference  between  the  combined  income  tax  rate  of  24.9%  that  is 
 pertinent to Stabilus S. A. and the combined income tax rates applicable 
to the individual subsidiaries in varying countries. The combined statutory 
income tax rate that is applicable to Stabilus S. A. remained unchanged at 
24.9% in the fiscal year 2020. The tax effect of non-deductible expenses 
consists primarily of expenses that are non-deductible in the  determination 

Deferred tax assets and liabilities

of the taxable profits in Germany. The tax effect of non-capitalized deferred 
taxes on domestic losses is calculated with the local tax rates on the basis 
of the negative earnings before taxes (EBTs) of the respective companies.

The deferred tax assets (DTA) and deferred tax liabilities (DTL) in respect of 
each type of the temporary difference and each type of unused tax losses 
are as follows:

Tax expense reconciliation (expected to actual)

T _ 036

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Intangible assets

Ye ar  e nded Se pt 30, 

Property, plant & equipment

IN € THOUSANDS

Profit / (loss) before income tax

Expected income tax expense 

Foreign tax rate differential 

Tax-free income 

Non-deductible expenses 

Prior year taxes 

Change of the valuation allowance on 
deferred tax assets 

Tax rate changes

Other 

Actual income tax expense

Effective tax rate

20 20

47,388

(11,818)

971

4,206

(7,223)

(2,376)

(1,033)

(251)

124

2019

Inventories

Receivables

Other assets

Provisions and liabilities

Tax and interest losses

Subtotal

Netting

Total

114,852

(28,644)

(1,839)

4,504

(6,727)

(1,535)

10

(32)

310

(17,400)

(36.7)%

(33,953)

29.6%

Se pt 30, 202 0

Sep t 30 , 20 19

DTA

250

4,206

3,763

645

386

20,908

6,189

36,347

(25,198)

11,149

DT L

(56,391)

(11,431)

(202)

(12)

(124)

(694)

–

(68,854)

25,198

(43,656)

Tota l

(56,141)

(7,225)

3,561

633

262

20,214

6,189

(32,507)

–

(32,507)

DTA

426

6,545

3,593

427

16

18,887

7,027

36,921

(23,550)

13,371

DT L

(69,303)

(9,233)

(144)

(12)

(176)

(615)

–

(79,483)

23,550

(55,933)

T _ 037

Tota l

(68,877)

(2,688)

3,449

415

(160)

18,272

7,027

(42,562)

–

(42,562)

64

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  INCOME TAX EXPENSE

Deferred  tax  assets  and  deferred  tax  liabilities  have  been  offset  if   they 
relate to income taxes levied by the same tax authorities and if there is a 
right to offset current tax assets against current tax liabilities. 

The  following  table  provides  a  detailed  overview  of  the  tax  loss  and 
 interest carryforwards and the expiration dates:

Tax loss and interest carry-forwards

IN € THOUSAND S

Germany

Spain

USA

Brazil

Total

IN € THOUSANDS

Germany

Spain

USA

Brazil

Total

Ta x loss and  
int er est 
carry-f orwa rd

23,328

5,234

–

125

28,687

Ta x loss and  
int er est 
carry-f orwa rd

23,377

5,229

5,393

238

34,237

Tax ra te

27.0 – 31.0%

28.0%

–

34.0%

Tax ra te

27.0 – 31.0%

28.0%

22.0 – 35.0%

34.0%

The movement in deferred income tax assets and liabilities in fiscal year 
2020 are as follows: 

Reconciliation movement in deferred tax 
assets and liabilities

IN € THOUSANDS

T _ 038

Deferred tax liabilities (net) - as of Oct 1,

Deferred tax income

Taxes recognized in other   
comprehensive income

Taxes from business combination

Foreign exchange rate differences

20 20

42,561

(11,274)

573

0

647

Expiratio n da te

Deferred tax liabilities (net) - as of Sept 30,

32,507

T_039

20 19

32,758

875

(2,786)

12,340

(626)

42,562

Year  en ded Sept  30,  2020

Deferred tax 
asset  (gross)

Valu atio n  
allo wan ce

Deferred tax 
asset  (net)

6,147

1,465

–

42

7,654

–

(1,465)

–

–

(1,465)

6,147

–

–

42

6,189

Indefinite

Indefinite

–

Indefinite

Year  en ded Sept 30,  2019

Deferred tax 
asset (gross)

Valu atio n  
allo wance

Deferred tax 
asset (net)

Expiration date

6,355

1,464

597

81

8,497

(6)

(1,464)

–

–

(1,470)

6,349

–

597

81

7,027

Indefinite

Indefinite

Within 20 years

Indefinite

As of September 30, 2020, the Group has unused tax loss carryforwards 
(including German and US interest loss carryforwards) of €28,687 thous-
and (PY: €34,237 thousand). 

The  interest  carry-forward  comes  from  our  German  entities  with 
an  amount  of  €18,320  thousand  and  a  gross  deferred  tax  asset  of    
€4,919 thousand and unused tax loss carry-forward from our entities in 
the USA, Spain,  Germany and Brazil relating to corporate tax and trade 
tax with an amount of €10,367 thousand and a gross deferred tax asset 
of  €2,735  thousand. The  amount  recognized  as  a  deferred  tax  asset  is 
calculated  under  consideration  of  the  actual  corporate  planning  and  its 
utilization within the planning period. Uncertainties exists regarding to the 
recognized tax losses carried forward from the US restructuring.

Tax loss carryforwards in Luxembourg are not considered, as it is not likely 
that these carryforwards will be utilized.

65

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  EARNINGS PER SHARE

11  Earnings per share

The  weighted  average  number  of  shares  used  for  the  calculation  of 
 earnings  per  share  in  the  fiscal  years  ended  September  30,  2020  and 
2019, is set out in the following table: 

Weighted average number of shares

DATE

Number  of days 

Tra nsaction

Ch an ge 

Total shares

T _ 040

Total shares 
(time-weighted)

24,700,000

24,700,000

24,700,000

24,700,000

24,700,000

24,700,000

24,700,000

24,700,000

24,700,000

24,700,000

September 30, 2018

October 1, 2018

September 30, 2019

October 1, 2019

September 30, 2020

365

365

The earnings per share for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2020 and 
2019, were as follows:

Earnings per share

Profit / (loss) attributable to shareholders of the parent (in € thousands)

Weighted average number of shares

Earnings per share (in €)

Basic  and  diluted  earnings  per  share  are  calculated  by  dividing  the   
profit attributable to the shareholders of the Company by the weighted 
average number of shares outstanding.

Year  en ded Sept 30, 

2020

31,433

24,700,000

1.27

T _ 041

20 19

80,626

24,700,000

3.26

66

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
 
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

12  Property, plant and equipment

Property, plant and equipment are presented in the following table:

Property, plant and equipment

IN € THOUSAND S

Gross value

Balance as of Sept 30, 2018

Additions from business combination

Foreign currency difference

Additions

Disposals

Reclassifications

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Additions from business combination

Initial application of IFRS 16

Foreign currency difference

Additions

Disposals

Reclassifications

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

Accumulated depreciation

Balance as of Sept 30, 2018

Foreign currency difference

Depreciation expense

Thereof impairment loss

Disposal

Reclassifications

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Foreign currency difference

Depreciation expense

Thereof impairment loss

Disposal

Reclassifications

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

Carrying amount

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

La nd, e quival en t  
right s to re al property

Bu ild in gs and l an d  
improvemen ts

Techni cal  eq uip ment 
and  mach in ery

Other ta ngible  e quipment

Con struction  in progress

Tota l

 T _ 042 

15,045

2,088

(3)

609

–

–

17,739

–

–

(318)

–

–

–

17,421

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

17,739

17,421

50,911

11

888

6,128

(823)

3,628

60,743

–

37,842

(4,878)

3,310

(111)

(122)

96,784

(15,740)

(532)

(3,134)

–

798

–

(18,608)

1,398

(8,875)

–

49

–

(26,036)

42,135

70,748

205,318

929

3,903

9,362

(2,035)

10,385

227,862

–

1,766

(15,449)

8,799

(1,226)

9,191

230,943

(115,560)

(2,541)

(15,817)

–

1,467

–

(132,451)

9,380

(17,298)

(20)

717

–

(139,652)

95,411

91,291

55,787

481

1,488

5,043

(6,025)

5,161

61,935

–

4,116

(3,388)

4,064

(2,022)

1,835

66,540

(40,089)

(1,230)

(7,839)

–

5,962

–

(43,196)

2,555

(9,760)

–

1,880

–

(48,521)

18,739

18,019

23,553

350,614

8

87

21,448

–

(19,174)

3,517

6,363

42,590

(8,883)

–

25,922

394,201

–

–

–

43,724

(994)

(25,027)

18,306

(13)

(10,891)

34,479

(3,372)

13

32,330

444,018

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(171,389)

(4,303)

(26,790)

–

8,227

–

(194,255)

13,334

(35,933)

(20)

2,645

–

(214,209)

25,922

199,946

32,330

229,809

67

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
Property,  plant  and  equipment  include  right-of-use  assets  due  to  the 
 first-time application of IFRS 16 (Leases) in fiscal year 2020. Please refer 
to Note 24 “Leases” for additional information on future lease payments.

The  first-time  application  of  IFRS  16  (Leases)  as  of  October  1,  2019, 
amounted  to  €43,724  thousand.  During  the  fiscal  year  2020  additions 
of  right-of-use  assets  amounted  to  €4,527  thousand. The  main   impact 
was from additions of buildings €2,960 thousand and from other  tangible 
equipment  like  cars  in  the  amount  of  €1,567  thousand.  The  right- of-
use  assets  carrying  amount  as  of  September  30,  2020,  amounted  to  
€38,550 thousand. The carrying amount of the accumulated depreciation 
of the right-of-use assets by asset class amounted to €8,245 thousand. 

In fiscal year 2020 the government grants received for the ramp-up of a 
dedicated Powerise® production building in Pinghu, China, amounted to 
€1,114 thousand (PY: €0 thousand).

In  fiscal  year  2015  the  Stabilus  Group  received  government  grants  
amounting to €805 thousand which are linked to the installation of our 
third  Powerise®  production  line  in  Romania.  For  the  entitlement  to  this 
grant Stabilus Romania S.R.L. has to meet certain thresholds (headcount 
and quantity of products) over a five-year period. If such thresholds were 
not met, the grant would have to be paid back.

Contractual  commitments  for  the  acquisition  of  property,  plant  and 
 equipment amount to €1,983 thousand (PY: 4,033 thousand). 

The  Group  recognized  impairment  losses  on  property,  plant  and   
equipment amounting to €20 thousand (PY: €0 thousand).

Prepayments  by  the  Stabilus  Group  for  property,  plant  and  equipment 
and intangible assets of €28 thousand (PY: €66 thousand) are included 
in other non-current assets. Larger prepayments are typically secured by a 
bank guarantee or an in-depth check of the relevant supplier.

C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

Property, plant and equipment - carrying amount

T _ 043

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Land, equivalent rights to real property

Building and land improvements

Technical equipment and machinery

Other tangible equipment

Construction in progress

RoU – Building and land improvements

RoU – Technical equipment and machinery

RoU – Other tangible equipment

Total

Se pt 3 0, 2 020

Sep t 30 , 2 019

17,421

36,924

89,848

14,736

32,330

33,824

1,443

3,283

17,739

42,135

95,411

18,739

25,922

–

–

–

229,809

199,946

The total depreciation expense for tangible assets is included in the con-
solidated statement of comprehensive income in the following line items:

Reconciliation depreciation expense for property, plant and equipment

T _ 044

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Cost of sales

Research and development expenses

Selling expenses

Administrative expenses

Depreciation expense

Year  en ded  
Sept 30, 2020

Effect o f IFRS 16

Yea r e nded  
Sep t 30 , 2 020 
without IFRS 1 6

Yea r e nded  
Sep t 30 , 2 019

(29,731)

(1,777)

(2,311)

(2,114)

(35,933)

(5,873)

(463)

(1,103)

(806)

(8,245)

(23,858)

(1,314)

(1,208)

(1,308)

(27,688)

(23,323)

(1,388)

(540)

(1,539)

(26,790)

68

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

Buildings  
and la nd  
improveme nt s

Techni cal 
equi pmen t 
and  machi nery

Other tangib le  
equi pmen t

2,850

37,842

(2,414)

2,960

(104)

–

41,134

(1,666)

173

(5,859)

–

42

–

(7,310)

1,184

33,824

–

1,766

(42)

–

–

–

1,724

–

5

(286)

–

–

–

(281)

–

1,443

–

4,116

(233)

1,567

(247)

–

5,203

–

46

(2,100)

–

134

–

(1,920)

–

3,283

Right of use assets

IN € THOUSANDS

Gross value

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Initial application of IFRS 16

Foreign currency difference

Additions

Disposals

Reclassifications

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

Accumulated depreciation

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Foreign currency difference

Depreciation expense

Thereof impairment loss

Disposal

Reclassifications

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

Carrying amount

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

T_045

Tota l

2,850

43,724

(2,689)

4,527

(351)

–

48,061

(1,666)

224

(8,245)

–

176

–

(9,511)

1,184

38,550

69

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  GOODWILL

13  Goodwill

The total goodwill of €207.7 million (PY: €214.8 million) is allocated to 
the operating segments (CGUs) on the relevant acquisition date, based on 
their relative fair value. 

The table below sets out the development of the goodwill:

EME A

Americas

Goodwill

IN € THOUSANDS

Gross value

Balance as of Sept 30, 2018

Additions from business  
combination

Foreign currency difference

Additions

Disposals

Impairment losses

Reclassifications

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Additions from business  
combination

Foreign currency difference

Additions

Disposals

Impairment losses

Reclassifications

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

124,094

Carrying amount

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

126,557

124,094

111,876

14,228

453

–

–

–

–

126,557

–

(2,463)

–

–

–

–

70,767

–

3,621

–

–

–

–

74,388

–

(4,621)

–

–

–

1,178

70,945

74,388

70,945

APAC

12,588

1,510

(222)

–

–

–

–

13,876

–

(76)

–

–

–

(1,178)

12,622

13,876

12,622

The fair value less cost of disposal for each cash-generating unit as the 
smallest identifiable group of assets that generates cash inflows that are 
largely independent of the cash inflows from other assets or other groups 
of  assets  is  measured  by  discounting  the  future  cash  flows  generated 
from the continuing use of the unit and was based on the following key 
 assumptions: the underlying cash flow forecasts which are based on the 
five-year medium term plan (“MTP”) approved by the Management Board 
and Supervisory Board. The cash flow planning takes into account price 
agreements based on experience and anticipated efficiency enhancements 
(e.g. relocation from high cost to low cost countries, higher automation, 
etc.)  as  well  as  average  total  sales  growth  of  approximately  3.5%  (PY: 
4.0%) for EMEA, 7.2% (PY: 4.3%) for Americas and 15.7% (PY: 20.1%) 
for APAC on compound average based on the strategic outlook leading 
to an average higher growth rate for the free cash flow. The higher free 
cash  flow  growth  rate  is  also  impacted  by  the  product  mix  effects  and 
the assumed stable gross margins and improved fixed costs absorption. 
While  the  overall  economic  outlook  is  very  volatile,  the  Group  believes 
that  its   market-orientated  approach  and  leading-edge  products  and 
 services   allow  for  some  revenue  growth.  Cash  flows  after  the  five-year 
period were  extrapolated by applying a 1% (PY: 1%) terminal growth rate. 
This growth rate was based on the expected consumer price inflation for 
the  countries  included  in  the  respective  cash  generating  units,  adjusted 
for   expected  technological  progress  and  efficiency  gains  in  the  overall 
 economy. Furthermore, the Group uses inflation deltas to cover the  several 
forward  rate  risks,  0.70%  for  EMEA,  1.63%  for  Americas  and  1.40% 
for APAC,   moreover  the  Group  incorporated  country  risk  premiums  into 
its  projections  to  reflect  the  varying  volatility  expected  in  the  individual 
 country risks, 1.21% for EMEA, 1.57% for Americas and 0.95% for APAC. 
The Group's weighted average cost of capital (WACC) has been used as 
the discount rate for the operating segments. The Stabilus Group uses the 
recommendation  of  the “Institut  der Wirtschaftsprüfer  (IDW)”  to  deter-
mine a proxy for the risk-free rate and the market risk premium. The beta 
factor represents the  individual risk of a share compared to a market index. 

T_046

Tota l  

195,231

15,738

3,852

–

–

–

–

214,821

–

(7,160)

–

–

–

–

207,661

214,821

207,661

70

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  GOODWILL

Stabilus  is   evaluating  the  beta  factors  used  by  a  group  of  comparable 
companies (peer group), on an average of past years. The cost of debt were 
derived from a number of peers with publicly traded debt. The following 
assumptions (measurement factors) were used to determine the WACC:

Weighted average cost of capital (WACC)

T _ 047

The following table shows the input data to selected key figures required 
for the respective recoverable amounts to equal the carrying amount. In 
management’s view this change is not reasonably possible.

Goodwill sensitivity analysis

T _ 048

Ye ar  e nded Se pt 30,

2019

IN %

IN %

Interest base-rate

Beta factor Stabilus Group

Market risk premium

Debt ratio

Cost of debt before tax

WACC

20 20

0.05

1.12

6.50

19.87

1.95

6.13

0.21

1.08

6.50

13.75

1.15

6.37

Discount rate

Budgeted gross margin 
reduction to plan 

The  discount  rates  applied  also  reflect  the  individual  country  risk  of 
each operating CGU. The discount rate to cash flow projections is 8.0%   
(PY: 7.1%) for EMEA, 9.2% (PY: 7.2%) for Americas and 8.5% (PY: 7.3%) 
for APAC.

Sept 30, 2020

In put d ata req uired for   
carryi ng  amou nt to  eq ual   
rec overabl e  amou nt

EMEA

Americas

APAC

6.5

6.7

14.3

8.2

9.0

7.3

The  impairment  test  for  fiscal  year  2020  confirms  that  the  book  value 
of goodwill is fully recoverable and that the goodwill attributable to the 
individual operating CGUs is not impaired. 

71

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS

14  Other intangible assets

Other intangible assets are presented in the following table:
Intangible assets

T _ 049

IN  € THOUSAND S

Gross value

Balance as of Sept 30, 2018

Additions from business combination

Foreign currency difference

Additions

Disposals

Reclassifications

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Additions from business combination

Foreign currency difference

Additions

Disposals

Reclassifications

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

Accumulated amortization 

Balance as of Sept 30, 2018

Foreign currency difference

Amortization expense

Thereof impairment loss

Disposals

Reclassifications

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Foreign currency difference

Amortization expense

Thereof impairment loss

Disposals

Reclassifications

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

Carrying amount

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

De velopment  cost

Devel opmen t  co st  
un der con struction

Software

Paten ts

Customer relatio nship s

Technology

Trade  na me

Tota l

78,539

190

1,401

2,366

(11,182)

4,631

75,945

–

(1,773)

2,416

(8,612)

8,082

76,058

(38,679)

(854)

(10,888)

(398)

10,804

–

(39,617)

1,268

(13,675)

(2,348)

8,310

–

(43,714)

36,328

32,344

12,304

187

59

11,801

–

(5,319)

19,032

–

(87)

14,290

–

(8,836)

24,399

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

14,018

1,499

96

736

(1,311)

688

15,726

–

(196)

770

4

754

1,020

1,603

1

52

–

–

2,676

–

(10)

5

–

–

204,819

39,551

2,706

–

–

–

247,076

–

(3,816)

–

–

–

69,403

16,790

396,893

–

503

–

–

–

69,906

–

(593)

–

–

–

1,063

(58)

–

–

–

44,093

4,708

14,955

(12,493)

–

17,795

448,156

–

(222)

–

–

–

–

(6,697)

17,481

(8,608)

–

17,058

2,671

243,260

69,313

17,573

450,332

(9,503)

(119)

(2,840)

–

1,310

–

(11,152)

188

(3,154)

(318)

(4)

–

(907)

(1)

(126)

–

–

–

(1,034)

3

(1,141)

(988)

–

–

(45,907)

(488)

(11,828)

–

–

–

(58,223)

858

(36,747)

(24,149)

–

–

(47,322)

(71)

(5,845)

–

–

–

(53,238)

114

(3,537)

–

–

–

(7,394)

(149,712)

(23)

(1,556)

(1,316)

(32,843)

–

–

–

(398)

12,114

–

(8,733)

(171,997)

62

2,493

(1,629)

(59,883)

(245)

(28,048)

–

–

8,306

–

(14,122)

(2,172)

(94,112)

(56,661)

(10,300)

(221,081)

19,032

24,399

4,574

2,936

1,642

499

188,853

149,148

16,668

12,652

9,062

7,273

276,159

229,251

72

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS

 OTHER FINANCIAL ASSETS

Additions  to  intangible  assets  in  the  fiscal  year  2020  amounted  to 
€17,481  thousand  compared  to  €59,048  thousand  in  fiscal  year  2019. 
In  prior  year  an  amount  of  €44,093  thousand  relates  to  the  business 
 combinations.  During  the  fiscal  year  2020,  costs  of  €16,706  thousand   
(PY:  €14,167  thousand)  (less  related  customer  contributions)  were 
 capitalized for  development projects.

