Beginnings

The “Muenchener Kreis” (Munich Circle) was founded at a meeting of construction equipment experts from industry and research during the “bauma fair 2004” in Munich. Founding members were Filip Baranski, Sebastian Bauer, Thomas Beck, Piotr Dudzinski, Klaus Graner, Reinhold Hartdegen, Michael Ketting, Udo Kiesewalter, Klaus Meissner, Wolfgang Poppy, Axel Römer, Jan Scholten, Klaus Schröder, Georg Sick, Jens te Kaat, Günter Tewes, Heinrich Winkelmann and Horst Zerza.

Intention

The intention of the “Muenchener Kreis” (Munich Circle) was to have expert discussions among construction equipment specialists from various manufacturers and suppliers, to exchange experiences and to discuss current cross-company key issues of construction machinery engineering.

Issues

At the annual meetings of the “Muenchener Kreis” (Munich Circle) members it has increasingly become obvious that national and international bodies have quite frequently adopted politically motivated regulations and deadlines for their implementation on important environmental as well as social and political issues, e.g.

• Exhaust emission standards,
• CO2-emissions,
• Fine particulate air pollution and the like

These issues are directly related to construction machines and the deadlines for the technical implementation of which is only possible with difficulties and economically hard to accept. Here a frequently asked question is whether the right experts have been involved in the decision making process.

Significance

There is an understanding among the experts of the “Muenchener Kreis” (Munich Circle) that complex technical problems can only be solved by extensive technical and scientific engineering means.
 

Therefore, current environmental as well as social and political issues urgently need solutions. There is no doubt about their necessity. However, they should be developed and implemented

• in a technically and technologically reasonable manner
• which is economically appropriate for the industry.

Consequence

In order to support the responsibility of decisions

• on a professional level and
• to influence them on legal grounds,

the “Muenchener Kreis” (Munich Circle) decided at its annual meeting held on Nov. 11th, 2011 in Ludwigshafen to establish itself as „registered society“ under the name “Muenchener Kreis – Expert Panel of Construction Equipment e. V.“ and in this sense to closely collaborate as such in particular with associations such as CECE, VDMA, VDBUM and BG Bau.