Karl Zuercher has bagged the 2015 PLACE (Polymers, Laminations, Adhesives, Coatings, and Extrusions) Division Leadership and Service Award and Andreas Ahlbrandt Prize by Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI), the leading association for the worldwide pulp, paper, packaging and converting industries in the US.

The award recognizes Zuercher’s outstanding leadership and exceptional service, which has resulted in significant and demonstrable benefits to PLACE Division members.

Zuercher has graduated from NTB Interstaatliche Hochschule Für Technik Buchs in Switzerland with Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a post graduate degree in plastics processing and engineering. He began his career as a member of the DOW Performance Plastics R&D/TS&D department at Dow Europe GmbH in Switzerland. He is currently retired, having taken his leave from his most recent position at Dow Europe as a principle research scientist in July, 2013, according to a TAPPI press release.

TAPPI will honour Zuercher at the Biennial TAPPI European PLACE conference in Nice, France in May.

Through information exchange, events, trusted content and networking opportunities, TAPPI helps members elevate their performance by providing solutions that lead to better, faster and more cost-effective ways of doing business. It has provided management training and networking to the industry’s leaders for almost 100 years. (GK)