Extrusion International 2-2023-USA

31 Extrusion International 2/2023 Partnership Strengthened and Expanded ENTEK and Brückner Group USA sign agreements for 18 battery separator film production lines. ENTEK, the only US-owned and US-based producer of ‘wet-process’ lithium-ion battery separator materi- als, continues to invest in the future of the US lithium battery industry. To support the growing US electric ve- hicle and energy storage demand, ENTEK announces it will decisively expand production capacity in addition to its earlier announced 1.4 billion square meters per year project which was selected for a Department of Energy grant award. Agreements for 18 separator film produc- tion lines have been signed with Brückner Group USA. Rick Pekala, ENTEK CTO, shared, “we will create Ameri- can jobs producing lithium battery components, using the most advanced technologies, and meeting the clean- est environmental standards in the world. Brückner’s newest generation biaxial stretching film equipment to- gether with ENTEK’s material science, coating, recycling, and separator production expertise fulfils this mission.” Karl Zimmerman, Brückner Director of Sales & Mar- keting added, “this extraordinary partnership fills us with great pride. As two pioneers join forces, we know we will build something outstanding together to create innovative, sustainable, and reliable plants for battery separator films in America.” ENTEK www.entek.com Brückner Group USA www.brueckner-usa.com/en Karl Zimmerman, Rick Pekala, and Sebastian Lange, Brückner Vice President Film Division, celebrate the ENTEK Brückner signing Personalia – New CEO OMV Technologies, a leading innovator and manufacturer of closed-loop, turnkey, inline extru- sion, thermoforming and tooling systems, has named Gary P. Kooper (Picture) as its new CEO. Kooper succeeds former CEOMark Strachan, co-owner of the company, who now assumes the role of Chief Innovation and Technical Officer, a title that speaks well for his leader - ship experience and focus on the sheet extrusion and thermoforming industries, with an emphasis on sus- tainability and recycling. “Mark will be focusing on inno- vation, R&D, and building out our training and education programs, capitalizing on his passions for the industry,” says Brooke Maltun, Pres- ident of OMV. She adds that bring- ingKooper on as CEOwas a strategic decision and he brings with him 33 years of experience in the industrial and consumer packaging industries. Prior to his role with OMV Gary held various leadership positions with Sonoco Products Company. “He worked closely with the OMV team during his time at Sonoco, oversee- ing high-speed tray production on two state-of-the-art RM77s and was very impressed with the speed and advanced technology.” Kooper’s experience ranges from small and large format thermoform- ing, coating, in-line and off-line ex- trusion in the food and non-food packaging sectors to supply chain, procurement, training and develop- ment, and operational excellence. He aims to incorporate his mantra, “Simplify, Focus, and Execute,” into OMV Technologies’ "No Machine Left Behind" strategy to reignite and strengthen the company’s brand. “OMV is globally recognized as a turnkey solutions company in the thermoforming and extrusion space, which is a real point of dis- tinction,” says Kooper. “With ad- ditional focus on education and expanding technical and leadership skills, we can take center stage in the industry we have helped ad - vance for more than 60 years. “My experience in the global plas- tics industry was centered around people, machine reliability, and low- est cost to produce, including mean- time between failures and PM's, unscheduled down time, quality of goods produced, and material utili- zation,” he continues. “OMV has a great story, and I am confident that strengthening and aligning our ca- pabilities in these areas to the needs of our customers and providing so- lutions will bring a positive impact both short- and long-term.” OMV Technologies www.omvtechnologies.com (Credit: KM Behind the Lens)