People in Composites: January 2023

Strongwell names new director, research and development

Strongwell (Bristol, Va., U.S.) announces the promotion of Bhyrav Mutnuri to director, research and development (R&D), reporting to the vice president (VP) of sales and engineering. Mutnuri replaces Joe Spanovich, who recently retired from the position after more than 30 years of service with Strongwell.

In his new role, Mutnuri gains responsibility for the daily operations of Strongwell’s corporate lab, oversight of Strongwell R&D efforts and management of trial and test programs through the management and assignment of staff and utilization of resources. In addition, he will work closely with customers and potential clients to commercialize new custom products for Strongwell.

He began his career with Strongwell in 2018 and most recently served as product development engineer. Prior to his tenure at Strongwell, Mutnuri had many years of experience in the composites industry with an emphasis on manufacturing using pultrusion, testing and mechanical characterization. He also played a key role in improving process effectiveness and product quality and oversaw major R&D efforts at another pultrusion company. Mutnuri also worked for West Virginia University (Morgantown) as an engineering scientist, and the Advanced and Applied Polymer Processing Institute (Va., U.S.) as a research associate.

Mutnuri holds a Bachelor of Technology in mechanical engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (Hyderabad, India), and a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from West Virginia University. He resides in Bristol, Tennessee, with his wife and son.

He is a member of several industry and standard committees including Load and Resistance Factor Design where he is currently a voting member, ASTM International where he is chairman of D20.18 – Reinforced Thermoset Composites, Cooling Tower Institute, Pultrusion Industry Council and Fiberglass Grating Manufacturers Council.

“Strongwell is proud of its earned reputation as world leader in pultrusion and pultruded composites, and the responsibility to maintain and grow that reputation is not one we take lightly,” David Oakley, Strongwell’s president and CEO, says. “One of the keys to our success is the emphasis we place on R&D activities. Bhyrav’s promotion to director of R&D is a good fit for his skill set and keeps us on track with the numerous projects in the works and customers we support. We are all excited for what Bhyrav is going to accomplish in this role.”

 

New sales director joins Norco Composites team 

Norco Composites (Poole, Dorset, U.K.) announces the arrival of Carl Partridge, the company’s new sales director, responsible for driving sales and business development.

Partridge brings with him an extensive background in sales, as well as expertise in program management, operational planning, continuous improvement and manufacturing engineering. With a demonstrated track record in diverse industries such as aerospace and defense, medical, oil and gas, energy and automotive, Norco is confident that Partridge will be a valuable asset to its team.

Prior to joining Norco, Partridge served as a business development consultant, where he connected high-performance design and manufacturing businesses with customers in the defense, aerospace and composites sectors. He has also held roles as head of business development, U.K. business development manager, business development manager and senior project manager.

In addition to his professional experience, Partridge has also served in the Royal Navy.

 

Umiles Next appoints chief technology officer

Umiles Next (Madrid, Spain) has appointed Gustavo Rodríguez as chief technology officer (CTO) to step up the growth of its technology department. Rodríguez is an aeronautical engineer from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) with various aeronautical technology patents to his credits, and more than 20 years of experience in the aeronautical and aerospace industry, as well as in consultancy.

Before joining Umiles Next, Rodríguez was senior technical manager at Altran (today Capgemini), a French multinational technology consultancy, and was CTO at Ecosat Airchips (León, Spain).

As CTO, Rodríguez will design and implement the technology department’s strategy to support business growth in the urban air and ground mobility of the future, working closely with the Umiles Next management team.

“I am delighted to be part of this ambitious project and to spearhead technology growth at Umiles Next with the support and experience of a very talented team,” Rodríguez says. “As I embark upon this challenge I am convinced this will be a great year for the company; a year in which its technology capabilities in the mobility sector will scale new heights.”

Rodríguez will be reporting to Carlos Poveda, CEO of Umiles Group. His appointment is the latest milestone in the company’s growth strategy and commitment to talent, and comes on the back of further recent appointments to the company’s management teams; Oscar Lara was appointed chief operating officer (COO) in September 2022 and Manuel Valenciano as product director/head of engineering and automation in November 2022.

TFP commits to sustainability with new staff appointment

Technical Fibre Products (TFP, Burneside, U.K.), a manufacturer of advanced nonwovens and electrochemical materials, has announced the appointment of Rob Musgrove as commercial director of TFP Ltd. and TFP Hydrogen Products, and president of TFP Inc.

Musgrove commenced his post in January 2023, bringing with him a wealth of commercial experience in the materials sector in markets including electronics, construction, transport and industrial. He has a strong leadership background, with previous senior roles including sales director and global key manager at 3M (Saint Paul, Minn., U.S.).

