From the Sector

RINCO ULTRASONICS is strengthening its market presence in Central America – a significant market for the automotive supply industry – by opening its own subsidiary in Mexico.

Romanshorn, May 2021 – With the establishment of its eleventh global subsidiary and its first in Central America, RINCO ULTRASONICS is highlighting the importance of the Central American market. “The automotive supply industry is one of the strongest sectors of industry in Mexico and one of the most important markets for RINCO. Our subsidiary in Querétaro, which is located 200 km away from Mexico City, will bring us closer to customers and partners alike,” explains Serge Patamia, CEO of RINCO ULTRASONICS. “We already enjoy high levels of confidence from both customers and partners in the region, and local presence will only serve to improve this. Investing in a dedicated subsidiary underlines our commitment to the market in Central America.”

José Armando Vázquez, the newly appointed country manager for Mexico, brings both passion and specialist expertise to his role. Having grown up in the automotive industry, Vazquez knows the needs and requirements of the supplying industry and the plastics sector inside out.

In José Armando Vázquez, customers and interested parties in Mexico have a local point of contact who is bringing Swiss perfection to Querétaro in the form of RINCO ULTRASONICS MEXICO. In addition to sales, RINCO in Mexico also offers technical services such as an application-based test laboratory and various service facilities to promote the building of partnerships and the delivery of new projects.
“Our aim is to captivate users with our ultrasonic technology and offer them tangible added value so that by using solutions like our AGM Pro ultrasonic generator, for example, they can save time and user fewer materials,”, says Serge Patamia, summarising what customers in Central America can expect.

At Lectra’s Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting held on April 30, members voted to appoint Céline Abecassis-Moedas as a new independent director. Nominated for a period of four years, she becomes a member of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Strategic Committee.

The appointment of Céline Abecassis-Moedas to Lectra's Board of Directors will notably strengthen the Strategic Committee, which will be called upon to examine an increasing number of investment projects in innovative companies and the continued development of our offers for Industry 4.0.

Céline Abecassis-Moedas will also draw upon her international experience as an independent director, through positions held for nearly ten years at four companies in Spain and Portugal: Europac (Papeles y Cartones de Europa) from 2012 to 2019, CTT (CTT Correios de Portugal) from 2016 to 2020, CUF since 2016, and Vista Alegre Atlantis since 2020.

Céline Abecassis-Moedas, 49, is now Dean for Executive Education and Associate Professor at Católica-Lisbon. She began her career in research at France Telecom R&D, before joining Lectra in New York as an e-business product manager in 1999, then AT Kearney in London as a consultant in 2000. From 2002 to 2005, she was Lecturer in Strategy at Queen Mary University of London, then joined Católica-Lisbon University as Assistant Professor in Strategic and Innovation Management.

From 2014 to 2020, Céline Abecassis-Moedas was also Affiliate Professor at ESCP and co-scientific director of the Lectra-ESCP Chair's "Fashion and Technology".

Céline Abecassis-Moedas is a graduate of the École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, of the Université Paris Dauphine (DEA in Scientific management methods), holder of a Ph.D. in Management from the École Polytechnique and holder of the INSEAD Certificate in Corporate Governance obtained in 2017.

• EMMA SCALCON is the winner of the first edition of the IMAGINING SUSTAINABLE FASHION AWARD, an international competition for communication in sustainable fashion.

The award was established in October 2020 by Connecting Cultures and C.L.A.S.S. with the aim of creating new visual imagery and innovative communication models in sustainable fashion. Stylists, photographers, designers, illustrators, artists and other creatives, invited to rethink how to communicate the new generation of values of an ethical and sustainable fashion system, joined the open and international call.

The name of the winner of the IMAGINING SUSTAINABLE FASHION competition was announced during a webinar on March 30th at 4pm led by Giusy Bettoni, CEO of C.L.A.S.S. Eco Hub; Anna Detheridge, President of Connecting  Cultures; Lucy Orta, Chair, Art & the Environment, University of the Arts London; and Dio Kurazawa, Founding Partner of The Bear Scouts.

Born in Padua, Italy, 22 years old, and a student in her second year in Textile & Fashion Design at IAAD - Istituto d'Arte Applicata e Design, Emma Scalcon won the IMAGINING SUSTAINABLE FASHION competition with her project TAKE A WALK ON THE GREEN SIDE, designing communications crafted with strong and impactful images and simple but detailed wording intended for younger consumers to inform them about sustainable fashion issues.

