The PCC Group currently has more than 3,200 employees operating at 41 sites in 17 countries. The investment portfolio of the Group is divided into seven segments. The six segments Polyols & Derivatives, Surfactants & Derivatives, Chlorine & Derivatives, Silicon & Derivatives, Trading & Services and Logistics are allocated full operational responsibility. Assigned to these six segments are a total of 17 business units that are managed by our international companies and entities. The seventh segment, Holding & Projects, includes not only the holding company PCC SE but also the intermediate holding company PCC Chemicals GmbH, as well as various project companies.

Compared to the previous year, the following changes were made to the investment portfolio of the PCC Group in 2023: The intermediate holding company PCC Renewables GmbH, which served as an umbrella for our activities in the field of renewable energies in the Balkan region, was merged with PCC SE as the acquiring legal entity as of January 1, 2023.

In the Polyols & Derivatives segment, the polyester polyols manufacturer PCC PU Sp. z o.o. was merged with PCC Rokita SA as of January 1, 2023, and integrated into its Polyols business unit. The Trading & Services segment was expanded to include Gaia Sp. z o.o., an existing subsidiary of PCC Rokita SA.

All the assets of PCC Rokita SA required for the supply of energy and heat to the town of Brzeg Dolny were transferred to this company. Elpis Sp. z o.o., Brzeg Dolny, left the scope of consolidation due to liquidation, as did the Russian companies AO PCC Rail (formerly ZAO PCC Rail) and OOO PCC Consumer
Products i.L., both domiciled in Moscow, due to the discontinuation of their business operations.

Including PCC SE, 45 companies are thus fully consolidated in the 2023 consolidated financial statements of PCC. Three joint ventures are accounted for using the equity method.

The operational strategy of the PCC Group is geared to sustainable corporate investment and business development, with the primary priority of generating and consistently growing enterprise value. As a growth-led investor predominantly aligned to the long term, the holding company PCC SE supports
its affiliated businesses in their entrepreneurial development and in the expansion of their various specific strengths. The existing investment portfolio is subject to a regime of proactive management and continual optimization within this process. The Group’s development policy also focuses on the regular appraisal of further projects and acquisitions geared to both forward and backward integration. The aim is to diversify into new market segments in line with our expertise, while at the same time strengthening our raw materials base. By contrast, non-core activities are only developed to a certain level of market maturity with a view to then offering them for sale. The main objective remains the achievement over the long term of further profitable growth for the PCC Group as a whole.

As part of regular internal and external reporting, the business of the PCC Group is divided geographically into seven regions (Germany, Poland, Other EU Member States, Other Europe, USA, Asia and Other Regions). In fiscal 2023, we generated 19.5 % (previous year: 21.1 %) of our sales with customers in Germany, with 38.0 % attributable to customers in Poland (previous year: 34.3 %) and 28.8 % to customers in other EU member states (previous year: 28.1 %).