Amortization  of  capitalized  internal  development  projects  amounted 
to  €13,675  thousand  (PY:  €10,888  thousand).  The  borrowing  costs 
 capitalized  during  the  period  amounted  to  €179  thousand  (PY:  €155 
thousand). A  capitalization  rate  was  used  to  determine  the  amount  of 
borrowing costs. The capitalization rate used in the fiscal year 2020 was 
0.95%  (PY:  1.05%).  The  total  amortization  expense  and  impairment 
loss  for  intangible  assets  is  included  in  the  consolidated  statements  of 
 comprehensive income in the following line items:

Other intangible assets - carrying amount

T _ 050

In  fiscal  year  2020,  especially  the  aviation  market  was  heavily 
 influenced by the COVID-19 impacts, leading to reduced demand for our  
products  servicing  the  aviation  industry  due  to  reduced  production  of 
aircraft  and  fewer  retrofits  of  existing  aircrafts.  The  Group  tested  the  
recoverable amount (i.e. value in use) of the CGU General Aerospace and 
not  of  each  individual  intangible  asset. We  have  performed  these  tests 
on  the  following  key  assumptions:  the  underlying  cash  flow  forecasts 
which  are based  on the five-year  medium-term  plan  (“MTP”) approved 
by the Management Board and Supervisory Board. Cash flows after the   
five-year period were extrapolated by applying a 1% (PY: 1%) terminal   
growth rate. This growth rate was based on the expected consumer price 
inflation, adjusted for expected technological progress and efficiency gains 
in  the  overall  economy.  The  Group's  weighted  average  cost  of  capital 
(WACC) has been used as part of the discount rate for the CGU General 
Aerospace, i.e.  interest base rate, market risk premium and beta factor. The 
Stabilus Group uses the recommendation of the “Institut der Wirtschafts-
prüfer (IDW)” to determine a proxy for the risk-free rate and the market risk  
premium.  The  beta  factor  represents  the  individual  risk  of  a  share  

compared  to  a  market  index.  Stabilus  is  evaluating  the  beta  factors 
used  by  a  group  of  comparable  companies  (peer  group),  on  an  average 
of past years (we refer to Note 13 for further details). The cost of debt was   
derived from a number of peers with publicly traded debt and the discount 
rates applied also reflects the individual country risk of the CGU General  
Aerospace.  The  discount  rate  to  cash  flow  projections  is  5.8%  (PY: 
5.2%).  The  impairment  test  resulted  in  an  impairment  of  €25.7  million 
for  the  other  intangible  assets  from  purchase  price  allocation  of  General  
Aerospace.  The  impairment  of  other  intangible  assets  is  included  in  the 
 research and development expenses and cost of sales. Previously recognized 
impairment on other intangible assets will be reversed if the reason for the 
impairment no longer exist. In this case, the Group would recognize a rever-
sal of the impairment loss up to a maximum of the amortized  historical cost. 
We are confident that the aerospace business is still an excellent addition to 
Stabilus´ motion control portfolio with future growth potential.

Contractual commitments for the acquisition of intangible assets amount 
to €1,459 thousand (PY: €718 thousand).

Se pt 30 , 20 20

Sept 3 0,  2019

36,328

15  Other financial assets

IN € THOUSANDS

Development cost

Development cost under  
construction

Software

Patents

Customer relationships

Technology

Tradename

Total

32,344

24,399

2,936

499

149,148

12,652

7,273

229,251

19,032

4,574

1,642

188,853

16,668

9,062

Other financial assets

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Cu rrent

Non-c urrent

Sept 30, 2020

Other miscellaneous

276,159

Other financial assets

7,274

7,274

–

–

Tota l

7,274

7,274

Sep t 30 , 20 19

Curren t

Non -current

4,743

4,743

–

–

T _ 051

Tota l

4,743

4,743

Amortization expenses on development costs include impairment  losses of 
€2,348 thousand (PY: €398 thousand) due to the withdrawal of  customers 
from the respective projects. The impairment loss is included in the  research 
and development expenses. 

Other miscellaneous
Other  miscellaneous  financial  assets  in  the  fiscal  year  2020  comprises 
€4,538  thousand  (PY:  €1,843  thousand)  from  the  anticipated  purchase 
price adjustment and from the contingent consideration from the  business 
combination  with  General  Aerospace  GmbH.  Furthermore,  an  amount 
of  €2,736  thousand  (PY:  €2,900  thousand)  is  related  to  the  security 

 retention amount of the sale of trade accounts receivable from a factoring 
 arrangement (€20.9 million (PY: €22.6 million)). Stabilus considers that its 
other financial assets have a low credit risk based on the external credit 
ratings of the customers and impairments were insignificant.

73

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

 OTHER ASSETS

  INVENTORIES

 TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES

16  Other assets

Other assets

IN € THOUSANDS

VAT

Prepayments

Deferred charges

Other miscellaneous

Other assets

Se pt  3 0, 20 20

Cur re nt 

Non-curr ent

3,278

1,967

4,613

1,958

11,816

–

28

–

253

281

To tal

3,278

1,995

4,613

2,211

12,097

Sept 30, 2019

Cu rrent 

Non-c urrent

4,071

2,438

5,394

1,911

13,814

–

66

–

1,645

1,711

T _ 052

Total

4,071

2,504

5,394

3,556

15,525

Non-current prepayments comprise prepayments on property, plant and 
equipment. 

The  Stabilus  Group’s  prepayments  for  inventories  amounting  to  €1,047 
thousand  (PY:  €1,212  thousand)  are  included  in  prepayments  in  other 
current assets.

17 

Inventories

Inventories

T _ 053

18  Trade and other receivables

Trade accounts receivable include the following items:

IN € THOUSANDS

Se pt 30 , 20 20

Sept 3 0,  2019

Trade and other receivables

T _ 054

Raw materials and supplies

Finished products

Work in progress

Merchandise

Inventories

48,049

21,521

13,731

13,936

97,237

48,548

23,726

15,361

12,704

100,339

Inventories  that  are  expected  to  be  turned  over  within  twelve  months 
amounted to €97,237 thousand (PY: €100,339 thousand). Write-downs on 
inventories to net realizable value amounted to €(13,813) thousand (PY: 
€(12,509) thousand). In the reporting period raw materials, consumables 
and changes in finished goods and work in progress recognized as cost of 
sales amounted to €(371,969) thousand (PY: €(443,308) thousand).

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Sep t  30,  2020

Sept 30 , 2 019

Trade accounts receivable

Other receivables

Allowance for doubtful accounts

Trade and other receivables

116,441

3,452

(2,822)

117,071

131,177

1,048

(1,897)

130,328

74

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
  
  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES

Trade accounts receivable decreased in the fiscal year ended September 
30, 2020, mainly due to the lower sales in the third and fourth quarter of 
fiscal year 2020. Other receivables contain bills of exchange guaranteed 
by a bank for trade receivables of our Chinese clients. 

The Group uses an allowance matrix to measure the lifetime ECLs of trade 
accounts  receivables  segmented  by  geographic  region  (EMEA, Americas 
and APAC).  Loss  rates  are  based  on  actual  credit  loss  experience  over 
the past years. These rates take into account the current conditions and 
the Group’s view of economic conditions over the expected lives of the 

 receivables. The Group considers a financial asset to be in default when 
the borrower is unlikely to pay its credit obligations to the Group in full, 
without recourse by the Group to actions such as realizing security (if any 
is held); or the financial asset is more than 360 days past due. The gross 
carrying  amount  of  a  trade  account  receivable  is  written  off  when  the 
Group has no reasonable expectations of recovering a financial asset in its 
entirety or a portion thereof. 

The following table provides information about the exposure to credit risk 
and ECLs for trade receivables as at September 30, 2020:

Exposure to credit risk and ECLs 

T_055

IN € THOUSANDS

Region

EMEA

Americas

APAC

Total

IN € THOUSANDS

Region

EMEA

Americas

APAC

Total

Sept 30, 2020

Weighted a ve rag e loss rate

Gro ss c arryi ng  amoun t

Loss allow ance

0.34%

2.12%

0.17%

37,040

49,885

32,968

119,893

Sept 30, 2019

128

1,057

57

1,242

Weighted a ve rag e loss rate

Gro ss c arryi ng  amoun t

Loss allow ance

0.66%

0.67%

0.63%

40,652

66,534

25,039

132,225

270

443

157

870

75

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES

 CURRENT TAX ASSETS

 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

Individual  loss  allowances  of  €2,822  thousand  (PY:  €1,897  thousand) 
were recognized as of the reporting date. 

The Group provides credit in the normal course of business and  performs 
ongoing credit evaluations on certain customers’ financial condition, but 
generally does not require collateral to support such receivables. The Group 
established  an  allowance  for  doubtful  accounts  based  on   historically 
 observed default rates adjusted for forward-looking  estimates to accrue 
for  expected  credit  losses.  To  determine  the  forward-looking  economic 
 conditions, the Group considers in particular the credit default swaps (CDS) 

of the respective client’s geographical location that  ensures the risks of the 
counterparty in the respective country are taken into  account. In the  current 
fiscal year, the weighting of the CDS spreads was adjusted as part of the 
back-testing, the current ECLs may be lower than in the  previous year. In 
the course of the COVID-19 crisis there were no  significant  defaulted trade 
account receivables and no significant additional  allowances for doubtful 
accounts were recorded. In addition, the Group has taken out trade credit 
insurance to insure against the default risk.

19  Current tax assets

Current  tax  assets  amounted  to  €9,591  thousand  (PY:  €4,987  thousand) 
and  are  measured  at  the  amount  expected  to  be  recovered  from  the 
taxation authorities when the amount already paid in respect of current 
and  prior  periods  exceeds  the  amount  due  for  those  periods. The  initial  
application  of  IFRIC  23  has  not  had  any  impact  on  the  consolidated 
 financial statements. 

The allowances for doubtful accounts developed as follows:

20  Cash and cash equivalents

Allowance for doubtful accounts

T _ 056

IN € THOUSANDS

Allowance for doubtful accounts as of Sept 30, 2019 

Foreign currency differences

Increase in the allowance

Decrease in the allowance

Allowance for doubtful accounts as of Sept 30, 2020

Sep t  30,  2020

Sept 30 , 20 19

(1,897)

85

(1,495)

485

(2,822)

(1,744)

(35)

(232)

114

(1,897)

Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand and in banks, i.e. liquid 
funds and demand deposits. As of September 30, 2020, it amounted to 
€162,431  thousand  (PY:  €139,020  thousand).  Cash  in  banks  earned 
 marginal interest at floating rates based on daily bank deposit rates.

The cash and cash equivalents are held with bank and financial institution 
counterparties,  which  are  investment  grade  rated  as  of  the  reporting 
date. The estimated impairment on cash and cash equivalents has been 
 measured on a 12-months expected loss basis and reflects external credit 
ratings  of  the  counterparties  and  the  short  remaining  maturities  of  the 
exposures. The Stabilus Group believes that the credit risk pertaining to its 
cash and cash equivalents is low. No significant impairments on cash and 
cash  equivalents were identified in fiscal year 2020. 

76

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
  
  
 
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 EQUITY

along with the Company's issued capital the total amount of capital that 
 stockholders have contributed to the Company.

the shareholders of Stabilus S. A. As this dividend is subject to shareholder 
approval at the Annual General Meeting, no liability has been recognized in 
the consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2020.

Retained earnings
Retained  earnings  as  of  September  30,  2020,  amounted  to  €287,702 
thousand (PY: €283,423 thousand) and included the Group’s net result in 
the fiscal year 2020 amounting to €31,433 thousand. 

Dividends
In  the  second  quarter  of  fiscal  year  2020,  a  dividend  amounting  to  
€27.17  million  (PY:  €24.70  million)  was  paid  to  our  shareholders.  In 
fiscal year 2020 there were no dividend payments (PY: €62 thousand) to  
non- controlling shareholders of a Stabilus subsidiary.

The Management Board and the Supervisory Board resolved to  propose a 
dividend distribution of €0.50 per share (PY: €1.10 per share) to the  Annual 
General Meeting to be held in Luxembourg on February 10, 2021. The total 
dividend will thus amount to €12.35 million (PY: €27.17  million) and the 
distribution  ratio  will  be  41.2%  of  the  consolidated  profit   attributable  to 

Accumulated other comprehensive income / (expense)

Other reserves
The following table shows a breakdown of the line item "other reserves" and 
the movements in such reserves during the reporting period. A description of 
the nature and purpose of each reserve is provided below the table.

Exchange differences arising on the translation of the financial statements of 
the Group’s foreign operations are recognized in other comprehensive  income 
and accumulated in a separate reserve within equity which is  displayed in 
the table above as the cumulative foreign currency translation adjustment. 
On disposal of a foreign operation, the related amount is reclassified out of 
the  cumulative  foreign  currency  translation  adjustment  into  profit  or  loss 
where it is recognized as part of the gain or loss on disposal.

The  unrealized  actuarial  gains  and  losses  relate  to  our  defined  benefit 
pension plan which is further explained in Note 26. 

21 Equity

The development of the equity is presented in the statement of changes 
in equity.

Issued capital
Issued  capital  as  of  September  30,  2020,  amounted  to  €247  thousand   
(PY: €247 thousand) and was fully paid in. It is divided into 24,700,000 
shares  each  with  a  nominal  value  of  €0.01.  The  authorized  capital  of 
the  Company  is  set  at  €271  thousand  represented  by  a  maximum  of   
27.1 million shares, each with nominal value of €0.01.

Authorization for repurchase of own shares
The Annual General Meeting of the shareholders on February 12, 2020, 
authorized  the  Management  Board  to  buy  back  up  to  2  million  own 
 shares. This authorization is given for a period of five years from the date of 
resolution. The repurchased shares may be used for any legally permissible 
purpose. The purchase shall be affected either through the stock exchange 
or on the basis of a public purchase offer to all shareholders. If the shares 
are acquired on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange the consideration payable 
per share shall not exceed more than 10% and shall not undercut by more 
than 20% the arithmetic mean of the closing price in XETRA trading on 
the Frankfurt Stock Exchange on the last three days of trading prior to the 
decision to repurchase shares. 

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Balance as of Sept 30, 2018

During  the  fiscal  year  2020,  the  Company  did  not  buy  any  of  its  own 
shares.

Before tax

Tax (expense) / benefit

Capital reserves
Capital  reserves  amounted  to  €225,848  thousand  as  of  September 
30,  2020,  (PY:  €225,848  thousand)  and  include  premiums  received 
for  the  issuance  of  additional  shares  in  2016  amounting  to  €224,000 
thousands  less  transaction  costs  of  €(6,273)  thousands,  a  distributable  
reserve of €4,835 thousand and other capital contributions by owners of  
€3,286 thousand. The capital reserve is presented separately to indicate 

Other comprehensive income / (expense), net of taxes

Non-controlling interest

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Before tax

Tax (expense) / benefit

Other comprehensive income / (expense), net of taxes

Non-controlling interest

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

Cumulative foreign  
cu rrency translation  
ad justment

Unre alize d actua ria l  
ga ins and  losses

(14,182)

11,753

–

11,753

–

(2,429)

(34,184)

–

(34,184)

–

(36,613)

(10,430)

(9,211)

2,787

(6,424)

–

(16,854)

1,920

(573)

1,347

–

(15,507)

T_057

Tota l

(24,612)

2,542

2,787

5,329

–

(19,283)

(32,264)

(573)

(32,837)

–

(52,120)

77

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  FINANCIAL LIABILITIES

22  Financial liabilities

The financial liabilities comprise the following items:

Financial liabilities

IN  € THOUSA NDS

Senior facilities

Revolving credit facility

Other facilities

Financial liabilities

Se pt  3 0, 2020

Cur re nt

Non-curren t

–

29,894

4,412

34,306

282,724

–

5,354

288,078

To tal

282,724

29,894

9,766

322,384

Sept 30, 2019

Cu rrent

Non-c urrent

–

–

2,824

2,824

298,501

–

10,260

308,761

T _ 058

Tota l

298,501

–

13,084

311,585

On June 7, 2016, Stabilus entered into a €640.0 million senior facilities 
agreement with, among others, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft, Crédit 
Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen 
Girozentrale  and  UniCredit  Bank  AG  as  mandated  lead  arrangers  and 
UniCredit Luxembourg S. A. as facility and security agent. The agreement 
comprises a term loan facility of €455.0 million, an equity bridge facility 
of €115.0 million and a revolving credit facility of €70.0 million. The term 
loan facility and the revolving credit facility originally mature on June 29, 
2021. The duration of the major portion of the senior facilities (other than 
the equity bridge facility) has been extended to June 28, 2023.

The term loan facility has to be repaid on June 29, 2022, with an amount 
of €45.0 million and on June 28, 2023, with an amount of €250.0 million. 

On  July  31,  2020,  Stabilus  signed  an  amendment  of  the  senior   facility 
 agreement dated June 7, 2016, to prepare for potential future  challenges 
from  the  COVID-19  crisis  and  to  strengthen  financial  liquidity.  The 
 amendment  provides  for  an  additional  committed  credit  line  of  €50.0 
 million,  a   temporary  increase  of  the  maximum  leverage  ratio   permitted 
 under  the  senior  facility  agreement  and  opens  the  ability  to  issue 
 promissory  loan  notes  (Schuldscheindarlehen)  up  to  an  aggregated 
amount of €150.0  million. The Group did not issue any promissory loan 
note in fiscal year 2020.

In  respect  of  the  senior  facilities  a  share  pledge  over  the  shares  of  all 
major subsidiaries has been granted as a security in favor of the lenders 
on first priority. If the Group defaults on its loan, the lenders could  enforce 
their  security  and  substantially  all  major  operating  subsidiaries  of  the 
Stabilus Group could be separated from Stabilus S. A. and transferred to 
the  lenders through a share pledge enforcement.

Stabilus  repaid  €50.0  million  on  August  31,  2016,  €10.0  million  
on  December  31,  2016,  €2.5  million  on  March  31,  €50.0  million  on 
 September  30,  2017,  €6.4  million  on  March  28,  2018,  €21.1   million  on 
 September 27, 2019, and €20.0 million on February 27, 2020, and  reduced 
the  outstanding  nominal  amount  to  €295.0  million  as  at   September 
30,  2020.  The  Group´s  liability  under  the  senior  facility   agreement  (the 
 remaining €295.0 million term-loan) is measured at amortized cost  under 
 consideration of transaction costs and the adjustment of the carrying value 
using  the  effective  interest  rate  method. The  adjustment  of  the  carrying 
value of the term loan facility reflects the change in estimated  future cash 
flows discounted with the original effective interest rate due to a  decreased 
margin based on the improved net leverage ratio of the Group. 

In the financial year 2018, Stabilus US entered into a $7.8 million loan 
agreement which requires monthly installments. The effective interest rate 

for this loan is 3.95% and it matures on January 15, 2025. The  outstanding 
nominal amount as at September 30, 2020, is $5.1 million (PY: $6.1  million). 
Furthermore, as part of the business combination in fiscal year 2019, the 
Group entered in several bank loans and the  outstanding  nominal amount 
as at September 30, 2020, is €4.3 million (PY: €4.9 million), the effective 
interest rates are between 1.25% and 2.50%. The maturities of these loan 
agreements are between March 20, 2021, and September 30, 2023. In 
addition, the Group recognized purchase price obligations amounting to 
€1.0 million (PY: €2.5 million) for the acquired entities Piston and Clevers 
in fiscal year 2019.

