Kolbus Germany has entered a self-administration process to allow the business to restructure under the German equivalent of bankruptcy protection CEO Wilfried Kröger wrote to employees on Friday (19 July) explaining that the Rahden-headquartered business had begun preliminary self-administration proceedings is currently mid-way through its annual two-week shutdown with a skeleton staff remaining to handle any urgent customer requirements Kolbus UK managing director Greg Bird told Printweek that subsidiary businesses including Kolbus UK and Kolbus AutoBox were not included in the administration He said: “Initial meetings have begun this week with the appointed administrator who will consult and work with the existing management team in Rahden as the directors remain in control of the company and use this period to restructure the Kolbus group to ensure the company can continue to offer high quality production solutions and customer service in the future “During this period Kolbus UK and Kolbus AutoBox continue to operate as normal and we will ensure customers suppliers and stakeholders are informed as developments regarding the group restructure are available.” production and sales would continue unchanged during the restructuring period He said the process provided the necessary flexibility for a sustainable restructuring to take place suppliers and service providers as well as customers” Restructuring expert Stefan Meyer of Pluta Rechtsanwalts has been provisionally appointed as trustee with lawyer Maximilian Michelsen appointed as general representative lawyer “Our top priority is to preserve the substance of the company and create a sustainable foundation for the future,” Michelsen said “Through targeted restructuring and close cooperation with everyone involved we want to ensure that the company emerges from the crisis stronger and can survive successfully on the market in the long term.” Family-owned Kolbus has a history dating back 249 years The business was originally established as a smithy in 1775 by Christian Henrich Kolbus who had been a farrier and shoeing smith in the Prussian army In recent years the firm has switched its emphasis to packaging. It sold its perfect binding and book line business to Muller Martini six years ago Later the same year Kolbus acquired UK corrugated box manufacturer AutoBox Machinery Since then Kolbus has focused on equipment for automated box production for luxury packaging specialist kit for games manufacturing and for making book and notepad cases with “huge interest” in the BX Motion Pro for short-run corrugated box production with inline inkjet printing and gluing It also recently sealed the first European sale for the new four-colour Kolbus RD 1155 modular rotary die-cutter with flexo printing Kröger noted that project contracts made at Drupa and since the show could now be “implemented unhindered by the self-administration process” Kolbus had sales of €73.3m (£62m) in 2021 and reduced its losses to €1.4m compared with €10.7m the prior year The insolvency process means that salaries and wages are guaranteed via the Federal Employment Agency for July Printweek welcomes informed debate, but please read our House Rules before posting Printweek is the premier website for the print industry Kolbus is set to continue under fresh ownership come the new year with a deal in place that will see the manufacturer emerge from debtor-in-possession proceedings – although jobs will go and its UK manufacturing site will shut The packaging post-press equipment specialist entered the German equivalent of bankruptcy protection over the summer, to allow the business to restructure via a self-administration process it was announced that Max Valier Holding had agreed a deal to acquire Kolbus having submitted the best offer for the business Max Valier specialises in acquiring medium-sized engineering and production companies Its current portfolio does not include any printing industry companies The transaction is expected to complete on 1 January Significant restructuring will be required as part of the takeover Kolbus had previously employed around 550 staff at its two factories in Germany Production is to be consolidated at its main Rahden site In a statement Kolbus said that the relevant reconciliation of interests and social plan agreements were concluded between the business and the works council today “Additional restructuring steps include the closure of the production facility in the UK and the shutdown of the Krostitz site Production from both locations will be relocated to and concentrated at the Rahden site which will help reduce costs significantly.” The UK site is Kolbus AutoBox in Houghton Regis the former British Converting Solutions business acquired by Kolbus in September 2018 Production has recently been relocated from the facility to Germany In the statement Kolbus said that the transaction also includes the option to acquire all relevant foreign subsidiaries in the US China and Europe; “these companies have not been involved in legal proceedings and are therefore expected to remain in the group” a partner at law firm Aderhold said: “From the outset our main priority has been to preserve the company’s substance and create a viable basis for its future “We have now found the ideal investor – Max Valier but we were unfortunately left with no alternative The company is well positioned for operating profitably in the future and surviving in the market in the long term.” Max Valier Holding managing partners Hannes Mahlknecht and Franco Nocera issued a joint statement and said: “This acquisition is a really valuable strategic addition to our portfolio With its mechanical engineering division and foundry, Kolbus is a very good fit for us.  “Kolbus is a long-standing company that will celebrate its 250th anniversary in 2025 and we want to keep it in our group in the long term and get it back on the road to success.”  Update: the original figures for the number of employees were based on the company information on the Kolbus website at the time of the administration These figures have now been revised downwards after updated information was provided followed by semi-finals on Saturday and finals on Sunday Team Rosters   Online Schedule   Leaders We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. 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SearchBrowseServicesOpen researchInstitution LoginSearchMenu links Too many automated requests from this network - No HTML tags allowed- Web page URLs will display as text only- Lines and paragraphs break automatically- Attachments Your email address will be used in order to notify you when your comment has been reviewed by the moderator and in case the author(s) of the article or the moderator need to contact you directly shared ownership in or any close relationship with any organisation whose interests may be affected by the publication of the response Please also list any non-financial associations or interests (personal religious or other) that a reasonable reader would want to know about in relation to the submitted work This pertains to all the authors of the piece 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As stress levels are on the rise and learning in a remote environment became real last week eLearning company Shmoop stepped up to the plate to offer free access to more than 2 million students as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak These offerings equate to over $30M worth of donated education resources while schools remain closed With schools and districts scrambling to take their classrooms virtual millions needed immediate access to online educational resources "The disruption to the education system is felt at a global level Even though this isn't an easy or inexpensive task and it is a privilege to contribute," says Andy Rahden For the last decade Shmoop has been a student favorite providing effective online educational content with an edge and if there was ever a time to ease the stress of the learning environment solution that integrates seamlessly into every 6-12 grade classroom By using an intelligent set of interactions where students provide candid feedback Shmoop will be able to tie personal competency in cognitive skills & background into a single healthy lens individualized learning plans which enable teachers and parents to focus on each student as a whole "We are 100% focused on helping students progress and with this new patent-pending technology coming this year Shmoop customers will have a never-before-seen view of each student with the ability to connect the dots on emotional health and academic gaps," says Rahden has been essential to Shmoop's innovation and company direction mixed with hundreds of 'voice of the customer' interviews with teachers in 2019 is the catalyst to our most recent innovation," says Rahden "Shmoop will be the first company to take real action on teacher feedback and the research that exists tying student emotional health to cognitive and academic skills We'll make it easier for teachers and parents to engage with the kids and provide students with a healthier more effective learning space that they look forward to engaging with," says Soldan "It takes an army to help students progress and learn and Shmoop is the company to provide that army." For schools or districts interested in learning more about Shmoop's anticipated new classroom technology Free access to Shmoop's online resources is available to schools and districts now through May 31 About ShmoopShmoop was founded in 2008 based on the concept that the idea of learning was just too hard Shmoop's teaching and learning methods are centered around the belief that students can love learning and humor can be the catalyst of engagement As one of the largest digital educational publishers Shmoop's user-base has grown to over 16 million monthly users with over 1200 schools and districts using their solutions with an author base that boasts years of teaching experience and Masters program graduates (www.shmoop.com) Indices Commodities Currencies Stocks Congratulations Oakville High School seniors on a fantastic achievement To see this year’s Grad Salute and greetings from the South County business community celebrate with the May 25 print edition of Call Newspapers and the 33rd annual Grad Salute for Oakville The 42-year-old succeeds Alexander Vleeming who is leaving the internationally active group of companies at his own request after ten years with the company "We would like to thank Mr Vleeming for the successful years together and wish him all the best for the future we are pleased to welcome Mr Felderhoff to the Management Board who gained his first experiences with the company as a trainee in 1997 is the best example that talented