At the heart of healthcare

Demographic change is posing fundamental challenges to societies worldwide. Not only are people living longer, but the pace of population aging is also increasing significantly. As a result, the social and healthcare systems of many countries are coming under increasing pressure. As the average age of the population increases, so does the number of critically and chronically ill patients.¹ A longer life, however, also offers opportunities for individuals and societies. The extent to which these opportunities can be leveraged depends heavily on one factor: health.

At Fresenius, we are at the heart of healthcare. In line with this purpose, we offer healthcare products and services for critically and chronically ill individuals, in line with the megatrends of health and demographics. We improve people’s lives by providing high-quality and affordable healthcare. In doing so, we consider significant paradigm shifts in the healthcare environment with regards to biologic products and therapies, technological change and new forms of data generation, processing and usage. Our goal is to expand Fresenius’ position as a leading global provider of products, services, and therapies for critically and chronically ill people. At the same time, we want to grow profitably and use our capital efficiently, in order to create value for our stakeholders and enable us to continue investing in better medicine.

We have lived up to our special responsibility as part of the healthcare system, even under the difficult circumstances of the enduring COVID-19 pandemic, major disruptions in the global supply chains, and shortages of critical medical staff in many of the regions in which we are active.

To improve our management effectiveness and enable a targeted approach to capital allocation, we are differentiating between our operating companies, Fresenius Kabi and Fresenius Helios (each with 100% ownership share) and our strategic capital investments Fresenius Medical Care (32% ownership share) and Fresenius Vamed (77% ownership share). Fresenius runs operating companies and strategic capital investments in key healthcare areas indispensable for critically and chronically ill patients. We continuously develop our business areas and strive to assume leading positions in system-critical healthcare markets and segments. We orient our portfolio towards healthy, profitable growth, a strong focus on margins and capital returns, and the highest ambitions for operational excellence and competitiveness.

At Fresenius, we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards of quality and integrity. All of our business segments make an overall contribution to increasing the quality, affordability, and efficiency of healthcare. At the same time, we care for our environment by protecting nature and using its resources carefully.

Fresenius Kabi’s corporate philosophy “caring for life” expresses the company’s commitment to improving the quality of life of its patients. The quality and safety of its products and services is thus of paramount importance to Fresenius Kabi.

Fresenius Helios hospitals are characterized by high standards of treatment quality, hygiene, patient safety, and quality of care.

Fresenius Medical Care ensures patient health and product safety by providing a safe environment in its clinics. Fresenius Medical Care considers the quality and safety of its products and services to be the foundation of its success.

Fresenius Vamed bases its quality processes on clearly defined and generally established standards.

Fresenius will continue building on its strength in technology, its competence and quality in patient care, and its ability to manufacture cost-effectively. Developing products and systems that provide a high level of safety and user-friendliness and enable tailoring to individual patient needs is an inherent part of our strategy of sustainable and profitable growth. We plan to develop more effective products and treatment methods for critically and chronically ill patients in order to offer best-in-class medical standards. Digitalization is playing an increasingly important role  –  whether it is in healthcare facilities or in production. It drives innovative technologies and treatment concepts and can contribute to solving numerous challenges in the healthcare system.

The commitment of our more than 300,000 employees worldwide is key for the success and sustained growth of Fresenius. We firmly believe in a culture of diversity, as we are convinced that different perspectives, opinions, experiences, and values enable Fresenius to continue successfully growing as a global healthcare company. To tackle the upcoming challenges, attracting new employees is key for the growth of our company. Not only do we try to attract new talent, but also do everything we can to retain and develop our employees over the long term. We offer a variety of flexible working-time models and incentive programs to ensure that our long-term needs for highly qualified employees are met. Furthermore, we offer our employees opportunities to develop their careers in an international and dynamic environment.

Executing segment strategies

The Fresenius Group offers a broad spectrum of system critical products and services for the health and quality of life of our patients. Our business segments hold leading positions in key areas of healthcare, and all of them are continuing to execute their respective strategic priorities to sustain leadership and contribute significantly to the benefit of healthcare systems. At the level of Fresenius Group, we manage the strategic direction of the Group, and orient our portfolio towards value-maximizing business areas and maximum patient impact.

With its Vision 2026, Fresenius Kabi has developed a strategic plan to transform the company for the next decade and to better capture new growth opportunities. Fresenius Kabi will continue to focus on high-quality products for critically and chronically ill patients. Within this clear direction, Fresenius Kabi has defined three growth vectors, next to the strengthening of resilience of our volume businesses (“3+1” strategy). The growth vectors are:

• the broadening of our biopharmaceutical offering,
• further rollout of clinical nutrition,
• expansion in the MedTech area.

In 2022, we have thoroughly focused on strengthening these growth vectors: with the acquisition of a majority stake in mAbxience, we form a fully integrated, vertical biopharma business that holds a strong portfolio and pipeline, provides extensive and cost-efficient manufacturing, and is building a targeted commercial footprint in Fresenius Kabi’s and mAbxience’s target regions.

