Success At The Conference

Thanks to everyone for attending this year’s ARGE conference – I think you’ll all agree it was a great success. 

The main talking points to arise from the conference were ARGE’s decision to pursue its sustainability agenda through the creation of generic EPDs and its new management board. 

After voting on the issue, ARGE has decied to progress its plans to create entry level EPDs for the use of all its members. This is exciting news for all those in the lock and hardware industry and those supplying to the construction industry. Three tenders for delivering these EPDs (all available to view in the members resource area) have been presented to ARGE and the next step will be deciding on the best approach.

The conference saw ARGE elect a Chairman and two additional members of the  Executives Board.

The new ARGE Chairman is Hans Weissenboeck. Hans, Austrian from birth is a representative of KABA Switzerland, where he works as a Senior Vice President. Hans wants to drive the ARGE Sustainability Agenda and work closely with the  Commission Services regarding the CPR and the Standardisation across the lock and hardware, and construction industry. Hans is replacing Jorma Sirén, who leaves the Executives caused by extra tasks of his Company in Finland. Jorma wishes to stay in good contact with ARGE in the future, expressing his connection and support for the ARGE objectives.

Representing the Nordic Countries at ARGE and introduced at this year’s conference in Budapest is Urban Doverholt, Managing Director and member of the Executives Board at the ASSA Group in Sweden. Urban is also the President of the SEM Group, the Swedish Association for Construction Hardware.

Representing Germany, Stephan Schmidt is from now a member of ARGEs Executives Board. Stephan is the Managing Director of the German Fachverband Schloss und Beschlagindustrie, which is the main association for locks and builder’s hardware in Germany.

Most of the manufacturers are connected at the Fachverband, thus it represents the German builders’ hardware branch.

ARGE is pleased to welcome the new management and is convinced that ARGE’s targets and objectives according to the new Business Plan will be reached. 

If you attended the conference then we want to hear your feedback here…

Or maybe you missed this year’s but want to comment on the decisions made at the conference, please leave your comments below.