Scalcon ranked first among the finalists selected by a high profile jury composed of:
·   Anna Detheridge, Founder and President, Connecting Cultures
·   Giusy Bettoni, CEO and Founder, C.L.A.S.S.
·   Rita Airaghi, Director, Gianfranco Ferré Foundation
·   Paola Arosio, Head of New Brands & Sustainability Projects, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (The National Chamber for Italian Fashion)
·   Jeanine Ballone, Managing Director, Fashion 4 Development
·   Evie Evangelou, Founder and President, Fashion 4 Development
·   Chiara Luisi, Sustainability Projects Coordinator, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (The National Chamber for Italian Fashion)
·   Sara Kozlowski, Director of Education and Sustainable Strategies, Council of Fashion Designers of America  
·   Dio Kurazawa, Socio fondatore, The Bear Scouts
·   Renata Molho, Founding Partner, The Bear Scouts
·   Lucy Orta, Chair, Art & the Environment, University of the Arts London
·   Stefania Ricci, Director, Museo Salvatore Ferragamo

Emma Scalcon was awarded the €3,000 prize, made possible by the Main Sponsor ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei and by the other sponsors of the project: ECOSENSOR™ by Asahi Kasei - a latest generation fabric collection that promotes responsible innovation with advanced high-tech performance, C.L.A.S.S., and the Greek smart cotton SUPREME GREEN COTTON® by Varvaressos.
 
“It is time to be pioneers in communication and for this we have supported the Imagining Sustainable Fashion Award,” commented Takaaki Kondo, global marketing department manager for ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei, the Main Sponsor of the award. ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei is a high quality stretch fibre with an innovative range of intelligent functions to satisfy every modern wardrobe need for sports, underwear, and fashion. “We believe that together with responsible innovation, communication is the key to bring sustainability to the next level: to inspire, educate, inform and allow both professionals and consumers to make the right choices.”

“The competition is an opportunity to rethink how to communicate the new and different values of an ethical and sustainable fashion system,” explained Anna Detheridge. “I am quite impressed with the results of the competition — the diversity of forms that we received show both an interesting change in sensibility and a practical approach to communicating these values. There is less visual rhetoric and reliance on compelling images and more investment in basic information and a greater variety of narratives.

It is a great pleasure to see the energies from a wealth of young creatives, small businesses, and designers from all over the world with cross-disciplinary interests and a diversity of talents who are ushering in a new culture of design. My heartiest congratulations go to Emma Scalcon".

“I completely agree with Anna's comments on the quality of the work submitted by participants in the competition and together we have renewed our intention to continue IMAGINING SUSTAINABLE FASHION into 2021 with a new edition of the award,” stated Giusy Bettoni. “After this initial experience, we find ourselves even more motivated to explore some of the themes that emerged during the selection process, in particular those regarding the ethics of intellectual and cultural property, a topical issue in an industry like fashion. For this reason, we are already working together on organizing a webinar on this topic with outside specialists, including legal experts.”

 21 Grams, the group comprised of Veronica De Nigris, Serena Paone e Immacolata Esposito, won a special contest open to the public among the finalists selected by the jury, receiving the most votes from Instagram followers on C.L.A.S.S.’s corporate Instagram profile. The media partner for the initiative is Renoon, the leading search tool and data hub for sustainable fashion, a rising start-up of the year, aggregating +190 brands offering sustainable options to consumers. 

Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC) is pleased to announce that Andy Piotter has accepted the position of Business Development Manager, Packaging Systems.

In this role, Piotter will develop the company’s new packaging systems division, which will specialize in creating dynamic, comprehensive and efficient tissue packaging systems for customers around the world.

Piotter brings more than 35 years of experience in developing complete packaging systems for a variety of industries. He joins PCMC after being extensively involved in engineering, sales, and business management and development.

“Andy’s expertise and customer relationships are exactly what PCMC needs as we launch this new business segment,” said Jason Hilsberg, Tissue Sales Director for PCMC. “Creating comprehensive, effective and thoughtful packaging systems requires a unique understanding of technology, capital equipment and the ever-changing tissue environment—and Andy brings all of that, in addition to a passion for customer service. We’re thrilled to have him join our team.”

• Italian creativity merges with Chinese technological innovation to create a new capsule collection
   

A new era is born in the world of denim, Paolo Gnutti and Advance Denim will combine their skills to create capsule collections for both the US and Asian markets.

These collections will combine Paolo Gnutti’s artistry and Advance denim’s technological innovation to create “magical” inspiration that is with the reach of all brands.

