VOA General Meeting 2024

During the two-day general meeting of the VOA on June 12 and 13, 2024 - the first day saw the meeting of the Technical Circle for all interested parties at Chemische Werke Kluthe GmbH and the official evening event with many international guests - the more than 110 participants made intensive use of the opportunity for multi-professional exchange, made new contacts and refreshed older ones. Wars in Ukraine and Gaza, geopolitical influences, inflation and climate change: a whole host of different factors influence the German economy and therefore the surface finishing industry. However, Friedhelm U. Scholten, Chairman of the VOA Executive Board, was optimistic and combative in his welcoming speech at the 60th General Assembly: "We are open to change in these difficult times and resilient to influences that are beyond our control." He urged the member companies to focus on well-functioning teams in each individual company and to "take all employees with us" into the future: both specialists from different countries and with intercultural backgrounds as well as employees in many different phases of life, from trainees to retirees who want to continue working. The challenges in a multiple, unmanageable environment are increasing all the time. The digital transformation in particular is keeping VOA member companies busy. Arnaud Kropp, Head of Marketing & Sales at Softec AG, was the first speaker of the day to address the topic of the future. "Transformation, Industry 4.0 and Artificial Intelligence - a classification for the digitalization of the industry" was the title of his presentation. He was followed by Dr. Christof Langer, Head of the Light Metal Surface Technology Department at the Fem Research Institute, with the topic "Shaping the future digitally with artificial intelligence -- multi-professional, cross-generational, intercultural". Torsten Seeberg, Department 5 - Cybercrime/Digital Traces, from the Baden-Württemberg State Office of Criminal Investigation, concluded the event. He emphatically demonstrated why and how "commercial enterprises are the focus of cyber criminals".

Especially against the backdrop of these challenging times and in view of the general decline in interest in such important voluntary work, the association considers itself lucky to have so many energetic people in the VOA network. Scholten thanked his colleagues on the Executive Board and all members who are involved in the Technical Commission, the Technical Circle, the various project groups on forward-looking topics and the audit committees. For more than 15 years now, VOA Managing Director Dr. Alexa A. Becker has been steering the fortunes of the VOA. A lot has changed since 2009: From index cards on which the members were written in pencil and there was simply a compartment for each quality organization containing all the printouts relating to the internationally valid specifications, to a professionally set up, excellently organized association that achieves so much with Dr. Becker and her small team, for example the extraordinary fashion project "stories of surfaces" for the VOA's 60th anniversary, which still inspires today with its surface-finished creations. In his speech, Scholten also praised the good and resilient network with friendly associations - such as the Bavarian Business Association (vbw) and also with the Federation of German Employers (BDA) and the Federation of German Industries (BDI) - which has developed more and more under Dr. Becker's leadership. Added to this are the personal contacts in politics and business, which the VOA is increasingly intensifying. For VOA Managing Director Dr. Becker, giving more weight to the surface finishing industry is a matter close to her heart. Professionally positioned, the VOA network is looking positively to the future. The association has built up an excellent reputation in recent years and is recognized and valued both nationally and internationally. The latter was demonstrated in particular by the presence of Metin Yilmaz, Vice President of the European Association for Surface Treatment on Aluminium (ESTAL), by Bernard Gilmont, ESTAL Secretary General, and many other ESTAL members who attended the official evening event on June 12, 2024. The association also welcomed Peter Watts and Ernst Weigl, President and Vice President of the international quality association QUALANOD for anodized aluminium. Representatives from other friendly associations and the press were also present.