As  at  September  30,  2020,  the  Group  had  drawn  €29.9  million  under 
the  committed  €70.0  million  revolving  credit  facility. The  Group  utilized  
€0.8  million  out  of  the  €70.0  million  revolving  credit  facility  to  secure  
existing  guarantees.  The  committed  credit  line  of  €50.0  million  (PY:  
€- million) is undrawn.

78

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  OTHER FINANCIAL LIABILITIES

  LEASES

Outflows for lease payments

T_060

23  Other financial liabilities

Other financial liabilities

IN € THOUSANDS

Liabilities to employees

Social security contribution

Lease liabilities   
(PY: finance lease obligation)1)

Other financial liabilities

Sept 3 0,  2020

Cur re nt

Non-curren t

7,168

2,272

6,905

16,345

–

–

33,066

33,066

To tal

7,168

2,272

39,971

49,411

Sept 30, 2019

Cu rrent

Non-c urrent

6,550

3,105

441

10,096

–

–

83

83

Tota l

6,550

3,105

524

10,179

1)  Since October 1, 2019, the Stabilus Group has adopted the new standard IFRS 16 (Leases) by using the modified retrospective transition method. In accordance with this method, 

prior year figures were not restated. 

The  increase  is  especially  due  to  the  effects  resulting  from  first-time 
 application of IFRS 16 amounting to €43.7 million, thereof €36.9 million 
as  non-current  and  €6.8  million  as  current. The  liabilities  to  employees 
mainly comprise outstanding salaries and wages. 

expedient in IFRS 16.6 by not accounting short-term leases (leases with 
a lease term less than 12 months) and low-value assets (underlying asset   
< 5.000 EUR / USD e.g. printers and copiers) as right-of-use assets.

The  future  minimum  lease  payments  under  non-cancellable  leases  are 
 expected to amount €45.1 million within the next years. Thereof €8.2 million 
lease payments are payable within the next fiscal year 2021.

T _ 059

IN € THOUSANDS

within one year

after one year but not more than five years

more than five years

Total

Interest expense on lease liabilities

IN € THOUSANDS

within one year

after one year but not more than five years

more than five years

Total

Maturity of lease liabilities

IN € THOUSANDS

within one year

after one year but not more than five years

more than five years

24 Leases

IFRS 16 (Leases) was initially applied in the Stabilus Group as of  October 1, 
2019, under the modified retrospective approach without any  adjustment 
of prior year figures. In the ordinary business, the Stabilus Group  is the 
 lessee of property, plant and equipment (e.g. IT hardware, cars, and other 
machinery  and  equipment).  For  all  leases  respective  lease  term   options 
(e.g. renewal options) are considered. The application of such lease term 
options provides the Group with the greatest possible flexibility  concerning 
their  leased  assets.  The  majority  of  the  current  options  to   extend  or   
terminate the leases can only be exercised by the Group and not by the 
 respective  lessor.  Within  the  Stabilus  Group  the  extension  options  are  
solely used for the asset class “buildings”. For all other leases the  minimum 
term  of  lease  is  considered.  The  Stabilus  Group  applied  the  practical  

The  Stabilus  Group  expects  interest  expenses  on  lease  liabilities  in  the 
amount of €1.3 million for the financial year 2021. 

Total

Expenses of short-term and low-value leases

As of September 30, 2020, the lease liabilities amounted to €40.0 million. 
Thereof €6.9 million are due within the next fiscal year 2021. 

In  fiscal  year  2020  the  Group  made  lease  payments  due  to  low-value 
 leases in the amount of €0.3 million and due to short-term leases in the 
amount of €1.0 million.

IN € THOUSANDS

Sep t 30 , 2 020

Expenses related to short-term leases

Expenses related to low-value leases

Total

1,005

297

1,302

79

Sep t 30 , 2 020

8,159

23,739

13,165

45,063

T_061

Sep t 30 , 2 020

1,254

3,021

817

5,092

T_062

Sep t 30 , 2 020

6,905

20,718

12,348

39,971

T_063

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  PROVISIONS

25  Provisions

Provisions

IN € THOUSANDS

Anniversary benefits

Early retirement contracts

Employee-related costs

Environmental protection

Other risks

Legal and litigation costs

Warranties

Other miscellaneous

Provisions

Sept 3 0,  2020

Cur re nt 

Non-current

21

1,350

12,893

460

3,719

60

15,676

5,989

40,168

154

2,046

–

1,051

–

–

–

448

3,699

To tal

175

3,396

12,893

1,511

3,719

60

15,676

6,437

43,867

Sept 30, 2019

Cu rrent 

Non-c urrent

33

1,037

11,332

827

3,008

97

16,806

5,004

38,144

153

1,946

–

1,130

–

–

–

336

3,565

T _ 064

Tota l

186

2,983

11,332

1,957

3,008

97

16,806

5,340

41,709

80

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  PROVISIONS

The discount rate used for the calculation of non-current provisions as of 
September  30,  2020,  was  0.0%  (PY:  0.0%). The  non-current  provisions 
developed as follows: 

Changes of non-current provisions

IN € THOUSANDS

Balance as of Sept 30, 2018

Additions from business combination

Reclassifications

Foreign currency differences

Costs paid

Release to income

Additions

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Additions from business combination

Reclassifications

Foreign currency differences

Costs paid

Release to income

Additions

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

Annive rs ary 
benef its

Earl y  
retirement

EPA  
provi si on

Other  
miscell aneou s

129

–

–

4

(1)

–

21

153

–

–

(4)

–

(9)

14

154

1,785

1,099

–

–

–

–

–

161

1,946

–

–

–

–

–

100

2,046

–

–

54

(614)

–

591

1,130

–

–

(79)

–

–

–

1,051

389

16

–

16

–

(100)

15

336

–

–

(18)

(117)

–

247

448

T _ 065

Tota l

3,402

16

–

74

(615)

(100)

788

3,565

–

–

(101)

(117)

(9)

361

3,699

81

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  PROVISIONS

The development of current provisions is set out in the table below: 

Changes of current provisions

IN  € THOUSAND S

Balance as of Sept 30, 2018

Additions from business combination

Foreign currency differences

Reclassifications

Costs paid

Release to income

Additions

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Additions from business combination

Foreign currency differences

Reclassifications

Costs paid

Release to income

Additions

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

Employee-related 
costs 

Environ mental 
protection  
measures

13,574

90

160

–

(11,500)

(2)

9,010

11,332

–

(1,199)

–

(9,415)

–

12,175

12,893

–

–

30

–

–

–

797

827

–

(44)

–

(323)

–

–

460

The provision for employee-related expenses comprises employee bonuses 
and termination benefits. 

Other risks

1,727

–

16

–

(1,643)

–

2,908

3,008

–

(208)

–

(2,805)

–

3,724

3,719

Legal  an d  
li ti gation  costs

Anni versa ry  
benefits

Ea rly  
retirement

Warranties

Other  
miscellane ous

94

–

3

–

–

–

–

97

–

(30)

–

(7)

–

–

60

17

–

1

–

(5)

–

20

33

–

(1)

–

(16)

–

5

21

1,020

–

–

–

(480)

–

497

1,037

–

–

–

–

–

313

1,350

14,030

1,106

341

–

(5,382)

(34)

6,745

16,806

–

(1,442)

–

(8,879)

–

9,191

15,676

4,458

1,926

20

–

(4,317)

(12)

2,929

5,004

–

(202)

–

(3,294)

–

4,481

5,989

T _ 066

Tota l

34,920

3,122

571

–

(23,327)

(48)

22,906

38,144

–

(3,126)

–

(24,739)

–

29,889

40,168

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
The provision for environmental protection measures relate to the 1985 
vacated former Stabilus Inc. US site in Colmar, PE, USA at the North Penn 
Area 5. In the meantime, this North Penn Area 5 has been  identified by the 
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an area  requiring 
environmental remediation. In 2011, the EPA contacted  seven  companies 
in the North Penn Area 5 as potential responsible parties for cost  sharing, 
Stabilus  being  one  of  them.  The  Group  is  currently  unable  to  develop 
a  reasonable  estimate  of  its  share  of  the  ultimate   obligation  as  cost 
 apportionment method of the EPA and Stabilus insurance  reimbursement 
are  unclear  at  this  point  in  time.  As  such,  no  liability  for  an  EPA 
 reimbursement has been reflected in the balance sheet as of  September 
30,  2020.  For  the  corresponding  ongoing  long-term   bioremediation, 
a   current  provision  of  €460  thousand  (PY:  €827  thousand)  and  a  non- 
current provision of €1,051 thousand (PY: €1,130 thousand) have been 
recorded as of September 30, 2020.

The  provision  for  other  risks  from  purchase  and  sales  commitments 
 represents  expected  sales  discounts,  expected  losses  from  pending 
 deliveries of goods and other sales-related liabilities. 

The provision for legal and litigation costs represents costs of legal advice 
and notary charges as well as the costs of litigation. 

The  provision  for  warranties  represents  the  accrued  liability  for  pending 
risks from warranties offered by the Group for their products. The Group 
issues  various  types  of  contractual  warranties  under  which  it  generally 
guarantees the performance of products delivered and services rendered. 
The  Group  accrues  for  costs  associated  with  product  warranties  at  the 
date  products  are  sold. This  also  comprises  accruals  that  are  calculated 
for individual cases. Insurance reimbursements related to individual cases 
are presented in other financial assets if the recognition criteria are met.

C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

   PROVISIONS

  PENSION PLANS AND SIMILAR OBLIGATIONS

26  Pension plans and similar obligations

Liabilities for the Group’s pension benefit plans and other post- employment 
plans comprise the following:

Pension plans and similar obligations

T _ 067

Deferred compensation
The deferred compensation is a form of retirement pay which is financed 
by the employees, where, based on an agreement between the Group and 
the employees, part of their income is retained by the Group and paid to 
the respective employees after retirement.

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Principal pension plan

Deferred compensation

Pension plans and similar obligations

Sep t  30, 
2020

Sept 30, 
20 19

The total deferred compensation as of September 30, 2020, amounts to 
€175 thousand (PY: €298 thousand). 

56,854

175

57,029

59,595

298

59,893

The unfunded status is as follows:

Defined benefit plans and deferred 
 compensation

Defined benefit plan
The  Stabilus  Group  granted  post-employment  pension  benefits  to 
 employees in Germany. The level of post-employment benefits is generally 
based on eligible compensation levels and / or ranking within the Group 
hierarchy and years of service. 

In  order  to  mitigate  future  liquidity  risk,  the  Group’s  pension  policies 
for one major plan granted to employees who joined the Group prior to 
 January 1, 2006, were amended as of December 21, 2010, and the title 
earned in the former defined benefit plan was frozen. Going forward no 
additional  defined  benefit  titles  can  be  earned  except  for  certain  older 
employees. At the same time, the Group introduced a defined contribution 
plan in which direct payments to an external insurer are made.

Liabilities for principal pension plans amounting to €56,854 thousand (PY: 
€59,595 thousand) result from unfunded accumulated benefit obligations. 

The weighted average duration of the defined benefit obligations in the 
fiscal year 2020 is 16.3 years (PY: 16.9 years).

Unfunded status

T _ 068

IN € THOUSANDS

Present value of defined 
benefit obligations

Less: Fair value of plan assets 

Unfunded status

Yea r e nded Sep t 30 , 

20 20

20 19

58,220

(1,191)

57,029

61,015

(1,122)

59,893

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
  
Ye ar  e nded Se pt 30, 

20 20

2019

Present value of the defined benefit obligation and 
the experience adjustments on the plan liabilities

T _ 071

Sensitivity analysis

C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  PENSION PLANS AND SIMILAR OBLIGATIONS

The present value of the net pension liability developed as follows:

Present value of the net pension liability obligations 

T _ 069

The  present  value  of  the  defined  benefit  obligation  and  the  experience 
adjustments arising on the plan liabilities are as follows:

IN € THOUSANDS

Present value of net pension liability  
as of beginning of fiscal year

Contribution to plan assets

Service cost

Interest cost

Effect of change in financial assumptions

Experience assumptions

Actuarial (gains) / losses

Pension benefits paid

59,893

–

322

551

(2,267)

347

(1,920)

(1,816)

52,180

(1,122)

347

1,005

9,816

(605)

9,211

(1,728)

IN €  THOU SAND S

Sept 30, 2016

Sept 30, 2017

Sept 30, 2018

Sept 30, 2019

Sept 30, 2020

Defin ed  
benefit  
ob lig ati on

Exp eri en ce  
adju stments

Cha nge in  
demograph ic  
assu mption s

58,738

53,236

52,180

59,893

57,029

(1,055)

234

(107)

(605)

347

–

–

533

–

–

Present value of net pension liability  
as of fiscal year-end

57,029

59,893

The pension cost in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income 
includes the following expenses for defined benefit plans:

Pension cost for defined benefit plans

T _ 070

IN  € THOUSAND S

Service cost

Interest cost

Pension cost for defined benefit plans

Ye ar  e nded Se pt 30, 

20 20

322

551

873

2019

347

1,005

1,352

Generally, the measurement date for the Group’s pension obligations is 
September 30. The measurement date for the Group’s net periodic pension 
cost generally is the beginning of the period. Assumed discount rates, pen-
sion increases and long-term return on plan assets vary according to the 
economic conditions in the country in which the pension plan is situated.

Following assumptions (measurement factors) were used to determine the 
pension obligations:

Significant factors for the calculation of 
pension obligations

IN %  P.  A.

Discount rate

Pension increases

Turnover rate

Year  en ded Sept  30, 

2020

1.14%

1.50%

4.00%

T _ 072

20 19

0.93%

1.50%

4.00%

Biometric assumptions

Heubeck Mortality  
Table 2018G

Heubeck Mortality  
Table 2018G

The  discount  rates  for  the  pension  plans  are  determined  annually  as  of 
September  30,  2020,  on  the  basis  of  first-rate,  fixed-interest  industrial 
bonds with maturities and values matching those of the pension payments.

 obligation 

for  pension 

If  the  discount  rate  were  to  differ  by  + 0.5% / – 0.5%  from  the   interest 
rate  used  at  the  balance  sheet  date,  the  defined  benefit  obligation  for 
pension   benefits  would  be  an  estimated  €5,040  thousand  lower  or 
€4,380  thousand  higher.  If  the  future  pension  increase  used  were  to 
differ  by  + 0.2% / – 0.2%  from  management’s  estimates,  the  defined  
 benefits  would  be  an  estimated  
benefit 
€840 thousand higher or €2,060 thousand lower. The reduction / increase  
of  the  mortality  rates  by  1-year  results  in  an  increase / decrease  of  life  
expectancy   depending  on  the   individual  age  of  each  beneficiary.  The  
effects  on  the  defined   benefit   obligation  (the  “DBO”)  as  of  September 
30,  2020,  due  to  a  1-year   decrease / increase  of  the  life   expectancy  
would  result  in  an  increase  of  €1,980  thousand  or  a  decrease  of  
€3,240 thousand.

When  calculating  the  sensitivity  of  the  DBO  to  significant  actuarial 
 assumptions the same method (present value of the DBO calculated with 
the projected unit credit method) has been applied as when calculating 
the  post-employment  benefit  obligation  recognized  in  the  consolidated 
 statement of financial position. Increases and decreases in the discount 
rate  or  the  rate  of  pension  progression  which  are  used  in   determining 
the  DBO  do  not  have  a  symmetrical  effect  on  the  DBO  due  to  the 
 compound  interest effect created when determining the net present value 
of the  future  benefit. If more than one of the assumptions are  changed 
 simultaneously,  the  combined  impact  due  to  the  changes  would  not 
necessarily be the same as the sum of the individual effects due to the 
changes. If the  assumptions change at a different level, the effect on the 
DBO is not necessarily in a linear relation.

Expected pension benefit payments for the fiscal year 2021 will amount to 
€1,901 thousand (PY: €1,909 thousand).

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
Defined contribution plans

29  Other liabilities

C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  PENSION PLANS AND SIMILAR OBLIGATIONS

  TRADE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE

 CURRENT TAX LIABILITIES

  OTHER LIABILITIES

  CONTINGENT LIABILITIES AND OTHER FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS

The  expenses  incurred  under  defined  contribution  plans  are  primarily 
 related to government-run pension plans. Expenses for these plans in the 
reporting period amounted to €11,420 thousand (PY: €13,711 thousand).

27  Trade accounts payable

Trade accounts payable amount to €71,080 thousand (PY: €90,992 thousand) 
as of the end of the fiscal year. The full amount is due within one year. The 
liabilities are measured at amortized cost. For information on liquidity and 
exchange rate risks for trade accounts payable, please see Note 32. 

28  Current tax liabilities

The  current  tax  liabilities  amounted  to  €9,658  thousand  (PY:  €13,088 
thousand) and relate to income and trade taxes. The initial application of 
IFRIC 23 did not have any impact on the consolidated financial statements.

The following table sets out the breakdown of the Group’s other current 
and non-current liabilities: 

Other liabilities

T _ 073

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Cu rrent Non -current

Tota l

Curren t Non -current

Tota l

Sep t 30 , 20 20

Sep t 30 , 20 19

Advanced payments received

Vacation expenses

Other personnel-related expenses

Outstanding costs

Miscellaneous

Other liabilities

2,553

3,717

6,545

3,869

204

16,888

–

–

–

–

–

–

2,553

3,717

6,545

3,869

204

2,278

4,066

6,611

2,908

380

16,888

16,243

–

–

–

–

–

–

2,278

4,066

6,611

2,908

380

16,243

30 

 Contingent liabilities and other  
financial commitments

Guarantees

Contingent liabilities

Contingent  liabilities  are  possible  obligations  whose  existence  has  yet 
to be confirmed by the occurrence or non-occurrence of uncertain future 
events that are not wholly within the control of the entity. If the outcome is 
probable and estimable, the liability is shown in the statement of financial 
position. 

Further information regarding actual and contingent obligations imposed by 
the US EPA for the former Stabilus site in Colmar can be found in Note 25.

On October 11, 2005, Stabilus Romania S.R.L., Brasov, (“STRO”) entered 
into  a  rental  agreement  with  ICCO  SRL  (ICCO)  for  a  production  facility 
with  an  area  of  8,400  square  meters. The  initial  rental  agreement  had 
a  contract period of seven years which has been extended. STAB  Dritte 
 Holding  GmbH,  Koblenz,  which  has  merged  into  Stable  Beteiligungs 
GmbH, Koblenz, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, issued a bank 
guarantee of €600 thousand (PY: €600 thousand), for the event that STRO 
will be unable to pay. Stabilus GmbH, Koblenz, issued a letter of support 
for the event that STRO will be unable to pay.

On September 22, 2005, Stabilus S. A. de C. V. (“STMX”) entered into a 
 lease agreement with Deutsche Bank Mexico, S. A., and Kimex  Industrial 
BEN, LLC, for a production facility with an area of 28,951 square meters of 

85

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
  
  
  
  
land and 5,881 square meters of construction buildings in Ramos  Arizpe, 
State  of  Coahuila,  Mexico. The  lease  agreement  had  an  initial   contract 
 period  of  ten  years  and  has  already  been  extended.  Stabilus  GmbH, 
 Koblenz, issued a letter of support for the event that STMX will be unable 
to pay.

On  June  7,  2016,  the  Group  entered  into  a  senior  facilities  agreement. 
Certain material subsidiaries of the Group are guarantors, as defined in 
the  senior  facilities  agreement,  and  gave  a  credit  guarantee  in  favor  of 
the financing parties. The guarantees are subject to limitations, including 
being limited to the extent that otherwise the guarantee would amount 
to unlawful financial assistance and other jurisdiction-specific tests (e.g. 
net assets). 

Given a normal course of the economic development as well as a normal 
course  of  business,  management  believes  these  guarantees  should  not 
 result in a material adverse effect for the Group. 

C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  CONTINGENT LIABILITIES AND OTHER  

FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS

Other financial commitments

From  October  1,  2019,  obligations  from  operating  leases  have  been 
 recognized  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of  IFRS  16  and  further 
information can be found in Note 24.

The capital commitments for fixed and other intangible assets decreased 
from €4,750 thousand as of September 30, 2019, to €3,442 thousand as 
of September 30, 2020.

