MacDermid Enthone brings in Heather Nelson for new automotive initiative

MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions has recently appointed Heather Nelson as Director of displays and in-mould electronics (IME), as part of its new automotive initiative, which aims to provide customers with a single source of information and access to the latest state-of-the-art integrated technology.

Nelson brings significant industry expertise and electronic engineering knowledge to the role and will help develop the emerging automotive displays and IME category.

“Displays and IME have become key components in the automotive industry, as there is a noticeable shift from fossil fuels to electric vehicles, driving the need for weight reduction wherever possible," said Nelson. "With an increasing emphasis on connectivity, reliability and user experience, demand for displays and IME is growing fast.

"The role of the new displays and IME initiative will be to bring the expertise we have in automotive decorative coatings and electronics across both MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions and MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, to become the go-to supplier for materials and process expertise throughout the display and IME stack. We hope to achieve this by shaping the development of test methods and processes for this emerging technology.”

“It is an exciting time to be involved in the automotive sector, as we help influence this growing market*. Our aim is to become the leading company for displays and IME solutions, and become recognised as the automotive specialists across the full supply chain. By supplying multiple materials across the stack and providing design and process support, we can simplify both the design and production lifecycles – helping customers to get it right first time while reducing yield loss.”

The new recruit will be responsible for bringing together a team from across the MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions and MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions business units, to work with OEM/Tier 1 partners recognising key market needs and identifying gaps where the displays and IME product group can use its innovation expertise to add value. In addition, the team will be focused on carrying out programmes with partners and highlighting material science activities for R&D. Heather brings 10 years’ experience as an electronic design engineer to the team and has recently completed a DPhil in electronic engineering at the University of Oxford.

Well established in their respective markets, MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions has a long history of supplying high performance materials coupled with expert technical support to the automotive industry and its supply chain. MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions is a world leader in materials used in circuitry and electronics. The new displays and IME product group will be a major strategic initiative to meet future technology demands, bringing together a range of integrated market solutions to power innovation forward in the automotive market.

*This comment is made to reflect the longer-term growth of the automotive market which in the last 10 years has seen a CAGR of some 3.5%.