Industry Veterans to Lead Bekaert’s Expansion into New Markets and Product Development Initiatives

The company has appointed Rémy Rochard to General Manager and Product Market Manager for Sputter Products, Bart Verlinden to Technology & Key Learning Manager for Sputter Products and Wilmert DeBosscher to Applications Manager. These management changes reflect the growing demand worldwide for Bekaert’s market-leading sputter products – which include, rotatable cylindrical magnetrons, sputter targets and end blocks, and will strengthen the company’s sales and customer support efforts throughout Asia, Europe and North America.

“Because of the long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships we have established with customers worldwide, Bekaert’s business continues to grow substantially, both in existing and new markets,” said Rémy Rochard, General Manager and Product Market Manager for Sputter Products, Bekaert. “Bart, Wilmert and I look forward to using our combined technical, marketing and industry expertise to continue the Bekaert tradition of delighting customers by delivering unmatched service and the most innovative sputter products to lower the total cost of ownership for large area display and glass coaters.”

Rémy Rochard, General Manager and Product Market Manager for Sputter Products

Rochard joined Bekaert as in 2004 as part of the company’s strategic acquisition of Solaronics, which strengthened Bekaert’s position in the global industrial applications market. With more than 23 years of technical and international management experience, Rochard has played a key role in research and development efforts, developing, implementing and managing global marketing and sales strategies and creating long-term partnerships with Bekaert’s valued customers. In his new role, Rochard will be responsible for the management of the sputter products team worldwide, from research and development to customer sales and support.

Rochard received an MBA from EM Lyon program and his engineering degree from ICAM Lille.

Bart Verlinden, Technology & Key Learning Manager for Sputter Products

Verlinden joined Bekaert from Agfa Gevaert NV, and brings with him more than 20 years of experience in research and development. Verlinden will be responsible for process control and best practices in all advanced coatings plants worldwide, as well as managing the company’s global R&D efforts. Verlinden will head several R&D teams focused on a variety of areas, including sputter hardware and target development, vacuum and coating equipment engineering and vacuum web coatings for optical, electrical and magnetic thin film applications.

Verlinden has more than 171 patents filed as inventor or co-inventor in such fields as thin glass applications and new construction methods. Verlinden received his Executive MBA from the University of Antwerp, and his electromechanical engineering degree from University of Leuven.

Wilmert DeBosscher, Applications Manager

De Bosscher will be in charge of defining innovative large area coating solutions that contribute towards the fulfilment of the existing customer needs while anticipating future customer needs. With almost 20 years of experience in research and development, DeBosscher will coordinate the dialogue between the company’s marketing and sales teams and the research and development organization to realize and validate the best fit-for-use products in their desired application context (e.g. for specific architectural, optical or display coatings). Prior to his new role, DeBosscher managed the company's world wide R&D and key learning efforts.

DeBosscher received his Ph.D. in experimental physics from Ghent State University, and holds a B.Sc. in solid-state plasma physics. De Bosscher is also the author of more than 70 scientific articles and holds more than 25 patents.

Sputtering is a vacuum coating process and one of the core methods for depositing thin films on glass. Bekaert works closely with its customers to enable them to upgrade from planar to rotatable technology and offers lower cost of ownership through longer production runs, faster coating deposition and a more complete use of coating material. Bekaert has built its experience in the sputtering technology field through its own plastic foil coating for window film and industrial applications. Bekaert was the first to bring rotatable targets to market and has successfully partnered with customers to develop the most advanced and complete sputter equipment to effectively use these targets for glass coating lines worldwide.

Industrial customers who execute a coating process for applications such as architectural and automotive glass (including Low-E and solar control films, and anti-reflective coatings), display glass and photovoltaic glass, can significantly benefit from adopting Bekaert’s sputter solutions and technology. Customers can also rely on Bekaert’s world-class customer support and leading research and development.