From the Sector

The Trützschler Group SE has appointed Dr. Ulrich Schwenken and Heinrich Krull to its Board of Directors with effect from July 1, 2022. Dr. Schwenken will serve as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Heinrich Krull will serve as Chief Operations Officer (COO).

Dr. Schwenken will assume responsibility for Development, Digitalization, IT and Corporate Communications. As a doctoral graduate specialized in engineering, he has many years of experience in automotive and mechanical applications. Since 2008, he has held various management positions in the areas of Service, Sales and Development at companies including Porsche AG and Volkswagen AG, where his responsibility covered a range of key topics such as digital transformation. Most recently, Dr. Schwenken served as CSO, CTO and CDO at Leistritz AG, and was responsible for the strategic focus on innovative growth areas.

Mr. Krull joined Trützschler Group SE in September 2020. As a graduate engineer for production engineering and management with international experience in mechanical and production site engineering, he has comprehensive expertise related to operations. He also has extensive experience of production technologies, including in-depth knowledge of Lean Management methods and expertise in post-merger integration. As COO, he will be responsible for the areas of Production, Purchasing and Logistics, Quality Assurance as well as Supply Chain.

Until his scheduled retirement at the end of 2022, Dr. Dirk Burger will act as Co-CEO to Dr. Schwenken.

The responsibilities of the Board of Directors of Trützschler Group SE as of July 1, 2022 are as follows: Dr. Ulrich Schwenken (CEO) is responsible for Development, Digitalization, IT and Corporate Communications; Dr. Dirk Burger will take over the role of Co-CEO to Dr. Schwenken until the end of 2022; Dr. Ralf Napiwotzki (CFO) is responsible for Finance and Controlling, Human Resources, Legal and Compliance; Alexander Stampfer (CSO) is responsible for Sales, Marketing and Service; Heinrich Krull (COO) is responsible for Production, Purchasing and Logistics, Quality Assurance as well as Supply Chain.

The Management Board of the European Chemicals Agency has selected Dr Sharon McGuinness as ECHA’s next Executive Director. As part of the appointment procedure, she will make a statement before the European Parliament and answer questions from its members. This is tentatively scheduled for 4 July 2022.

Dr Sharon McGuinness, an Irish national, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) in Ireland since 2018. Prior to this, she was the Assistant Chief Executive for the Chemicals and Prevention Division within the Authority, with responsibility for division management, policy provision, advice and enforcement for a wide range of occupational health and safety, chemical and market surveillance legislation aimed at protecting human health and safety for workers and consumers.

She was a member of ECHA’s Management Board between 2014-2020 and Chair of the Board between 2016-2020. She graduated from the University College Dublin with a B.Sc. (Hons) in pharmacology and chemistry, and she holds a PhD in pharmacology, as well as diplomas in Legal Studies and Company Direction.

Dr McGuinness was one of the candidates preselected by the European Commission after an open competition and interviewed by the Management Board for the post.

Her selection follows that of Bjorn Hansen who retired in March 2022. Since 1 April 2022, Shay O’Malley has been ECHA’s acting Executive Director.

The term of office of the Executive Director is five years. It may be prolonged by the Management Board once, for a further term of five years.

• Participants Embrace Renewed Face-to-Face Business with Global Leaders in Nonwovens & Engineered Materials at IDEA® 2022 and FiltXPO™

Approximately 5,000 participants embraced the opportunity to again engage in face-to-face business meetings with global leaders in nonwovens and engineered materials at IDEA® 2022 in Miami Beach, Fla., co-located with the second FiltXPO™,  North American’s only exhibition and conference dedicated exclusively to filtration and separation.

Industry participants at IDEA® 2022,  the 21 st edition of the world’s preeminent event for nonwovens and engineered fabric professionals, expressed their business confidence through the floor exhibits and the return to face-to-face business interaction. Scott Beir, Executive Officer, CFM Global, called IDEA® 2022 “an exceptional show.”

Bob Usher, Technical Director, US Fibers, added that his company made valuable business connections. According to Rolk Kammermann, Head of Sales and Marketing, Innovative Swiss Made Nonwovens, “the size and scope of IDEA and FiltXPO have been excellent for us as both exhibitors and as visitors.”

Organized by INDA, IDEA® also featured five essential nonwovens training classes; market presentations from China, Asia, Europe, North America and South America; industry recognitions with the IDEA® Achievement Awards and the IDEA® Lifetime Achievement Awards; and a welcome reception celebration.

Also, organized by INDA, FiltXPO™ featured five panels of global leaders in filtration and separation for the first-ever “Summit for Global Change,” discussing societal challenges such as indoor air quality, environmental sustainability, pandemic readiness, clean water, and filtration standards.  The event also featured a 1.5-day filter media training course, and sessions highlighting filter media market trends and filtration industry statistics.  