employees from the Gauselmann Group’s own ranks can climb the career ladder to the highest level of senior management," says Paul Gauselmann company founder and Management Board Chairman studying business administration at Leuphana University Lüneburg and Växjö University in Sweden and subsequently studying for an MBA at Manchester Business School Lars Felderhoff joined Atronic Americas LLC a former subsidiary of the Gauselmann Group Lars Felderhoff worked for GTECH (now IGT) and Metro Cash & Carry International GmbH before returning to the Gauselmann Group in 2011 as Commercial Director of adp Gauselmann GmbH he has also assumed commercial responsibility for the entire Merkur business segment with over 40 operating companies in Germany and abroad the new Board member has not only worked in Germany "As Commercial Director at adp Gauselmann GmbH Mr Felderhoff has already established – and proven – himself at senior management level of the Gauselmann Group in recent years We are therefore confident that he will also master his new tasks as Chief Financial Officer in an exemplary manner and wish him every success in this new position," says Armin Gauselmann Lars Felderhoff is very familiar with the Altkreis Lübbecke district and the importance of the company for the region of Eastern Westphalia The 42-year-old is married and has four children together with his wife Hélène Medievalists.net The North European Symposium for Archaeological Textiles XI Johanna Banck-Burgess and Carla Nübold (Rahden Introduction: In the course of extensive reconstruction of Lengberg Castle (municipality Nikolsdorf archaeological investigations of several parts of the building were carried out under the direction of Harald Stadler (Institute of Archaeologies During this research a filled vault spandrel was detected in the south wing of the castle in room 2.07 on the 2nd floor The backfill was taken out by workers of a local construction company and stored for subsequent sieving which took place in summer 2009 The fill consisted of dry material in different layers including organic material such as twigs and straw leather – mainly shoes – and textiles as well as investigations on construction techniques performed by Martin Mittermaier and Waiter Hauser and the archaeological features strongly suggested a 15th-century date for the finds another level was added to the castle by order of Virgil von Graben The vault spandrel was most likely filled with waste during the addition of the 2nd storey as insulation or to level the floor The dating has now been confirmed by five “C-determinations carried out at the ETH-Zurich The first documented record of Lengberg as “Lengenberch” is dated 15″ August 1190 It is the place of issue of a document confirming a donation by Count Heinrich von Lechsgemund to the monastery of Viktring in Carinthia Heinrich von Lechsgemund sold the castle to Archbishop Eberhard von Salzburg and from then on the castle was the property of the Archbishops of Salzburg who assigned its administration to various noblemen For the textile finds from Lengberg two administration periods are of interest From 1419 to 1452 Peter and Andre Mosheimer held the ministration (“Burghut” or “Pfiege”) and from 1480 to 1507 Virgil von Graben was burgrave in the name of the Archbishops of Salzburg Virgil von Graben converted the old castle “Veste Lengenberch” into a new representative chateau by adding a second floor The reconstruction is mentioned by Paolo Santonino in his itinerary who also gives us a short description of the castle and mentions the consecration of the castle chapel by Pietro Carlo (1472-1513) It can be assumed that the remodelling of the castle was already finished when the chapel was consecrated dedicated to the vocational education of people with special needs Click here to read this article from Academia.edu See also Medieval lingerie? Discovery in Austria reveals what really was worn under those tunics We've created a Patreon for Medievalists.net as we want to transition to a more community-funded model We aim to be the leading content provider about all things medieval podcast and Youtube page offers news and resources about the Middle Ages We hope that are our audience wants to support us so that we can further develop our podcast and remove the advertising on our platforms This will also allow our fans to get more involved in what content we do produce Member Login With the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic putting a stop to international wheelchair basketball competitions across the globe, in Europe it was no different. All events linked to the EuroCup and the European Championships have had to be cancelled for more than a year since March 2020. Now, with all the necessary precautions and safety restrictions, IWBF Europe are aiming to slowly return to court similar to how other sports at the elite level have IWBF Europe’s first step in returning international competition to Europe, is to put on and host a unique tournament for eight of the highest-ranking clubs in Europe called the Champions Cup. This follows the cancellation EuroCup 2021 earlier this year in January the regular European Club competition hosted by IWBF Europe due to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic Although the highest ranked teams in Europe were invited to take part in the Champions Cup it must be differentiated from the usual