This year’s ARGE conference was hosted by UNIQ, the association of the lock and fittings manufacturers in France, at the seaside resort in Le Touquet Paris-Plage. The gathering was attended by over 60 delegates, exceeding previous turnouts.
The conference celebrated the success of its two-year EPD project with the Institute for Construction and Environment presenting eight of the 14 planned industry representative EPDs, which are valid throughout Europe.
Presented to the ARGE Executive Board by Frank Grootens, the authorised representative of IBU from Berlin, the published EPDs cover; door closers, sliding door gears, locks, lock cylinders, panic exit devices, door and window handles, hinges and window fittings. All 14 EPDs are expected to be available by the end of November, with letterboxes and shutter hardware devices anticipated to be the next published EPDs.
The 64th annual ARGE Conference ran workshops on the future direction of standard developments, security requirements for the administration of Master Key Systems, creating a recognised European quality brand and the application of standards covering smart homes, connected devices and elmech technologies. Working Groups have now been created to set objectives and actions around these issues.
Hans Weissenbock, ARGE Chairman, said: “The attendance at this year’s event was very pleasing, showing that members are keen to have their say on the future ARGE agenda and the issues we should be advocating for as a representative for the lock and hardware industry. Whilst there was consensus that ARGE should utilise its leading position as an umbrella association to speak with a strong voice to CEN and the Standards Commission, it was great to see members actively engaged with other campaigning topics. The lively debate and thoughtful observations around the four workshops ensures that the next programme of work undertaken by ARGE will be as successful as the EPD project.”
This year’s conference also included presentations from Oussamar Ammar, who spoke on the substantial changes in the relationship between manufacturers and customers, and the altered purchasing patterns in a world of IT and global networking. Delegates were also treated to a tour of Deny Security in Saint Blimont, where they could witness the manufacturing processes.
About ARGE
Founded in 1956 ARGE is the European umbrella association of locks and hardware manufacturers. The 2017 conference will be hosted by FMMGI from Austria, from September 14 to 15, in Salzburg. Visit www.arge.org.
