We would like to introduce you to Eugene Veerkamp, senior Business Developer for the Sustainable Buildings program. Before Eugene started working at Brightlands Materials Center, he gained a broad working experience at Johnson Matthey where he was Commercial & Technical Manager.
We are very pleased having you Eugene, what made you decide to take the leap from Johnson Matthey to Brightlands Materials Center?
I am always looking for new opportunities and innovations. Johnson Matthey is seen as one of the leading companies in advanced glass materials for automotive and architectural glass. During my 22 years career at Johnson Matthey I was part of the development and sales of several new innovations for the glass industry. When visiting all these glass companies I saw the continuous growth in solar control and smart glass within the glass industry. This growth in solar control glass and the fact that Brightlands Materials Center is focusing on the reduction of CO2 and of the energy consumption in buildings, by new material developments and innovations for the glass industry made me decide to start working as a Business Developer for Brightlands Materials Center. It is an experience to be part of this energy transition.
What is your experience so far working at Brightlands Materials Center?
I started to work for Brightlands Materials Center as from the 1st of December 2017. As from the beginning it was obvious that within Brightlands Materials Center, and especially within the Sustainable Buildings program, we are working with experienced people with an huge amount of technical knowledge on nanoparticle synthesis, coatings, glass and foil applications, Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics (BIPV) etc. There is a clear focus on what we want to achieve technically, with a full infrastructure on lab equipment, and how we want to achieve it from a Business Developer point of view.
The fact that we work, besides a team of experienced senior scientists, researchers and lab technicians, also with students from several different universities makes Brightlands Materials Center a very nice place to work, where innovation is key. I believe that continuous investment in people and new innovations is key for a working environment and this dynamic is strongly present within Brightlands Materials Center.
Which interesting developments/trends in the sustainable buildings industry/glass industry do you see? In which way Brightlands Materials Center can make advantage of that trend?
This is a nice question, with lots of possible angles. Take the Paris Climate Act, with the demand for CO2 reduction and the ambition for cities and regions to become energy neutral. Or the reduction of ‘Groningen gas’, which will result in the demand of other energy resources. This will create a demand, from the commercial building industry, but also from the residential and public housing, for a different approach of building and renovation.
When focusing on the glass industry you see a clear trend in solar control glazing. Only the coated glass market already expects an increase in sales of 60-70% in 2024 compared with 2016. New coating developments, but also developments in laminated glass (polymer foils), developments in making solar cells (BIPV) more efficient and other (smart glass) solutions will move this development forward.
Within Brightlands Materials Center we are looking at new innovations in solar control coatings and foils and coatings which will make BIPV more efficient.
A good example is the main development within the sustainable buildings program of a thermochromic window. This window will keep the heat outside in the summer, but let the sun heat up your room in the winter, purely based upon the temperature outside. The fact that we are active in this field will create lots of opportunities for Brightlands Materials Center
Are there any exciting projects/events coming up in the next couple of months?
As a Business Developer the main task of my job is to create an interest within the glass and foil industry to take part in our developments and move forward our developments faster, together with a large network of innovators within the value chain.
That’s why I am very pleased with the fact that we participate at the world’s leading glass fair: ‘Glasstec’. All our (potential) customers will be present at this fair, including the full glass industry value chain. We will be able to present our developments and proposition to potential customers and partners and can follow up the discussions with our existing contacts, who will also be present. The Glasstec will take place from 23-26 October. You are all invited to visit us at Hall 10, stand H28.
I am convinced that with the current projects, the ongoing discussions on new projects and the fact that Glasstec will give us new opportunities we will be able to grow Brightlands Materials Center and move innovations forward. This will be done together with my colleagues from Lightweight Automotive and Additive Manufacturing.