Champions League Final Four as it does not act as a substitute for this event and for this reason no ranking points will be awarded to the participating teams IWBF Europe, together with German Club RSV Lahn-Dill are planning to organise the Champions Cup at the Rittal Arena in Wetzlar The structure of the tournament is based on direct elimination: four games on Friday Game schedule:Friday 30th April12:30 - RSB Thuringia Bulls vs Baskets 96 Rahden15:00 - CD Ilunion Madrid vs GSD Porto Torres17:30 - BSR Amiab Albacete vs Bidaideak Bilbao BSR20:00 - RSV Lahn-Dill vs BSR ACE Gran Canaria & 15:00 - Placement Games 5-817:30 & 20:00 - Semi-finals Sunday 2nd May10:00 - 7th/8th Place Game12:30 - 5th/6th Place Game15:00 - 3rd/4th Place Game17:30 - FINAL no spectators will be allowed to the games live streaming will be available to allow people the possibility to be part of the action and follow the games Special measures have been prepared to ensure the Champions Cup can proceed safely and with the health of everyone participating in mind Regular testing for coronavirus will be mandatory for everyone involved and the participants will form a ‘bubble’ with no contact outside the hotel and arena IWBF Europe would like to thank RSV Lahn-Dill and the participating clubs for agreeing to play with these arrangements in place and to take the financial risks involved Text courtesy of IWBF Europe & RSV Lahn-Dill Photograph Courtesy of Jennifer Röczey (RSV Lahn-Dill) beamed ceilings and stone flooring are among the luxurious features in some of this week's most expensive home sales in metro Phoenix Among the buyers and sellers: an auto repair company president a media executive and an interior design firm owner $3,300,000Chris Greulich and Matthew Boland used a trust to purchase a mansion with a front courtyard in Paradise Valley's Arroyo Heights community Boland is the president and owner of MMB Studio Inc. an interior design firm based in Scottsdale Greulich is the president of Greulich’s Auto Repair a family-owned automotive service and repair shop with locations throughout the Valley.  the open floor plan home has four bedrooms 4½ bathrooms and features modern contemporary design accents that include concrete block masonry The 8,916-square-foot estate has unobstructed Camelback Mountain views and a backyard that includes a pool and outdoor dining area as successor co-trustees of the Pooba trust Barr purchased a house with skylights in Paradise Valley’s Camelback Country Club Estates II community Barr is a managing partner at Converze Media Group a media planning and buying agency based in Huntington Beach The 5,949-square-foot home has six bedrooms 6½ bathrooms and is located near the first hole of the Camelback Country Club golf course Design features of the contemporary-style estate include metal roof panels floor-to-ceiling glass walls and linear-style fireplaces The home comes with a temperature-controlled glass wine display and a smart home system The backyard offers views of the McDowell Mountains and includes an infinity pool Joshua and Katrina Barrett sold the 1.17-acre property Joshua Barrett is a financial professional at Geneos Wealth Management Inc Joshua and Christina Isner purchased a Spanish-style estate in Scottsdale’s DC Ranch the single-story home has mountain views and features a central courtyard with an outdoor fireplace There are four bedrooms and 4½ bathrooms in the 5,033-square-foot home Andrew and Michelle Rahden of Fruit Heights purchased a house with a pool in Scottsdale’s Silverleaf at DC Ranch community The 5,810-square-foot cul-de-sac lot estate has five bedrooms The two-story mansion comes with a master suite on the main level beamed ceilings and rustic interior brick walls The chef’s kitchen features dual islands three ovens and a 120-bottle wine refrigerator Crosby sold the home through a family trust Aaron and Jessica Clark purchased a half-acre plot of land in Scottsdale.  The property will be a single-family residence according to Maricopa County Recorder's Office documents Researched by Ebony Day of The Arizona Republic and The Information Market Kolbus has sold its perfect binding and book line business to Muller Martini involves Kolbus perfect binders and hard case lines and also encompasses the service and spare parts business for all Kolbus bookbinding systems installed worldwide Muller Martini chief executive Bruno Müller said: “Structural change has changed the graphic arts industry in recent years and our market has become much smaller and versatile at once “Customers need innovations on a regular basis which have to be financed with lower sales quantities our customers benefit from the efficiency gains bringing together the bookbinding activities.” He added: “The market changes are directly affecting our customers which are faced with new business models like digitisation By combining the potentials for success like personnel technology and infrastructure of the two companies Muller Martini can provide the market with innovative solutions in the long term “This secures the future of the softcover and hardcover business of both the customers and the two machine manufacturers – and thus also jobs in the graphic arts industry.” The Kolbus perfect binding and book line business and intellectual property will be transferred to Muller Martini Buchbinde-Systeme a new business unit formed at the site that will be