Nominal values of other financial commitments are as follows: 

Financial commitments

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Less than 1 year

 1 to 5  years

 Mo re  tha n 5  ye ars

Capital commitments for fixed and other intangible assets

Total

3,442

3,442

–

–

–

–

Sep t 30 , 2 020

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Less than 1 year

 1 to 5  years

 Mo re  tha n 5  ye ars

Capital commitments for fixed and other intangible assets

Total

4,750

4,750

–

–

–

–

Sep t 30 , 20 19

T _ 074

Tota l

3,442

3,442

Tota l

4,750

4,750

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
 
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

   FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

31  Financial instruments

The  following  table  shows  the  carrying  amounts  and  fair  values  of  the 
Group’s  financial  instruments  within  the  meaning  of  IFRS  7  as  well  as 
by the measurement category. The fair value is the price that would be  
received  to  sell  an  asset  or  paid  to  transfer  a  liability  in  an  orderly  
transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

Financial instruments

T _ 075

IN  € THOUSAND S

Trade accounts receivables

Cash

Other financial assets

Contingent consideration

Total financial assets

Financial liabilities

Trade accounts payable

Lease liabilities (PY: finance lease liabilities)1)

Total financial liabilities

Aggregated according to categories in IFRS 9:

Financial assets measured at amortized cost (AC)

Financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss (FVtPL)

Financial liabilities measured at amortized cost (FLAC)

Sept 30, 2020

Sept 30, 2019

MEASU REMEN T 
CATEGORY 
AC C.  TO  IFRS 9

Carryi ng 
amo un t

Fair value 2)

Carryi ng 
amo unt

Fair value 2 )

AC

AC

AC

FVtPL

FLAC

FLAC

n/a

117,071

162,431

2,736

4,538

286,776

322,384

71,080

39,971

–

–

–

4,538

4,538

330,216

–

–

130,328

139,020

2,900

1,843

274,091

311,585

90,992

524

–

–

–

1,843

1,843

330,918

–

–

433,435

330,216

403,101

330,918

282,238

4,538

393,464

–

4,538

330,216

272,248

1,843

402,577

–

1,843

330,918

1)  Since October 1, 2019, the Stabilus Group has adopted the new standard IFRS 16 (Leases) by using the modified retrospective transition method. In accordance with this method, 

prior year figures were not restated.

2) The simplification provision under IFRS 7.29a has been applied with respect to fair value disclosures. This does not apply to the contingent consideration.

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

   FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

   RISK REPORTING

The following table provides an overview of the classification of financial 
instruments presented above in the fair value hierarchy, except for financial 
instruments  with  fair  values  corresponding  to  the  carrying  amounts  (i.e. 
trade accounts receivable and payable, cash and other financial liabilities).

Financial instruments

IN € THOUSAND S

Financial liabilities

Senior facilities

Other facilities

Contingent consideration

Sept 3 0, 202 0

Sept 30, 2019

Tot al 

Lev e l 1 1)

Le vel  2 2)

Level  3 3)

Total 

Level 1 1)

Level  2 2)

Level 3 3 )

290,300

39,916

4,538

–

–

–

290,300

39,916

4,538

–

–

–

317,834

13,084

1,843

–

–

–

317,834

13,084

1,843

–

–

–

T _ 076

1) Fair value measurement based on quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for these or identical instruments.

2) Fair value measurement based on inputs that are observable on active markets either directly (i.e. as prices) or indirectly (i.e. derived from prices).

3) Fair value measurement based on inputs that are not observable market data.

It is the Group’s policy to recognize transfers into and out of a level of the 
fair value hierarchy at the date of the event or change in circumstances that 
caused the transfer. There were no transfers between Level 2 and Level 3 of 
the fair value hierarchy in the current and the previous financial year.

credit  risk  of  the  issuer.  The  Group  obtains  the  valuation  for  its 
senior   secured  notes  from  an  independent  service  provider  on  a 
 quarterly basis. The fair value of the contingent consideration does 
not  underlie any  variation, the recognized amount is fixed.

The fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid 
to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants 
at the measurement date. The following methods and assumptions were 
used to estimate the fair values in the previous fiscal year:

The carrying amounts of trade accounts receivables, cash, other financial 
assets and trade accounts payable closely approximate their fair value due 
to their predominantly short-term nature.

 – The  senior  secured  notes  are  categorized  within  Level  2  of  the 
fair value hierarchy as the instruments themselves are not  traded 
in an active market, but as all significant inputs required for their 
fair value measurement are observable in active markets. Their fair 
value is estimated using a present value technique, by  discounting 
the   contractual  cash  flows  using  the  implied  yields  for  similar 
 instruments  of  entities  with  a  similar  standing  and  marketability.  
The  most   significant  input  is  the  discount  rate  that  reflects  the  

The net gains and losses on financial instruments result in the fiscal year 
ended September 30, 2020, from the currency translation and  changes in 
the estimate of future cash flows of financial assets measured at  amortized 
cost and financial liabilities measured at amortized cost, as well as gains 
from changes in fair value of derivative instruments. They are set out in 
 Notes 8 and 9. The net foreign exchange gain amounted to €1,759 thousand 
(PY: gain €835 thousand). 

Total interest income and expense from financial instruments are reported 
in Notes 8 and 9.

32  Risk reporting

Internal risk management 

The  Group  employs  within  the  budgeting  process  an  integrated  system 
for the early identification and monitoring of risks specific to the Group, 
in order to identify changes in the business environment and deviations 
from targets at an early stage and to initiate countermeasures in advance. 
This includes monthly short- and medium-term analysis of the order intake 
and of the accounts receivable balance. Based on the results of this  initial 
assessment  further  evaluations  are  frequently  conducted  for  individual 
companies if deemed appropriate. Customer behavior is ascertained and 
analyzed continuously, and the information obtained from these serves as 
an early warning indicator for possible changes in demand patterns.

In  addition,  significant  KPIs  (order  intake,  sales  and  EBIT,  staffing  level, 
quality indicators) are reported monthly by all Group companies and are 
assessed by the Group´s management. 

Financial risks

The Group’s Corporate Treasury function provides services to the business, 
coordinates  access  to  domestic  and  international  financial  markets,  and 
monitors  and  manages  the  financial  risks  relating  to  the  operations  of 
the  Group. These  risks  include  credit  risk,  liquidity  risk  and  market  risk 
 (including currency risk and fair value interest rate risk). 

The Group seeks to minimize the effects of financial risks by using  derivative 
financial  instruments  to  hedge  these  exposures  wherever  considered 
 economically  reasonable.  The  use  of  financial  derivatives  is  governed  by 
the  Group’s  policies  approved  by  the  Management  Board,  which   provide   
principles on foreign currency risk, interest rate risk, credit risk, the use of  
financial  derivatives  and  non-derivative  financial  instruments,  and  the 
 investment of excess liquidity. The Group does not enter into or trade  financial 
instruments,  including  derivative  financial  instruments,  for   speculative 
 purposes. The Group does not have any derivative financial instruments as 
of September 30, 2020.

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

   RISK REPORTING

Credit risks

The maximum exposure to credit risk is reflected by the carrying amounts 
of the following financial assets:

Credit risks included in financial assets

T _ 077

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Financial assets

Trade and other  
receivables

Other miscellaneous

Cash and cash equivalents

Total 

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Financial assets

Trade and other  
receivables

Other miscellaneous

Cash and cash equivalents

Total 

Nei th er  past d ue  
no r  impaired

< 30 d ays 30  – 60  days 60  – 9 0 d ays 90  – 36 0 days

> 360  d ays

Tota l

Sep t 30 , 2 020

108,112

7,274

162,431

277,817

6,949

1,531

–

–

–

–

6,949

1,531

455

–

–

455

1,191

(1,167)

–

–

–

–

1,191

(1,167)

117,071

7,274

162,431

286,776

Nei th er  past d ue 
no r  impaired

< 30 d ays 30  – 6 0 d ays 60  – 90  days 90  – 3 60 days

> 360  d ays

Tota l

Sep t 30 , 2 019

117,632

4,743

139,020

261,395

9,250

1,308

–

–

–

–

9,250

1,308

790

–

–

790

1,566

–

–

(218)

–

–

1,566

(218)

130,328

4,743

139,020

274,091

Credit  risk  refers  to  the  risk  that  a  counterparty  will  default  on  its 
 contractual obligations resulting in financial loss to the Group. The Group 
has adopted a policy of dealing only with creditworthy counterparties and 
obtaining sufficient collateral where appropriate, as a means of mitigating 
the risk of financial loss from defaults. As of the reporting date the Stabilus 
Group does not hold any collateral. The Group’s exposure and the credit 
ratings  of  its  counterparties  are  monitored,  and  the  aggregate  value  of 
transactions concluded is spread amongst approved counterparties. 

Trade accounts receivable consist of a large number of customers, spread 
across  diverse  industries  and  geographical  areas.  Credit  evaluation  is 
 performed on the financial condition of accounts receivable and,  where 
viewed  appropriate,  credit  guarantee  insurance  cover  is  purchased.    
Besides  this,  commercial  considerations  are  taken  into  account  when 
 determining  the  maximum  volume  of  the  credit  lines  granted  to  each 
customer.  The  Group  has  established  the  policy  to  write-off  all  trade 
 receivables when there is no reasonable expectation of recovery. Among 
others, the failure to make payments within 360 days from the invoice date 
or the initiation of bankruptcy proceedings are considered indicators of no 
reasonable expectation of recovery. In addition, the Group established an 
allowance  for  doubtful  accounts  based  on  historically  observed  default 
rates adjusted for forward-looking estimates to accrue for expected credit 
losses. To determine the forward-looking economic conditions, the Group 
considers  in  particular  the  credit  default  swaps  (CDS)  of  the  respective 
client’s geographical location that ensures the risks of the counterparty in 
the respective country are taken into account.

In  the  course  of  the  COVID-19  crisis  there  was  no  significant  increase 
in  defaulted  trade  account  receivables  and  no  additional  allowance  for 
doubtful  accounts  was  recorded.  In  addition,  the  Group  has  taken  out 
trade credit insurance to insure against the default risk.

89

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

   RISK REPORTING

Liquidity risks

The  Management  Board  has  established  an  appropriate  liquidity  risk 
 management  framework  for  the  management  of  the  Group’s  short-, 
 medium- and long-term funding and liquidity management requirements. 
The Group manages liquidity risk by maintaining adequate reserves,  banking 
facilities and reserve borrowing facilities and by monitoring  forecast cash 
flows at regular intervals. 

The following maturities summary shows how cash flows from the Group’s 
liabilities as of September 30, 2020, will influence its liquidity position. The 
summary describes the course of the undiscounted principal and interest 
outflows  of  the  financing  liabilities  and  the  undiscounted  cash  outflows 
of the trade accounts payable. The undiscounted cash outflows are subject 
to  the  following  conditions:  If  the  counterparty  can  request  payment  at 
different dates, the liability is included on the basis of the earliest payment 
date. The underlying terms and conditions are described in Note 22 and 24.

Credit risk resulting from other financial assets, which comprise cash and 
cash equivalents and miscellaneous financial assets, arises from a  possible 
default  of  the  counterparty,  with  a  maximum  exposure  equal  to  the 
carrying amount of these instruments.

The  Group  does  not  have  any  critical  credit  risk  exposure  to  any  single 
counterparty or any group of counterparties having similar  characteristics. 
The credit risk on liquid funds is limited because the counterparties are 
banks  with  high  credit  ratings  assigned  by  international  credit  rating 
 agencies and are also typically lenders to the Group. Therefore, the  credit 
quality  of  financial  assets  which  are  neither  past  due  nor  impaired  is 
 considered to be high. 

In fiscal year 2020, the Group had one customer which accounted for at 
least 11% of total external revenue and two customers which  accounted 
for at least 8% of total external revenue. The revenue with these  customers 
was €91,040 thousand (PY: €107,792 thousand), €76,129 thousand (PY: 
€87,551  thousand)  and  €56,523  thousand  (PY:  €74,294  thousand), 
 respectively. In fiscal year 2020 and 2019. Such revenue was generated in 
all three operating segments. 

Liquidity outflows for liabilities

IN € THOUSANDS

within one year

after one year but not 
more than five years

more than five years

Total 

Senior facility

Other  f ac ili ties

Lease l iabil ities Trad e  ac coun ts payabl e

2,803

299,477

–

302,280

35,636

8,979

–

44,615

8,159

23,739

13,165

45,063

71,080

–

–

71,080

The  senior  facilities  agreement,  as  amended,  gives  planning  stability 
over the next years. At the balance sheet date, the Group has committed 
 facilities of €70.0 million (PY: €70.0 million), thereof €29.9 million were 
drawn. Furthermore, the Group has a new undrawn committed credit line 
of €50.0 million (PY: €- million) to strengthen financial liquidity as well as 
for potential future challenges from the COVID-19 crisis. In the financial 
year 2020, the COVID-19 crisis did not have any material adverse effects 
to the liquidity of the Stabilus Group.

Finance market risks

The Group’s activities expose it primarily to the financial risks of changes in 
foreign currency exchange rates (see below) and interest rates (see below). 
As of September 30, 2020, the Group has not entered into any derivative 
financial instruments. The Group monitors closely its exposure to interest 
rate risk and foreign currency risk and regularly checks the opportunities of 
entering into a variety of derivative financial instruments.

Exchange rate risk 
Due  to  its  subsidiaries,  the  Group  has  significant  assets  and  liabilities 
 outside the Eurozone especially in US dollar. These assets and liabilities are 
 denominated  in  local  currencies. When  the  net  asset  values  are  converted 
into euro, currency fluctuations result in period to period changes in those net 
asset values. The Group’s equity position reflects these changes in net  asset 
values. The Group does not hedge against these structural currency risks.

The  Group  also  has  transactional  currency  exposures  which  arise  from 
 sales  or  purchases  denominated  in  currencies  other  than  the  functional 
 currency and loans denominated in foreign currencies. In order to  mitigate 
the   impact  of  currency  exchange  rate  fluctuations  for  the  operating 
 business,  the  Group  continually  assesses  its  exposure  and  attempts  to 
balance revenue and costs in a currency to thus reduce the currency risk.

Besides  the  balance  sheet,  the  Group’s  revenue  and  costs  are  also 
 impacted by currency fluctuations. 

90

T _ 078

Tota l

117,678

332,195

13,165

463,038

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

   RISK REPORTING

 CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

 NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

Stabilus main exposure to currency risk is $42 million as of the reporting 
date. A 1% increase / decrease in the value of the US dollar compared to 
the  euro  would  lead  to  an  increase / decrease  of  EBIT  of  approximately 
€0.4 million. 

Stabilus exposure to interest rate risk includes variable-rate liabilities with 
a notional amount of €295 million. A 1% increase of floating interest rates 
(Euribor) would lead to an increase of financial expense of approximately 
€3.0  million. As  the  Euribor  is  below  0%  as  of  September  30,  2020,  a 
decrease has no effect on finance costs. 

Hyperinflation

The Group has one entity which is located in Argentina where the  inflation 
has  been  high  for  several  years.  After  Argentina’s  cumulative  inflation 
rate over a three-year period has exceeded 100% and as the  qualitative 
 indicators  of  hyperinflation  are,  to  varying  degrees,  also  present,  we 
 consider Argentina  to  be  a  hyperinflationary  economy. Accordingly,  IAS 
29  has  to  be  applied  which  requires  that  the  financial  statements  of 
 subsidiaries  reporting  in  the  currencies  of  hyperinflationary  economies 
are restated by applying a suitable general price index. This requirement 
 generally  applies  to  our  newly  acquired  subsidiary  New  CLEVERS  S.R.L. 
as well. However, as the revenue generated by our Argentine operations 
 account for less than 1% of total Group revenue, the standard has not 
been applied by the Stabilus Group on the grounds of materiality. 

Based on our evaluation the application of IAS 29 will not have a  material 
impact  on  Stabilus  Group´s  consolidated  financial  statements.  We  are 
 continuously monitoring the development of our Argentine operations and 
might apply IAS 29 in subsequent periods if our operations in Argentina 
experience significant growth.

Interest rate risk 
The Group is exposed to interest rate risks, which mainly relate to debt 
obligations, as the Group financing is primarily based on Euribor-related 
credit agreements. 

The  interest  rate  risk  is  assessed  and  managed  by  central  financial  risk 
management  by  analyzing  the  cash  flow  sensitivity  of  the  Group’s  cash 
flows due to floating interest loans. 

33  Capital management

The  Stabilus  Group’s  capital  management  objectives  are  to  ensure  the 
Group’s ability to continue as a going concern and to maintain an  optimal 
capital structure through a balanced mix of debt and equity considering the 
positive effects of the debt tax shield and the additional costs of  financial 
distress that result from increased leverage. For the  accomplishment of this 
objective the Group monitors various internal factors like the  development 
of  some  financial  ratios  over  time  but  also  considers  external  factors 
like  changes  in  the  competitive  environment  or  in  the  overall  economic 
 conditions. 

The  Stabilus  Group  is  not  subject  to  any  externally  imposed  capital 
 requirements. 

Due to the broad product range and our well-balanced global presence, the 
Stabilus Group generates under normal economic conditions  predictable 
and sustainable cash flows. 

For monitoring our capital structure, we utilize, among others, the ratio of 
“equity” to “total capital” as well as the ratio of “net debt” to “adjusted 
EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization)”. 
The latter one is also used as a covenant in the senior facilities agreement 
and its development is further explained in the management report. The 
Company does not expect a breach of this covenant.

The development of the equity ratio is set out in the table below: 

Equity ratio

IN € THOUSANDS

Equity

Total assets

Equity ratio

T _ 079

Yea r e nded Sep t 30 , 

20 20

469,598

20 19

499,617

1,083,571

1,099,239

43.3%

45.5%

In  order  to  maintain  or  adjust  the  capital  structure,  we  may   increase 
or  decrease  the  dividends,  issue  new  shares  or  return  capital  to  our 
 shareholders, and raise additional or reduce parts of our outstanding debt.

34 

 Notes to the consolidated statement of 
cash flows

The  statement  of  cash  flows  is  prepared  in  compliance  with  IAS  7. The 
statement of cash flows of the Stabilus Group shows the development of 
the cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities. Inflows 
and outflows from operating activities are presented in accordance with 
the indirect method and those from investing and financing activities by 
the direct method. 

The cash funds reported in the statement of cash flows comprise all  liquid 
funds,  cash  balances  and  cash  at  banks  reported  in  the  statement  of 
 financial position.

91

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

  SEGMENT REPORTING

Interest  payments  of  €4,814  thousand  (PY:  €3,643  thousand)  are 
 reflected in cash outflows from financing activities. Income tax payments 
of €36,427 thousand (PY: €35,930 thousand) are recognized in cash flows 
from  operating activities. 

The  table  below  shows  the  details  of  changes  in  the  Group´s   liabilities 
 arising  from  financing  activities,  including  both  cash  and  non-cash 
 changes.  Liabilities  arising  from  financing  activities  are  those  for  which 
cash flows will be classified in the Group´s consolidated statement of cash 
flows as cash flows from financing activities.

Reconciliation financing activities

T _ 080

35 

 Segment reporting 

The  Stabilus  Group  is  organized  and  managed  primarily  on  a  regional 
level. The  three  reportable  operating  segments  of  the  Group  are  EMEA, 
Americas and APAC. The product portfolio is largely similar in these three 
regional segments.

The Group measures the performance of its operating segments through 
a measure of segment profit or loss (key performance indicator) which is 

Segment reporting

referred to as “adjusted EBIT”. Adjusted EBIT represents EBIT, adjusted for 
exceptional  non-recurring  items  (e.g.  restructuring  or  one-time  advisory 
costs) and depreciation / amortization of fair value adjustments resulting 
from purchase price allocations (PPAs).