Advance Denim has the distinction of being the oldest denim manufacturer in China and has dedicated its efforts since day one around the core beliefs of innovation , service , quality and people. These core beliefs are the foundation of their day to day focus of becoming a world leader in denim. They are also  committed to making the most sustainable denim possible and they are constantly investing in the infrastructure and systems that will help them to reach aggressive sustainability goals . Sustainability is important but Advance Denim has always been true to denim and strive to produce innovative high-quality products that exceed the needs of the market

“We are looking forward to Paolo bringing his Italian artistic aesthetics to our denim.” Said Ms. Amy Wang, General Manager of ADVANCE DENIM. “ We believe it is the combination of eastern and western design and culture that have never been offered to our customers before and will take Advance Denim to a whole new level. It is our goal to also offer these high quality designs at a competitive price from our Vietnam facility.” conclude Ms. Wang.

Paolo Gnutti, a life time dedicated to denim innovation and creativity, bases the creation of his collections following  precise themes and  stylistic contaminations. He uses indigo bases which are completely transformed thanks to the use of flocks, 3D prints, colored foils and metallic effects.

Paolo Gnutti has the ability to conceive ground breaking fashion, thanks to his incredible creativity and visionary irreverent combination that ushers in a new concept of  fashionability to the denim world.

“ My passion and my professional exploration lead me to acquire the skill needed to develop unforgettable and unique textile concepts” said Paolo Gnutti “ I’m trilled to begin this collaboration with Advance Denim. I feel that we need a new challenge in our denim world, a new era of true globalization; we will create a capsule collection that will reach all customers, from premium to the mass market.”

A new era begins, based on the evolution of the  market and the search for innovation and inspiration that is both technically performance driven and accessible to all brands.

• Acquisition drives market growth
• Additional sales channel for BASF customers and partners
• Access to new materials and technologies for customers of BASF and Sculpteo

To continue to expand its position as a leading service provider in the additive manufacturing sector, BASF New Business GmbH has formally agreed to acquire the online 3D printing service provider Sculpteo. The agreement was signed on November 14, 2019 and is expected to become effective in the next few weeks pending regulatory approval by the relevant authorities. The acquisition of the French 3D printing specialist based in Paris and San Francisco will enable BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BASF New Business GmbH, to market and establish new industrial 3D printing materials more quickly. Sculpteo’s management team fully supports the acquisition and will remain in place to provide customers and partners with this expanded service spectrum.

For around a decade already, Sculpteo has operated an online platform with integrated production for the manufacturing of prototypes, individual objects, and serial production components with a range of different additive manufacturing technologies. Customers in various industrial sectors around the world use the Sculpteo service to produce new components rapidly and reliably.

BASF will develop the existing Sculpteo 3D printing platform further into a global network. For customers and partners, BASF 3D Printing Solutions will thus be able to offer an additional channel for marketing their services and expanding their own customer bases.

"Through the acquisition of Sculpteo, we can provide customers and partners with even faster access to our innovative 3D printing solutions. In addition, our customers will benefit from an extended range of services”, explains Dr. Dietmar Bender, Managing Director BASF 3D Printing Solutions. “Together with Sculpteo, we are pursuing our goal of establishing additive manufacturing as a proven technology for industrial mass production", says Bender.

Combining the strengths of both companies will provide Sculpteo's existing customers with access to a more extensive portfolio of 3D printing materials. "We are excited to join the BASF team and thus benefit from BASF’s outstanding R&D to provide our customers with innovative solutions”, says Clément Moreau, CEO and Co-Founder of Sculpteo. Moreau will stay with Sculpteo as CEO.

Beyond this, the Sculpteo Design Studio and BASF’s technical experts will collaborate to be able to support customers in their 3D printing projects from the early planning phase right through to the final printed part. This will enable BASF to offer its customers end-to-end industrial 3D printing solutions.

• Operations, Product Development, Sales and Technical Support Growth

Celine Huang 黄秀蔚 is named Chief Executive Officer for HeiQ Greater China and Ming Wen Liang 梁銘文is named Chief Executive Officer HeiQ Taiwan. Huang, with her background as a general manager of a large player in the same industry brings a total of over 20 years of solid testing lab, agent and country strategies management expertise with an excellent relationship skills with customers, distributors, dealers and end users. She has a chemical engineering degree in dyeing and finishing from China Textile University. Huang has worked in both Australia and China in senior management positions. Huang will lead the group’s Greater China business from the newly created Shanghai office (瑞士海屹科新材料有限公司上海办事处).

Liang will manage mill relations, technical support and distribution at HeiQ Taiwan. She brings close to 20 years of experience in textile and garment production supply chain focusing on sales, material innovation and development, sourcing and production. Liang holds a Bachelor of International Trade from the National Taipei University of Business, Taiwan, speaks Chinese, English and Spanish and has lived in both Taiwan and Argentina. And will be based in the new office in Taipei (瑞士海屹科有限公司).