Our newly bundled MedTech business has been further strengthened by the acquisition of Ivenix. With the award-winning Ivenix infusion system, we are entering the infusion therapy market in the United States. The design of the Ivenix infusion system is easier to use than conventional systems and increases the safety of infusions. The pump also works seamlessly with other systems.

Through successful organic launches, we have become the leading IV lipid nutrition supplier in North America, further strengthening our global nutrition business in addition to its strong base in Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific.

In parallel, Fresenius Kabi has continued to build resilience in its volume-driven IV business, and is extending the portfolio with continued launches in all regions.

Fresenius Helios wants to further strengthen its position as the leading private hospital operator in Europe.

Helios Germany will continue to focus its offerings on cross-sector healthcare, further specialize hospitals, and coordinate their respective medical service portfolios within regional structures. In regional competence centers, we are already pooling expertise in various specialist areas in order to achieve the best treatment results for our patients. We will continue to drive this clustering forward in the future in order to further enhance medical quality. We intend to exploit the growth potential in the outpatient sector by linking our medical care centers (MVZs) even more closely with hospitals. In addition, we will seize the newly created regulatory opportunity of daytime inpatient treatment as a further form of care. We also aim to increase the efficiency of our energy consumption in the interests of sustainability and climate protection. The goal is to reduce it by 20% across all hospitals in 2023 compared to 2021.

In Spain, we expect demand for hospital and other healthcare services to continue to rise. We want to continue to exploit this potential by building new clinics and expanding existing hospital sites. We aim to integrate our diverse range of inpatient and outpatient services even better and further expand them across the entire network of sites. We consistently focus on the strategic factors of medical excellence, innovation, and service quality in order to attract patients. Our focus here is on optimal treatment quality as well as patient satisfactionPatient satisfactionFresenius ​Vamed ​measures ​the ​level ​of ​patient ​satisfaction ​in ​the ​VAMED ​healthcare ​facilities ​and ​the ​overall ​patient ​satisfaction ​with ​the ​services ​offered ​in ​the ​VAMED ​healthcare ​facilities. ​Each ​patient ​receives ​a ​questionnaire ​at ​or ​immediately ​after ​discharge, ​which ​contains ​16 ​standardized ​questions ​that ​are ​evaluated ​for ​the ​patient ​satisfaction ​target. ​. In addition, we expect growth opportunities from consolidations in the fragmented private hospital market.

As a hospital operator, we aim to make even greater use of the potential offered by digitalization to further improve patient care and our service. In the future, our range of services will be supplemented even more by digital and telemedical offerings. Digital patient records and telemedicine will provide new communication channels outside the hospital, as well as faster transmission and interpretation of health data.

We also intend to grow our field of reproductive medicine and to specifically expand and extend the global network of reproductive clinics.

Fresenius Medical Care launched its FME25 program in 2021 and started to significantly streamline its business model in 2022, creating two global segments – Care Delivery and Care Enablement, which were introduced on January 1, 2023. Fresenius Medical Care is thus aligning its operating model with the relevant value drivers of the future.

Fresenius Vamed has realized projects in the area of integrated healthcare services to support healthcare systems more efficiently. In addition, state-of-the-art standards such as the use of building information modeling (BIM) in the construction of healthcare facilities, new concepts for operational management through the use of innovative technologies, and digitalization measures were implemented to improve medical care and reduce the workload of medical staff.

Reset for #FutureFresenius

In Q4 2022, we launched #FutureFresenius and embarked on a transformative journey to prepare Fresenius for the coming decades.

The healthcare industry has a long runway for growth, which will be accelerated by quickly evolving technologies, new therapies such as biopharmaceuticals, more and more professional steering of patient journeys, and a true digital revolution. We want Fresenius to be at the forefront of these trends and have thus charted our course to continued system relevance in our businesses.

The first step of this journey was a “Reset”: strengthening our return focus, driving structural productivity, and creating change momentum across the organization. With the closure of the “Reset” phase, we are now ready to continue to “Revitalize” Fresenius, gearing up for continuous portfolio optimization and the pursuit of growth verticals.

Portfolio focus

We have executed a comprehensive diagnosis of our Group portfolio at sub-segment level, in order to highlight growth opportunities aligned with market trends, further refine our management approach for each business we operate, and identify areas to strengthen our portfolio focus.

Going forward, we want to increasingly orient our portfolio along 3 platforms: (Bio)Pharma – including clinical nutrition -, MedTech and Care Provision. With these platforms, we cater to major trends in healthcare and become a more therapy-focused company. The health and quality of life of our patients who we serve with high-quality, affordable products and services is at the core. At the same time, our platforms address attractive value pools in healthcare, which will provide opportunities for future profitable growth.