Segment information for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2020 and 
2019 is as follows:

IN € THOUSANDS

Senior 
fa cility  
agreement

Other  
fa cilities

Lease  
lia bil ities

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

298,501

Cash receipts

Cash payments

Changes from financing  
cash flows

Effect of changes in   
foreign exchange rates

Initial application IFRS 16

Other changes

–

(20,000)

10,504

30,083

(1,739)

524

–

External revenue1)

Intersegment revenue1)

(8,245)

Total revenue1)

(20,000)

28,344

(8,245)

Depreciation and amortization 
(incl. impairment losses)

–

–

4,223

(353)

–

84

EBIT

Adjusted EBIT

(559)

43,724

4,527

39,971

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

282,724

38,579

EMEA

Ame ricas

APAC

Year  en ded Sept  30,

Yea r e nded Sept 30 ,

Yea r e nded Sep t 30 ,

2020

411,123

25,855

436,978

(64,390)

12,346

42,367

201 9

482,099

28,598

510,697

(31,066)

63,951

68,439

20 20

299,555

20,644

320,199

(16,249)

36,945

40,336

20 19

365,988

24,692

390,680

(13,519)

56,945

61,752

20 20

111,448

157

111,605

(8,208)

13,821

13,976

Total segmen ts

Other / Consolid ation

Stabilus G ro up

Year  en ded Sept  30,

Yea r e nded Sep t 30 ,

Yea r e nded Sept 30 ,

IN €  THOU SAND S

External revenue1)

Intersegment revenue1)

Total revenue1)

Depreciation and amortization 
(incl. impairment losses)

EBIT

Adjusted EBIT

2020

822,126

46,656

868,782

(88,847)

63,112

96,679

201 9

951,339

53,404

1,004,743

(50,353)

133,295

142,745

1) Revenue breakdown by location of Stabilus company (i.e. “billed-from view”).

20 20

–

(46,656)

(46,656)

(6,969)

(6,969)

–

20 19

–

(53,404)

(53,404)

(9,280)

(9,280)

–

20 20

822,126

–

822,126

(95,816)

56,143

96,679

T _ 081

20 19

103,252

114

103,366

(5,768)

12,398

12,553

20 19

951,339

–

951,339

(59,633)

124,015

142,745

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  SEGMENT REPORTING

The information about geographical areas is set out in the following tables: 

Geographical information: Non-current assets by 
country 

T _ 084

Geographical information: Revenue by country 

T _ 083

Yea r e nded Sept 30 , 

The column “Other / Consolidation” includes among others the effects from 
the purchase price allocation for the April 2010 business combination. The 
effects  from  the  purchase  price  allocation  for  the  June  2016  and April 
2019 business combination are included in the regions.

The EBIT of operating segment EMEA in the fiscal year ended September 
30, 2020, includes impairment losses of €(28,068) thousand (PY: €(398) 
thousand). The amounts presented in the column “Other / Consolidation” 
above include the elimination of transactions between the segments and 
certain other corporate items which are related to the Stabilus Group as 
a  whole  and  are  not  allocated  to  the  segments,  e.g.  depreciation  from 
purchase price allocations.

The following table sets out the reconciliation of the total segments’ profit 
(adjusted EBIT) to profit before income tax:

Reconciliation of the total segments‘ profit to 
 profit / (loss) before income tax

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Germany

Romania

UK

Turkey

Netherlands

EMEA

Mexico

USA

Brazil

Argentina

Year  en ded Sept 30 , 

2020

301,626

100,204

3,836

4,943

514

411,123

146,282

147,582

4,698

993

20 19

356,156

119,949

4,629

1,365

–

482,099

188,305

169,040

8,315

328

T _ 082

Americas

299,555

365,988

IN € THOUSANDS

Total segments‘ profit (adjusted EBIT)

Other / consolidation

Group adjusted EBIT

Adjustments to EBIT

Profit from operating activities (EBIT)

Finance income

Finance costs

Profit / (loss) before income tax

Ye ar  e nded Se pt 30, 

20 20

96,679

–

96,679

(40,536)

56,143

2,258

(11,013)

47,388

2019

142,745

–

142,745

(18,730)

124,015

1,254

(10,417)

114,852

China

South Korea

Australia

Japan

New Zealand

APAC

Revenue

88,945

11,526

2,351

7,049

1,577

111,448

822,126

80,241

10,731

2,817

7,538

1,925

103,252

951,339

IN € THOUSANDS

Germany

Romania

Spain

Luxembourg

UK

Switzerland

France

Turkey

Netherlands

Goodwill

EMEA

USA

Mexico

Brazil

Argentina

Goodwill

Americas

China

South Korea

Australia

Japan

New Zealand

Singapore

Goodwill

APAC

Total

20 20

229,432

34,687

738

805

5,415

–

131

2,552

0

124,094

397,854

77,076

34,032

1,445

775

70,945

184,273

60,958

7,875

1,227

1,622

428

143

12,622

84,875

667,002

20 19

270,383

28,815

790

413

5,468

0

4

2,225

–

126,557

434,655

85,810

34,432

1,761

1,119

74,388

194,630

35,822

7,689

856

1,385

270

–

13,876

62,778

692,063

The non-current assets above exclude financial instruments, deferred tax assets, 
post-employment benefit assets and rights arising under insurance contracts. 

93

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
Phantom stock program

The  Group  initiated  for  2015  and  2016  a  Phantom  Stock  Program  for 
ten senior management employees excluding Stabilus S. A. directors. To 
participate in the program, the employees have to invest a certain amount 
in Stabilus shares. The employee receives options in a ratio of two for each 
self-investment, capped at an investment level of €10,000 per  program 
year. The  fictitious  options  are  subject  to  a  lock-up  period  of  four  years 
and may be exercised during a subsequent two-year exercise period. The 
 exercise is triggered by the sale of the underlying shares. The payout price 
is  triggered  by  the  price  of  the  share  sales  in  the  exercise  period. The 
 payout is capped at 500% of the invested amount. In fiscal year 2020 an 
amount of €469 thousand was paid for the Phantom Stock Program 2015.

36 

 Share-based payments

The Group established share-based payment arrangements for  members 
of  the  Management  Board  (matching  stock  program)  and  for  senior 
 management employees (phantom stock program).

Matching stock program

The  variable  compensation  for  the  members  of  the  Management  Board 
 includes  a  matching  stock  program.  The  matching  stock  program  (the 
“MSP”) provides for four annual tranches granted each year during the 
 financial year ending September 30, 2014 until September 30, 2017. The 
program “MSP A” was extended by one year to September 30, 2018. Due 
to the unpredictable and extraordinary impact of COVID-19 on the  share 
price  development  of  Stabilus,  which  was  beyond  the   management’s 
 influence, the Supervisory Board decided to extend the two-year  exercise 
period  for  the  tranches  2016  to  2018  by  two  years  for  the  current 
 Management  Board  members.  By  this  measure  the  incentive  effect  of 
the MSP tranches will be maintained. However, the performance  targets 
 including  number  of  options  and  exercise  prices  remain  unchanged. 
 Participation in the matching stock program requires Management Board 
members to invest in shares of the Company. The investment has generally 
to be held for the lock-up period.

As part of the matching stock program A (the “MSP A”) for each  share 
the  Management  Board  invests  in  the  Company  in  the  specific  year 
 (subject  to  general  cap),  the  Management  Board  members  receive  a 
 certain  number  of  fictitious  options  to  acquire  shares  in  the  Company 
for  each  tranche  of  the  matching  stock  program. The  amount  of  stock 

C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS 

 options received  depends upon a factor to be set by the Supervisory Board  
(Remuneration Committee) annually in a range between 1.0 and 1.7 times 
for a  certain tranche. Thus, if a Management Board member were to buy 
1,000  shares under the MSP A in the Company, he would receive 1,000 
to 1,700  fictitious options for a certain tranche. The fictitious options are 
subject to a lock-up period of four years and may be exercised during a 
subsequent two-year exercise period. 

As part of matching stock program B (the “MSP B”) for each share the 
Management Board holds in the Company in the specific year (subject to 
a general cap), the Management Board members receive a certain number 
of  fictitious  options  to  acquire  shares  in  the  Company  for  each  tranche 
of  the  matching  stock  program. The  amount  of  stock  options  received 
 depends upon a factor to be set by the Supervisory Board (Remuneration 
Committee) annually which will be in a range between 0.0 and 0.3 times 
for a certain tranche. Thus, if a Management Board member were to be 
holding 1,000 shares under the MSP B in the Company, he would receive 
0 to 300 fictitious options for a certain tranche. 

The  fictitious  options  are  subject  to  a  lock-up  period  of  four  years  and 
may  be  exercised  during  a  subsequent  two-year  exercise  period.  The 
 options may only be exercised if the stock price of the Company exceeds 
a set threshold for the relevant tranche, which the Supervisory Board will 
 determine  at  the  time  of  granting  the  options,  and  which  needs  to  be 
between 10% and 50% growth over the base price, which is the share 
price on the grant date. If exercised, the fictitious options are transformed 
into a gross amount equaling the difference between the option price and 
the relevant stock price multiplied by the number of exercised options. The 
Company plans a cash settlement. The maximum gross amounts resulting 
from  the  exercise  of  the  fictitious  options  of  one  tranche  in  general  is 
limited in amount to 50% of the base price. Reinvestment of IPO proceeds 
from previous equity programs is not taken into account for MSP A.

94

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS 

Measurement of fair values

Input parameters for fair value measurement of MSP

T_085

The fair value of the share-based payments of the MSP has been measured 
by using a binomial simulation.

VA LU ATION  DATE

MSP A/B (2016)

Se pt 3 0, 2 020

Sep t 30 , 2 019

Sep t 30 , 2 018

The inputs used in the measurement of the fair values at the grant date 
and  the  measurement  date  of  the  MSP  include  market  conditions  and 
were as follows. The expected volatility has been based on the historical 
volatility of the 3-year period ending September 30, 2020.

Fair value

Share price

Expected annual volatility

Expected annual dividend yield

Expected remaining duration (timing of exercise)

Risk-free annual interest rate 

Exercise price

MSP A (2017)

Fair value

Share price

Expected annual volatility

Expected annual dividend yield

Expected remaining duration (timing of exercise)

Risk-free annual interest rate 

Exercise price

MSP A (2018)

Fair value

Share price

Expected annual volatility

Expected annual dividend yield

Expected remaining duration (timing of exercise)

Risk-free annual interest rate 

Exercise price

€9.11

€50.15

47.0%

2.00%

–

(0.67)%

€48.64

€7.01

€50.15

47.0%

2.00%

1.0 year

(0.67)%

€74.74

€7.03

€50.15

45.0%

2.00%

2.0 years

(0.73)%

€74.22

€6.99

€44.90

43.0%

2.00%

1.0 year

(0.73)%

€48.64

€3.14

€44.90

35.0%

2.00%

2.0 years

(0.80)%

€74.74

€3.25

€44.90

33.0%

2.00%

3.0 years

(0.82)%

€74.22

€14.99

€71.70

27.0%

1.00%

2.0 years

(0.54)%

€48.64

€10.03

€71.10

30.0%

1.00%

3.0 years

(0.40)%

€74.74

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

95

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS 

Performance Share Plan

The Management Board members of Stabilus S. A. and for individual  senior 
management employees, received allocations under the Performance  Share 
Plan  (the “PSP”)  in  the  form  of  virtual  shares. The  virtual  shares  of  the 
 Performance Share Plan are based on an annual target amount  granted at 
the beginning of a three-year performance period as a future entitlement. 
In  order  to  determine  the  target  number  of  virtual  shares  granted,  the 
annual target amount is divided by the start share price,  whereby the start 
share price refers to the arithmetic mean of the Company’s share closing 
price during the last 60 trading days prior to the respective performance 
period start date. 

The  performance  factor  which  determines  the  final  number  of  virtual 
 shares is calculated at the end of the three-year performance period via 
the relative total shareholder return (weighted with 70%) and the EBIT 
margin (weighted with 30%). 

The target achievement for the relative TSR is based on a comparison with 
the constituents of the MDAX index. In order to determine the relative TSR, 
firstly, the absolute TSR values of Stabilus as well as each index constituent 
of the MDAX over the respective performance period are calculated. The 
absolute TSR value of each company equals the theoretical growth in value 
of  a  share  holding  over  the  performance  period,  assuming  that  (gross) 
dividends are directly re-invested. Secondly, the calculated absolute TSR 
values of Stabilus and each index constituent are ranked by size in order to 
calculate the target achievement.

The target achievement for EBIT margin is based on a comparison with 
a  strategic  target. To  determine  the  percentage  of  target  achievement, 
the actual EBIT margin at the end of the respective performance  period 
is  compared  with  the  strategic  EBIT  margin  defined  for  the  respective 
 performance period. 

The final number of virtual shares is determined by multiplying the  overall 
 target achievement with the target number of virtual shares granted. The  final 
number of virtual shares is capped at 150% of the target number of virtual 
shares  granted. The  payout  of  the  respective  tranche  of  the   Performance 
Share  Plan  is  calculated  by  multiplying  the  final  number  of  virtual  shares 
with the relevant end share price including any dividends paid during the 
performance period. The end share price refers to the arithmetic mean of 

the Company’s share closing price during the last 60 trading days prior to 
the respective performance period end date. The payout amount is limited to 
a maximum of 250% of the target amount (payout cap). The Performance 
Share Plan is paid out in cash at the end of the performance period. 

In the fiscal year 2020 options for the PSP were issued as follows:

Number of share options

T_086

MSP A/B  (2015)

MSP A/B (20 16)

MSP A (20 17)

MSP A (20 18)

Number of  
options

Exercise 
pr ice

Number of  
options

Exe rcise 
price

Number of  
options

Exe rcise 
price

Number of  
options

Exe rcise 
price

Outstanding as at October 1, 2017

35,119

€31.08

27,449

€48.64

Granted during the year

Forfeited during the year

Exercised during the year

–

4,884

–

–

–

–

–

7,320

–

–

–

–

–

24,190

16,952

–

–

€74.74

–

–

Outstanding as at September 30, 2018

30,235

€31.08

20,129

€48.64

7,238

€74.74

Exercisable as at September 30, 2018

–

–

–

–

–

–

Outstanding as at October 1, 2018

30,235

€31.08

20,129

€48.64

7,238

€74.74

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Granted during the year

Forfeited during the year

Exercised during the year

Outstanding as at September 30, 2019

Exercisable as at September 30, 2019

Outstanding as at October 1, 2019

Granted during the year

Forfeited during the year

Exercised during the year

–

9,652

–

20,583

20,583

20,583

–

–

–

–

–

€31.08

€31.08

€31.08

–

–

20,583

€31.08

Outstanding as at September 30, 2020

Exercisable as at September 30, 2020

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

10,423

€74.22

–

–

–

–

20,129

€48.64

7,238

€74.74

10,423

€74.22

–

–

–

–

–

–

20,129

€48.64

7,238

€74.74

10,423

€74.22

–

4,112

–

16,017

16,017

–

–

–

€48.64

€48.64

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

7,238

€74.74

10,423

€74.22

–

–

–

–

96

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS 

The Phantom Stock Program is measured by using a binomial simulation 
and accrued over the vesting time.

Input parameters for fair value measurement of PSP

T_087

VALUATION DATE

Phantom Stock Program 2015/16

Fair value

Share price

Expected annual dividend yield

Exercise price

Phantom Stock Program options

Outstanding as at October 1, 2017

Granted during the year

Forfeited during the year

Exercised during the year

Outstanding as at September 30, 2018

Exercisable as at September 30, 2018

Outstanding as at October 1, 2018

Granted during the year

Forfeited during the year

Exercised during the year

Outstanding as at September 30, 2019

Exercisable as at September 30, 2019

Outstanding as at October 1, 2019

Granted during the year

Forfeited during the year

Exercised during the year

Outstanding as at September 30, 2020

Exercisable as at September 30, 2020

Sep t  30,  2020

Sept 30, 2019

Sept 30, 201 8

€50.15

€50.15

–

–

€44.90

€44.90

–

–

€70.63

€71.10

1.00%

–

T_088

Phan to m  Sto ck   
Pr ogram  2014/ 15

Phantom Stock   
Pro gram 2015/ 16

Number  of opti on s

Exerci se p ri ce

Number  of opti ons

Exercise price

5,642

–

1,209

–

4,433

4,433

4,433

–

–

–

4,433

4,433

4,433

–

–

4,433

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

3,217

–

644

–

2,573

–

2,573

–

–

–

2,573

2,573

2,573

–

–

–

2,573

2,573

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

97

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS 

 AUDITOR’S FEES

T_089

Expense recognized in profit or loss

Performance Share Plan 

VALUATION DATE

Performance period

Price of the Stabilus share 

“Initial Price” Stabilus share

Expected annual dividend yield

Remaining duration of granted performance shares

Risk-free annual interest rate (duration 2.0 years)

Expected target achievement for internal target EBIT

Sept 30, 2019

Sep t  30,  2020

Sep t  30, 202 0

Oct 1, 2018 – Sept 30, 2021

Oct 1, 2018 – Sept 30, 2021

Oct 1, 2019 – Sept 30, 2022

€44.90

€73.74

2.00%

2.0 years

(0.80)%

100%

€50.15

€73.74

2.00%

1.0 year

(0.67)%

100%

€50.15

€41.77

2.00%

2.0 years

(0.73)%

100%

Cap per performance share used in the valuation 

250% x €73.74

250% x €73.74

250% x €41.77

Number of share options

T_090

PS P (2019)

PSP (2020)

Number  of option s

Fair value

Number  of op tio ns

Fair value

Outstanding as at October 1, 2018

Granted during the year

Forfeited during the year

Exercised during the year

Outstanding as at September 30, 2019

Exercisable as at September 30, 2019

Outstanding as at October 1, 2019

Granted during the year

Forfeited during the year

Exercised during the year

Outstanding as at September 30, 2020

Exercisable as at September 30, 2020

–

8,056

–

–

8,056

–

8,056

–

1,526

–

6,530

–

–

€30.65

–

–

€30.65

–

€30.65

–

–

–

€36.66

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

28,010

4,848

–

23,162

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

An amount of €557 thousand (PY: gain €(108) thousand) was recognized 
in the related employee benefit expenses and an amount of €845 thousand 
(PY: €1,268 thousand) in provisions for employee-related expenses.

37  Auditor’s fees 

For  all  financial  statements  since  fiscal  year  2014  (year  of  Initial   Public 
 Offering  in  SDAX  of  the  Frankfurt  Stock  Exchange)  KPMG  has  been 
Stabilus’  auditor. The  Independent Auditor’s  Report  on  the  consolidated 
financial statements for fiscal year 2020 was signed by Thomas Feld. He is 
the responsible audit partner and signed the Independent Auditor’s Report 
for the first time for the year ended September 30, 2017. 

For fiscal year ended September 30, 2020, a global fee (excluding VAT) of 
€895 thousand (PY: €902 thousand) was agreed with the Group auditors for 
the audit of the consolidated and annual financial statements of the Stabilus 
entities. These fees are included in the Group’s administrative expenses. 

Auditor‘s fees

T _ 091

IN € THOUSANDS (EX CLUDING VAT )

€47.30

Audit fees

–

–

Thereof for the prior year

Audit-related fees

€47.30

Tax fees

–

Other fees

Total

Yea r e nded Sep t 30 , 

20 20

895

36

7

40

–

942

20 19

902

30

127

60

–

1,089

In  addition,  KPMG  Luxembourg,  and  other  member  firms  of  the  
KPMG  network,  billed  audit-related  fees  amounting  to  €7  thousand  
(PY:  €127  thousand)  and  tax  service  fees  amounting  to  €40  thousand  
(PY:  €60  thousand)  to  the  Stabilus  Group.  Tax  services  comprise  the  
preparation of tax filings and the provision of tax advice.

98

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38  Related party relationships

According to IAS 24 the reporting entity has to disclose specific information 
of transactions between the Group and other related parties. Balances and 
transactions between the Company and its fully consolidated  subsidiaries, 
which constitute related parties within the meaning of IAS 24, have been 
eliminated in the course of consolidation and are therefore not commented 
on in this note. As to our knowledge no individual shareholder of Stabilus 
S. A. can exercise significant influence over  the Company  or  the  Group. 
The  consolidated  financial  statements  do  not  include  any  associated 
 companies that are accounted for using the equity method and none of 
the Group entities can exercise significant influence over entities that are 
not included in the scope of consolidation. 

Related  parties  of  the  Stabilus  Group  primarily  comprise  the  Stabilus 
Group’s  management  which  also  holds  an  investment  in  the  Company. 
The  remuneration  of  and  other  transactions  with  key  managers  of  the 
Company  constitute  related  party  transactions  pursuant  to  IAS  24.  For 
related party transactions with members of the Executive Board and the 
Supervisory Board, please refer to the Notes “Share-based payment” and 
“Remuneration of key management personnel”.

