Please can you start by introducing yourself, telling us about your background and that of Michelman? I am the Group Marketing Director of the Industrial Manufacturing (IM) group at Michelman.
Michelman is a global developer and manufacturer of environmentally friendly and water-based advanced materials for industry including fiber/fabric sizing and various fiber surface treatments. Additionally, we offer solutions for the coatings and printing & packaging markets. Since developing the first water-based coatings for the paper converting industry, Michelman has evolved and diversified to meet the changing needs of its customers and numerous industries. In 2011, we formally launched our Fibers & Composites Global Business and now develop fiber sizing, binders and lubricants used by fiberglass and other reinforcing fiber manufacturers. We are the only producer of fiber sizing to have production facilities throughout the world and continue to make investments in our future.
My background includes over thirty years of engineering plastics, chemical intermediate manufacturing, fiberglass manufacturing, polymer composite component manufacturing, engineered wood release coatings and polymer science. I have worked for organizations such as LNP Engineering Plastics Inc., General Electric Plastics, Ticona Polymers Inc., Celanese, Johns Manville, and Arizona Chemical. I have commercialized numerous new products in the fields of plastics and composites while being a co-author of a patent in the field of polymer science.
In addition to my role of advancing and promoting our water-based technology, Michelman has provided me additional opportunities to play an active role in various industry groups such as the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing (IACMI), and the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Composites Division. I also actively work with university–industry collaborations to advance the composite industry forward with the development and commercialization of new products.
