From the Sector

On October 14, 2019, the Supervisory Board of SGL Carbon SE decided to appoint Dr. Stephan Bühler as an additional member to the Board of Management effective October 15, 2019. He will be responsible for Legal and Compliance.

Dr. Bühler is familiar with the Company, having been Head of Legal and Compliance for many years. He is therefore perfectly suited for his new role. He will assume this responsibility on a temporary basis until a new Chief Executive Officer has been appointed and taken office.

Dr. Michael Majerus, who has been the sole member of the Board of Management of SGL Carbon SE since September 1, will run the Company as Spokesman of the Board of Management going forward.

The Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) has awarded two prizes to graduates of the Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University - the dissertation prize and the creativity prize of the Walter Reiners Foundation of German Textile Machinery 2018. ITA alumnus Dr Benjamin Weise was awarded the dissertation prize for the development of novel fibres for textile charge storage devices. For their work on a guide to 4D product design, Jan Merlin Abram and Aalon Tal (both ITA students) were honoured with the creativity prize. The dissertation prize is endowed with €5,000 whilst the creativity prize contains a one-year scholarship of €250 per month. Peter D. Dornier, President of the Walter Reiners Foundation and Chairman of the Management Board of Lindauer DORNIER, presented the awards on the 18 September 2018 at the 18th Textile Machinery Forum in the Digital Capability Center in Aachen, Germany.

Graphene revolutionizes all-in-one - supercaps, reduction of terahertz radiation and antistatics

In his dissertation "Development of graphene-modified multifilament yarns for the production of textile charge storage devices", laureate Dr Benjamin Weise developed novel fibres made of polyamide and graphene and further processed them into textile surfaces. The newly developed polyamide graphene fibres are featuring a multitude of advantages:

• Due to their high performance in the charge storage area, they are predestined for use in double-layer capacitors, so-called super capacitors, or supercaps in short. Compared to lithium-ion batteries, supercaps offer significantly higher power density and a longer lifetime as no chemical reactions are taking place. towing to the graphene platelets in the filaments, it is now possible for the first time to integrate a charge storage device directly into a textile without having to sew in a rechargeable battery. This new fibre is therefore suitable for prospective use in smart textiles, for instance in a textile defibrillator.
• The new graphene-modified polyamide fibres can attenuate inident terahertz radiation up to 25 % of their original intensity. Terahertz radiation, for example, offers transmission rates of 100 Mbit/sec and is therefore of high interest for high-performance wireless communication. However, the radiation could damage sensible electronics as in aircrafts if this technology will be used widespread. Consequently, the shielding of the radiation is of high importance, e.g. in the form of fibre composite components in the aircraft, which protect the on-board electronics.
• As the fibres are showcasing a dissipative electrical conductivity, personal protective equipment is another prospective field of application.  

The development of a pilot process for graphene-modified fibres and the production of textile demonstrators are novel and disruptive attainments of Dr Weise’s PhD thesis and the reason for the award ceremony to him. Due to its outstanding properties, the European Union is funding research on graphene within the frame of the "Graphene Flagship" with an overall budget of one billion Euro (source: http://graphene-flagship.eu/project/Pages/About-Graphene-Flagship.aspx).

Modular product design of 4D products is now possible in simplified form

How can three-dimensional products change their shape over time and thus become "four-dimensional"? The students Jan Merlin Abram and Aalon Tal provide answers to this question in their project work "Leitfaden zur Auslegung hybrider morphender Textilien am Beispiel eines Scharniers" (Guidelines for the Design of Hybrid Morphing Textiles Using the Example of a Hinge), for which they were awarded the creativity prize. In their work, the students offer a guideline for the development of a four-dimensional textile from the idea to the demonstrator. Four-dimensional textiles, for example, consist of a hybrid material of elastic textile on which three-dimensional structures are printed. The fourth dimension describes the change in shape and/or a property over a defined period of time (= morphing).  This change is caused by external influences such as light and heat.

Every year, the Foundation of the German Textile Machinery awards prizes for the best dissertation, diploma or master's thesis and the creativity prize for the smartest student research project. Further prizes were awarded to Eric Otto, ITM Dresden, and Susanne Fischer, Reutlingen University.

Bally, the historic Swiss luxury brand is pleased to announce the appointment of two key figures to its executive team, completing the process of strategic redevelopment begun last year with the transfer of the Creative, Merchandising and Marketing offices from London to its new showroom in Milan.

Effective immediately, Eva Quirrenbach joins Bally as Chief Marketing Officer following a term in New York as Vice President of Global Brand Marketing at Tory Burch, having previously occupied strategic roles within the Tod’s Group in both Italy and the United States. Eva is a recognised expert in all aspects of international branding and marketing within the luxury sector, and with her proven understanding of consumer behaviour, she played an integral role in the development and acceleration of the digital footprint and in supporting global brand development at Tory Burch.

“Eva is an excellent addition to the Bally team. The combination of a consolidated experience and understanding of luxury brands along with her background driving the strategic development of successful global projects make her the ideal leader to drive Bally's commitment to unified commerce on a global level".
Frédéric De Narp, Bally Group CEO

Bally has moved to a three-pronged regional strategy and as such is also pleased to announce the promotion of Silvia Onofri to a new role as CEO for the EMEA region, in addition to her current role as Vice President of Global Wholesale. During her time in Bally, Silvia has obtained outstanding results entering top tier multi-brand doors around the world and increasing Bally's footprint in Travel Retail to make the brand a global leader in the field.

Silvia has extensive experience in the global fashion and luxury industry, having first joined the Bally team 10 years ago, following key marketing roles in Bulgari.

“Silvia has the unique benefit of intimately understanding the Bally brand and it’s DNA, and having proven experience in forging new relationships with the world’s leading retailers and their customers. With this invaluable expertise in hand, I am confident that she will infuse the EMEA Retail division with enthusiasm, professionalism and unique market insights to take Bally to the next level in these crucial markets” -
Frédéric De Narp.

The arrival of Eva Quirrenbach and the promotion of Silvia Onofri are part of Bally Group CEO Frédéric de Narp’s ongoing strategic vision to infuse Bally’s prestigious brand identity with heightened dynamism, appeal and allure.
Both roles report directly to Bally’s Group CEO, Frederic de Narp.