What a day. The bright November sunshine lit up all 20 candles on our birthday cake. And let me just say: It turned out to be a wonderful day at a special venue, where we were able to celebrate our anniversary in style.
On November 5, 2026, the Dortmunder U was dedicated entirely to celebrating 20 years of NIRO for an entire afternoon and evening. First, representatives from our member companies gathered for the 20th General Meeting.
Afterward, the General Meeting turned into a large anniversary celebration: Around 200 guests came together to celebrate 20 years of NIRO—for many, it was a chance to reconnect with longtime colleagues, make new connections, share many memories, and, above all, experience the wonderful feeling of being part of the large NIRO family.
Business First: 20th General Meeting with Annual Report and Election of the Board of Directors
The 20th NIRO General Assembly began with opening remarks by Jens te Kaat, who has played a leading role at NIRO as spokesperson for the Executive Board since its founding.
In addition to a review of the network’s activities and an outlook for 2027, the agenda also included the annual financial statements, the budget plans, the discharge of the Executive Board, the election of the Executive Board, and amendments to the bylaws.
A particularly encouraging development right from the start: Six new member companies were introduced—limoss GmbH & Co. KG, Stanzwerk Wetter Sichelschmidt GmbH & Co. KG, CARL BECHEM GMBH, Dolezych GmbH & Co. KG, Herm. Sprenger Metallwarenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG, and Tridelta Magnetsysteme GmbH—six new member companies were introduced. This not only expands our network but also enriches the diversity of expertise, experience, and perspectives that define our community.
The subsequent status report by our Managing Director, Ingrid Lange, highlighted just how much is happening simultaneously within NIRO. A total of 75 events—held both online and in person through early November 2026—offered numerous opportunities for exchange and collaboration through working group meetings, workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions.
One of the key focuses of the past few months has been the topic of artificial intelligence: The NIRO AI Navigator was co-developed by representatives from member companies and is available to all members as an online guide. In addition, there were workshops and AI talks on various current AI topics.
Services related to human resources and professional development were also expanded. In addition to the NIRO HR Day, the new PeerGroup Cross Mentoring Program for 2027 was introduced. The idea: A mentor works with three mentees from different member companies. This is intended to share practical knowledge across company boundaries while also opening up access to the network for people who may not yet have had much interaction with NIRO.
Working Together Pays Off
In addition to knowledge transfer and the exchange of experiences, NIRO also stands for very concrete economic benefits. This was once again made clear by our purchasing pool: 66 of 78 members used it in 2025. The purchasing volume, including the energy pool, totaled approximately 46 million euros. The average calculated benefit, excluding the energy pools, amounted to approximately 61,000 euros per member per year.
The overview of joint energy procurement was particularly impressive. The prices agreed upon early for the delivery years 2027–2030 proved to be exceptionally favorable compared to current market indications. Based on current market indicators, a potential price advantage of approximately 7.24 million euros was calculated for both energy pools combined (electricity and natural gas). What matters most here is not so much the exact snapshot at a given moment as the planning certainty that joint and forward-looking action provides to the participating companies.
Perhaps that is precisely where NIRO really shines: experiences are shared, tasks are tackled together, and the network yields practical benefits.
The strategic process we underwent in 2026 distilled this idea down to a simple concept: NIRO is more than just a network of contacts. NIRO sees itself as a trusting space for dialogue, a platform for sharing experiences, a community of manufacturing SMEs in the region, and a place for concrete collaboration. Or, to put it even more succinctly: Other networks organize contacts. NIRO organizes trust, exchange, and joint action.
All of this is visualized in our new strategic vision, which was displayed next to the stage.
The Board Election
A key item on the agenda at this general meeting was the election of the board, which resulted in the appointment of two new board members. After 20 years as board spokesperson, Jens te Kaat stepped down from the board. Dirk Wettlaufer, who had served as a board member for 14 years, also stepped down.
Matthias Schmitz was elected as the new board spokesperson. Andreas Balla will assume the role of first deputy board spokesperson, and Philipp Halbach will serve as second deputy board spokesperson. The new board also includes Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jochen Deuse, Martin Herms, Dawid Melzer, Marcus Schramm, and Dirk Stürmer.
The resolutions regarding the annual financial statements, the business plan, the discharge of the Executive Board, and amendments to the bylaws also laid an important formal foundation for the network’s future work.
Klaus Union GmbH & Co. KG and Friedrich Nettelhoff Kollektoren & Komponenten GmbH were honored for 12 years of loyal membership.
After all that hard work, the message was finally: “Thank you very much—and please stay with us—now let’s celebrate our 20 years together!”
And that’s exactly what we did.
20 years of shared history… and so much still lies ahead
In the evening, the atmosphere at the Brauturm changed.