39 

 Remuneration of key management  
personnel

The  key  management  personnel  are  the  members  of  the  Management 
Board  Dr.  Michael  Büchsner  (CEO),  Mark  Wilhelms  (CFO),  Andreas 
 Schröder (Group Financial Reporting Director), Andreas Sievers (Director 
Group Accounting and Strategic Finance Projects) and Markus Schädlich 
(Head of Asia / Pacific until June 30, 2020).

From fiscal year 2019 on, Stabilus is obliged by the European directive and 
Luxembourg law to draw up a remuneration policy for the Supervisory Board 

C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 RELATED PARTY RELATIONSHIPS 

 REMUNERATION OF KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL

 SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

as well as the Management Board. The principles and measurement of the 
remuneration  policy  for  the  Management  Board  and  Supervisory  Board 
of  the  Stabilus  S. A.  are  prepared  in  accordance  with Article  7bis  of  the 
 Luxembourg law of May 24, 2011 on Shareholders Rights, as amended. The 
remuneration report will be published separately from this Annual Report.

 compensation  package.  Another  factor  is  the  contractual  non-compete 
compensation for a board member who left the company during fiscal year 
2020. Additionally, the accruals for all outstanding share-based  payment 
arrangements increased, following the rebound of the share price in fiscal 
year 2020. In contrast the share price decreased in fiscal year 2019.

The total remuneration paid to key management personnel of the Group 
is  calculated  as  the  amount  of  remuneration  paid  in  cash,  benefits  in 
kind  and  expenses  for  share-based  payments.  Benefits  in  kind  primarily 
 comprise the provision of company cars and pensions. 

The total remuneration for the members of the Supervisory Board amounts 
to €406 thousand (PY: €439 thousand).

Members of the Management and Supervisory Board have a direct interest 
in Stabilus S. A. of about jointly 0.3% of the total shares. 

The  total  remuneration  of  the  above-mentioned  key  management 
 personnel at the various key Stabilus Group affiliates during the reporting 
period are as follows: 

40  Subsequent events 

Remuneration

IN €  THOU SAND S

Base salary

Fringe benefits

Pension expenses

Termination benefits1)

Short-term incentive

Long-term incentive2)

Total

T _ 092

As of December 10, 2020, there were no further events or developments 
that could have materially affected the measurement and presentation of 
the Group’s assets and liabilities as of September 30, 2020.

Year  en ded Sept 30, 

2020

1,395

67

321

150

363

544

20 19

1,442

57

200

–

483

(25)

2,840

2,157

Luxembourg, December 10, 2020

Stabilus S. A. 
Management Board

1) Post contractual non-compete obligation

2) Expenses for share-based payments

Total remuneration increased from €2,157 thousand in fiscal year 2019 
to €2,840 thousand in fiscal year 2020. The overall increase is amongst 
others  reflecting  the  onboarding  of  the  new  CEO  who  joined  Stabilus 
on October 1, 2019, replacing the interim CEO, who did not have a full 

99

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  RESPONSIBILITY   STATEMENT

RESPONSIBILITY 
 STATEMENT

We, Dr. Michael Büchsner (Chief Executive Officer), Mark Wilhelms (Chief 
Financial Officer), Andreas Schröder (Director Group Financial Reporting) 
and Andreas  Sievers  (Director  Group Accounting  and  Strategic  Finance 
Projects),  confirm,  to  the  best  of  our  knowledge,  that  the  consolidated 
financial  statements  which  have  been  prepared  in  accordance  with  the 
International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European 
Union, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial  position 
and profit or loss of Stabilus S. A. and the undertakings included in the 
consolidation  taken  as  a  whole  and  that  the  combined  management 
 report includes a fair review of the development and performance of the 
business and the position of Stabilus S. A. and the undertakings included 
in the consolidation taken as a whole, together with a description of the 
principal risks and uncertainties that they face.

Luxembourg, December 10, 2020

Dr. Michael Büchsner

Mark Wilhelms

Andreas Schröder

Andreas Sievers

Management Board

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  MANAGEMENT BOARD OF STABILUS S. A.

Andreas  Schröder  is  the  Group  Financial  Reporting  Director  and  was 
 appointed to the Management Board in 2014. Mr. Schröder joined Stabilus 
in  2010.  Prior  to  that,  he  worked  for  several  years  in  assurance  and 
 advisory business services at Ernst & Young. He holds a degree in business 
 administration.  Mr.  Schröder  also  holds  further  management  positions 
 within the Stabilus Group.

Andreas  Sievers  is  the  Director  Group  Accounting  and  Strategic 
 Finance  Projects  of  the  Stabilus  Group.  Mr.  Sievers  joined  Stabilus  in 
2016.  From  2010  to  2015  he  worked  for  the  Schaeffler  Group  as Vice 
 President  Accounting Excellence and External Reporting and Vice President 
 Accounting Projects. Prior to that he served as a German and U.S. Certified 
Public Accountant including positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers AG and 
Deloitte GmbH. He holds a degree in business administration and  passed 
exams  as  a  U.S.  and  German  Certified  Public Accountant  in  2002  and 
2004, respectively. Mr. Sievers also holds further management positions 
within the Stabilus Group.

MANAGEMENT BOARD OF 
STABILUS S. A.

The Management Board comprises four members:

Dr. Michael Büchsner (Chairman) is the Chief Executive Officer. Over the 
past 20 years, he held a number of senior positions at components supplier 
TRW in Austria, Germany and the USA, and, following its takeover of TRW, 
at ZF Friedrichshafen AG. Most recently, he was global head of the  Passive 
Safety  Systems  division. The  main  focus  of  his  activities  were   strategy, 
 finances, investments, and customer relations. Dr. Michael  Büchsner holds 
a degree in chemical engineering from the Technical University of Graz, at 
which he later completed a doctorate, and an Executive MBA awarded by 
the St. Gallen Institute. 

Mark Wilhelms is the Chief Financial Officer and was appointed to the 
Management Board in 2014. With 25 years of experience in the automo-
tive industry, Mr. Wilhelms joined Stabilus in 2009 from FTE Automotive, 
where  he  served  as  Chief  Financial  Officer  for  six  years.  From  2007,  he 
was also head of the NAFTA region at FTE. Prior to that, he held various 
management positions in finance, plant and marketing at various locations 
over his 17-year career at Ford. He holds a degree in process engineering 
as well as a degree in economics. Since August 29, 2018, he has been 
member of the Supervisory Board of NORMA Group SE. Mr. Wilhelms also 
holds further management positions within the Stabilus Group.

101

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C CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  SUPERVISORY BOARD OF STABILUS S. A.

Dr.  Ralf-Michael  Fuchs  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Supervisory 
Board since 2015. He was member of the Dürr Senior Executive Board and 
Chief  Executive  of  Division  Measuring  and  Process  Systems  until  2017. 
He   served  as  Chairman  of  the  board  of  various  Dürr  companies  and  as 
 Chairman  of  the  management  board  of  Carl  SCHENCK  AG.  Before  he 
joined Dürr AG in 2000, he held various leading positions at IWKA AG and 
AGIV AG. From 2004 until 2018 he was member of the Board of Directors 
of Nagahama Seisakusho Ltd., Japan.

Dr.  Dirk  Linzmeier  has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Supervisory  Board 
 since  2018.  He  is  CEO  of  the  Osram  Continental  GmbH.  From  2006  to 
2017  he  held  several  leading  positions  in  the  development  of  driver 
 assistance  systems  and  automotive  electronics  at  Robert  Bosch  GmbH. 
From 2014 to 2017 he served as Vice President and Managing Director of 
an Automotive Electronics business unit and as Vice President of Corporate 
Start-up Management. Prior to that, he worked as a development engineer 
in Advanced Development at DaimlerChrysler AG.

SUPERVISORY BOARD OF 
STABILUS S. A.

The Supervisory Board comprises four members:

Dr.  Stephan  Kessel  has  served  as  member  of  the  Supervisory  Board 
since  2014  and  as  the  Chairman  of  the  Supervisory  Board  since  2018. 
From August 2018 to July 2019, he led Stabilus as Interim CEO and then 
returned to the position as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. For many 
years, he was a member of the managing board at Continental AG, and the 
company’s CEO until 2002. Since then Dr. Kessel has taken up a number 
of board positions at European companies including Stabilus. From 2008 
through 2010, Dr. Kessel was Chairman of the Board of the former holding 
company of the operating Stabilus Group and acted as Stabilus’ CEO for 
a certain period. In addition to his position at Stabilus, he currently serves 
as  Chairman  of  the Advisory  Boards  of  Novem  Beteiligungs  GmbH  and 
Dayco Products L.L.C. 

Dr. Joachim Rauhut has served as a member of the Supervisory Board 
since May 12, 2015. He was a member of the Executive Board of Wacker 
Chemie AG  until  October  31,  2015.  He  joined  the  Management  Board 
of Wacker Chemie GmbH in 2001 and supported Wacker Chemie’s initial 
public offering in 2006. Previously, he served in various leading corporate 
positions, including posts at Mannesmann AG and Krauss-Maffei AG. He 
is a member of the Supervisory Board of MTU Aero Engines AG, B. Braun 
Melsungen AG  and  creditshelf AG,  as  well  as  member  of  the Advisory 
Counsel of J. Heinrich Kramer Holding GmbH.

102

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S 
REPORT

To the Shareholders of 
Stabilus S. A. 
2, rue Albert Borschette, 
L-1246 Luxembourg

Report of the réviseur d’entreprises agréé

Report on the audit of the consolidated  financial  
statements  
Opinion
We  have  audited  the  consolidated  financial  statements  of  Stabilus   
S. A. and its subsidiaries (the "Group"), which comprise the  consolidated 
 statement  of  financial  position  as  at  30  September  2020,  and  the 
 consolidated statement of comprehensive income, consolidated statement 
of changes in equity and consolidated statement of cash flows for the year 
then ended, and notes to the consolidated financial statements, including 
a summary of significant accounting policies. 

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated financial statements give 
a true and fair view of the consolidated financial position of the Group 
as at 30 September 2020, and of its consolidated financial performance 
and  its  consolidated  cash  flows  for  the  year  then  ended  in  accordance 
with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the 
European Union.

as  adopted  for  Luxembourg  by  the  “Commission  de  Surveillance  du 
 Secteur Financier” (“CSSF”). Our responsibilities under the EU Regulation   
N° 537/2014, the Law of 23 July 2016 and ISAs are further described in 
the «Responsibilities of “Réviseur d’Entreprises agréé” for the audit of the 
consolidated financial statements» section of our report. We are also inde-
pendent of the Group in accordance with the International Ethics Standards 
Board for Accountants’ Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (“IESBA 
Code”) as adopted for Luxembourg by the CSSF together with the  ethical 
requirements that are relevant to our audit of the consolidated financial 
statements, and have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities under those 
ethical requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained 
is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, 
were  of  most  significance  in  our  audit  of  the  consolidated  financial 
 statements  of  the  current  period. These  matters  were  addressed  in  the 
context of the audit of the consolidated financial statements as a whole, 
and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate 
opinion on these matters. 

Goodwill
a) Why the matter was considered to be one of most significance in our 
audit of the consolidated financial statements of the current period?

As at 30 September 2020, the Group's goodwill represents EUR 207,7  million 
or 19,2% of the Group's total assets. The Group conducted an impairment 
assessment  of  the  goodwill  on  all  its  cash-generating  units  (“CGUs”)  to 
identify if the recoverable amount is less than the carrying amount. 

Due to the inherent uncertainty of forecasting, derivation of the discount 
rate and respective assumptions, e.g. beta factor or market risk premium, 
the fair value derivation underlies a significant area of judgment and is 
typically focused by capital market participants.

For CGUs where the difference between fair value less cost of disposal and 
the carrying amount is relatively small, the risk of a goodwill  impairment is 
generally higher. The risk of a goodwill impairment depends on the CGUs’ 
fair value which is most sensitive to estimates of future cash flows and 
other key assumptions. Therefore, a risk exists that information  disclosed 
in  connection  with  the  goodwill  impairment  test  (e.g.  pre-tax  WACC, 
 sensitivity calculations) would not be appropriate.

b) How the matter was addressed in our audit

Our  procedures  included  the  assessment  of  the  Group’s  Goodwill 
 impairment-testing  process,  key  controls  and  the  assumptions  and 
 financial and capital market data used.

We  tested  key  assumptions  forming  the  Group’s  fair  value  less  cost  of 
disposal  calculations,  the  cash  flow  projections  and  discount  rates. We 
reconciled the managements’ future cash flow forecasts to the financial 
budget approved by the Supervisory Board.

We evaluated the reasonableness of cash flow projections and  compared key 
inputs, such as the discount rates and growth rates, to externally  available 
financial, economic and industry data, and the Group’s  performance history 
and accuracy of the forecasting figures retrospectively.

Basis for opinion
We  conducted  our  audit  in  accordance  with  the  EU  Regulation   
N° 537/2014, the Law of 23 July 2016 on the audit profession (“Law of 
23  July  2016”)  and  with  International  Standards  on  Auditing  (“ISAs”) 

The Group determined the recoverable amount of CGUs using the “fair 
value less cost of disposal” model based on discounted cash flow  approach 
considering a business plan with five-year projections and a  terminal value. 

With the assistance of our own valuation specialists, we critically assessed 
the underlying assumptions and methodologies used to determine the fair 
values less cost of disposal for those CGUs where significant goodwill was 
found to be sensitive to changes in those assumptions. 

103

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

Additionally,  we  also  reconciled  the  aggregate  fair  value  less  cost  of 
 disposal of the CGUs determined by the Group to its market capitalization. 
We  considered  whether  the  Group’s  disclosures  of  the  application  of 
 judgment in estimating key assumptions and the sensitivity of the results 
of  those  estimates  adequately  reflect  the  risk  associated  with  goodwill 
impairment.

In  preparing  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  the  Management 
Board  is  responsible  for  assessing  the  Group’s  ability  to  continue  as  a 
going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern 
and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Management 
Board either intends to liquidate the Group or to cease operations, or has 
no realistic alternative but to do so. 

Other information
The  Management  Board  is  responsible  for  the  other  information.  The 
other  information  comprises  the  information  stated  in  the  consolidated 
report including the consolidated management report and the  Corporate 
 Governance  Statement  but  does  not  include  the  consolidated  financial 
 statements and our report of “Réviseur d’Entreprises agréé” thereon.

Our opinion on the consolidated financial statements does not cover the 
other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion 
thereon.

In  connection  with  our  audit  of  the  consolidated  financial  statements, 
our  responsibility  is  to  read  the  other  information  and,  in  doing  so, 
 consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the 
 consolidated financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit 
or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If, based on the work we 
have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this 
other information, we are required to report this fact. We have nothing to 
report in this regard.

Responsibilities of the Management Board and Those Charged 
with Governance for the consolidated financial statements 
The  Management  Board  is  responsible  for  the  preparation  and  fair 
 presentation  of  the  consolidated  financial  statements  in   accordance 
with  IFRSs  as  adopted  by  the  European  Union,  and  for  such  internal 
 control  as  the  Management  Board  determines  is  necessary  to  enable 
the   preparation  of  consolidated  financial  statements  that  are  free  from 
 material  misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Those charged with governance are responsible for overseeing the Group’s 
financial reporting process.

Responsibilities of the Réviseur d’Entreprises agréé for the 
audit of the consolidated financial statements
The  objectives  of  our  audit  are  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  about 
whether the consolidated financial statements as a whole are free from 
material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue a report 
of “Réviseur d’Entreprises agréé” that includes our opinion. Reasonable 
assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit 
conducted in accordance with the EU Regulation N° 537/2014, the Law 
of 23 July 2016 and with ISAs as adopted for Luxembourg by the CSSF 
will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements 
can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if,  individually 
or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the 
 economic  decisions  of  users  taken  on  the  basis  of  these  consolidated 
 financial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with the EU Regulation N° 537/2014, 
the  Law  of  23  July  2016  and  with  ISAs  as  adopted  for  Luxembourg  by 
the  CSSF,  we  exercise  professional  judgment  and  maintain  professional 
skepticism throughout the audit. We also:

•  Identify  and  assess  the  risks  of  material  misstatement  of  the 
 consolidated  financial  statements,  whether  due  to  fraud  or  error, 
design  and  perform  audit  procedures  responsive  to  those  risks, 
and  obtain  audit  evidence  that  is  sufficient  and  appropriate  to 

 provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a  material 
 misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one  resulting 
from  error,  as  fraud  may  involve  collusion,  forgery,  intentional 
 omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.
•  Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit 
in  order  to  design  audit  procedures  that  are  appropriate  in  the 
 circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on 
the effectiveness of the Group’s internal control.

•  Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the 
reasonableness  of  accounting  estimates  and  related  disclosures 
made by the Management Board.

•  Conclude on the appropriateness of the Management Board's use 
of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the  audit 
evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to 
events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the Group’s 
ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a  material 
uncertainty exists, we are required to draw attention in our report 
of  the  “Réviseur  d’Entreprises  agréé”  to  the  related   disclosures 
in the consolidated financial statements or, if such disclosures are 
 inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the 
audit evidence obtained up to the date of our report of the  “Réviseur 
d’Entreprises  agréé”.  However,  future  events  or  conditions  may 
 cause the Group to cease to continue as a going concern.

•  Evaluate  the  overall  presentation,  structure  and  content  of  the 
consolidated  financial  statements,  including  the  disclosures,  and 
whether  the  consolidated  financial  statements  represent  the 
 underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair 
presentation.

•  Obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the financial 
information of the entities and business activities within the Group 
to express an opinion on the consolidated financial statements. We 
are  responsible  for  the  direction,  supervision  and  performance  of 
the Group audit. We remain solely responsible for our audit opinion.

104

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

We confirm that the audit opinion is consistent with the additional report 
to the audit committee or equivalent.

We  confirm  that  the  prohibited  non-audit  services  referred  to  in  the 
EU  Regulation  No  537/2014  were  not  provided  and  that  we  remained 
 independent of the Group in conducting the audit.

Other matter 

The  Corporate  Governance  Statement 
includes,  when  applicable,    
information required by Article 68ter paragraph (1) points a), b), e), f) and   
g)  of  the  law  of  19  December  2002  on  the  commercial  and   companies 
 register and on the accounting records and annual accounts of  undertakings, 
as amended.

Luxembourg, 10 December 2020

KPMG Luxembourg Société coopérative  
Cabinet de révision agréé 

T. Feld

Partner

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among 
other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant 
audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that 
we identify during our audit. 

We also provide those charged with governance with a statement that we 
have complied with relevant ethical requirements regarding  independence, 
and to communicate with them all relationships and other matters that 
may  reasonably  be  thought  to  bear  on  our  independence,  and  where 
 applicable, related safeguards. 

From the matters communicated with those charged with governance, we 
determine those matters that were of most significance in the audit of the 
consolidated financial statements of the current period and are therefore 
the key audit matters. We describe these matters in our report unless law 
or regulation precludes public disclosure about the matter. 

Report on other legal and regulatory 
 requirements

We  have  been  appointed  as  “Réviseur  d’Entreprises  agréé”  by  the 
 Shareholders  on  12  February  2020  and  the  duration  of  our  uninterrupted 
 engagement, including previous renewals and reappointments, is seven  years.

The consolidated management report is consistent with the consolidated 
financial statements and has been prepared in accordance with applicable 
legal requirements. 

The  Corporate  Governance  Statement  is  included  in  the  management 
 report.  The  information  required  by  Article  68ter  paragraph  (1)   letters 
c)  and  d)  of  the  law  of  19  December  2002  on  the  commercial  and 
 companies register and on the accounting records and annual accounts 
of  undertakings, as amended, is consistent with the consolidated financial 
statements  and  has  been  prepared  in  accordance  with  applicable  legal 
requirements.

