110-year anniversary: A Rhenish-Westphalian celebration
The fact that it is not contradictory being rooted at home and cosmopolitan at the same time has been demonstrated by Masa GmbH with their celebration of the 110-year anniversary. The management invited customers and partners from all over the world, on June 26, to Andernach am Rhein, the place where the company was founded and which is, still today, the headquarters. Some 300 guests gathered at the factory premises on Masa-Straße 2 for celebrating the event together.
To offer the guests a real experience of the mentality and tradition of the region of Masa GmbH‘s origin, the organizing team had chosen a fair, namely a typical county fair, as the thematic framework: Beer stalls and sales booths for cotton candy and burnt almonds were installed in the open air area, along with merry-go-rounds such as a swing boat or wooden horses. The adjacent production building had been cleared out completely for the event, being converted into a beer tent. The guests took a seat on long tables and listened to the welcoming speech.
In a very personal and humorous speech, the co-owner, Olga Vercammen, described the eventful history of Masa GmbH from the foundation in 1905 to the internationalization in the 1970s and 1980s through to the changes in the ownership structure in 2014. According to her, the participation of the Swiss CGS investment funds represented a sustainable solution to the issue of ownership succession. Vercammen thanked all customers and partners, some of them have been working with the Andernach-based company for several decades.
Historic tour
Afterwards, Managing Director, Dipl.-Oec. Udo Klaußner, and General Manager Sales, Frank Reschke, thanked the staff members, customers and partners for the successful collaboration and directed the attention to future challenges and opportunities. Vercammen‘s daughter Victoria, who has been living in the U.S.A. for many years, translated all speeches into English for the international guests.
After the pleasant get-together with beer, wine and regional as well as international culinary delicacies, the guests were invited to a historic tour through the production buildings. At several stations with information boards they could learn about the history of Masa GmbH‘s development from the foundation by Alois Sma-ritschnik up to the globally successful company.
In addition, machines were presented at the stations – amongst others the ultra-modern block making machine XL 9.2, which was demonstrated in operation. Masa personnel were available to answer the questions of the guests, demonstrating and explaining a lot of details concerning the machinery and plant technology.
Boat trip on the Rhine
The day was successfully concluded with a boat trip on the Rhine, the river that characterizes the landscape as much as the identity of the people living in the region. From the pier in Andernach the boat leisurely went along the memorial to the Emperor William I at “Deutsche Eck” (German corner) in Coblenz to Braubach, where the Marksburg castle is situated high above the Rhine, and back again to the pier.
Even after the boat had moored again at the pier in Andernach, the guests were still enjoying the warm summer evening with a cold beer sitting together at the upper deck for a long time.
By the way, the staff members of the Andernach and Porta Westfalica plants of Masa GmbH celebrated the 110-year anniversary of the company together with their families on Saturday, June 27.