integrated into the Muller Martini group The 250 Kolbus employees working at the site will be transferred to Muller Martini under their existing employment conditions The transfer will be completed on 30 April until which point Kolbus said it will be “business as usual” managing director of Muller Martini’s Northern Europe business told PrintWeek: “[This deal is] proof that our company believes in the industry and that our shareholders believe in our company “We will continue to serve both customers from Muller Martini and Kolbus in the correct and professional way and that’s what we are now in the phase of organising It’s all quite fresh but conversations with customers are starting now to give them confidence in what is happening.” Kolbus will continue to be headed up by chief executive Kai Büntemeyer Büntemeyer said the company will now “vigorously expand” its current activities in the packaging market and continue to focus on case making parts manufacturing and its foundry business The manufacturer had signalled its increasing focus on the packaging market at Drupa 2016 with the world premiere of its BoxLine system Kolbus UK managing director Robert Flather told PrintWeek that none of the 10 Kolbus employees working in the UK will be affected by the deal “We are left with a very strong business only 20% or so of our [global] employees have transferred so we now move into a customer-supplier relationship with Muller Martini is that we have burgeoning packaging interests that we’re focusing on going forward.” He added: “One of the product lines that we’ve made for over 100 years is case makers and we’ve retained all that intellectual property and part of our business “Anybody that’s in books has got Kolbus equipment and will continue to be a Kolbus customer The areas that we will lose contact with are the magazine type customers “We’re in for a bumpy couple of months but after that we will be in the sunlit uplands of packaging.” One commercial printing customer commented: “In the long-term it means we will effectively only have one supplier when buying new bindery equipment But at least we know that Muller Martini is very committed to the graphic arts industry From a servicing point-of-view it's good news." The move follows Muller Martini’s 2014 acquisition of the service and parts business relating to Heidelberg’s saddlestitching and adhesive binding products Kolbus, meanwhile, stepped in to take over the Timsons T-Fold folder the following year, a month after Timsons was placed into voluntary liquidation It will retain this product under the new company structure Later the same year, Kolbus formed a partnership with Timsons Engineering to reinstate the manufacturing of Timsons’ litho presses for book printing Avid readers of Printweek’s news pages may recall that in September 2018 the German finishing systems manufacturer Kolbus bought a British boxmaking machinery manufacturer called British Converting Solutions Does that rule out BCS as a candidate for our Best of British series This year it has already introduced two new machines “Kolbus Autobox is a limited company in its own right,” says Greg Bird a long-standing Kolbus veteran who is now managing director of both Kolbus UK and Kolbus Autobox “We do all our manufacturing in the UK and make or locally source a lot of our components The company makes a range of corrugated boxmakers and optional modules aimed at end-user manufacturers and suppliers that want to make their own corrugated transit packaging to hold finished goods for transport and delivery rather than buying them in from outside converters Bird says that this style of end-user made-to-measure boxmaking fits in well with current trends for both e-commerce and waste reduction “If you buy in standard sized boxes and have to fill up unused space with bubble wrap or other fillers so you get fewer in a container or truck.” On-demand production helps too The Covid crisis of the past two years has been both a challenge and an opportunity “Covid meant that people have been putting off projects to see what would happen Now there’s Ukraine and people again want to see how it pans out Plus there are higher energy and material costs “But we’ve also seen the growth in e-commerce Our compact machines can fit in a corner of a factory that makes other things Buying from us means there’s a new machinery cost The company was originally set up as Autobox Machinery in 1979 by Peter Thomson He set about re-engineering the boxmaker with much stronger and more accurate side frames to replace the original fabricated construction making it modular with optional flexo and multi-cut units Autobox acquired a nearby boxmaking machinery specialist This was originally set up in 1898 to import machinery from Crathern & Smith in the US expanding its range into other imports over the next century A&S was run by the Suter family throughout until the final managing director Mark Suter sold the company to Autobox in 2012 It moved into Autobox’s big factory and office unit at Houghton Regis which has about 2,000sqm of floor space on several levels thanks to mezzanine floors In the 2000s A&S started manufacturing its own small-format multi-point gluing machines Kolbus Autobox still makes the Multi-Nova MN400 so the holding company was called British Converting Solutions When Kolbus bought BCS it revived the Autobox name The purchase of BCS reflected