105

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 
ACCOUNTS

D ANNUAL 

PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT   

and accounting policies   

BALANCE SHEET   

  1 General    

NOTES TO THE ANNUAL ACCOUNTS   

  2  Summary of significant valuation  

for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020

  3 Movements in fixed assets   

  4 Financial assets   

  5 Debtors   

  6  Prepayments   

  7 Capital and reserves   

  8 Amounts owed to affiliated undertakings   

  9 Other operating income   

  10 Other external expenses  

  11 Staff costs   

  12 Taxation   

  13 Related parties   

  14 Share-based payments   

  15 Commitments, contingencies and pledges   

  16 Subsequent events   

RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT 

107 

 108

 109

109

109

110

111

111

111

111

111

111

111

112

112

112

112

114

114

115

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT   

 116

S T A B I L U S   A N N U A L   R E P O R T   2 0 2 0

106

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONBALANCE SHEET

as of September 30, 2020

Balance sheet

IN € THOUSANDS

Assets

Fixed assets

Intangible assets

Concessions, patents, licenses, trade marks and similar rights 
and assets, if they were acquired for valuable consideration 
and need not be shown under C.I.3

Tangible assets

Other fixtures and fittings, tools and equipment

Financial assets

Shares in affiliated undertakings

Current assets

Debtors

Amounts owed by affiliated undertakings

becoming due and payable within one year

Other debtors

becoming due and payable within one year

Cash at bank and in hand

Prepayments

Total assets

D ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

  BALANCE SHEET

T_093

Balance sheet

T_093

NOTE

Sep t  30,  2020

Sept 30, 2019

IN €  THOU SAND S

NOTE

Se pt 3 0, 202 0

Sep t 30 , 20 19

3

4

5

6

545,916

553,444

Capital and reserves

Liabilities

–

–

545,916

3,219

760

679

81

2,459

217

–

–

553,444

24,179

1,200

712

488

22,979

268

549,352

577,891

Subscribed capital

Share premium account

Reserves

Legal reserve

Other reserves, including the fair value reserve

Profit or loss brought forward

Profit or loss for the financial year

Provisions

Provisions for taxation

Creditors

Trade creditors

becoming due and payable within one year

Amounts owed to affiliated undertakings

becoming due and payable within one year

Other creditors

Social security authorities

Other creditors

becoming due and payable within one year

Total liabilities

7

8

547,014

247

419,801

1,597

4,835

122,415

(1,881)

239

239

2,099

1,096

3

14

576,065

247

419,801

1,597

4,835

150,662

(1,077)

–

–

1,826

1,040

3

13

986

549,352

770

577,891

107

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONPROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT

for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020

Profit and loss account

IN  € THOUSA NDS

Other operating income

Raw materials and consumables and other external expenses

Other external expenses

Staff costs

Wages and salaries

Social security on salaries and wages

Other operating expenses

Income from participating interests

derived from affiliated undertakings

Interest payable and similar expenses

concerning affiliated undertakings

Other interest and similar financial expenses

Tax on profit or loss

Profit or loss for the financial year

NOTE

9

10

11

D ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

  PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT

Year  en ded Sept 30,

2020

4,200

(2,755)

(2,755)

(2,186)

(2,114)

(72)

(703)

–

–

(85)

–

(85)

(352)

(1,881)

T_094

20 19

3,951

(2,939)

(2,939)

(1,310)

(1,248)

(62)

(547)

0

0

(16)

–

(16)

(216)

(1,077)

108

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONNOTES TO THE ANNUAL 
 ACCOUNTS

for the year ended September 30, 2020

1  General

Stabilus  S.  A.,  Luxembourg,  hereafter  also  referred  to  as  “Stabilus”  or 
the “Company”  is  a  public  limited  liability  company  (Société Anonyme) 
 incorporated  in  Luxembourg  and  governed  by  Luxembourg  law.  The 
 registered  office  of  the  Company  is  2,  rue  Albert  Borschette,  L-1246 
Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The trade register number is 
B151589. The Company was founded under the name of Servus HoldCo   
S. à r. l. on  February 26, 2010. 

D ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

  NOTES TO THE ANNUAL  ACCOUNTS

  GENERAL

  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT  VALUATION   

AND ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The Company’s financial year starts on October 1 and ends on September 
30 each year.

The  Company  has  no  parent  company  which  prepares  consolidated 
 financial statements including the Company as a subsidiary.

opens the ability to issue promissory loan notes (Schuldscheindarlehen) up 
to an aggregated amount of €150,000 thousand (we refer to Note 15). 
The senior facility agreement, as amended, gives planning stability over 
the next years. In the financial year 2020, the COVID-19 crisis did not have 
any material adverse effects to the liquidity of the Company.

The  Company  prepares  consolidated  financial  statements  in  accordance 
with EU regulation 1606/2002.

The impairment test for fiscal year 2020 confirms that the book value of 
the financial assets of the Stabilus S. A. is fully recoverable and has not 
been impaired. 

The copies of the consolidated financial statements are available at the 
registered  office  of  the  Company  at  2,  rue  Albert  Borschette,  L-1246 
 Luxembourg or on www.stabilus.com.

2 

 Summary of significant valuation and 
 accounting policies

The Company is managed by a Management Board under the supervision 
of the Supervisory Board.

Basis of presentation

The Company is formed for an unlimited duration.

The purpose of the Company is (i) the acquisition, holding and disposal, 
in any form, by any means, whether directly or indirectly, of  participations, 
rights  and  interests  in,  and  obligations  of,  Luxembourg  and  foreign 
 companies, including but not limited to any entities forming part of the 
Stabilus Group, (ii) the acquisition by purchase, subscription, or in any other 
 manner, as well as the transfer by sale, exchange or in any other manner  
of  stock,  bonds,  debentures,  notes  and  other  securities  or   financial 
 instruments  of  any  kind  (including  notes  or  parts  or  units  issued  by 
 Luxembourg  or  foreign  mutual  funds  or  similar  undertakings)  and 
 receivables,  claims  or  loans  or  other  credit  facilities  and  agreements 
or  contracts  relating  thereto,  and  (iii)  the  ownership,  administration, 
 development and management of a portfolio of assets (including, among 
other things, the assets referred to in (i) and (ii) above).

The  annual  accounts  are  prepared  in  accordance  with  Luxembourg 
 company law and generally accepted accounting principles applicable in 
Luxembourg. The  accounting  policies  and  valuation  principles are, apart 
from those enforced by law, determined by the Management Board. 

Fiscal  year  2020  was  significantly  affecting  from  the  COVID-19   crisis, 
which  had  a  negative  effect  worldwide.  To  mitigate  the  risks  of  the 
 COVID-19 pandemic, Stabilus has implemented a global multidisciplinary 
crisis   management  team  that  monitors  and  analyzes  the  situation  on  a 
daily basis on a local and a global level and is taking actions to address 
and mitigate identified risks.

On  July  31,  2020,  Stabilus  signed  an  amendment  of  the  senior  facility 
agreement dated June 7, 2016, to prepare for potential future  challenges 
from  the  COVID-19  crisis.  The  amendment  provides  for  an  additional 
 committed credit line of €50,000 thousand, a temporary increase of the 
maximum leverage ratio permitted under the senior facility agreement and 

The impacts of the COVID-19 crisis affecting the net profit of the Stabilus   
S.  A.  insignificantly,  the  key  business  model  of  the  Company  is  the 
 acquisition,  holding  and  disposal  of  interests  in  Luxembourg  and / or 
in  foreign  companies  and  undertakings,  as  well  as  the  administration, 
 development and management of such interest. 

The  annual  accounts  have  been  prepared  under  the  going  concern 
 assumption and in accordance with current legal requirements and  generally 
accepted accounting principles in the Grand Duchy of  Luxembourg. From 
the current perspective there are no risks to the  continued existence of the 
Stabilus S. A. and its affiliated companies.

Foreign currency translation

The  Company  maintains  its  books  and  records  in  euro  (€). The  balance 
sheet and the profit and loss account are expressed in this currency.

Formation  expenses,  intangible,  tangible  and  financial  fixed  assets 
 denominated in currencies other than euro are translated at the historical 
exchange rates.

Cash at bank denominated in currencies other than euro are translated at 
the exchange rates prevailing at the date of the balance sheet.

109

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
  
D ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

  SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT  VALUATION   

AND ACCOUNTING POLICIES

  MO VEMENTS IN FIXED ASSETS

These value adjustments may not be continued if the reasons for which the 
value adjustments were recognized have ceased to exist.

Provisions 

Current assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than euro 
(having an economic link and similar characteristics) are recorded globally 
at the exchange rates prevailing at the date of the balance sheet. 

Long  term  debts  denominated  in  currencies  other  than  euro  having  an 
economic  link  with  receivables  recorded  in  financial  assets  (and  having 
 similar  characteristics)  are  translated  at  the  historical  exchange  rates 
 (loans “back to back”).

Current receivables are recorded at their nominal value. Current receivables   
  are  written  down  to  their  recoverable  amount  if  there  is  a  permanent 
 impairment. 

Debtors

Provisions are intended to cover losses or debts, the nature of which is 
clearly defined and which, at the date of the balance sheet, are either likely 
to be incurred or certain to be incurred but uncertain as to their amount or 
the date on which they will arise.

Creditors

As a result, realized exchange gains and losses and unrealized exchange 
losses are recorded in the profit and loss account. Unrealized exchange 
gains are not recognized.

These value adjustments may not be continued if the reasons for which the 
value adjustments were recognized have ceased to exist.

Debts  are  recorded  at  their  reimbursement  value.  Where  the  amount 
repayable  on  account  exceeds  the  amount  received,  the  difference  is 
shown as an asset and is written off over the period of the debt.

Intangible and tangible assets

3  Movements in fixed assets

Intangible  and  tangible  assets  are  used  for  business  purposes  and  are 
measured  at  cost  less  accumulated  value  adjustments.  Depreciation  on 
intangible  and  tangible  assets  is  recorded  on  a  straight-line  basis  in 
 accordance with its utilization and based on the useful life of the asset.   
The  residual  value,  depreciation  methods  and  useful  life  are  reviewed 
 annually and adjusted, if necessary. 

Financial assets

Shares in affiliated undertakings, participating interests and securities held 
as fixed assets are stated at acquisition cost. Write-downs are recorded if a 
permanent reduction in the fair value is expected. The impairment analysis 
is done individually for each investment. 

Loans to affiliated undertakings are recorded at their nominal value.  Loans 
are  written  down  to  their  recoverable  amount  if  there  is  a  permanent 
 impairment.

Fixed assets schedule

IN €  TH OU SA NDS

Gross value

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Additions

Decrease

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

Accumulated value adjustments

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Additions

Disposals

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

Carrying amount

Balance as of Sept 30, 2019

Balance as of Sept 30, 2020

In tang ibl e  assets

Tang ible  asse ts

Sha re s in affiliated 
und ertakings

22

–

–

22

(22)

–

–

(22)

(0)

(0)

44

–

–

44

(44)

–

–

(44)

(0)

(0)

553,444

–

(7,528)

545,916

–

–

–

–

553,444

545,916

T_095

Tota l

553,510

–

(7,528)

545,982

(66)

–

–

(66)

553,444

545,916

110

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
  
D ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

  FINANCIAL ASSETS

  DEBTORS

  PREPAYMENTS

  CAPITAL AND RESERVES

  AMOUNTS  OWED TO AFFILIATED  UNDERTAKINGS

  OTHER OPERATING INCOME

  OTHER EXTERNAL EXPENSES

Pr oportion of  
capit al held

Year-en d d ate

Shares in affiliated  
undertakings as at 
Sept 30, 2020

Equity as  
at year-end  
(including result)

Pro fi t  or loss for 
the year ende d

T_096

Under Luxembourg law, the Company is required to allocate annually at 
least 5% of its statutory net profit to a legal reserve until the aggregate 
reserve  equals  10%  of  the  subscribed  share  capital. The  reserve  is  not 
available for distribution. In financial year 2020, no additional amount was 
allocated to the legal reserve.

100%

30.09.2019

545,916

545,916

431,974

(2,193)

8 

 Amounts owed to affiliated 
 undertakings

4  Financial assets

Shares in affiliated undertakings

IN € THOUSANDS

Stable II S.à r. l.,2,  
rue Albert Borschette,   
1246 Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Total

Blitz F10 neun GmbH was liquidated during financial year 2020. The Company 
decreased its investment in Stable II S. à r. l. by distributing €7,500 thousand in 
February 2020 out of the share premium account of Stable II S. à r. l. 

5  Debtors 

 Amounts owed by affiliated  undertakings 

5.1 
The amount of €679 thousand is a receivable from affiliated undertakings 
for providing management services (PY: €712 thousand).

5.2  Other debtors
The amount mainly consists of a tax receivable amounting to  €72 thousand 
(PY: €329 thousand). In financial year 2020 the Company received a VAT 
refund of €351 thousand (PY: €469 thousand) for prior years.

6  Prepayments

Prepayments mainly relate to insurance contracts. 

7  Capital and reserves

Issued  capital  as  of  September  30,  2020,  amounted  to  €247  thousand   
(PY: €247 thousand) and was fully paid in. It is divided into 24,700,000 
shares each with a nominal value of €0.01. The authorized capital of the 
Company  is  set  at  €271  thousand  represented  by  a  maximum  of  27.1 
million shares, each with nominal value of €0.01.

The Annual General Meeting of the shareholders on February 12, 2020, 
 authorized  the  Management  Board  to  buy  back  up  to  2  million  own 
 shares. This authorization is given for a period of five years from the date of 
resolution. The repurchased shares may be used for any legally  permissible 
purposes.

The Annual General Meeting on February 12, 2020, approved the  distribution 
of a dividend of €1.10 per share with a total amount of €27,170 thousand 
out of profit brought forward and to set off the loss from fiscal year 2019 
amounting to €1,077 thousand from profit brought forward.

The amount of €3 thousand (PY: €3 thousand) consists of a trade liability 
owed to affiliated undertakings.

9  Other operating income

The other operating income only includes reimbursements for  management 
services  provided  by  Stabilus  S.  A.  to  other  Stabilus  Group  companies 
amounting to €4,200 thousand (PY: €3,764 thousand). 

10  Other external expenses

Other external expenses

Yea r e nded Sep t 30 ,

IN € THOUSANDS

Administration fees

Consulting fees

Audit fees

Group insurance

Legal and professional fees

Bank charges

Total

20 20

280

1,671

371

183

213

37

2,755

T_097

20 19

267

1,716

412

189

312

43

2,939

111

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
  
  
  
  
  
  
D ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

  STAFF COSTS

  TAXATION

  RELATED PARTIES

  SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS

11  Staff costs

14  Share-based payments

The Company employs 6 employees as of September 30, 2020 (PY: 8). The 
average number of employees in the financial year 2020 was 7 (PY: 8).

12  Taxation

The Company is subject to Luxembourg company tax law. 

13  Related parties

The  remuneration  of  the  members  of  the  Management  Board  amounts 
to  €1,070  thousand  (PY:  €1,444  thousand).  The  remuneration  of  the 
members of the Supervisory Board amounts to €406 thousand (PY: €439 
thousand). From fiscal year 2019 on, Stabilus is obliged by the European 
directive and Luxembourg law to draw up a remuneration policy for the 
Supervisory Board as well as the Management Board. The principles and 
measurement of the remuneration policy for the Management Board and 
Supervisory Board of the Stabilus S. A. are prepared in accordance with 
Article  7bis  of  the  Luxembourg  law  of  May  24,  2011  on  Shareholders 
Rights, as amended. The remuneration report will be published separately 
from this Annual Report. 

As of September 30, 2020, members of the Management and Supervisory 
Board held about 0.3% of the total shares in Stabilus S. A. 

The  variable  compensation  for  the  members  of  the  Management  Board 
 includes  a  matching  stock  program.  The  matching  stock  program  (the 
“MSP”) provides for four annual tranches granted each year during the 
financial year ending September 30, 2014 until September 30, 2017. The 
program “MSP A” was extended by one year to September 30, 2018. Due 
to the unpredictable and extraordinary impact of COVID-19 on the  share 
price  development  of  Stabilus,  which  was  beyond  the   management’s 
 influence, the Supervisory Board decided to extend the two-year  exercise 
period  for  the  tranches  2016  to  2018  by  two  years  for  the  current 
 Management  Board  members.  By  this  measure  the  incentive  effect  of 
the MSP tranches will be maintained. However, the performance  targets 
 including number of options and exercise prices remain unchanged.  

Participation in the matching stock program requires Management Board 
members to invest in shares of the Company. The investment has generally 
to be held for the lock-up period.

As part of the matching stock program A (the “MSP A”) for each share the 
Management Board invests in the Company in the specific year (subject to 
general cap), the Management Board members receive a certain number 
of  fictitious  options  to  acquire  shares  in  the  Company  for  each  tranche 
of  the  matching  stock  program. The  amount  of  stock  options  received 
 depends upon a factor to be set by the Supervisory Board (Remuneration 
Committee)  annually  in  a  range  between  1.0  time  and  1.7  times  for  a 
certain tranche. Thus, if a Management Board member were to buy 1,000 

shares under the MSP A in the Company, he would receive 1,000 to 1,700 
fictitious options for a certain tranche. The fictitious options are subject to 
a lock-up period of four years and may be exercised during a subsequent 
two-year exercise period.

As part of matching stock program B (the “MSP B”) for each share the 
Management Board holds in the Company in the specific year (subject to 
a general cap), the Management Board members receive a certain number 
of  fictitious  options  to  acquire  shares  in  the  Company  for  each  tranche 
of  the  matching  stock  program.  The  amount  of  stock  options  received 
 depends upon a factor to be set by the Supervisory Board (Remuneration 
Committee) annually which will be in a range between 0.0 and 0.3 times 
for a certain tranche. Thus, if a Management Board member were to be 
holding 1,000 shares under the MSP B in the Company, he would receive 
0 to 300 fictitious options for a certain tranche. The fictitious options are 
subject to a lock-up period of four years and may be exercised during a 
subsequent two-year exercise period. The options may only be exercised 
if the stock price of the Company exceeds a set threshold for the relevant 
tranche, which the Supervisory Board will determine at the time of  granting 
the options, and which needs to be between 10% and 50% growth over 
the  base  price,  which  is  the  share  price  on  the  grant  date.  If  exercised, 
the fictitious options are transformed into a gross amount equaling the 
difference between the option price and the relevant stock price multiplied 
by the number of exercised options. The Company plans a cash settlement. 

The maximum gross amounts resulting from the exercise of the fictitious 
options of one tranche in general is limited in amount 50% of the base 
price. Reinvestment of IPO proceeds from previous equity programs are not 
taken into account for MSP A. In fiscal year 2020, the number of MSP A 
and MSP B share options developed as follows:

112

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION  
  
  
  
D ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

  SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS

Number of share options

T_098

MSP A/B  (2015)

MSP A/B  (2016)

MSP A (20 17)

MSP A (2 018 )

No. of  options

Exerc ise  pric e

No.   of o pti ons

Exerc is e p ric e

No. of options

E xer cise  price No. o f options

Exercise price

Outstanding as at October 1, 2019

20,583

€31.08

Granted during the year

Forfeited during the year

Exercised during the year

Outstanding as at September 30, 2020

Exercisable as at September 30, 2020

–

–

–

–

20,583

€31.08

–

–

–

–

20,129

–

4,112

–

16,017

16,017

€48.64

7,238

€74.74

10,423

€74.22

–

–

–

€48.64

€48.64

–

–

–

7,238

–

–

–

–

€74.74

–

–

–

–

10,423

–

–

–

–

€74.22

–

Performance Share Plan
The  Management  Board  members  of  Stabilus  S. A.  received  allocations 
 under  the  Performance  Share  Plan  (the  “PSP”)  in  the  form  of  virtual  
shares. The virtual shares of the Performance Share Plan are based on an 
 annual target amount granted at the beginning of a three-year performance  
 period as a future entitlement. In order to determine the target number 
of virtual shares granted, the annual target amount is divided by the start 
share price, whereby the start share price refers to the arithmetic mean of 
the Company’s share closing price during the last 60 trading days prior to 
the respective performance period start date. 

The  performance  factor  which  determines  the  final  number  of  virtual 
 shares is calculated at the end of the three-year performance period via 
the relative Total Shareholder Return (weighted with 70%) and the EBIT 
margin (weighted with 30%). 

The target achievement for the relative TSR is based on a comparison with 
the constituents of the MDAX index. In order to determine the relative TSR, 
firstly, the absolute TSR values of Stabilus as well as each index constituent 
of the MDAX over the respective performance period are calculated. The 
absolute TSR value of each company equals the theoretical growth in value 
of  a  share  holding  over  the  performance  period,  assuming  that  (gross) 

dividends are directly re-invested. Secondly, the calculated absolute TSR 
values of Stabilus and each index constituent are ranked by size in order to 
calculate the target achievement.

