TOP EUROPEAN ROLE FOR DHF'S DAVID WHITWORTH

Article first published 07/10/2008

David Whitworth, a senior figure in the UK door hardware industry, has been elected president of the European Hardware Manufacturers Association (ARGE). This trade group, which represents hardware manufacturers from 16 European countries, protects the interests of its members in areas including European standardisation, regulation and international competition.  
 
David is the chairman of the Door & Hardware Federation which represents all the key players in the UK industrial and commercial doors & shutters and garage doors sectors, and also the leading UK manufacturers of building hardware and architectural ironmongery.  
 
Over the next three years David will use the opportunity of his ARGE presidency to reinforce the use of CE marking of hardware in the European construction market. He will also champion the Europe-wide adoption of high quality standards to combat the threat to the market of poorer quality products manufactured outside the EU.  
 
“ARGE needs to be more outward facing, in particular in its relationship with the policy makers in Brussels,” said David.  
 
“Brussels will not talk direct to individual country-based trade associations such as the DHF, but will talk to a pan European association such as ARGE. Brussels sets the standards but does not enforce them, it leaves enforcement to the industries concerned.  
 
“So this is a great opportunity for us as a Europe-wide industry to reinforce the use of CE marking and to encourage manufacturers in the door and hardware industry to further raise quality standards. This will certainly give companies within Europe a competitive edge against products originating from countries where quality standards are not as high.”  
 
David has been an active member of ARGE for 12 years and for the last five years has been a vice president of the association.  
 
He is a director of a number of UK and European hardware manufacturing and distribution companies and has twice been chairman of the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI).  
 
He was chief executive of architectural ironmongers the Laidlaw Group for 30 years which he took onto the Stock Exchange and went on to become main board director of the Newman Tonks Group until its acquisition by Ingersoll Rand.  

Article ID No.: 168