People in composites: July 2024

Dufour Aerospace Appoints New CEO

Sascha Hardegger (left) takes over from Thomas Pfammatter (right) as CEO of Dufour Aerospace.

On July 2, Dufour Aerospace (Zurich, Switzerland), a drone and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company, announced the appointment of Sascha Hardegger as chief executive officer (CEO), effective Aug. 1, 2024. Hardegger succeeds Thomas Pfammatter, a co-founder of the company who led it as CEO for 7 successful years. Pfammatter will continue to serve as head of strategy, and as a member of the board of directors.

“In the coming months and years, we will strengthen ties with our partners, ensure market entry and build up production,” says Hardegger. “The development and engineering that are fundamental to our progress will always remain crucial to Dufour. I look forward to shaping and supporting these processes as CEO and to working even more closely with our employees — our most important stakeholders. We would not be where we are today without Thomas’ visionary leadership, and it’s great to have his support in the future.”

Hardegger previously served as Dufour’s chief commercial officer, joining the company in 2021. He has 12 years of experience in helicopter emergency medical services, and search and rescue at Swiss Air-Rescue Rega, a helicopter rescue organization and air ambulance provider. There, as a member of management and head of helicopter operations, he led Rega’s innovations in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and its drone program. Educated at the University of Zurich, Hardegger has worked as a journalist, as a media spokesperson for the Swiss Federal Department of Justice and Police and on peace-keeping missions abroad for the military. He is a pilot of a variety of aircraft.

Pfammatter will remain actively involved in Dufour Aerospace, supporting the company with his operational experience and business network as a co-founder, and as a long-time, still-active rescue helicopter pilot with Air Zermatt.

“Dufour Aerospace’s tilt-wing technology has proven its potential,” says Pfammatter. “It was an honor to lead the company from its initial development of the concept through to the development and launch of Aero2, our automated drone. Sascha has proven to be the leader the company needs for the next phases of development, and I am happy to support the board and the management of Dufour Aerospace in my future strategic role.”

Toray welcomes European managing director

Toray Advanced Composites (Nijverdal, Netherlands) announces the appointment of David Bernard as its European managing director, effective July 3. Bernard takes over the position from Erik Delnoij, who has decided to pursue a career outside Toray.

Bernard, who joined Toray Advanced Composites as general manager and director of the Langley Mill, U.K., site in 2016, brings a wealth of expertise and insight to the position. With more than 30 years of experience in the composites industry, his knowledge spans operations, sales, technology and senior leadership across Europe and North America.

David Bernard, Toray Advanced Composites European managing director (left) and Scott Unger, global CEO (right).

“I’m honored to succeed Erik in the position of managing director for Toray Advanced Composites in Europe,” says Bernard. “Together with our leadership team, I’m excited to build on a strong foundation of operational and technology excellence which is deep within our company DNA.”

According to Scott Unger, CEO, “David is an exceptionally strong leader, and coupled with his deep knowledge of composite material technology, operational excellence and commercial acumen, is ideally suited to grow and develop our European business. His background in both aerospace and industrial markets aligns with our strategic vision to drive innovation and growth across these sectors.”

Bernard's appointment follows the recent announcement of changes to Toray Advanced Composites’ North American and global leadership teams, including Unger’s appointment as CEO and Steve Cease’s appointment as managing director USA, global chief technology officer and North American managing director this past spring.

OSG USA hires director of national accounts

OSG USA Inc. (St. Charles, Ill., U.S.) has appointed Bart A. Carter, as director of national accounts. With more than 25 years of experience in sales and marketing, Carter brings a wealth of expertise in strategic business planning, team development and customer satisfaction.

Bart A. Carter, OSG USA director of national accounts.

OSG USA Inc. is a comprehensive cutting tool and cold forming products provider. Carter is recognized within the cutting tool industry as a senior sales executive and business development strategist with a proven track record of driving results in profitable sales growth and margin enhancement. His areas of expertise include profit management, revenue generation, talent development and national account management.

Throughout his career, Carter has consistently outperformed market expectations, earning multiple awards and leading various sales and marketing teams. He holds an MBA from Kent State University and a BSBA in marketing from the University of Akron. He has also pursued continuous education at Texas A&M, Chicago Booth School of Business and various sales training programs.

“We are thrilled to welcome Bart Carter to our team,” says Jeff Tennant, president of OSG USA. “Bart’s extensive experience and strategic vision will be invaluable as we continue to expand our national accounts presence and drive growth.”

Bart Carter is also an active volunteer, and has served as ISA chairman, as well as holding various leadership roles within the ISA board of directors and YEF.

New R&D appointment strengthens FET wet spinning team

Fibre Extrusion Technology Ltd. (FET, Leeds, U.K.) has continued the ongoing process of strengthening its R&D team with its latest addition, Charlotte Witts, who is currently studying for a degree in chemistry at Nottingham University and will work at FET for a 12-month period. She will continue her studies in chemistry as distant learning modules while also working at FET.

FET designs, develops and manufactures extrusion equipment for a wide range of high-value textile material applications worldwide. As Witts has a particular interest in textile technology and is keen to expand her knowledge at the cutting-edge of the industry, the appointment is beneficial in all respects.

Charlotte Witts.

