Yeah, hello. From my side, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining this call on such short notice. I'm in Maintal, together with Annette Stieve , the CFO of NORMA Group, and Daniel Heymann, the COO, huh? Before I answer your questions, I'd briefly like to explain our reasoning and the next step for the changes that have been communicated, huh. The Supervisory Board of NORMA Group has considered the strategic direction and the personnel organization of the Executive Board, and together with Guido Grandi, has come to the conclusion that a change at the top of the company is both sensible and necessary to do in the view of the upcoming changes, huh. NORMA Group has been stabilized in a challenging situation over the last years, with a stable margin of, like, 8% EBIT, huh.
The decision to focus the company on the core area of Industry Applications and Mobility, and to sell off the Water Management business, was an important one and a far-reaching strategic decision that will change NORMA. However, there was a difference of opinion between Guido Grandi and the Supervisory Board with regards to the speed of the transformation that is required to happen over the next couple of quarters. Continuous and decisive transformation is an essential part of the strategy. A strategy is more than just doing things, it's also doing the things at the right speed, at the right point in time, especially against the backdrop of a very volatile market, not only in Europe, but also in the U.S. and Asia. We need to be fast. We need to be quick. We do not need to rush and make mistakes, but we need to be fast.
Let's now turn our attention to the future. The future focus of the industrial business, in particular, will place new demands on the NORMA CEO. The Supervisory Board has initiated a structured process to find a successor with the appropriate industrial expertise. I will fulfill the role of the CEO for NORMA on an interim basis, until the process has successfully been completed, kind of maximum 12 months. Mrs. Müller-Kirchhof will assume my role as the chair of the Supervisory Board, until I return to the Supervisory Board. So there's no gap on both sides of the organization. There are no intentions to change the strategy developed over the last several quarters by the entire Executive Board of NORMA and the Supervisory Board during this period.
This means that the initiated sale of the Water Management business will be continued in the time frame you are all aware of. Successfully established Step Up program will continue to be pursued. It will be our medium to create the efficiency improvements that are important and required to bring NORMA forward. Together with Mrs. Stieve and Daniel Heymann, we will focus NORMA on the synergetic core business for functional, critical fasteners, and decisively drive forward all necessary steps. Our goal is very clear. NORMA Group will transform itself from a conglomerate that had little synergies across the various plants, organization, into a focused industrial supplier, and thus will create added value for customers, employees, and investors.
We are convinced that the path we've chosen is the right one for all stakeholders, and we will do our utmost to achieve the goals together to ensure the NORMA of tomorrow is stronger than the NORMA has been in the past. Thank you. I'm now open for, for questions. You know the process, how to raise them.
Ladies and gentlemen, we'll now begin the question and answer session. The first question for this call comes from the line of Marc-René Tonn, from Warburg Research. Please go ahead.
Yes, good afternoon, and thank you for taking my questions. Two, basically, one would be, and I think you already touched upon this, is the disposal process for Water Management. If I, let's say, got your statements correctly, there is no change in speed and the way you are, let's say, continuing with this process from the change at the top level of the company. That would be basically the first question. Second question would be, with regard to the envisaged strengthening of the Industry Applications business and the change in speed, what you probably kind of indicated. How should we think about that?
Does it mean that you could potentially already acquire something prior to selling the Water Management business, or is it that you just want to deleverage first and then look out for M&A activity? Is there any kind of change in focus, let's say, more operational development rather than, let's say, organic growth rather than M&A activity? Any more color on that would be very helpful. Thank you.
Yeah. Thanks, Mr. Tonn, for your question. Well, as I said, the Water Management disposal process will continue unchanged, huh?... We've selected advisors to help us through the process, and as Annette has communicated in the past, huh, it'll see closing in the middle of the year, summertime, and towards the back end of the year, huh, we will have the signing. Sorry, not the signing, the closing with the funds transfer happening around year-end. In terms of industrial business strengthening focus, well, to me, we need to be ready to do M&A in terms of spending money for an acquisition. I would like to ensure that we spend money that is really available to the company, rather than in step one, taking on new debt, nah? However, this all very, very much depends on what targets are available, what is the right fit for NORMA Group, nah?
