PEOPLE WATCH
New CEO for SMS Innovation Hub
On its mission “ to develop a climate-neutral and sustainable metals industry ”, SMS group is driving its innovations forward and establishing an Innovation Hub for future technologies . The new unit aims to “ accelerate tomorrow ’ s technologies and develop them to market maturity .”
As part of this , there will be new responsibilities in its management as of 1 May 2023 . Hans Ferkel , CTO and Member of the Managing Board since 2019 , will lead and build up the new SMS Innovation Hub as CEO . His successor as CTO on the Managing Board will be Thomas Hansmann , who was recently responsible for the metallurgy business of SMS group as well as CTO of SMS subsidiary , Paul Wurth .
“ With the establishment of the Innovation Hub we will give selected technologies the focused attention and acceleration that we need to be successful in the market ,” explained Edwin Eichler , Chairman of the Supervisory Board , SMS . “ Hans Ferkel is the ideal person to use his broad expertise for this .
Former Bank of England chief economist and head of the Royal Society of Arts , Andy Haldane , will chair the Industrial Board at University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre ( AMRC ) in the UK for the next three years .
The AMRC is a centre for research into advanced manufacturing technologies used in the aerospace , automotive , medical and other high-value manufacturing sectors . Part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult , it works with manufacturing companies of all sizes ( from SMEs to global giants of industry ) to help businesses improve productivity and save time , money and energy . The purpose of the Industrial Board is to advise on the topics for the AMRC ’ s research and development roadmap , ensuring that its work focuses on the right challenges and opportunities for industry .
“ Andy Haldane brings a wealth of experience that will help shape and set the strategy for the AMRC , and the might of its 120 industrial members , on where to put its horsepower and innovation in the future to help the UK manufacturing sector grow ,” commented the AMRC .
“ In my role [ of chief executive ] at the Royal Society of Arts , manufacturing and commerce is in the spirit of how we regenerate people , place and planet through creativity , innovation and business . What better fusion is there of these things than here at the AMRC ? There is
Hans Ferkel ( left ) and Thomas Hansmann ( right ).
Thomas Hansmann will bring his longstanding technological and metallurgical experience to the Managing Board .”
SMS group offers future-oriented technologies and service for the metals industry . The company has 150 years of experience and generates worldwide sales of around 3.3 billion euros . Paving the way for a carbon-neutral and sustainable metals industry is the company ’ s stated goal . As a global player with German roots , SMS has 13,500 employees . n
www . sms-group . com
Industrial Board Chair confirmed for University of Sheffield AMRC
Andy Haldane ( right ) visits AMRC ’ s facilities in Sheffield and Rotherham , UK .
no secret to success economically , socially or environmentally . It comes from combining the very best of innovation with a partnership way of working that straddles the public and private sectors and wider communities . That ’ s how growth has been nurtured in every country on the planet since the industrial revolution . The AMRC is the model for that ; pushing the frontier of innovation through partnership working ,” added Andy Haldane .
Haldane , who studied economics at the University of Sheffield , was appointed as the head of the Levelling Up Taskforce in 2021 for the Department for Levelling Up , Housing and Communities , under UK Secretary of State Michael Gove . In 2022 , he was appointed as chair of the UK Government ’ s Levelling Up Advisory Council . n
www
. amrc . co . uk
Robert Fink joins Predisys Inc .
Predisys Inc ., a global provider of quality control and analytics software , has hired Robert Fink to serve as executive vice president for the Americas . The company , which has offices in Finland as well the U . S ., specialises in developing quality control , data management and analytics software solutions .
In his role as executive vice president , Mr . Fink will drive the development and implementation of strategic sales and marketing initiatives for Predisys in the Americas as well as interacting with the Predisys team in Europe . He will also oversee Predisys ’ s partnership with Microsoft , which is a key component of the company ’ s proprietary analytical suite which is now transactable within the Microsoft Azure Marketplace . He will be working with MSFT account reps to market and promote the Predisys solution to prospective clients and MSFT clients .
“ Rob ’ s background and experience in technology-driven companies enables him to understand wide-ranging business challenges and identify the best applicable solutions to solve and drive change ,” said Ari Pihlajavesi , Predisys CEO and founder . “ His ability to understand today ’ s business environment and needs will allow him to formulate strategic corporate strategies that provide organisational focus and drive innovation .”
Robert Fink has experience in problem resolution ( specifically through the creation , customisation and deployment of technology to solve issues ) and custom software development , sales and support . Before joining Predisys , he served as chief growth officer for Surgere , an Ohio-based company specialising in IoT supply chain management . He previously served as the COO of a national service company and was vice president of technology for Real Time Intelligence ( RTI ), where he managed a development team and served as the solution architect and sales lead .
Predisys was founded in 1996 in Finland . Its solutions have been employed in manufacturing plants across North America , Europe and Asia . The company operates in the U . S . with an office in Andover , MA , as well as in Finland . n
www . predisys . com
10 | ismr . net | ISMR June 2023