In the regular elections, Association President Prof. Thomas Seul was confirmed in office. Lars Neitzel and Andreas Rauchenberger were newly elected to the board.
VDWF Managing Director Ralf Dürrwächter welcomed the participants at Arburg, this year's host of the Association Day. The injection molding machine manufacturer, with 3,700 employees worldwide, has been a member of the VDWF since 2021. During a pre-event, all attendees had the opportunity to participate in a guided tour of the facility.
Joint strategy to enhance industry perception
The association, which now has 507 members, welcomed 35 new members last year, whom Dürrwächter introduced and warmly welcomed at the general meeting. In his subsequent report, VDWF President Prof. Thomas Seul called on all attendees to foster team spirit and collaboration. He encouraged association members to generate business hand-in-hand: 'Even in the Stone Age, it was like this: The mammoth had to be hunted together; one alone cannot do it – that’s why we must tackle orders together within the industry.'
Seul also emphasized the importance of the tool and mould making industry based in the DACH region. The association and its members have a duty to actively promote this together. 'We tool makers must represent our economic and political interests in a targeted, organized, and professional manner and provide the corresponding information,' Seul concluded.
Concrete measures for the visibility of the industry
In the interest of strengthening the domestic tool and mould making industry, Seul also referred to the recently launched VDWF poster campaign 'Think global, source local!' and the assumption of the ISTMA-Europe presidency by Stephan Berz from VDWF member Oerlikon HRSflow. Both initiatives aim to raise awareness for the often underappreciated but essential industry for overall industrial manufacturing and thus for our prosperity – both nationally and internationally.
The strategy to tackle these mammoth tasks also includes the decision made at the general meeting to expand the VDWF board from four to five members. This is intended to distribute the growing responsibilities across more shoulders and specifically increase the visibility and impact of the industry. After all, the board serves the members, Seul reminded the attendees: 'We are – because you are!'
The subsequent elections were unanimous: The members again voted for Thomas Seul as association president. Lars Neitzel and Andreas Rauchenberger were newly elected to the board. Neitzel took over the baton from Markus Bay, who is passing the board position for further education to him. Rauchenberger takes on the newly created fifth board position 'Youth & Next Generation'.
The honoring of long-standing association members was also on the agenda. Formenbau Rapp from Löchgau and Tsetinis Tooling from Karlsruhe were awarded for 25 years of membership. 20 other companies received a plaque for 10 years of membership.
Active participation at feedback stations
On important topics of the general meeting, all participants were also able to contribute their input. At various stations distributed throughout the hall, they could express their opinions and make their own suggestions, for example, regarding further measures that the VDWF should take to highlight the significance of German tool and mould making in society, politics, and to industrial customers. The responses will be evaluated and incorporated into further strategic planning.
A true sense of community
An association thrives not only on substantive discussions but also on the atmosphere – and it was right: All attendees enjoyed rich culinary catering and were entertained by the astonishing tricks of magician Giovanni Alecci at the pre-event. Ralf Dürrwächter expressed his satisfaction after the end of the one-and-a-half-day event: 'Successful events like this contribute to us presenting ourselves as a united industry with VDWF power.'
It feels good to see so many, especially the new faces, gathered 'in person' in one place. This only happens here at the Annual General Meeting! While it is not possible to have detailed conversations with everyone, the mere fact that so many great people and companies from our association come together touches me.
In this context, Thomas Seul emphasized: 'We as players in tool and mould making are of course particularly well acquainted with the topic and must provide information to those who make decisions for our industry in the economy, politics, and society. This is very multifaceted and also requires a certain reorientation from our members – and above all, the willingness to actively participate in conveying this information.' The VDWF thus creates the best conditions for spreading the message about the importance of tool and mould making with united forces – and to face future mammoths together...
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