Exhibitors and attendees noted the welcome return to meeting face-to-face among industry senior leaders participating in the three-day event.

A highlight of IDEA® was the announcement of the IDEA® Achievement Awards by INDA, in partnership with Nonwovens Industry magazine. Moderated by Rousse and Karen McIntyre, Editor, Nonwovens Industry the awards recognize the leading introductions in equipment, raw materials, short-life, long-life and nonwovens products, and sustainability, since the previous IDEA® Exposition in 2019.

In addition, INDA presented the IDEA® 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award to Val Hollingsworth, board chair and CEO of Hollingsworth & Vose, and Nonwovens Industry presented the IDEA® Entrepreneur Achievement Award to Doug Brown, president of Biax-Fiberfilm/5K Fibres at the event.

IDEA® 2022 Achievement Awards winners:

• IDEA®  Equipment Achievement Award – Elastic Thread Anchoring (ETA) Sonotrode – Herrmann Ultrasonics, Inc.
• IDEA®  Raw Material Achievement Award – ODOGard – Rem Brands, Inc.
• IDEA® Short-Life Product Achievement Award – LifeSavers Wipes – LifeSavers LLC
• IDEA® Long-Life Product Achievement Award – Nanofiber Cabin Air Filter – MANN + HUMMEL GmbH
• IDEA®  Sustainability Advancement Award – Fiber-based Screw Caps – Glatfelter Corp. and Blue Ocean Closures
• IDEA®  Nonwoven Product Achievement Award – HYDRASPUN® Aquaflo – Sustainable Nonwoven Substrates – Suominen Corporation
• IDEA®, the Preeminent Event for the Nonwovens & Engineered Fabrics Industry, will next be held on its new 24-month schedule on April 23-25, 2024 in Miami Beach, Florida.

Names of the IDEA® Achievement Award honorees pictured:

Row 1, Left to right:
IDEA® Long-Life Product Achievement Award winner, Jon Nichols, MANN + HUMMEL, GmbH and Dave Rousse – Nanofiber Cabin Air Filter – MANN + HUMMEL, GmbH
IDEA®  Nonwoven Product Achievement Award winners, Pramod Shanbhag, Suominen Corporation, Karen McIntyre, Nonwovens Industry Magazine, and Avinav Nandgaonkar, HYDRASPUN® Aquaflo – Sustainable Nonwoven Substrates – Suominen Corporation
Row 2, left to right:
IDEA® Short-Life Product Achievement Award winner, Georgia Crawford, LifeSavers Wipes – LifeSavers LLC, and Karen McIntyre, Nonwovens Industry Magazine
IDEA® 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Val Hollingsworth, Hollingsworth & Vose, and Dave Rousse, President, INDA
IDEA®  Equipment Achievement Award winners, Uwe Peregi, Dave Rousse, and Thomas Herrmann – Elastic Thread Anchoring (ETA) Sonotrode – Herrmann Ultrasonics Inc.
Row 3, left to right:
IDEA®  Raw Material Achievement Award winner, David Schneider, ODOGard – Rem Brands, Inc. and Dave Rousse, INDA
IDEA®  Sustainability Advancement Award winner, Chris Astley, and Karen McIntyre Fiber-based Screw Caps – Glatfelter Corp. and Blue Ocean Closures
IDEA® Entrepreneur Achievement Award winner, Doug Brown, Biax-Fiberfilm / 5K Fibres

• Senior leaders appointed to grow Green Bay operations, expand in global markets

Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC), as part of Barry-Wehmiller’s Converting Solutions platform, has filled several key roles on the leadership team in Green Bay in alignment with the platform’s strategic plan to grow local operations and expand its global footprint.

Scott Bean has joined as Executive Vice President of Operations. He will drive manufacturing capacity and excellence across the platform’s five facilities in Green Bay, as well as its European locations in Lucca, Italy; Neuwied, Germany; and Čačak, Serbia. Bean brings 20-plus years of experience leading operations at several large global manufacturers, including Milwaukee-based Rexnord and most recently, Filtration Group, where he served as a President.

Jason Hilsberg, who joined PCMC in 2003 as a Field Service Leader and has held numerous other roles, including Sales Director, has been named Vice President of Lifecycle Support. In his new role, he leads the global field service, customer technical support and equipment modification sales teams.

Kelly Morgano has joined as the Global Vice President of People. In her new role, Morgano will lead the human resources, culture, communications and people development functions, while supporting the platform’s commitment to caring for team members. She has worked in human resources for more than 20 years, most recently with Zurn Water Solutions.

PCMC and its divisions, Hudson-Sharp and Northern Engraving, have expanded their footprint in the tissue and nonwovensconverting, bag-converting and flexographic-printing equipment markets in recent years, reporting significant revenue growth in 2021. The company has been a fixture in Green Bay since 1919.

