Zurich, Switzerland
Passionate about fostering innovation and sustainability through technological leadership. With a strong background in strategic management, mechanical engineering, and digital transformation, I aim to collaboratively devise and implement new strategies. My goal, alongside a dynamic team, is to significantly reduce environmental impact through advanced solutions and digital advancements, ensuring a holistic grasp of economic, technical, and market-oriented opportunities for continuous growth. With an extensive track record in various industries and a penchant for learning, I continually strive to drive operational excellence and meet global market demands. - Experienced in leading development and technology departments, focusing on disruptive casting technologies and mechatronic systems. - Strong background in R&D strategy, resource planning, patent management, and personnel development. - Proven track record in delivering market-differentiating innovations with customer benefits from concept to market launch. - Extensive international intercultural leadership experience, with a focus on fostering technological excellence and operational efficiency. - Industry knowledge across yarn, clothing, steel, and packaging industries, with consulting activities in multiple challenging projects globally. - Comprehensive expertise in steering, prioritizing, and motivating resources to achieve organizational objectives.
Graf & Cie AG, a subsidiary of Rieter AG, is a globally operating company specializing in the development and manufacturing of key components for yarn production. With production sites in CH, NL, CZ, and B, Graf & Cie AG offers innovative solutions for optimizing yarn manufacturing processes for global markets. • Responsible for the development of specialized production machines and processes at various locations, as well as for key technology parts in carding, combing, and drawing machines and their service machines for the maintenance of technology parts. • Elaboration and implementation of the R&D strategy, including resource planning, patent management, and personnel development. • Realization of product innovations through interdisciplinary teamwork, to strengthen the market position and meet global customer demands.
Co-owner at OnyxPro GmbH, a company specialized in the development and distribution of fashionable, multifunctional clothing with integrated, patented electromagnetic microwave protection.
SMS Concast AG, a part of the globally operating SMS Group, is a market leader in continuous casting plants and electric scrap furnaces, offering cutting-edge solutions for steel production. • Assumed the role of Head of Development & Technology, focused on disruptive casting technologies and mechatronic systems from melting to rolled product. • Initiated the development of a process calculation program that significantly contributed to the "High Speed Casting" innovations. • Responsible for innovation and patent management, resource planning both internally and externally, and personnel development to promote technological excellence and operational efficiency. • Successful implementation and commissioning of innovative technologies and processes, strengthening the company's technological leadership position in the global market.
Responsible for new patents and developments, construction management through to commissioning and start-up, which included: • Defining, developing and leading multiple projects for high speed continuous casting. • Leading CTI project to develop a novel scheme to combine FEM and FVM into a single step to enable the simulation of continuous feeding multi-physic problems, without the need of transient calculations. Cooperation between ZHAW – NM GmbH – SMS Concast. • Development of a new efficiently cooled, compact and patented water-cooled roll CONCOR. For the first time, this enables the use of water-cooled rolls for double casting T profiles. The work included design, construction, workshop and inspection. Rolls were produced in over 2000 pieces in different sizes. • Development of a novel tool for the definition of the process of continuous casting, in addition to a fully automated program for 2D / 3D drawings with integration of FEM calculations of the steel solidification process; the program includes newly developed FEM algorithms, where the thermo-mechanic behaviour is modelled in a physical way with minimal necessary assumptions. The program can be used also by non-specialists. • We developed, designed and successfully started up the world largest caster from the mould to the withdrawal unit with a rigid dummy bar as starter piece for a combination caster with big section sizes for this starting system. • We developed for the caster mentioned before, a Dynamic Guiding Module, which for the first time, guides centrically different section sizes without deformation based on a regenerative locking system of hydraulic equipment. It has a maintenance interval above 2 years. First and very strong patent. • We developed the world’s largest double T profile mould of a width like a Smart car. • Consultancy and on site supervision for several sophisticated projects in Germany, China, France, Italy, Portugal, Czech and Spain.
Short stage engagement as development engineer during the start-up of Ideacorp AG in Switzerland, which purpose was the development of the technical procedures, for generating and acquisition of engineering patents. Engaged as consultant for development of major projects and project management, in addition to being temporary responsible for building-up and managing the company during the absence of the “Company Managing Director” due to health problems. • Consultant in the Nespresso project: Optimisation and improvements of the whole production and process line of Nespresso capsules, used in coffee machines • Improving the prototype of the filter applicator for Nespresso capsules • Research for the aluminium coatings for the Ultrasonic sealing machines to seal trough dirt and oil • Development of a measurement system for the peeling force of different sealing systems • Development of a self-adjusted ultrasonic sealing support, to reduce production losses, due to inhomogeneous sealing forces • Applied research on „Easy-Peel“ technology with adaptation to the new ultrasonic sealing technology • Development of an optical quality recognition system for the Nespresso capsules production