Continued from pg 11 Our friend and colleague of the


board Jean François Donchery was a remarkable person. A gentleman and a great ambassador for the industry, a big loss for his family, as well as for the casting Community. We decided that he should be recognized as the first recipient of the Dr. Robert Smart award as an expression of public and collective recognition by the European industry of his contribution and legacy to the advance of the Investment Casting in Europe.


2020 surprised us with the


Pandemic with consequences never imagined before. Lock downs und restrictions have affected our lifes for the last 2 years and the situation is still not overcome. Due to COVID 19 we had to postpone the planned conference and seminar and even today the restrictions continue to limit the participants from the far east.


The response of the EICF has been adapting to the circumstance, by maintaining in touch with the members and Investment Casting community via our website, newsletters, the regular publication of the INCAST magazine and by offering webinars and continue to disseminate knowledge and good practice. Several market studies have been made and is a service that the EICF will continue to provide.


Since then the board and


executive meetings have been held via videoconferences and I look forward to finally meet all colleagues personally again in Santander.


One of our goals has been to create a


training program for Investment Casting engineers. Contacts to universities and research centers have been made, but due to the Pandemic the process is delayed (but not forgotten) and will be a task to achieve in the forthcoming years.


Even in these difficult times the EICF has succeeded in increasing


12 ❘ May 2022 ® Meeting of the EICF Board of Directors, Helsinki, 2019


the members and we hit the 100 membership mark in September 2020.


In 2021, we continued the possible


activities and started the preparation of the Santander Conference that finally will take place this May 2022.


The final challenge will be to


host the event and hand over the chairmanship to Philippe Hoste from CASTINGPAR Group in Belgium.


He doesn’t need to worry. The main work at the EICF is done by its


CEO, Carlos Olabe, supported by Julie Boyce.


Carlos is the one that drives


the EICF beyond its actual boundaries. Inspired by the foundation work of Bob Smart and the vision of Dr. David Ford of a modern Federation, Carlos put it into practice and is the main force towards the EICF mission. I feel privileged having Carlos as a friend and agree totally with him and US Professor Stephen Covey, who used to define with four words starting with the letter “l” the accomplishment of a true mission in life. Those words are: Live, Love, Learn and Leave a Legacy.


Virgílio Oliveira, EICF, Chairman


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