VFI VDMA-Gesellschaft für Forschung und Innovation mbH (representing the European Committee of Industrial Furnace and Heating Equipment Associations CECOF)

CECOF is the European Committee of all national associations in Europe in the industrial furnace and heating treatment sector and was founded in 1972. It incorporates almost all relevant European manufacturers of thermoprocessing equipment like industrial furnaces, burners, firing equipment etc. As a committee of associations, CECOF is not an independent legal entity. For this reason, the company “VFI VDMA-Gesellschaft für Forschung und Innovation mbH” (VFI-VDMA company for research and development), a subsidiary of the German Engineering Federation VDMA e.V., located in Frankfurt/Germany, acts as project beneficiary on behalf of and representing the committee CECOF. Bookkeeping and financial activities are done by VFI GmbH.

CECOF is a non-profit organisation, aiming at promoting the European industrial furnace and heating equipment industry, protecting its business interests, providing a European platform for the industry’s exchange of information and experience and dealing with all matters being of relevance to its members. Technical and marketing issues such as sponsoring trade fairs and standardisation activities have particular importance.

The CECOF association members of 9 European nations are holding an important share in the world exports of industrial furnaces, burners and firing equipment: More than half of the total world exports of thermoprocessing plants and machinery are originating from these 9 countries. The exports from CECOF countries are amounting to 54 % (corresponding to € 3bn out of the € 5.5bn) of total world exports in the field of industrial furnace and heating equipment. CECOF countries are mainly exporting within the European Union (40 %), while Asia is the second largest sales market with a share of 30 %. The CECOF exports to the U.S. only amount to 5 %. In the year 2005, the 9 CECOF member states produced industrial furnaces, burners and firing equipment with a value of € 5.3bn. The biggest producer is Germany with 36 % of the total production value, followed by Italy (26 %), France (14 %) and Great Britain (11 %).

Mike Debier graduated as Chemical Engineer form the Université de Louvain in 1965.He has over 40 years of high level experience in Industrial Combustion and Thermoprocessing. During most of his career, he was the Managing Director of an Industrial Burner manufacturing company. He has been the president of CECOF since 2003. He also chairs the Belgian furnace manufacturer section. He is the Chairman of TC186 Technical Committee mandated by CEN to release EN746 the Harmonized standard on Industrial ThermoProcessing. Within TC186, he is convening WG2, the working group that produced part 2 of EN746 dedicated to Combustion and Fuel Handling. He takes part as an expert in several TC´s (CEN and ISO) related to industrial combustion. He is a consultant in Industrial Combustion and Industrial Thermoprocessing.

Dr.-Ing. F. Beneke graduated in 1976 at the University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf in electrical engineering. He further graduated in 1983 in metallurgy at the Technical University of Aachen where he also received his PhD in 1988 in the field of industrial furnace design. He worked in several positions in industry and education. Since January 2001 he is technical expert of CECOF and of the VDMA-section: Industrial Furnace Association in Germany and Director of the German research association of industrial furnace manufactures FOGI e.V. He is the Secretary of CEN/TC 186 (Safety requirements of Industrial Furnace) and member/expert in further CEN/TCs and ISO/TCs regarding industrial furnaces and industrial burners.

Juliane Krause, holding a Master of Business Studies, graduated in 2005 from the University of Applied Sciences, Dresden and Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics, Moscow. Since 2006 she works as a project manager for the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), in particular for the Associations of Thermoprocessing Technology (incl. CECOF), Metallurgical Plants and Rolling Mills and Foundry Machinery. She is responsible for all issues concerning statistics, marketing and Eastern Europe.