Elections to the Board, amendments and new projects
On the occasion of the annual general meeting of the professional association of the German precast construction sector – Fachvereinigung Deutscher Betonfertigteilbau e.V. (FDB) – on 22 September 2017 in Oberhof in the German federal state of Thuringia, the members of the FDB adopted the past business year and gave green light to the wide range of projects in the areas of technology, working groups, and public relations for 2018. The activities of the FDB Board and Management Board in the business year 2016 were unanimously approved and the budget for 2018 with new projects was unanimously endorsed.
Amendment to the articles of association for “advisory members”
With the amendment to its Articles of Association, the FDB now also opened itself to planning offices – which, with immediate effect, are now listed as Advisory Members. The members of the supplier industry will now be designated Supporting Members (previously Extraordinary Members). The manufacturers and users of large-format precast elements will now as before be called Full Members.
Elections to the Executive Board regularly take place every three years. Two Board members no longer stood for election, and two new board members will in future actively support the twelve-member Board chaired by Dipl.-Ing. Christian Drössler and his Deputy Dipl.-Ing. Klaus-Peter Krüger.
Christian Drössler, held his opening address to the general meeting under the motto, “It makes good sense to actively participate in a technical association – by sharing knowledge and increasing knowledge.”
He set out the immediate benefits that FDB members gain through the interplay of such FDB components as working groups, seminars, training, and on-going qualification, to name just a few. Members have immediate access to tailored and ready-to-use information on current developments and trends in the industry. They constantly share of experience with each other, leaving higher-ranking technical tasks to the FDB, thus enabling members to concentrate on their core business. The resulting intensive knowledge transfers and the knowledge edge for FDB members are valuable and more than money can buy.
Arguments for active involvement in the work of the Association
The objective of the work by the FDB is to support and advance their member companies and to build up their professional standing and quality standards, to strengthen their influence on the future of precast construction, to safeguard the interests of the industry, and (as one example) to counter the shortage of skilled workers by giving the industry a more positive image and/or by offering special training and ongoing qualification programs.
Drössler’s speech was followed by the annual report presented by the FDB Managing Director Dipl.-Ing. Dipl. Wirt.-Ing. Elisabeth Hierlein, who emphasized the arguments for active involvement in the work of an association such as the FDB.
The presentations of FDB Project Manager Dipl.-Ing. Alice Becke and Dipl.-Ing. Mathias Tillmann, Technical Managing Director of the FDB, reported on the current status of their specialized areas (higher-ranking topics and FDB technology) and outlined the perspectives for the future. They enabled FDB members to vividly realize the wealth of know-how they can draw on in their FDB.
New regulation of the German building law in the focus
The traditional part of the presentations communicated knowledge as well. This year, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Torsten Leutbecher from Siegen University was the guest speaker. He gave insights into work in research and in codes of practices underway on the construction material ultra-high-strength concrete (UHSC).
After that, Mathias Tillmann, in the lecture requested by the FDB, explained to the members the new regulation of German building law and provided tips on their implementation. This represents a perennial topic of discussion in the precast industry that is also likely to remain an issue of concern in future.
The holiday region of Oberhof in Thuringia is known not only as the venue of important international winter sports competition, but is also cherished for the best Thuringian cuisine. The annual meeting of FDB members wrapped up with Thuringian sausages and other hearty regional specialties from the barbecue grill, following a guided tour through Oberhof. The FDB members spent a cheerful evening and now already look forward to meeting again next year on 2 September 2018 in Koblenz.
