Page 28 - Glass-Technology International no. 3/2018

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Printing machine manufacturer THIEME
Thieme GmbH & Co. KG, based in
Germany’s South Baden, has reor- GENERATION CHANGE IN SALES
ganised its sales activities. As a result,
the responsibilities for the Decorative Manager Oliver Beck. This strategy
and Functional printing segments was also reflected in the new distribu-
have changed hands. tion of responsibilities in the areas
The end of 2017 was also the end of of Decorative, Functional and Glass
an era at Thieme: Jürgen Weischedel, printing. “This enables us to effec- cal applications. In the Glass Print
former figurehead of the sales depart- tively leverage our expertise in each segment to print architecture and
ment and a driving force behind the market.” automobile glass, white goods and
success of the medium-sized print Thieme offers both screen printing technical glass. In the Functional
machine manufacturer, retired in and digital printing machines for Print segment, functional layers
December. Now, it is time for the the three market segments above such as adhesives, seals or conduc-
younger generation to move up – or based on a uniform machine plat- tive materials are applied to various
rather, the next two generations: form. Thieme printing systems are substrates. These industrial produc-
Jürgen Sexauer, aged 50, assumed used in the Decorative Print segment tion steps are required, for example,
responsibility for the Decorative Print to print signs, displays, membrane for manufacturing sensors or cylinder
segment while the Functional Print keypads, and many other graphi- head gaskets.
activities were taken over by 28-year
old Nicolas Jahr. Customer projects
within the Glass Print segment have GLASSTEC 2018
been managed by Christian Sch-
weickert since 2011. Overall print XXL GLASS AS KEY THEME
system sales have been managed by
Oliver Beck since 2011 who is also XXL glass will be a key theme to inspire designs in architecture at this year’s edi-
responsible for the global key ac- tion of glasstec, taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany 23-26 October.
counts. Over the last few years, the topic of larger glass sizes for design and aesthetics has
Jürgen Sexauer, who joined Thieme become popular. Lengths of up to 18 metres are now possible and one company
in September 2017, has extensive already has its sights set on the 20-metre mark in 2018.
knowledge and a wealth of experi- Glass manufacturers such as Sedak, Thiele Glas, AGC Interpane and Saint-Gobain
ence in the area of offset printing are now able to produce 18 x 3.21 metre glass and Sedak is already envisaging
which he will now apply in his new 3.51 x 20 metres from mid-2018.
responsibility for the Decorative Print Depending on the customer’s preferences, the finishing of XXL glass involves the
segment. Jürgen trained in the area same stages as any other glass: processing (i.e. cutting, drilling and edge treat-
of marketing and media technology ment), pre-tensioning (partial toughening, safety tempering and heat soak testing),
and has many years’ sales experience. ceramic printing (web-feed and digital printing), coating and laminating. AGC
Nicolas Jahr, a mechanical engineer, Interpane and Sedak are currently both in a position to make multi-pane thermal
has vast technological know-how glasses up to 3.21 x 15 metres.
and international project experience. The XXL glass exhibited at glasstec 2018 will be multifunctional: specially cut,
He joined Thieme in July 2016 and curved, bent, with striking printing and can be dimmed as little or as much as
has since been focussing on the area required.
of Functional Print. As a member of XXL glass focuses on edge seals and sun protection. At least one edge is limited to
the “Digital Natives” generation, the a length of 3.2 metres, so that the deadweight for larger glass increases dispropor-
progressing digitisation and intercon- tionately on the narrow side, due to the manufacturing process. Depending on the
nectivity in the printing industry is a mounting of the glass onto the façade, the bond on the edge seal must achieve far
topic very close to his heart. more to ensure structural stability and to satisfy the need for impermeability.
The generation change is accompa- For XXL glass, switchable glazing is a smart solution, which will address glare,
nied by a new alignment of Thieme’s aesthetics and wind load. Switchable glass technology makes it possible to trigger
sales activities: “Going forward, the tint actively or passively. The most promising solution is currently the active
we will focus less on regional sup- electrochromic variety, such as E-Control glass, with internal and nanostructured
port and increasingly on the various coating. The glass turns blue when a low voltage is applied, creating the so-called
market segments,” explains Sales ‘electrochromic effect’.

26 Glass-Technology International 3/2018

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