The target achievement for EBIT margin is based on a comparison with 
a  strategic  target. To  determine  the  percentage  of  target  achievement, 
the actual EBIT margin at the end of the respective performance  period 
is  compared  with  the  strategic  EBIT  margin  defined  for  the  respective 
 performance period. 

The final number of virtual shares is determined by multiplying the  overall 
 target achievement with the target number of virtual shares granted. The  final 
number of virtual shares is capped at 150% of the target number of virtual 
shares  granted. The  payout  of  the  respective  tranche  of  the   Performance 
Share  Plan  is  calculated  by  multiplying  the  final  number  of  virtual  shares 
with the relevant end share price including any dividends paid during the 
performance period. The end share price refers to the arithmetic mean of 
the Company’s share closing price during the last 60 trading days prior to 
the respective performance period end date. The payout amount is limited to 
a maximum of 250% of the target amount (payout cap). The Performance 
Share Plan is paid out in cash at the end of the performance period.

113

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D ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

  SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS

  COMMITMENTS, CONTINGENCIES 

AND PLEDGES

 SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

The  number  of  Performance  Shares  developed  as  follows  in  fiscal  year 
2020:

Performance Share Plan 

VAL UATION DATE

Performance period

Price of the Stabilus share 

“Initial Price” Stabilus share

Expected annual dividend yield

Remaining duration of granted performance shares

Risk-free annual interest rate (duration 2.0 years)

Expected target achievement for internal target EBIT

T_099

Sept 30, 2019

Sep t  30,  2020

Sep t  30, 2 020

Oct 1, 2018 – Sept 30, 2021

Oct 1, 2018 – Sept 30, 2021

Oct 1, 2019 – Sept 30, 2022

€44.90

€73.74

2.00%

2.0 years

(0.80)%

100%

€50.15

€73.74

2.00%

1.0 year

(0.67)%

100%

€50.15

€41.77

2.00%

2.0 years

(0.73)%

100%

Cap per performance share used in the valuation 

250% x €73.74

250% x €73.74

250% x €41.77

15  Commitments, contingencies and pledges

In fiscal year 2016, the Company and other affiliated companies entered 
into a senior facility agreement with a total amount of €640,000 thousand 
made up of a €455,000 thousand senior A facility, an equity bridge facility 
commitment  of  €115,000  thousand  and  a  €70,000  thousand  revolving 
facility. The equity bridge facility commitment had already been repaid per 
September 30, 2016. The original term of the senior term loan was June 
29, 2021 and was extended to June 28, 2023 in August 2018. On July 
31, 2020, Stabilus signed an amendment of the senior facility agreement 
from  June  7,  2016,  to  prepare  for  potential  future  challenges  from  the 
COVID-19  crisis. The  amendment  provides  for  an  additional  committed 
credit line of €50,000 thousand, a temporary increase of the maximum 
leverage ratio and opens the ability to issue promissory loan notes (Schuld-
scheindarlehen) up to an aggregated amount of €150,000 thousand.

Number of share options

Outstanding as at October 1, 2018

Granted during the year

Forfeited during the year

Exercised during the year

Outstanding as at September 30, 2019

Exercisable as at September 30, 2019

Outstanding as at October 1, 2019

Granted during the year

Forfeited during the year

Exercised during the year

Outstanding as at September 30, 2020

Exercisable as at September 30, 2020

PSP  (2019)

PSP (2020)

16  Subsequent events

Number  of option s

Fair value Number o f o ption s

Fair va lu e

T_100

The Company is guarantor of the senior facility agreement. 

–

3,662

–

–

3,662

–

3,662

–

1,526

–

2,136

–

–

€30.65

–

–

€30.65

–

€30.65

–

–

–

€36.66

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

8,834

4,848

–

3,986

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

€47.30

–

–

€47.30

–

There were no events or developments that could have materially affected 
the measurement and presentation of the Company’s assets and liabilities 
as of September 30, 2020.

Luxembourg, December 10, 2020 
Stabilus S. A. 
Management Board

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D ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

  RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT

RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT

We, Dr. Michael Büchsner (Chief Executive Officer), Mark Wilhelms (Chief 
Financial Officer), Andreas Schröder (Group Financial Reporting Director) 
and Andreas  Sievers  (Director  Group Accounting  and  Strategic  Finance 
Projects), confirm, to the best of our knowledge, that the annual accounts 
which have been prepared in accordance with the legal requirements and 
generally  accepted  accounting  principles  applicable  in  the  Grand  Duchy 
of Luxembourg, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities,  financial 
 position  and  profit  and  loss  of  Stabilus  S.  A.  and  that  the   combined 
 management  report  includes  a  fair  review  of  the  development  and 
 performance of the business and the position of Stabilus S. A., together 
with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that they face.

Luxembourg, December 10, 2020

Dr. Michael Büchsner

Mark Wilhelms

Andreas Schröder

Andreas Sievers

Management Board

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIOND ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

  INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S 
REPORT

To the Shareholders of  
 Stabilus S. A.  
 2, rue Albert Borschette,  
 L-1246 Luxembourg

Report of the réviseur d’entreprises agréé

Report on the audit of the annual accounts

Opinion
We have audited the annual accounts of Stabilus S. A. (the "Company"), 
which  comprise  the  balance  sheet  as  at  30  September  2020,  and  the 
 profit and loss account for the year then ended, and notes to the annual 
 accounts, including a summary of significant accounting policies. 

In  our  opinion,  the  accompanying  annual  accounts  give  a  true  and  fair 
view of the financial position of the Company as at 30 September 2020 
and of the results of its operations for the year then ended in accordance with 
Luxembourg legal and regulatory requirements relating to the  preparation 
and presentation of the annual accounts.

Basis for Opinion
We  conducted  our  audit  in  accordance  with  the  EU  Regulation   
N°  537/2014,  the  Law  of  23  July  2016  on  the  audit  profession  (“Law 
of 23 July 2016”) and with International Standards on Auditing (“ISAs”) 
as  adopted  for  Luxembourg  by  the  “Commission  de  Surveillance  du 
 Secteur Financier” (“CSSF”). Our responsibilities under the EU Regulation   
N°  537/2014,  the  Law  of  23  July  2016  and  ISAs  are  further  described 
in  the  «Responsibilities  of  “Réviseur  d’Entreprises  agréé”  for  the  audit 

of the annual accounts» section of our report. We are also independent 
of  the  Company  in  accordance  with  the  International  Ethics  Standards 
Board  for  Accountants’  Code  of  Ethics  for  Professional  Accountants 
 (“IESBA Code”) as adopted for Luxembourg by the CSSF together with 
the   ethical   requirements  that  are  relevant  to  our  audit  of  the  annual 
 accounts, and have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities under those 
ethical  requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained 
is  sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Responsibilities of the Management Board and Those Charged 
with Governance for the annual accounts
The  Management  Board  is  responsible  for  the  preparation  and  fair 
 presentation of the annual accounts in accordance with Luxembourg legal 
and regulatory requirements relating to the preparation and presentation 
of the annual accounts, and for such internal control as the Management 
Board determines is necessary to enable the preparation of annual accounts 
that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, 
were  of  most  significance  in  our  audit  of  the  annual  accounts  of  the 
 current period. These matters were addressed in the context of the audit 
of the annual accounts as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, 
and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters. 

In preparing the annual accounts, the Management Board is  responsible 
for  assessing  the  Company’s  ability  to  continue  as  a  going  concern, 
 disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the 
going concern basis of accounting unless the Management Board either 
intends to liquidate the Company or to cease operations, or has no realistic 
alternative but to do so.

We have determined that there are no key audit matters to communicate 
in our report. 

Those  charged  with  governance  are  responsible  for  overseeing  the 
 Company’s financial reporting process. 

Other information
The  Management  Board  is  responsible  for  the  other  information.   
The  other  information  comprises  the  information  stated  in  the  annual 
report  including the management report (on consolidated level) and the  
Corporate  Governance  Statement  but  does  not  include  the  annual 
 accounts and our report of “Réviseur d’Entreprises agréé” thereon.

Our opinion on the annual accounts does not cover the other information 
and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In  connection  with  our  audit  of  the  annual  accounts,  our  responsibility 
is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the 
other information is materially inconsistent with the annual accounts or 
our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially 
misstated.  If,  based  on  the  work  we  have  performed,  we  conclude  that 
there is a material misstatement of this other information we are required 
to report this fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Responsibilities of the Réviseur d’Entreprises agréé for the 
audit of the annual accounts
The  objectives  of  our  audit  are  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  about 
whether  the  annual  accounts  as  a  whole  are  free  from  material 
 misstatement,  whether  due  to  fraud  or  error,  and  to  issue  a  report  of 
 “Réviseur  d’Entreprises  agréé”  that  includes  our  opinion.  Reasonable 
 assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit 
conducted in accordance with the EU Regulation N° 537/2014, the Law 
of 23 July 2016 and with ISAs as adopted for Luxembourg by the CSSF 
will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements 
can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually 
or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the 
economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these annual accounts.

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  INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

As part of an audit in accordance with the EU Regulation N° 537/2014, 
the  Law  of  23  July  2016  and  with  ISAs  as  adopted  for  Luxembourg  by 
the  CSSF,  we  exercise  professional  judgment  and  maintain  professional 
skepticism throughout the audit. We also:

•  Evaluate  the  overall  presentation,  structure  and  content  of  the 
 annual  accounts,  including  the  disclosures,  and  whether  the   
annual accounts represent the underlying transactions and events 
in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

2002 on the commercial and companies register and on the accounting 
 records and annual accounts of undertakings, as amended, is consistent 
with  the  annual  accounts  and  has  been  prepared  in  accordance  with 
 applicable legal requirements.

•  Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the annual 
accounts, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit 
procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that 
is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The 
risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud 
is  higher  than  for  one  resulting  from  error,  as  fraud  may  involve 
collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the 
override of internal control.

•  Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit 
in  order  to  design  audit  procedures  that  are  appropriate  in  the 
 circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on 
the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control.

•  Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the 
reasonableness  of  accounting  estimates  and  related  disclosures 
made by the Management Board.

•  Conclude  on  the  appropriateness  of  the  Management  Board's  use 
of  the  going  concern  basis  of  accounting  and,  based  on  the   audit 
evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists  related to 
events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the  Company’s 
ability to continue as a going concern. If we  conclude that a material 
uncertainty exists, we are required to draw  attention in our report of 
the “Réviseur d’Entreprises agréé” to the  related disclosures in the 
annual accounts or, if such  disclosures are  inadequate, to modify our 
opinion. Our conclusions are  based on the audit evidence obtained up 
to the date of our report of the  “Réviseur  d’Entreprises agréé”. Howe-
ver, future events or  conditions may  cause the Company to cease to 
continue as a going concern.

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among 
other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant 
audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that 
we identify during our audit. 

 We also provide those charged with governance with a statement that we 
have complied with relevant ethical requirements regarding  independence, 
and to communicate with them all relationships and other matters that 
may  reasonably  be  thought  to  bear  on  our  independence,  and  where 
 applicable, related safeguards. 

From  the  matters  communicated  with  those  charged  with   governance, 
we  determine  those  matters  that  were  of  most  significance  in  the 
 audit  of  the  annual  accounts  of  the  current  period  and  are   therefore 
the  key  audit  matters.  We  describe  these  matters  in  our   report 
 unless 
law  or  regulation  precludes  public  disclosure  about  the 
matter.

Report on other legal and regulatory 
 requirements

We confirm that the audit opinion is consistent with the additional report 
to the audit committee or equivalent.

We  confirm  that  the  prohibited  non-audit  services  referred  to  in  the   
EU  Regulation  No  537/2014  were  not  provided  and  that  we  remained 
independent of the Company in conducting the audit.

Other matter

includes,  when 

The  Corporate  Governance  Statement 
 applicable, 
 information  required  by  Article  68ter  paragraph  (1)  points  a),  b), 
e),  f)  and  g)  of  the  law  of  19  December  2002  on  the  commercial  and 
 companies  register and on the accounting records and annual accounts of 
 undertakings, as amended.

Luxembourg, 10 December 2020

KPMG Luxembourg Société coopérative 
Cabinet de révision agréé 
T. Feld

We have been appointed as “Réviseur d’Entreprises agréé” by the Board 
of Directors on 12 February 2020 and the duration of our uninterrupted 
engagement,  including  previous  renewals  and  reappointments,  is  seven 
years. 

Partner

The  Corporate  Governance  Statement  is  included  in  the  management 
 report of the consolidated financial statements. The information required 
by Article 68ter paragraph (1) letters c) and d) of the law of 19 December 

117

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONINFORMATION

E ADDITIONAL 

for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020

INFORMATION RESOURCES 

FINANCIAL CALENDAR 

TABLE DIRECTORY 

DISCLAIMER 

 119 

119

 120

 123

S T A B I L U S   A N N U A L   R E P O R T   2 0 2 0

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  FINANCIAL CALENDAR

  DISCLAIMER    

T _ 101

FINANCIAL CALENDAR

Financial calendar

DATE 1) 2)

November 13, 2020

December 11, 2020

February 1, 2021

February 10, 2021

May 3, 2021

August 2, 2021

November 12, 2021

December 10, 2021

PUBLICATION  / EVENT

Publication of preliminary financial results for fiscal year 2020

Publication of full year results for fiscal year 2020 (Annual Report 2020)

Publication of the first-quarter results for fiscal year 2021 (Quarterly Statement Q1 FY2021)

Annual General Meeting

Publication of the second-quarter results for fiscal year 2021 (Interim Report Q2 FY2021)

Publication of the third-quarter results for fiscal year 2021 (Quarterly Statement Q3 FY2021)

Publication of preliminary financial results for fiscal year 2021

Publication of full year results for fiscal year 2021 (Annual Report 2021)

1) We cannot rule out changes of dates. We recommend checking them on our website in the Investors / Financial Calendar section (www.ir.stabilus.com).

2)  Please note that our fiscal year (FY) comprises a twelve-month period from October 1 to September 30 of the following calendar year. E.g. the fiscal year 2021 comprises a  

year ending September 30, 2021. 

DISCLAIMER

Forward-looking statements
This  annual  report  contains  forward-looking  statements  that  relate  to  the  current  plans,  objectives, 
 forecasts  and  estimates  of  the  management  of  Stabilus  S. A. These  statements  take  into  account  only 
 information  that  was  available  up  and  including  the  date  that  this  annual  report  was  prepared.  The 
management of Stabilus S. A. makes no guarantee that these forward-looking statements will prove to 
be right. The future development of Stabilus S. A. and its subsidiaries and the results that are actually 
 achieved  are  subject  to  a  variety  of  risks  and  uncertainties  which  could  cause  actual  events  or  results 
to differ  significantly from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are 
beyond the control of Stabilus S. A. and its subsidiaries and therefore cannot be precisely predicted. Such 
factors  include,  but  are  not  limited  to,  changes  in  economic  conditions  and  the  competitive  situation, 
changes in the law, interest rate or exchange rate fluctuations, legal disputes and investigations, and the 
availability of funds. These and other risks and uncertainties are set forth in the combined  management 

report.  However,  other  factors  could  also  have  an  adverse  effect  on  our  business  performance  and 
 results. Stabilus S. A. neither intends to nor assumes any separate obligation to update forward-looking 
 statements or to change these to reflect events or developments that occur after the publication of this 
annual report. 

Rounding 
Certain numbers in this annual report have been rounded up or down. There may therefore be  discrepancies 
between the actual totals of the individual amounts in the tables and the totals shown as well as between 
the numbers in the tables and the numbers given in the corresponding analyses in the text of the annual 
report. All percentage changes and key figures in the combined management report were calculated using 
the underlying data in millions of euros to one decimal place (€ millions).

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSTABLE DIRECTORY

DESCRIPTI ON

NUMBER

PAGE

E ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  TABLE DIRECTORY

Latest growth projections for selected economies

Production of light vehicles

Income statement

Revenue by region and business unit

Reconciliation of EBIT to adjusted EBIT

Operating segments

Balance sheet

Cash flows

Free cash flow

Adjusted free cash flow

Net leverage ratio

Financial debt

Adjusted EBITDA

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income

Consolidated statement of financial position

Consolidated statement of changes in equity

Consolidated statement of cash flows

Subsidiaries

Exchange rates

New standards, interpretations and amendments in the financial year

Reconciliation of IFRS 16 effects on the consolidated statement of financial position

Reconciliation of IFRS 16 effects on the consolidated statement of comprehensive income

Reconciliation of IFRS 16 effects on the consolidated statement of cash flows

Reconciliation of lease liabilities

New standards, interpretations and amendments issued and endorsed by the EU (not yet adopted)

New standards, interpretations and amendments issued but not yet endorsed by the EU

Revenue by region and business unit

Expenses by function

Personnel expenses

Average number of employees

Other income

001

002

003

004

005

006

007

008

009

010

011

012

013

014

015

016

017

018

019

020

021

022

023

024

025

026

027

028

029

030

031

20

21

23

24

26

27

29

30

31

31

32

32

33

43

44

45

46

49

51

52

53

53

54

54

55

56

61

62

62

62

63

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STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSDESCRIPTI ON

Other expenses

Finance income

Finance costs

Income tax expense

Tax expense reconciliation (expected to actual)

Deferred tax assets and liabilities

Tax loss and interest carry-forwards

Reconciliation movement in deferred tax assets and liabilities

Weighted average number of shares

Earnings per share

Property, plant and equipment

Property, plant and equipment - carrying amount

Reconciliation depreciation expense for property, plant and equipment

Right of Use Assets

Goodwill

Weighted average cost of capital (WACC)

Goodwill sensitivity analysis

Intangible assets

Other intangible assets - carrying amount

Other financial assets

Other assets

Inventories

Trade and other receivables

Exposure to credit risk and ECLs

Allowance for doubtful accounts

Accumulated other comprehensive income / (expense)

Financial liabilities

Other financial liabilities

Outflows for lease payments

Interest expense on lease liabilities

Maturity of lease liabilities

Expenses of short-term and low-value leases

Provisions

Changes of non-current provisions

Changes of current provisions

E ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  TABLE DIRECTORY

NUMBER

PAGE

032

033

034

035

036

037

038

039

040

041

042

043

044

045

046

047

048

049

050

051

052

053

054

055

056

057

058

059

060

061

062

063

064

065

066

63

63

63

63

64

64

65

65

66

66

67

68

68

69

70

71

71

72

73

73

74

74

74

75

76

77

78

79

79

79

79

79

80

81

82

121

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSDESCRIPTI ON

Pension plans and similar obligations

Unfunded status

Present value of the net pension liability obligations

Pension cost for defined benefit plans

Present value of the defined benefit obligation and the experience adjustments on the plan liabilities

Significant factors for the calculation of pension obligations

Other liabilities

Financial commitments

Financial instruments

Financial instruments

Credit risks included in financial assets

Liquidity outflows for liabilities

Equity ratio

Reconciliation financing activities

Segment reporting

Reconciliation of the total segments‘ profit to profit / (loss) before income tax

Geographical information: Revenue by country

Geographical information: Non-current assets by country

Input parameters for fair value measurement of MSP

Number of share options

Input parameters for fair value measurement of PSP

Phantom Stock Program options

Performance Share Plan

Number of share options

Auditor‘s fees

Remuneration

Balance sheet

Profit and loss account

Fixed assets schedule

Shares in affiliated undertakings

Other external expenses

Number of share options

Performance Share Plan

Number of share options

Financial calendar

E ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  TABLE DIRECTORY

NUMBER

PAGE

067

068

069

070

071

072

073

074

075

076

077

078

079

080

081

082

083

084

085

086

087

088

089

090

091

092

093

094

095

096

097

098

099

100

101

83

83

84

84

84

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

92

93

93

93

95

96

97

97

98

98

98

99

107

108

110

111

111

113

114

114

119

122

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTSE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  INFORMATION RESOURCES

INFORMATION RESOURCES

Further information including news, reports and publications can be found 
in the investors section of our website at www.ir.stabilus.com.

Investor Relations
Phone:  +352 286 770 21 
Fax: 
+352 286 770 99 
investors@stabilus.com
Email: 

123

STABILUS ANNUAL REPORT 2020A TO OUR SHAREHOLDERSB COMBINED MANAGEMENT REPORTC CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTSD ANNUAL ACCOUNTS