the major changes Kolbus was going through it was best known as a long-established manufacturer of top quality high-volume and increasingly variable-sized book binding machinery particularly block assembly and gluing systems However in January 2018 it transferred its binding lines to Muller Martini This left it with an established range of automated hardback book casemaking machines plus a new line introduced at Drupa 2012 that adapted the same machinery to make luxury packaging boxes from rigid board with paper or cloth coverings This established Kolbus’ interest in short-run packaging although Autobox works with corrugated and not the rigid board of luxury packaging Kolbus’ other interest is in flexo presses with inline die-cutters from the US firm Hycorr that it bought in 2012 Bird says that May will see the European introduction of the press-cutters for the first time so when Kolbus UK’s lease came up for renewal in Milton Keynes in 2019 it made sense to transfer that to Houghton Regis as well – the site is now called Kolbus House seven CNC machine tooling lines (including a plasma cutter) Some components are made by local suppliers Bird says that Kolbus Autobox usually makes “four to five systems per month Currently Kolbus Autobox employs about 24 people there are two other directors: Simon Penwright as operations director and Jon Walker as technical director Robert Flather is chairman of both Kolbus UK and Kolbus Autobox He’s stepped back somewhat lately as he is currently Master of the Worshipful Company of Stationers but will return when his year is up in July Penwright started as a sales engineer at Andrew & Suter in 1997 and progressed through being general manager to becoming a director in 2011 staying through the takeovers by Autobox and Kolbus Walker joined Kolbus from Timsons at the end of 2014 “We do our own R&D here in Houghton Regis,” says Bird headed by Jon Walker.” Since the Kolbus acquisition the company has switched from Solidworks 3D CAD design software to Siemens NX for commonality with the German offices “Our factory is made up of 50% skilled former apprentices in their mid to late 20s,” he says “There’s a big skills shortage in this area and we’ve had a lot of success in training people Bird says that Kolbus Autobox turns over about £6m Sales are currently split equally between domestic and export markets although in “normal times” it is more like 60% exports Joining the Kolbus group has opened up international prospects considerably “We sell through the Kolbus network alongside casemakers and luxury packaging machines This gives us a lot more technicians worldwide than before and we’re seeing a big uptake in service revenues as a result.” Kolbus Autobox’s product range centres on its biggest seller handling corrugated board up to 2.6m wide with unlimited lengths trimming to size and then cutting slots and forming creases at speeds up to 100m/minute Setup for a new style takes about a minute using the touchscreen It can handle about 50 FEFCO styles from standard boxes to wraps and pallet boxes Adding the MC300 multi-cut unit doubles the number of FEFCO styles that can be handled with extra creases and the facility for cutouts for handles and windows Bird says that the AB300/MC300 combination produces the widest range of box sizes and patterns this year saw the introduction of the compact incorporating multi-cutting in a single unit The even more compact Boxer BX200 is an easy to use lower cost model that can produce 100 styles on sheets up to 1,950mm wide This was the subject of a Printweek Me & My at customer SMP in July 2018 For more limited quantities there’s a three-unit manually fed offering comprising the Slitter-Scorer SC100; the programmable Box-Maker BM100 for slitting and creasing; and Pro-Melt PM100 The range is rounded off with the Pro-Gluer PG100 and the Multi-Nova MN400 for complex gluing patterns There are currently two single-colour digital print modules on offer low-cost Digi-Lite DL300 is a free-standing unit that can be wheeled to the back of a box-maker codes and logos up to 70mm wide with UV-cure ink The more capable DP300 is a ground-up development from Kolbus also introduced this year but production will switch to Houghton Regis It’s 560mm wide with a choice of print heads offering resolutions up to 360dpi with “quick cure” ink for instance we’re hoping to have automatic waste removal from slots,” says Bird “For the next Drupa we are hoping to have designed a whole new system “The biggest seller by far is the flagship AB300 and MC300 combination,” says Bird “This is a pretty indestructible workhorse that handles any type of box There are lots of modules that can be added retrospectively The company’s turnover increased by 25 percent to €19.4bn and it indicated that it expects significant sales growth in 2011. “Global economic growth continued in the first quarter and BASF had an excellent start to the year which was driven by ongoing strong demand and our abil- ity to protect margins by passing on higher raw material costs,” Bock says. The clarity, reliability and diligence that Bock displays in all his actions does not go unnoticed and makes him a key asset to BASF. Once he overcomes the shyness, allows him- self to openly share views on political and economic issues and communicates on a wider level with the media, he will be able to take BASF to another level. On April 11, 2024, on