HeiQ continues to increase its global footprint with the creation of HeiQ Shanghai and HeiQ Taiwan. In addition to HeiQ Hong Kong, these offices aim to provide dedicated technical support in the Greater China area, further broaden its geographical reach in strategic locations and support HeiQ’s brand partners’ manufacturing activities in the region.

ERIC PIERREJEAN, CEO OF JEC GROUP

Mr. Eric PIERREJEAN, who joined the company in January, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, succeeding to Mrs. Frédérique MUTEL. He will be in charge of the further development of the company after two decades of growth under Mrs. MUTEL leadership, dedicated to the development and the promotion of the composite materials industry. Before joining JEC Group, Eric PIERREJEAN was Division General Manager at Comexposium from 2011 to 2017. Prior to this, he spent much of his career in sales and marketing positions, spending more than 15 years in the automotive sector (BMW Group, Land Rover) as well as in the sports goods industry (Nike).

ADELINE LARROQUE, EVENTS DIRECTOR FOR EMEA

Mrs. Adeline LARROQUE joins JEC Group as Show Director JEC World and EMEA Events with more than 15 years of Global work experience as she has worked in several countries such as USA, UK, China, India, Qatar and UAE where she has developed a strong skill set in exhibitions and events management. After a successful experience at Reed Exhibitions France and China managing numerous exhibitions in the Aerospace, Material, Security, Maritime, Logistics, Construction and Medical industries, she then worked for Qatar Tourism Authority as Head of Exhibitions driving growth for the Doha Jewellery Show, Qatar Motor Show and Women Fashion exhibitions. Lately, she worked for the Events division of the Daily Mail Group supervising the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference as Event Director.

Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, announces the appointment of Marcos Furrer to the post of President Brand & Performance Textile Specialties, and Innovation, based in Archroma's headquarters in Reinach, Switzerland.

Marcos Furrer will take over from Thomas Winkler who will retire at the end of March 2018 after more than 30 years in the textile industry, among which 12 years at the helm of the business.
Announcing the appointment, Archroma CEO Alexander Wessels said: “Marcos Furrer was rather an obvious choice when we started to look for a potential successor for Thomas Winkler. He has the right combination of strong textile expertise and leadership skills that we need to drive the business in line with Archroma’s ambitious growth strategy.”

A Swiss national with a 20 years career, Mr Furrer has earned a strong reputation as a well-rounded business manager with excellent leadership skills and a taste for delivering on targets.

Biography
A Chemical Engineer from the Ingenieurschule Beider Basel, Mr Furrer started his career with Clariant in Switzerland as Product Manager Sulphur Dyes, Textile Business, in 1997. He then grew in the organization as Head of Continuous Dyeing Cellulosic (1999 to 2001); Head of Business Unit (BU) Textile Dyes and Textile Chemicals in México (2001 to 2005); Global Head for the Product Group Cellulosic Dyes (2005 to 2007), Head of BU Textile Chemicals Latin America (2007 to 2009); Head of BU Textile Chemicals Americas (2009 to 2012); Head of Emulsions (January 2012 to June 2012); and Head of Marketing and Sales Plastic and Special Applications, BU Pigments (January 2013 to 2015).

His latest role as Head of Regional Business Line Europe, BU Pigments, Strategic Plastics, brought him back to Switzerland in January 2015, with the mission to implement the new BU Pigments regional structure in Europe.

Mr Furrer speaks 5 languages: English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and French.
 

Gorham, ME, USA – Montalvo, international specialists in web tension control, has promoted Bryon Williams to Director of Sales and Marketing. Mr. William’s will oversee Montalvo’s North America sales efforts, and global marketing strategy with an emphasis on building relationships within existing and new industries, managing Montalvo’s internal and external sales team, and continuing to further Montalvo’s marketing strategy. Previously Mr. Williams worked as Montalvo’s Global Marketing Manager.

Montalvo’s CEO Robin Goodwin says “Bryon has been with Montalvo since 2010, during which time he has shaped and elevated our global branding and marketing strategy while helping to manage our product portfolio. Bryon is highly committed to delivering excellence both internally and externally, directly benefitting our customers and his colleagues. He will bring this commitment and dedication to his new role, to grow Montalvo even further.”

Before Montalvo, Mr. Williams specialized in customer communication and marketing coordination at JobsintheUS.com and Sunday River Ski Resort. Mr. Williams attended Bryant University and earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administrant in Marking and Communication and is currently earning his Masters of Business Administration in Leadership from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine.