Greetings from the “round” birthday child

It is, of course, far from usual to give yourself a present on your own birthday. In this case, however, I allow myself an exception – because precisely one day before publication of this BFT issue I turned a “round” 60. Although a few years of working life still remain until retirement, permit me to take a brief look back – for one or the other of you who does not yet know me well, this will perhaps be of interest.

The topic of concrete has accompanied me since I was 16 and has never quite let go of me ever since. At that time, I began my training to become a specialist in reinforced-concrete construction at the BMK in Dresden. I successfully completed this training in 1984. After some years as a journeyman on many construction sites of the former East Germany, interrupted only by 18 months of basic military service, I began my studies in my home town of Cottbus. As a freshly graduated civil engineer, I was drawn to begin of my profession, in 1992 - the German reunification two years earlier made it possible - to what was then West Germany, at first to an architectural and engineering firm in Hanover. After further positions in the industry − including for the company Holcim Deutschland, one of the big players in the cement and concrete sector – I ended up, in 2013, in Gütersloh (Westphalia). There I’ve worked, to this day, for Bauverlag as editor for BFT, since 2019 as editor-in-chief. Looking back, these past twelve years have been the best in my professional life, with special thanks to the contacts with you, dear readers, and with those of you in concrete plants and at events such as the Ulm Betontage and at the international trade fairs like bauma.In addition, there is my work in a super team, as my esteemed deputy Karla Knitter already wrote in BFT 5/2025.

I look forward to additionally exciting conversations in the future – so please stay tuned!