Composites: a new association is born

On September 17, the four major associations within the German fibre reinforced composites industry have announced the foundation of a joint umbrella organization at the Composites Europe 2013 trade fair: together they form the trade association Composites Germany. The founding members of Composites Germany, based in Berlin, are AVK  (Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe), Carbon Composites e. V. (CCeV), CFK-Valley Stade (CFK-Valley) and Forum Composite Technology in the VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau).
The purpose of this new umbrella organization is to strengthen the German composites industry and research, define joint positions and identify common interests. The member organizations will remain separate and independent. However, they will join forces in areas of special relevance in Germany, such as high performance composites and automated production techniques. The new born association will represent the industry's interests, promote technology and innovation, attend trade fairs and develop event and training concepts.
Michael Effing, chairman of the AVK, has been elected chairman of Composites Germany too, a role which will rotate each year between the member associations. Elmar Witten, managing director of the AVK, was elected spokesman for the management.