Building communities

Inspired by the Pilosio Building Peace Award, the new Charity Alliance established by Bauma aims to create a strong network between building companies on the implementation of social projects.

"The companies in this sector are actively engaged both in combating hunger and poverty and in promoting education and the environment in the Third World in addition to their dayto- day business," Sabine Wagner, PR manager, says.

Klaus Dittrich, chairman and CEO of Messe München GmbH adds: "Corporate societal and social commitment is no contradiction.

"On the contrary: long-term success requires both factors to go handin- hand. Many bauma exhibitors have long since taken this on board and are acting accordingly."

Applications are restricted to companies exhibiting at Bauma 2016, who are carrying on projects in the fields of education, nutrition, health, social integration or the environment and which bring about a lasting improvement in the living conditions of people in need living in, or hailing from, crisis areas, emerging or developing countries.

Atlas Copco, AUMUND Fördertechnik, MAN, Pilosio, Terex Latin America, Wirtgen, Volvo Construction Equipment, Zeppelin Baumaschinen and ZF Friedrichshafen have notified their projects to the bauma Charity Alliance.

Michael Heidemann, chairman of the management board of Zeppelin Baumaschinen GmbH, says: "True to its tradition as a foundation company, Zeppelin feels obliged to combine its appearance at the trade fair in Munich with support for aid projects in Ethiopia and South Africa.

"The fact that all donation initiatives are now being presented collectively within the Bauma charity alliance will help to recruit additional support for social projects."

Gisela Wirtgen, first chairwoman of campaign group 'Kinder in Not' (Children in Need) adds: "Our Wirtgen family company has been unveiling innovations at Bauma since 1974.

"We are very pleased to be able to showcase our social commitment to a broad public within the Bauma Charity Alliance."

There will also be an event, involving the now very prestigious Pilosio Building Peace Award, which will be awarded on April 14, 2016 in the International Congress Center Munich (ICM).

Building skills

This year will also see the second "THINK BIG!" event, an initiative that has already received registration from over 12,000 schoolchildren from 230 schools.The German Engineering Federation, the VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau), in cooperation with Messe München, organised this event, which is focused on technical training, educational and career opportunities in the construction and building materials machinery industry.

Joachim Schmid, managing director of the VDMA Construction Equipment and Building Material Machinery Association says: "The interest just keeps growing," and Stefan Rummel, managing director of Messe München, adds: "We are delighted that this initiative is again receiving such a good response. It shows the tremendous appeal this sector has to young people."

"THINK BIG!" involves sixteen companies, training institutions and associations so that this initiative can offer participants a real hands-on experience, explaining the training options and what is involved in day-to-day work in their companies.

"To make the whole thing even more exciting, the companies will be bringing along digger, grader and welding simulators, pinball machines, electronic control panels and table football tables operated with joysticks," Wagner says.

In addition, the schoolchildren will be able to bend miniature masts and experience high-precision electro hydraulics on a hydraulically controlled maze. There will also be space for live shows, such as the Workshop Live, which allow trainees to work with construction machinery. This stage features 20-minute show between 10:00 and 16:00 and the companies will be providing the necessary equipment, for example a transport platform or a small milling cutter.

Schmid says that compared to 2013 this year they have structured the initiative better and have now integrated the vocational colleges and universities. In the new section called "Vocational college live!", teachers and students from these institutions will be giving insights into the courses and explaining what is different about these colleges as compared to normal schools.

In the study area students and scientific assistants from various universities will be giving insights into their day-to-day activities. In addition, women will be involved in "MINT", an initiative to promote interest in mathematics and technology. "In this way we address every schoolboy and every schoolgirl, regardless of whether they are thinking of hands-on training in industry or interested in an academic course of study," says Schmid.

To promote the "THINK BIG!" initiative to schools, VDMA has received help from training institute the Institut für Talententwicklung (IfT), giving schoolchildren free entry to those who have registered via the institute.