Robert Welford has been appointed as Xeikon’s new vice president of research and development. He will also join the company’s leadership team when he takes on the role from 1 October.
Mr Welford will run the research and development department, which includes engineering, ink and toner competence centres, print process and the project management office. He brings several years of experience in R&D in the automotive industry including product development, project and programme management and leadership.
Since leaving the automotive industry, Mr Welford has been associated with the printing industry for 18 years holding numerous positions including chief engineer at Fujifilm Electronic Imaging and director of R&D at Xaar. In his latest position as director, programme management office at Xaar, he was responsible, amongst other things, for co-development programmes in both America and Asia.
Benoit Chatelard, president and CEO, said, ‘In the rapidly evolving printing industry, and with the challenging roadmap Xeikon is pursuing to broaden and strengthen its product portfolio over the coming years, strong R&D leadership is crucial. Rob’s broad experience in R&D, manufacturing engineering and programme management at an international level, and his genuine enthusiasm for technology and engineering, will help us drive efficiency, product development and the company group dynamic to the next level. We look forward to seeing his skills in action and to him bringing fresh thinking to the leadership team, product development group and the company as a whole.’
Mr Welford added, ‘I am thrilled to be joining Xeikon at a pivotal time in the company’s evolution. We have a unique opportunity to leverage our capabilities in ink formulation and digital workflow. That, together with the opportunities provided by the consolidation and acceleration of the existing toner product portfolio and markets, means the company’s future is extremely exciting.’