To improve our management effectiveness and enable a targeted approach to capital allocation, we are differentiating between our operating companies, Fresenius Kabi and Fresenius Helios (each with 100% ownership share) and our strategic capital investments Fresenius Medical Care (32% ownership share) and Fresenius Vamed (77% ownership share). We will prioritize growth investments for the healthcare products and services of tomorrow in our operating companies Fresenius Kabi and Fresenius Helios. Across all segments, we are seeking opportunities to strengthen the focus on core business cells, in order to safeguard a sound capital structure and availability of capital for future growth prospects. Within the Fresenius Group, we will provide effective support and governance services to the benefit of our segments and the overall capital efficiency of the Group.

Structural productivity

While fundamentally healthy and geared toward long-term growth, our market environment is also characterized by strong current macro headwinds that challenge our operations and increase our cost base. With that in mind, we have reinvigorated our focus on structural productivity and are running corresponding programs in all our business segments and at the corporate center.

Structural productivity improvements are expected to offset market headwinds and to create financial flexibility for future growth investments in the coming years. The new target is to achieve annual structural cost savings of around €1 billion at EBITEBIT (Earnings before Interest and Taxes)EBIT ​does ​include ​depreciation ​and ​write-ups ​on ​property, ​plant ​and ​equipment. ​EBIT ​is ​calculated ​by ​subtracting ​costs ​of ​revenue, ​selling, ​general ​and ​administrative ​expenses, ​and ​research ​and ​development ​expenses ​from ​revenue. level from the fiscal year 2025 onwards. To achieve the targeted cost savings, one-time costs of around €700 to €750 million are expected at EBIT level, of which around 2 / 3 will be incurred in the year.

In order to reach this goal, Fresenius is running targeted programs across all business segments and the Corporate Center with the oversight and steering of the Group. Key elements include measures to optimize the network, sales and administrative costs, procurement, as well as divesting from non-core assets.

Thanks to our cost and efficiency program we have already realized €152 million in savings after taxes and non-controlling interests in fiscal year 2022, offset by €260 million in one-time costs. In line with previous practice, these expenses are classified as special items.

Fresenius Medical Care will accelerate and extend its FME25 transformation program to further optimize processes along the new operating model. Fresenius Medical Care increases the savings target for the program from €500 million to €650 million by 2025 and now expects to invest up to €650 million in the same period.

By the end of 2022, Fresenius Medical Care delivered €131 million (on EBIT level) of sustainable savings under the FME25 program, exceeding the original target of €40 to 70 million for the same period. In further support of its turnaround efforts the Company will drive additional operational efficiency and cost reduction measures. In Care Delivery, this will include productivity and operating leverage improvements in the core dialysisDialysisForm ​of ​renal ​replacement ​therapy ​where ​a ​semipermeable ​membrane ​– ​in ​peritoneal ​dialysis ​the ​peritoneum ​of ​the ​patient, ​in ​hemo­ ​dialysis ​the ​membrane ​of ​the ​dialyzer ​– ​is ​used ​to ​clean ​a ​patient’s ​blood. services business. In Care Enablement, Fresenius Medical Care will focus on pricing initiatives, productivity measures and review of its global manufacturing footprint.

Fresenius Digital Technology entered a strategic partnership with Capgemini, a global leader in the IT sector, to streamline its IT services. As of October, Capgemini hastaken over operational delivery of standard IT services, while Fresenius Digital Technology focuses on its core competences as business partner for all Fresenius segments. The partnership will lead to new and optimized products, improved customer satisfaction and increased value creation, and optimized IT operations. In addition, new business models can be developed and strengthened while taking advantage of cost savings and a global support model.

Change momentum

At Fresenius, our collective actions have always been driven by our enormous passion and strongest possible commitment to patients. On our pathway to #FutureFresenius, we want to nurture this passion, and combine it with a strong appetite for change, preparing us for the dynamic shifts in the healthcare industry for the best of our patients. As part of #FutureFresenius, we aim to embrace new ways of working and establish a culture of excellence, where we measure ourselves against the best and maintain trusting dialog that welcomes diverse perspectives. Throughout our company, we engage in such trusting dialog with our employees, stakeholders, and external partners, and our global top leaders are agreed about the need for change. We aim to continuously pick up the pace of change and improvement and use this momentum to create #FutureFresenius.

Sustainability program

For Fresenius, sustainability is an integral part of its business model. The company is working to establish global sustainability standards and continuously improve its own sustainability performance. To this end, Fresenius continued to drive forward its ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) initiatives in the fiscal year.

Fresenius has set a climate target for the Group complementing its existing sustainability targets and programs. The company aims to be climate-neutral by 2040 and to reduce 50% of absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030 compared to 2020 levels. Fresenius will continuously assess Scope 3 emission impacts for inclusion in our targets.

The Fresenius Group Sustainability Board (GSB) held four meetings to discuss the implementation of regulatory requirements, in particular the EU taxonomy and the Supply Chain Sourcing Obligations Act and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Furthermore, the internal quarterly reporting of ESG key figures as part of the Management Board compensation system was driven forward and work was done on setting quantitative sustainability targets. In addition, for the first time, Fresenius conducted an employee survey in the past fiscal year, among other things on employee identification and loyalty to the employer. In December 2022, we were again included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI Europe).