## The core values of our company are: 

1.  Continuous devotion to meeting the needs of our customers. The job of any employee within our company should be to serve the customer. Whatever his problems and needs might be, we should never forget that the customer pays our bills. 

2.  Honesty and integrity in all aspects of our business. In simple terms, do what you say you are going to do, regardless of whether itGLYPH<146>s in writing or regardless of the consequences. If we make a promise, we do our utmost to stand behind it. 

3.  Respect for all individuals. The job of everyone in a company is important. If your job is sweeping the floor, the floor needs to be swept. That job is equally as important as other jobs in the company. 

4.  Preserving innovation and focus through decentralization. We build over 167 different products and none of them are high volume products. This effort requires intense interest in individual customer needs. It requires a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit, combined with a strong product focus, to take those products and make them the best in the industryGLYPH<151>capable of being more user-friendly and capable of doing a better job to help reduce the customerGLYPH<146>s cost. Only through decentralization and product focus can we continu- ously improve our products. 

5.  The ability to make a profit. Running a profitable and growing company is necessary to ensure the companyGLYPH<146>s success and continued existence. Our customers want us to make a profit because they want us to be around to serve them for many years. 

These core values are the timeless guiding principles by which Astec Industries runs and will continue to run in the future. They are not simply words; they are the actions that you will see from our people and our management. 

Shareholders benefit from these principles because we believe that if our employees feel they have the resources and support they deserve, then they will take care of our customers. Satisfied customers bring the funds into the organization, which clearly benefits our shareholders. 

The products we build are considered GLYPH<147>nicheGLYPH<148> products. They require special design, special attention, and in-depth training on how they should be operated. The history of the mistakes we have made, which are often stored in the heads of our employees, are essential to the long-term continuity of our businesses. Our people are our greatest resource. We have learned from our mistakes, but we must have the continu- ity to remember what we have learned and to pass it on to the next generation. 

Our philosophy is to design, engineer, manufacture, build, and service products. If we can outsource cheaper than we can build it, we need to re-look at our manufacturing techniques. We do exactly that on a daily basis. 

We continue to innovate and develop new products. We believe that it is our job to develop new products long before our customers even realize their need for them. We want to provide for our customers equip- ment that will reduce their operating costs and improve quality so they can make their product even better. To do this requires a commitment for the long-term benefits of our industry. Building quality products requires an investment in engineering, product development, and R & D. The end result will improve the quality of life on our planet. 

Our business philosophy may be old-fashioned, but we believe it is correct. And we plan to train future generations to continue to do that old-fashioned blocking and tackling, attending to the details every day to serve our employees, customers, and shareholders. 