The members’ meeting turned into a large networking event. Longtime colleagues met people who had only recently joined. Former colleagues reunited, and partners, suppliers, friends, and many people from our member companies came together. This was exactly the mix we had envisioned for the anniversary celebration: the “big NIRO family” all in one place.
Our host, Janine Utsch, guided us through the evening with charm and warmth and asked the right questions right from the start: What actually makes for a good network? As many contacts as possible? Or what emerges from those contacts?
When NIRO was launched in 2006, eight companies and organizations joined forces with the idea of sharing knowledge, learning from one another, and working together to strengthen the region’s industry. Twenty years later, it has grown into a community of around 80 member companies.
During the opening discussion, Ingrid Lange, Jens te Kaat, and the newly elected board spokesperson, Matthias Schmitz, took the stage together. The discussion focused on trust, value, small and medium-sized businesses, solidarity, and, of course, the question: What should NIRO carry forward into the next 20 years?
People in the Network Share NIRO Stories
After that, the stage belonged to five people who know NIRO from very different perspectives. The panel “Network People in Conversation” featured Dr. Michael Dannebom, Alexandra Edelhoff, Dr. Thomas Graefenstein, Susanne Hegemann, and Henning Stelte. A founding member, a long-standing member, HR managers who are firm believers in the network, an operations manager looking optimistically toward the future, and a representative from our partner shared housing network—they all shared their personal insights and stories about the network with the guests.
The discussion looked back to the early days and, at the same time, looked ahead: How is trust built between independent companies? When does a network become a true working network? Why do companies share knowledge and experience with one another? And what does NIRO need to ensure that this principle continues to work over the next 20 years?
It became clear that topics and challenges are changing. Digitalization, AI, procurement, securing a skilled workforce, talent development, and transformation play a different role today than they did 20 years ago. The core, however, remains surprisingly stable: trust, openness, sharing knowledge, and the willingness not just to collect contacts, but to get things off the ground together.
Thank you, Jens te Kaat!
It was an emotional moment as we bid farewell to and honored Jens te Kaat. For 20 years, he served as our network’s board spokesperson and played a decisive role in shaping it from the very beginning. His colleagues described him as a doer, a visionary, and someone who doesn’t just think about things but gets them moving.
As a result, this part of the program was far more than a formal farewell. After two decades, an era also came to a close that evening. And when someone has been with an organization from its founding for over 20 years—helping to make decisions, driving ideas forward, and shaping a community—then a “thank you” can certainly be a little more heartfelt.
Our Quiz: 20 Years, 20 Questions, and Lots of Networking Experts
After the shared—and very delicious—meal, the anniversary party turned into a round of trivia: 20 Years of NIRO, 20 Questions. In small groups of no more than ten people, participants discussed, guessed, recalled details, and—at one point or another—probably even confidently checked the wrong answer. In this way, the quiz became, almost incidentally, an entertaining journey through two decades of the network’s history. Some details may have surprised even die-hard NIRO experts.
By the way, the German Shepherd who was part of the NIRO team for a few years was named Laika.
During the evaluation, there was a special anniversary drink: The Institute for Production Systems at TU Dortmund University—itself a founding member of NIRO—had brewed a special anniversary beer just for the occasion.
After a brief tiebreaker, the three winning teams were announced shortly thereafter: First place, with 19 correct answers, went to the “NIROstentinnen” (the executive assistants at our member companies really know their stuff), second place went to the “Purchasing and Shipping Noodles” (made up of managers from those two departments) with 16 correct answers, and third place went to “Gen N” with 15 correct answers.
Congratulations and hats off to you all!
What Remains of This Evening
After the awards ceremony, the official program was over, but the evening was far from over. With music and drinks, there was time for all the things you can’t plan or put on an agenda: conversations that last longer than expected. Reunions that are truly joyful. Stories from NIRO’s early days. New encounters. And connections where, at some point, you realize: I’m glad we talked today.
Maybe that was even the best part of this anniversary.
Because that evening, we could really feel—in a very special way—what has been built over the past 20 years. NIRO isn’t just a logo, event formats, projects, or framework agreements. All of that is part of it.
But above all, NIRO thrives because of people. People who share something. Who get involved. Who trust one another. Who pass on their knowledge. Who search for solutions together. And who are sometimes just happy to see each other again.
The fact that so many people from such diverse phases of NIRO’s history came together that evening brought to light something that is sometimes difficult to quantify in everyday life and that, in the smaller groups of daily networking, does not reveal the sheer number of people behind it: Over the course of 20 years, a business network has grown into a large community.
Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us. And above all: Thank you to everyone who has helped shape and support NIRO over the past 20 years, whether from the very beginning or just recently.
Here’s to what brings us together. And here’s to the years ahead together!
More pictures:
Thank you so much for all the wonderful gifts and congratulations! Photo: NIRO e. V.
