• Portrait
23 July 2020

Portrait of Nicolas VANNIEUWENHUYSE

For the second item in the “Portraits” series, we would like to present to you a technical profile of someone in our team. We are going to meet Nicolas VANNIEUWENHUYSE, Manager of the Design Department based in La Chevrolière (France)

Tell us about your career at ARMOR

I started at ARMOR almost 20 years ago as an inkjet formulator before taking over inkjet R&D two years later.

After several years in the department, I joined the thermal transfer business to oversee the industrial aspects of implementing in-line inspection systems (detecting coating defects, in-line weight detection and safety monitoring of atmospheres within the coating machine dryers).

Since 2008, I have been responsible for 2 major projects:

  • The first was to develop the industrial capability of our Chinese subsidiary by leading a multidisciplinary and multinational project team;
  • The second involved the diversification of our business towards OPV (organic photovoltaics) by coordinating the relationships between our industrial and institutional partners (such as universities).

Having supported the first technical-commercial initiatives, I now coordinate the Design Department dedicated to OPV at ARMOR.

What are your main objectives within the ARMOR solar power films team?

The objectives vary greatly:

  • Supporting the Business Development team with new projects/customers by answering technical questions and offering potential solutions;
  • Coordinating the launch of projects (internal or external) developed by a design team composed of project managers, engineers, technicians and designers;
  • Ensuring the availability of resources necessary for the realization of projects;
  • Helping to coordinate our R&D and production teams;

What type of projects are you working on at the moment?

We are working with numerous customers and partners on projects that cover a wide variety of applications:

  • ASCA® Sensor projects, for which the OPV properties offer both high levels of performance and differentiation, such as in low light environments;
  • Bespoke incorporation of OPV to meet the requirements in construction and transport, for example;
  • Prototypes to validate development potential before large-scale deployment;
  • Prospecting and qualification of system components.