Time to start saying GOOD-BYE!

Following a 30 years career with Armstrong/Armacell, I will celebrate my 63’rd birthday in January. Time to say good-bye and move on to another segment of live, called RETIREMENT.

Looking back, I am in the fortunate position to say that neglecting all the temptations of alternative job offers was the right thing to do. Armstrong/Armacell has been a great company to work for. It did not only allow me to grow professionally in a variety of positions in HR, Quality Management, Technical Management, Marketing until becoming a member of the group’s Executive Management Team in the late 1990’s. I was fortunate to work for a company with a practiced high ethical standard (winner of the “Ethics in Business Award” in 1995). As a global leader for flexible technical insulation we produce and sell products that save energy and have reduced millions of tons of CO2 emissions. Did you know that during only 1 year, one meter of Armaflex insulation saves about 7 times the amount of energy needed to produce that meter of Armaflex? It feels good to promote such product. And this may be one of the reasons why so many customers have been loyal to Armacell for many years. They also understood that Armacell has always been creating new business for them by leading the innovation cycle in this industry with reliably performing products. We have always been the first in bringing substantial innovations to market: be it the first halogen free elastomeric insulation foam, the first PET structural core foam made 100% out of post-consumer recycled waste or the first in offering a B S1 d0 elastomeric foam tube to the market, a still unmatched innovation with unbelievable good response to fire.

Still two month to go, but already now, while I am handing over my last responsibilities, I would like to say good-bye to all my internal Armacell friends and, in particular, good-bye and THANK YOU to all friends on the customer side in composites and insulation; thank you for your trust in me and in Armacell. And let me tell you something: this company is run by an excellent, highly professional management team for which integrity and reliability are core values they respect. Worth to continue your relations with them!

And what will come for me? Well, we have a small vineyard overlooking the river Rhine in Germany, and a Finca in Spain with some Olive trees – wine and olive oil, add some bread and cheese and life is fine!  On a limited scale I may also continue to do some project work.

Thank you all for fantastic 30 years!