The VDI Association of German Engineers has appointed Dr. Guiscard Glück, Vice-President – R & D Engineering Plastics Europe, BASF SE, as the 48th member of the Strategy Circle for Plastics Technology. The honor was bestowed during the Strategy Circle’s spring symposium on 13 May 2022 in the Eifel region, Germany.
In his laudation, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Hopmann, Head of the Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV) in Industry and Trade at RWTH Aachen University and himself a member of the Strategy Circle since 2017, praised the achievements of the 48th „Plastics Knight“. With Guiscard Glück, he said, a personality is being included in the Strategy Circle who lends the chemical industry a voice. In view of the discussion about the sustainability of plastics applications, this will be of increasing importance, said Hopmann. In addition, Guiscard Glück’s distinctive international network and his particular commitment to research and development were also decisive factors in his appointment to the Strategy Circle. Hopmann also emphasized the many voluntary activities of the new member. Among other things, Glück is active on the exhibitor advisory board of the K trade show, on the editorial advisory board of the magazine „Kunststoffe“ and as a board member and trustee of several important plastics institutes.
Glück, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, joined BASF in Ludwigshafen in 1996. His achievements include the development of Neopor, an insulating material patented in 1997 that is a further development of BASF’s classic Styropor. By enriching the material with graphite particles, it was possible to significantly improve the insulating properties of the foam. In 2001, the development was awarded the BASF Innovation Prize. Another milestone in Guiscard Glück’s work for BASF is the establishment of the so-called Creation Centers in 2019, an integrated concept in which BASF’s Performance Materials division pools its expertise in developing product solutions and offers developers and designers an open and creative platform for collaboration. Creation Centers now exist at BASF sites around the world, including in Japan, China and India.
Guiscard Glück’s appointment to the VDI Plastics Technology Strategy Group was sealed with the symbolic „Knightly Accolade“ on 13 May 2022 at Nideggen Castle.
The VDI Strategy Circle for Plastics Technology is a technical committee of the Plastics Engineering Department within the VDI Group Materials Engineering. The aim of the Strategy Circle is to analyze and develop relevant trends in society, industry, research and teaching, and to create networks in the field of plastics technology. It advises and supports the Plastics Technology Advisory Board of the VDI in its work and carries out its own activities for this purpose. The members of the VDI Strategy Circle for Plastics Technology are the „Knights of Plastics Technology“. They are pioneers and leading personalities from plastics industry and the science. The VDI Strategy Circle for Plastics Technology was founded in Bamberg,Germany, in 1972 and celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022.