“I’m excited to be joining the team at FET and getting stuck in to the role,” Witt says. “Sustainability is a big passion of mine, so I’m looking forward to learning how FET develops new technologies that support the textile industry in this endeavor. I hope that my previous studies within this area will help to foster new ideas.”

Furthermore, FET has a development policy of bringing young people into the industry and has invested heavily in recent years to this end, helping to address the skills gap in the U.K. textile industry. The company’s R&D department comprises 10 scientists and engineers who work closely with customers on process development and new product trials.

Witts will be focusing on the wet spinning process. Over the coming year, she will focus on spinning a number of bio-sourced polymers (e.g., alginate, chitosan, gelatin and recombinant proteins). These materials require a strong scientific understanding of the underlying chemistry to successfully produce a high-quality yarn. Furthermore, FET regularly gets customer requests to conduct trial work on these materials to de-risk the equipment purchase process.

DITF announces new head of Center of Management Research

Dr.-Ing. Thomas V. Fischer.

Dr.-Ing. Thomas V. Fischer is taking over the management of the Center of Management Research at the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF, Denkendorf).

Fischer completed his doctorate in 2000 on cooperative innovation management in the textile value chain. His research work was funded by the DITF with an EU scholarship. He then worked as a research assistant at the Center of Management and was appointed deputy head in 2017.

His research focuses on innovation management, innovation methodology, knowledge-based systems, digitalization, Industry 4.0, sustainability and the circular economy. The trained mediator has conceptualized and carried out numerous national and European research projects. Since June 2024, he has been coordinating the EU project BioFibreLoop with 13 partners from nine countries with funding of €6.8 million.

“With Thomas Fischer, the course for the further development of the Center of Management Research has been set in the best possible way. We look forward to continuing our collaboration,” said Professor Dr. Michael R. Buchmeiser, chairman of the DITF executive board.

Professor Dr. Meike Tilebein.

Fischer succeeds Professor Dr. Meike Tilebein, who headed the Center of Management Research for 13 years. In this role, she bridged the gap between university and application-oriented research for the digital and green transformation of the textile industry.

Tilebein is leaving the DITF at her own request to work on new interdisciplinary research areas at the University of Stuttgart, where she heads the Institute for Diversity Studies in Engineering.

Lingrove appoints new sales director for ekoa products

Lingrove (San Rafael, Calif., U.S.) has appointed Sherri Simko as Sales Director to expand the sales network for ekoa high-performance wall protection, eco-veneers, panels, and soon, acoustic products across the northeastern United States as well as to expand national accounts. Simko joins a quickly growing team, which has more than doubled in the past year to accommodate the strong demand for products from the ekoa plant science platform.

Sherri Simko.

Prior to joining Lingrove, Simko served as the Director of North American Sales for Carl Hanson. She brings more than 20 years of experience in leadership roles for manufacturers of design-driven products. Simko is also on the Board of Be Original Americas and is the co-chair of Catalyst, an IIDA NY Committee engaging in design-based service programs as an outreach to nonprofits and organizations to serve communities with needs.

“This is a pivotal time for the future of the built environment: sustainability and health are a must for design with integrity,” says Simko. “And I am honored to become part of the Lingrove team and to share how ekoa is a proven solution for contributing to cleaner air using plant-based natural fibers in architectural applications.

Joe Luttwak, CEO of Lingrove, adds, “As we grow our Lingrove team with
world-class talent in architecture and design, we are thrilled that Sherri has joined. She brings a commitment to high design and quality products that align perfectly with our company and mission.”

KraussMaffei Corp. to appoint new president

After five successful years at KraussMaffei, Nolan Strall, President of KraussMaffei Corp. (KMC, Florence, Ky., U.S.) in America, is leaving the company at his own request on Aug. 31, 2024, to pursue new professional challenges. Over the next few weeks, he will hand over to Brett Greenhalgh, Vice President of Administration and Finance, who will manage KMC’s business from Sept. 1, 2024, onwards.

Nolan Strall hands over to Brett Greenhalgh, from left Brett Greenhalgh, Nolan Strall, Jörg Stech.

According to the company, Nolan Strall was promoted to President of KMC in 2022 after serving as Vice President Operations & Service at KraussMaffei for two years, during which time he achieved significant milestones in the U.S. market. He has been instrumental in KraussMaffei's growth in the U.S., strengthening the company’s service business and opening up new industries and customer groups for KraussMaffei, particularly in the aerospace sector. He has also initiated cooperations with universities and driven forward joint research projects with Clemson University in South Carolina, NIAR Institute (National Institute for Aviation Research) at Wichita State University and the University of Dayton Research Institute.

Strall says, “I would like to thank all my colleagues for this special time, the excellent collaboration, and the privilege of leading our US team through the last five years. In Florence, we have built a great team of leaders. Together, we have restructured our business to a customer and technology first focus, opened up new markets and have provided our industry with innovative solutions and the best service, even in very difficult years. It has been a great honor to support and lead the team in North America strategically and operationally as President.”

Jörg Stech, Managing Director of KraussMaffei Technologies (KMT), says, “I would like to thank Nolan Strall for his great commitment and performance. He has significantly strengthened our position in the US market, given us access to new industries and achieved great financial success. Nolan has strategically built up his US team, supported and inspired them to achieve top performance so that we can seamlessly build on KMC’s successes. We wish him all the best for his professional and personal future.”