• Winners in Six Categories to be Announced at IDEA® 2022 in Miami Beach

Online voting for the prestigious IDEA® Achievement Awards representing the “best of the best” innovations in the global nonwovens and engineered fabrics industry in six categories will open on Feb. 28.

Industry professionals will have the opportunity to vote for the winners from the finalists and see award-winning achievements in person at IDEA® 2022, the World’s Preeminent Event for Nonwovens & Engineered Fabrics, March 28-31, at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Presented by INDA, in partnership with Nonwovens Industry magazine, the awards recognize the leading introductions in equipment, raw materials, short-life, long-life and nonwovens products, and sustainability. To vote on the Nonwovens Industry website, visit: https://www.nonwovens-industry.com/idea-reg-achievement-awards

In addition, INDA will unveil the IDEA® 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree and Nonwovens Industry will announce the IDEA® Entrepreneur Achievement Award recipient at the event. 

All of the winners will be announced on March 30 at a ceremony at IDEA® from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. moderated by Dave Rousse, President, INDA and Karen, McIntyre, Editor, Nonwovens Industry.

Finalists Named

The INDA Technical Advisory Board, consisting of technical professionals from member companies, has narrowed the competition from more than 100 online nominations to the following 18 finalists selected for their leading innovations since the last IDEA show in 2019.

Now, the industry will have the chance to select their top choices from the three finalists in each of the following six categories through the online voting process:

1-    IDEA® Equipment Achievement Award

ESC-8 – Curt G. Joa, Inc.
Elastic Thread Anchoring (ETA) Sonotrode – Herrmann Ultrasonics Inc.
Doffer Airlay Card – Technoplants SRL
 

2-    IDEA® Raw Material Achievement Award

sero™ premium hemp fiber – Bast Fibre Technologies Inc.
ODOGard – Rem Brands, Inc.
SharoWIPES™ – Sharon Laboratories
 

3-    IDEA® Short-Life Product Achievement Award

MDP™ – Dermasteel, Ltd.
Organic 2.0 – Ellepot A/S
LifeSavers Wipes – LifeSavers LLC
 

4-     IDEA® Long-Life Product Achievement Award

Canopy Hero Pro – Canopy
Long-Life Cellulose-based Nonwovens for Higher Performance in Reusable Baby Diapers – Kelheim Fibres GmbH and Sumo Diapers
Nanofiber Cabin Air Filter – MANN + HUMMEL GmbH
 

5-    IDEA® Sustainability Advancement Award

Pureflow8 – In Flight Material Separator – Diaper Recycling Technology Pte. Ltd.
Fitesa® 100 Percent BioBased Bico – Fitesa
Fiber-based Screw Caps – Glatfelter Corp. and Blue Ocean Closures
 

6-    IDEA® Nonwoven Product Achievement Award

Sontara® Silk – Glatfelter Corp.
HYDRASPUN® Aquaflo – Sustainable Nonwoven Substrates – Suominen Corporation
LS SAF™ Nonwoven Fabrics –Technical Absorbents
 

Moving forward after this year, the IDEA® Achievement Award will be presented every two years under the new cycle announced for the event with the subsequent IDEA® taking place April 23-25, 2024.

• In 2021 Pedex GmbH in Affolterbach was nominated for the ‘Großen Preis des Mittelstandes’ (a business award for small and medium sized companies).

The ‘Großen Preis des Mittelstandes‘ award has been the single most popular business award in Germany since 1994. This award isn’t just about numbers, jobs or innovation but the business as a whole. Every November, the Oskar-Patzelt-foundation invites nominations of medium-sized companies for the competition from communities, associations, organisations and companies. The nomination can be for medium-sized companies from the industrial, commercial, service and trade sectors.

The businesses are evaluated according to 5 competition criteria:

• Overall development of the business
• Creation and safeguarding of jobs and apprenticeships
• Modernisation and innovation
• Involvement in the region
• Service and customer focus, marketing

The winner and the finalists are decided by twelve regional juries and a final jury. In each competition region there can be three prize winners selected from five finalists. The official announcement was made on 18th September 2021 at a Gala evening in Würzburg. Jakob Jonsson (CCO) received the prize on behalf of Pedex GmbH, a prize winner for Hesse. Pedex GmbH is looking forward to the announcement of the national winner which is taking place in Dresden on 30th October 2021.

Claudia Güntert has been appointed Head of Corporate Communications at Autoneum as of November 1, 2021. She succeeds the Corporate Communications Head, Dr. Anahid Rickmann, who will be leaving the company per end of August 2021.

Claudia Güntert studied Jurisprudence at the University of Basel, Switzerland, as well as German and Eastern European Literature at the Universities of Basel and Zurich, Switzerland.

