108th General Meeting of the SBZS elects new Board
The Association members met in Germany this time. Before the actual General Meeting, the attendees were given the opportunity to visit the enamel melting and production facilities at Wendel-Email GmbH, a company based in Dillenburg. The visitors were particularly impressed by the tapping of the melt, but also by the quality and quality control of the raw and finished products at Wendel.
The actual General Meeting took place in the evening at the “Schlosshotel Herborn”. Besides numerous honours being awarded to long-serving members, the approval of the annual accounts for 2017 and the admission of new members, a new Board had to be elected. This time, the Board members were elected for the next three years. The Board is now comprised as follows:
Secretary: Susanne Schillimat, Association of the Swiss Brick and Tile Industry
Advisory members: Malec Twiehaus, AGZ Ziegeleien, and Pascal Hänsgen, Keller AG Ziegeleien
Treasurer: Carsten Weber, ZZ-Wancor
Vice-president: David Hartmann (Keller AG Ziegeleien)
President: Matthias Schönle (Gasser Ceramic, Rapperswil Brick Plant)
After the General Meeting and an aperitif, the evening ended in Schlosshotel Herborn with a dinner given at the invitation of Grothe Rohstoffe GmbH, Bückeburg.
The programme on the second day included the tour of the clay mining operation at Hubert Gerharz Tonbergbau GmbH, a company in the Westerwald. Managing Director Jürgen Simon guided the group through the “Mehl” pit in Nentershausen and explained both the geological features as well as the process of approval from the application to extraction with the first shovel. One highlight for many was subsequent operation of a digger. The attendees were able to have go at operating the digger themselves – great fun for everyone involved.
In the afternoon, the group went down into the underworld of Dillenburg to view the extensive casemates and defences of the former fortifications before the evening finished off with a dinner together.
The SBZS Board thanks all companies that contributed to the success of the General Meeting 2018.
Matthias Schönle
