On 19 October 2007, the members of the Henokiens Association, on the invitation of the member firm D’Ieteren, met in Brussels for their annual General Meeting.
At this Meeting, the following events and facts were of note:
Meeting with Mr. Günther Verheugen, European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry and with Mr. Patrick Adenauer, President of the German Association of Family Firms. These meetings bear witness to the increasing interest of institutions for family firms, which today are considered more and more as one of the keys to the economic and social future of Europe.
The desire of Henokiens President Peter von Möller to allow the new generation to express itself so that common work objectives within the association could be collaboratively defined.
The arrival of two new firms within the association: the Bank Jean-Philippe Hottinguer (a French firm whose origins date back to 1786) and the Dutch firm De Kuyper, founded in 1695, and specialised in the production of spirits.
The announcement of the meeting place for the Annual General Meeting of 2008, which will be organised between 14 and 19 October in Japan by the member firm, Okaya Estate & Co., Ltd.
The visit to the D’Ieteren Gallery, the private museum of the firm D’Ieteren, which houses a collection of some one hundred vehicles, assembled, imported or distributed by the firm D’Ieteren over more than a century.
The renewal of the term of office of President Peter von Möller and his Board composed of Mrs. Pina Amarelli, Mrs. Francesca Crespi (who is replacing Mr. Giovanni Aldinio Colbachini as President of the Italian section of the Association), Mr. Willem Van Eeghen and Mr. Michel Viellard.
The Henokiens Visit the Historic Rubelli Archives
On June 27, 2007, the members of the Henokiens association took advantage of their board meeting in Venice to visit the historic Rubelli archives , housed in the Palacio Corner Spinelli, a prime example of Venitian Renaissance architecture.
The firm Rubelli, founded in 1858 by Lorenzo Rubelli, is in many respects unique, given its capacity to produce hand-made fabrics using traditional techniques as well as highly sophisticated textiles of all kinds. Recognised as the number one company in its field in Italy, Rubelli is also considered one of the top 3 or 4 home-furnishing fabric firms in the world.
Rubelli’s fibres of choice are silk, linen, cotton and wool, sometimes used in combination with the richest man-made fibres such as Novafil, Bemberg and viscose, in ways that enhance the natural properties of both. For the contract market, Rubelli produces a full line of fire retardant fabrics in Trevira CS in which a “technical” cloth is converted to a beautiful textile through the medium of fine design.
The Rubelli historical archives include a collection of over 5000 textile records which can be dated from the end of the 15th century to the first half of the 20th century. The collection was begun in the second half of the 19th century, as the company was being set up and at a time when Venice was undergoing a cultural and economic recovery aimed at reviving traditional crafts, fully in line with the eclectic and revivalist trend in Europe. The collection carefully conserves examples from original and historic Rubelli productions, including the velvet made for the royal family in the early twentieth century and a number of fabrics produced through a creative partnership with famous artists, architects and designers. The fabrics in the Rubelli archives represent in fact a matchless source of creative ideas for the new collections, also offering an excellent starting point for the creation of exclusive fabrics according to specific customer requirements.
February 2007 ; the Henokiens visited the Villeroy & Boch headquarters in Mettlach, Germany.
On February 1st and 2nd, 2007, the Henokiens visited the Villeroy & Boch headquarters in Mettlach, Germany. This 200 year-old family firm with a worldwide reputation has demonstrated remarkable talent in managing its heritage from the past with creativity and innovation in its various fields of activity: tableware, tiling and bathrooms. As Wendelin von Boch, CEO of the firm, explained to the Henokians: fundamental values and an ability to call itself into question have enabled the firm to confront the challenges of globalisation while developing its position in new market niches.