From 2008 to 2013, she was Marketing & Product Communications Manager at Von Roll Management AG in Wädenswil, Switzerland. She thereby gained broad experience in marketing and customer communications in the industry and a deep understanding of the industrial relations between suppliers and their customers. From 2013 until 2021, she was Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations at Von Roll Holding AG in Wädenswil and Breitenbach, Switzerland. In this leading position, she expanded her expertise in internal and external communication with a focus on company vision and strategy, branding, global change management, and social media presence. Claudia Güntert will report to Matthias Holzammer, CEO.

Dr. Anahid Rickmann leaves Autoneum at the end of August at her own request. After almost nine years of service, she has decided to take on a new professional challenge. Anahid Rickmann strategically realigned the Company's communications after it became independent in 2011 and significantly shaped Autoneum's external perception and reputation. Her particular achievements include the measurable success of external communications, brand positioning and the launch of Autoneum's corporate responsibility strategy. CEO Matthias Holzammer and the Board of Directors would like to thank Anahid Rickmann sincerely for her successful, always dedicated and loyal service to Autoneum and wish her the best for her personal and professional future.

For September and October 2021, Luzia Schoeck, Communications Manager, will act as interim Head of Corporate Communications.

Borealis announces the appointment of Thomas Reutter as Vice President Product Asset Management and Supply Chain, effective 1 August 2021.
He holds a Master’s in Business Administration degree from the Martin-Luther University Halle, Germany, with a specialisation in Controlling and Supply Chain.

Thomas Reutter joins Borealis from Dow and brings extensive product asset management and supply chain experience. Since joining Dow in 2008, he has held various positions with increasing responsibilities in product management, supply chain management and sales in the Netherlands, Mexico and Switzerland. Most recently he has served as Senior Product Director for Linear Low Density Polyethylene, based in Switzerland.

Schoeller Textil AG, the Swiss textile and technology company, announces a shift in leadership as Joachim Kath takes over as CEO. Following a 10-year career at the global textile solutions brand, CEO Siegfried Winkelbeiner is moving into his retirement later this month. Joachim Kath, who comes from the chemical industry, has been working closely with Winkelbeiner as COO at Schoeller for the past year and a half.

The transition comes after long-term planning. Since February 2020, and in close partnership with Siegfried Winkelbeiner, Joachim Kath (on the left) has been preparing as Schoeller COO to take over its management. Joachim Kath originally comes from Flensburg (DE) and, following his studies of Chemical Engineering in Karlsruhe, shaped his professional career in the chemical industry with Ciba (-Geigy) / BASF in Basel (CH). His career over 30 years has incorporated engineering, production and marketing & sales in diverse management functions – in a wide range of business segments for various industries and areas of application around the globe. Joachim Kath spent 12 years of his career dedicated to textile finishing, with a period of intensive travel in Asia and a 3-year stay in the USA.

Asked how he sees himself, Joachim Kath said: “The common thread running through all my assignments and business activities is process orientation, interest in new paths, and an instinct for what is feasible – with the goal of achieving customer benefits and satisfaction. Kath aims to ensure that Schoeller can continue to face the challenges of changing market requirements with outstanding and exceptional products, while evolving and innovating to stay ahead of consumer needs for the future. High performance capability, sustainable product development, premium quality, reliability, productivity, and keeping the customer as the central focus of all activities continue as essential keys to Schoeller’s continued business success.

Klaus Heinrichs began working in marketing for the company in 1992. “From the very beginning until today Klaus used his great flair and networking skills to secure and improve the company’s international presence and public relations, especially at seven successive ITMA textile machinery exhibitions, beginning with the show in Milan in 1995,” said Monforts Marketing Manager Nicole Croonenbroek.  “Later, he also took care of customer service, sales administration and exports in his uniquely calm and quietly-spoken style.”

“He has always been a guarantor of successful product launches for Monforts technical and technological highlights such as the TwinAir principle of independent airflow regulation, the Hercules LTM stenter chain, the Econtrol® dyeing technology or the Montex®Coat device - to mention only a few.”

Klaus has also been active on the VDMA’s Exhibition and Marketing Committee since 1993, which he chaired from 2005 to 2008.  
“Klaus always enriched the industry discussions with practical and future-oriented proposals and thus also advanced ITMA,” said Thomas Waldmann, Managing Director of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association. “We sincerely thank him and wish him all the best for this new chapter of his life.”

“We will miss Klaus as a colleague and as a manager because of his skills, character and his engagement,” added Monforts Managing Director Stefan Flöth. “He truly represents the Monforts commitment to our customers to be helpful, accurate, fast and reliable, and we keep him as a friend. I’m sure the many friends he made throughout the world during his career with the company will join us in wishing him all the best for his next phase of life together with his family.”

* Econtrol is a registered trademark of Dystar Colours Distribution GmbH.