Going in position, as I said, is be ready, look at targets, study them, come to a decision, and ensure that somehow cash in, cash out is nicely synchronized. Which doesn't necessarily mean in the very, very same moment, but reasonably well synchronized, huh? The focus of the Industrial business will be further developing our Industrial business with internal extra work, extra effort, as well as M&A. How the precise split will be depends on the targets that will be chosen, huh? Because that's part of this equation.
So maybe let me supplement that. As we already spoke, Marc-René, so I would say pragmatically, Mr. Wilhelms, we are expecting... I think the process of the Water deal, the working processes, is something between 9 and 12 months until the real execution took place. At the end, for our M&A activity for IA, that has to be and must be a simultaneous process. For sure, we are already focusing on a shortlist, and we have our eyes open to that, and then we will find means in which sequence it comes. So at the end, it's a fully simultaneous process, what we have to do in parallel.
Thank you very much. Perhaps as a short add-on, if I may. Is there any changes also, let's say, or any new or fresh look at other parts of the business, that there is something potentially from the Mobility and New Energy side, which you are now looking at to potentially also dispose? Or is it, let's say, nothing new on that side from what you have announced yesterday?
No, I do not envisage a change there. The setup that I've described, was developed with a good process by NORMA and the Automotive business with Fluid, et cetera, will stay as it right now is.
Perfect. Thank you very much.
As a reminder, if you wish to ask the question, please press star and one. The next question comes from the line of Yasmin Steilen from Berenberg. Please go ahead.
Many thanks for taking my questions. I have two, if I may. So first, on the strategy, you already mentioned the different speeds the Supervisory Board and the management board was looking at. And you also mentioned that the Water Management investment is on track. Could you shed more color on the use of cash proceeds, in particular with regards to M&A? As the vast majority of the Water business was related in the U.S., will you focus on the region, or how should we think about it in terms of regions and also in terms of deal size in ideal scenario? So, rather a few small targets, or one to two larger targets? That's the first question.
The second question, Mark, as you took over the interim CEO position, I know you're not in charge of the CEO replacement process. However, could you share your view on the ideal profile the incoming CEO should have in terms of background and track record to successfully transform the business after the Water divestment? Thanks very much.
Yeah. Thank you, Mrs. Steilen, for the question. Yeah. As mentioned before, the strategy remains unchanged in terms of Water Management and doing more on Industry. Doing more on Industry, besides the internal growth means M&A. What M&A that will be, big companies, small companies located in region A, B, C, will depend on the targets that are available at the time we actually put out our net, what to fish for, nah? Would kind of be preemptive to now exclude certain companies at this point in time, huh? So give us more time to scan the market for the M&A target and also to look at the rationale why a certain company is a perfect fit for NORMA being worthwhile the money to be spent, nah?
To me, when humans look at big amounts of cash, they tend to be a bit more spending open. It's something we, we need to control, that we follow a very diligent process to select the right targets, and not just get moving for the sake of getting moving, huh? ... And then to turn to your second question, yeah, skill set of the final CEO. We will, for sure, A, it is a search that the Supervisory Board has to do, which now excludes me. Therefore, I cannot be your perfect interview partner for this. But from what I know, when we discussed this, which is not too long ago, in the Supervisory Board, we will look for a candidate with a good industry experience, with experience on transformation, with an experience on M&A, as well as an international background.
This leaves the door open to allow the search firm to give us top-class names in terms of experience, as well as proven track record on whatever they have done.
Ladies and gentlemen, there are no more questions at this time. I would now like to turn the conference back over to Mark Wilhelms, Interim CEO, for any closing remarks.
Yeah, thanks for your participation. I hope to see you all as time moves on at various other meetings, and I'm thrilled by the idea, by the opportunity to help to move NORMA forward. It's a great company that has a good future, because whatever mankind will be doing, there will be Water and Gas that needs to be moved around, and the NORMA products offer many, many different technical solutions to ensure this all happens in a very, very controlled manner. Thank you and goodbye.