How to celebrate in a crisis?

Dear readers,

Imagine an anniversary is just around the corner and there is a crisis. That has been the case more often in recent years. But what is currently happening to the entire brick and tile industry in Germany goes far beyond that. To quote the speech of Stephan Jungk, President of the Federal Association of the German Brick and Tile Industry, at the annual meeting in Weimar: “The overall economic and political situation has the potential to be a ‘perfect storm’.” The declines in important key figures such as building permits are compared to the situation in 2007. We hope it won’t be that bad. But celebrating ourselves did not seem appropriate in this situation.

Instead, we decided to use the anniversary to reflect on what makes the ZI special. The pages dedicated to the anniversary show the result of this reflection.

Crises are nothing unusual for brick manufacturers. This can be read in the historical article in this issue, written by Renate Nöller. The great-granddaughter of the founder of a once important Westphalian brick factory has researched and written down the history of the family-owned factory for us. This article reminds us that brickmaking is a practice with a long tradition and a long, chequered history. Just as bricks are one of the oldest building materials, brick making is also one of the oldest activities in the building trade. The upheavals at the Heisterholz brick factory stand pars pro toto for the history of the industry.

The interview with Andrea Pasquali, Managing Director of Keller HCW, also fits in with this. The company is one of the oldest and most traditional suppliers to the brick and tile industry. In the interview, we discuss the current situation and look to the future, not without optimism. Bricks will continue to be an important part in construction activities, he says. This in turn means that brick manufacturers will also play a role.

Last but not least, you can read reports from the last meeting of the Brick Research Association, the TBE Annual Conference and from the Brickmakers Annual Meeting in Weimar, as well as from the first Open Day at the Greek machinery manufacturer Sabo.

I wish you an entertaining and informative read.

Yours

Victor Kapr