VOA General Assembly 2025 in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler

The Verband für die Oberflächenveredelung von Aluminium e. V. (VOA) invited members to the Ahrtal for its 2025 general meeting. Experts from the surface finishing industry met for a professional exchange and exciting presentations.

Future-oriented impulses and professional exchange among experts at this year's general meeting of the Association for the Surface Finishing of Aluminum e. V. (VOA) in the picturesque Ahr Valley: From June 25 to 27, 2025, the surface finishing industry gathered in Bad Neuenahr for a successful mix of exciting insights into technology and stimulating discussions. At the event highlight of the year, the association naturally also scored points with economic topics and demonstrated the professionalism of its member companies in professional dialog. The aim is to jointly develop future prospects in order to position the industry in a resilient manner.

The VOA impressed on the very first day with its contemporary, practically relevant program for the meeting of the Technical Circle, i.e. the Technical Commission of the VOA as the driving force and source of ideas for all technically interested members. The Energy Efficiency Act and its practical application, presented by Tribicon GmbH, and the CO2 footprint using the practical example of Nabu-Oberflächenchemie GmbH were on the agenda. The influence of EU policy on the surface finishing industry was also clearly demonstrated. Sandra Leuthold from the Federal Environment Agency, together with Marc-Steffen Hinderer from Hydro Extrusion Deutschland GmbH, took the opportunity to personally report on the European and national work on the "BREF STM". With a great deal of technical expertise, the participants discussed current processes with the speakers from the sponsoring member companies, particularly with regard to the international quality marks Qualanod, Qualicoat and Qualistrip, as well as sustainability and technological developments in surface finishing.

In the morning of the next day, Friedhelm U. Scholten, Chairman of the Board of Directors, welcomed the participants to the internal part of the members' meeting, which was harmonious as usual.

This was followed by the public part of the VOA members' meeting in the afternoon, to which interested non-members and representatives of the press - Besser Lackieren and Oberfläche-Online were on site - were also invited. Guido Orthen, mayor of the "hyphenated town" of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler since 2010, welcomed all participants and expressed his delight at the support of the VOA and its members in driving the economy in the region forward. This was followed by two inspiring presentations that underlined the importance of close networking and joint commitment: Andrea Stenz from the Koblenz Chamber of Industry and Commerce gave an impressive report on the natural disaster in the Ahrthal and the economic development four years after the flood. In particular, she emphasized the solidarity of people from all over Germany with the affected local population and provided information about the sustainable, forward-looking activities in the region.

The VOA was particularly proud to have gained Prof. Dr. Hubertus Bardt from the Cologne Institute for Economic Research (IW), a renowned economic expert, to shed light on industrial value chains in Germany. "A world in upheaval - and Germany right in the middle of it", he stated with great expertise and hit the nerve of the times with his presentation chart by chart - whether forecasts for Germany 2025, the question of the turnaround in German industry, US tariffs, the development and prosperity gap in Germany or the political uncertainty in the country. This clearly showed that the general economic situation and the IW's assessment are in line with the data regularly collected by the VOA from its member companies, which the association records at least twice a year in the official situation report.

Prof. Bardt also spoke about the concept of related diversity, which is about developing existing strengths and adding new strengths. This strategy enables sustainable development and long-term success because the concept builds on existing resources while increasing the diversity of skills. The Chairman of the VOA thanked Prof. Bardt for the intensive insights and for pointing out the interesting concept.

The accompanying program for this year's general meeting, which the VOA developed with great dedication and passion, also attracted numerous participants. In addition to a visit to the romantic Marienthal vineyard, the exciting excursion to the government bunker documentation site with its impressive history, secrets and anecdotes was particularly fascinating. They learned that the "most secret and most expensive building in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany" was more than 17 km long, was intended for 3,000 people, took ten years to build and would have been useless in the end. A fascinating original site of the Cold War that transported the members of the VOA back in time. After the tour, the event ended with a stylish dinner in the elegant baroque hall of the Steigenberger Hotel, where the bond between the members was palpable. The VOA network as an indispensable platform: This year's members' meeting once again underlined how valuable it is to meet in person, to stand together in a time of change, to pool interests and to work together against the many challenges and for a strong future.

The VOA would like to thank, in alphabetical order, the Gold Sponsors of this year's General Assembly Akzo Nobel Powder Coatings GmbH, Alufinish GmbH & Co KG, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, MacDermid Enthone GmbH, Mardo Kältetechnik GmbH, Metall- und Oberflächenchemie Sperzel GmbH, Munk GmbH, Nabu-Oberflächentechnik GmbH, Messe Aluminium and RX Deutschland GmbH as well as the silver sponsors Gema Europe S.r.l. and Omya (Schweiz) AG (OM-7/26).