the premises of the Museum of Polish Military Technology in Poznań – a branch of the Polish Army Museum, a monument was unveiled: “In memory of the Armored Weapons Officers of the Polish Army, victims of the Katyn massacre, murdered by the Soviet NKVD in the spring of 1940.” The monument was created on the initiative of the Armored Weapons Museum headed by Col. Tomasz Ogrodniczuk and the Institute of National Remembrance, Branch in Poznań, in cooperation with the Regional Branch of the Military Property Agency and the Land Forces Training Center. Stefan Czarniecki. The monument was created based on the design of Prof. Konstancja Pleskaczyńska from the University of Arts in Poznań. The ceremony was extremely solemn. It was honored by an honorary military assistance consisting of: honorary subunit of the Land Forces Training Center. Field Hetman of the Crown Stefan Czarniecki in Poznań under the command of Captain Rafał Gałęzewski and the Air Force Representative Orchestra under the command of Colonel Paweł Joks. A pair of F-16 planes from the 31st Tactical Air Base in Poznań-Krzesiny appeared in the sky and flew over the ceremony site. After raising the national flag and playing the anthem of the Republic of Poland, the “Katyń roll call of the fallen” was read, the representative song of the Polish Army – “Śpij Kolego” was sung and an honorary salute was fired. The occasion of unveiling the monument was intended to pay the highest tribute to the Armored Weapons Officers of the Polish Army murdered and buried in the Katyn Graves. LIST OF KATYNIA VICTIMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE POZNAŃ ARMORED WEAPONS UNITS Reserve lieutenant Mikołaj AKSAN (1893-1940) Lieutenant Colonel Roman ĘDRASZKO (1895-1940) Lieutenant Colonel Stanisław KARDASZEWICZ (1889-1940) Retired lieutenant colonel Artur Czesław KRONENBERG (1887–1940) Major of the reserve Tadeusz KRUPIŃSKI (1899 – 1940) Lieutenant Colonel Antoni Seweryn POPŁAWSKI (1892 – 1940) Reserve lieutenant Marian PRUSKI (1907-1940) Retired Lieutenant Colonel Leon Edward RAHDEN (RADEN) (1889–1940) Major physician Józef Władysław SZCZLEWSKI (1899-1940) Retired Captain Edmund STROMENGER (1892 – 1940) Retired colonel Witold Leon SUSZYŃSKI (1889-1940) Lieutenant Colonel Antoni ŚLIWIŃSKI (1897-1940) Lieutenant colonel physician Michał TOBIASZ (1891 – 1940) Major Włodzimierz Antoni WDOWICKI (1892-1940) Lieutenant Colonel Tadeusz WOLSKI (1891-1940) Major Alfred Wilhelm WÓJCIŃSKI (1904-1940) Farms were given a five-year window to close their facilities except for one mink farm in Rahden/North Rhine Westphalia When Care2 member Patricia L. discovered that animals were being held in horrific living conditions before being subjected to a gruesome death from gas poisoning, she created a Care2 petition demanding the farm’s closure “No one should enrich themselves through animal suffering and I think this owner belongs in prison I still do not understand why some humans take the liberty of determining which animals we love which ones we eat and which animals we skin while being alive Over 1,300 Care2 members agreed with Patricia and signed her petition animal activists around the world have also been putting pressure on German authorities to close this facility This week we learned that the German Veterinary Office has closed the fur farm in Rahden As Patricia wrote in her update: “The minks were taken away from the farm of horror and this animal hell finally got closed.” A huge thank you to all you Care2 members who signed this petition and ensured that these minks will now live free While Patricia’s petition has helped ensure the end of fur farming in Germany, numerous fur farms still exist around the globe and hold animals in atrocious conditions Many celebrities and companies have now gone fur-free the fur industry is still going strong worldwide 85 percent of the skins used in the industry come from animals trapped inside fur farms These are generally small and family-run operations On these farms, millions of wild animals are held captive in terrible conditions before being killed using brutal methods Two of the most common species trapped inside fur farms are minks and foxes Unlike in Germany, there’s no federal law against fur farming in the U.S., and around 275 mink farms exist in 23 states. These farms produce close to three million pelts annually, which were valued at over $300 million in 2013 Fortunately, the state of Hawaii is working to change that. Senator Mike Gabbard recently introduced SB 1350 a bill which would ban the manufacture and sale of certain fur products in Hawaii as well as the import of fur products for sale or distribution If you applaud this move by Hawaii to effectively ban fur products in the state, please sign this Care2 petition to help protect fur-bearing animals from torturous conditions And remember, if you’re inspired by Patricia’s success, you can always start your own Care2 petition about a cause that you feel passionate about. Check out these guidelines and soon you’ll find the Care2 community signing up to support you Please stop killing beautiful animals for their furr it’s mean and very cruel and senseless it has to stop today you’ll find millions of like-minded people working towards progress If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks and people who really love to do the right thing Copyright 2017 Care2.com and it's licensors