“It’s an exciting time to be joining the TFP Group, where there’s a clear appetite for sustainable growth,” Musgrove says. “I look forward to engaging with new colleagues and partners to develop TFP’s position as a leading advanced materials company, delivering unique and innovative solutions for our customers.”

Based in the U.S., Rob will oversee the commercial activity across TFP’s sites globally, accelerating growth in sectors including renewable energy and the hydrogen economy, both of strategic importance in TFP’s vision to enable a cleaner, greener future. In the next five years the aim is for the majority of TFP’s sales to come from applications that support the global drive to net-zero carbon emissions, enabling the energy transition. 

According to TFP Group Managing Director James Gravestock, “2023 is set to be an exciting year for both TFP and TFP Hydrogen as the businesses strive to deliver unprecedented growth and strengthen our commitment to serving industries that support a cleaner, greener, safer world.”

 

Covestro announces new U.S. executive leadership

On Jan. 18, Covestro LLC (Pittsburgh, Pa., U.S.) announced that Samir Hifri will take the reins as chairman and president at Covestro LLC, effective July 1, 2023. In this role, Hifri will lead the U.S. operations of the global materials company, succeeding Haakan Jonsson, who will retire after 30-plus years of service with Covestro.

“I’m both humbled and grateful for the opportunity to lead and work alongside the talented U.S. team, as we continue to advance the company’s vision of becoming fully circular,” Hifri says. “In some ways, I feel as though as my own career has come full circle, as this next chapter brings me back to Pittsburgh, where my Covestro journey first began.”

Hifri joined the company in 1998 as a commercial trainee at Covestro’s U.S. headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Since then, he has led a diverse career spanning product management, sales and marketing, supply chain and country management — a path that has taken him to 10 Covestro sites across six countries and three continents. Hifri currently serves a dual role as the senior vice president and managing director of Covestro Hong Kong, as well as head of the Supply Chain & Logistics Center for the Asia-Pacific region.

Hifri graduated from Duquesne University (Pittsburgh) with a bachelor’s degree in international finance, and he also holds an executive degree from INSEAD (France). Hifri is married with four children, and, in addition to his professional responsibilities, remains active in a number of community and academic functions.

“With his passion for people, deep knowledge of Covestro’s global business and strong ties to America, Samir is well suited to lead the U.S. organization into the future,” Thomas Toepfer, CFO at Covestro and member of the Board of Management, adds. “On behalf of the Board of Management, I want to exend my congratulations to Samir and also to recognize Haakan for his many contributions to Covestro. Haakan steered the U.S. organization through one of the most challenging and transformative periods in our history, while continuing to foster a more diverse, inclusive and innovative culture.”

Since joining the company as a scientist in 1992, Jonsson has led a distinguished career paved with more than 20 patents and leadership roles spanning innovation, supply chain and production operations. He assumed his current role in January 2020, quickly having to shift gears from the normal course of business to safely sustaining U.S. operations in the face of a global pandemic. This was one of many achievements marking Jonsson’s tenure — an era that also oversaw the U.S. integration of the resins and functional materials business (acquired from DSM) and the launch of the Covestro Circular Economy Program at the University of Pittsburgh. Through it all, Jonsson remained an actively engaged board member serving numerous organizations across the Pittsburgh community and broader U.S. chemical industry.

“I’ve been fortunate to have led a long, fulfilling career with Covestro, which culminated in the ultimate privilege of leading the first-class team here in the U.S.,” Jonsson says. “As my own Covestro journey comes to a close, I am confident that the U.S. organization will continue to grow and thrive under Samir’s capable leadership.”

Wisconsin Oven appoints general manager

Wisconsin Oven Corp. (East Troy, Wis., U.S.), a manufacturer of industrial ovens, has appointed Jeff Kent to the position of general manager. Kent has a long and successful career with Wisconsin Oven, spanning more than 35 years. He has played a crucial role in the company's continued growth holding positions in many areas of the business, from the shop floor and field service to executive management.

Kent’s experience encompasses all areas of manufacturing and sales within Wisconsin Oven. His previous positions include QA manager, VP of sales and marketing, VP of operations, executive VP and most recently, director of sales and service. His breadth of experience makes him an ideal fit for the general manager role, where he will oversee all local functions of Wisconsin Oven.

“I’m excited for Jeff to step into this role,” Greg Jennings, president and CEO, Wisconsin Oven, says. “He has significant experience within the industry and prioritizes the needs of both customers and employees. As we continue to find opportunities to better serve our customers and markets, Jeff will help to forge a path that keeps Wisconsin Oven as the leader in industrial oven design and manufacturing.”