Interview: Stefan Dreger, President EMEA, HS

Welcome to Impact Coatings Stefan. What are your thoughts about the organization that you have joined?
I’ve spent the first months learning as much as possible about Impact Coatings and cultivating good relationships with the team I’ll be working with. There is a strong experience and know-how here based on more than 20 years of research and evolutionary development, which originally stems from electrical contacts, today evolved into hydrogen applications. I have a great first impression about the company set up in general, the available expertise, and products, and I am convinced that Impact Coatings has the potential to become a major supplier for coating solutions in the hydrogen market.

What does your background look like before joining Impact Coatings?
Before joining Impact Coatings I worked with Robert Bosch GmbH for more than 10 years in different roles such as sales, strategic marketing, and business development.

My most recent role was as Senior Sales Manager for Hydrogen Solutions. In this role, I was facing new customers with no long-lasting business relationships. It was crucial to develop an agile acquisition and project team which could cope with the dynamic demands from the hydrogen market.

This exciting task am I now continuing at Impact Coatings with a more entrepreneurial mindset to grow our organization and sales to reach our goals.

What do you feel is the potential for hydrogen solutions and how do you feel Impact Coatings’ solutions fit into the picture?
I am convinced that hydrogen is a key element to reaching future climate goals and achieving a successful transition to a CO2-neutral industry. The global hydrogen market is anticipated to grow at a considerable CAGR within the next years, supported by global and national hydrogen strategies and legislative regulations. The whole industry has finally crossed the tipping point towards the industrialization of this technology.

I expect Impact Coatings with its unique Coatings Services, solutions offering, and strategic global presence in fast-growing markets to be a solid partner to help both newcomers and global players to cope with the challenges of transitioning from fossil-based technologies to emission-free hydrogen solutions.

What are your own personal drivers for being part of this global technology shift?
To fight climate change, hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources has high potential and every opportunity to become a major pillar of any decarbonization strategy. Working in this dynamic market environment whilst ensuring to fulfill our customer needs is part of my DNA as a sales professional. Therefore participating in this journey, while helping to form and grow a company like Impact Coatings, motivates me every day.

What is next on your agenda now?
To comply with our global growth strategy, it is important for me to increase the recognition of Impact Coatings and grow sales in the EMEA region to become one of the major partners regarding coating solutions for hydrogen applications. To achieve this, a solid understanding of the global hydrogen market and the needs of our customers will be key for successful collaborations and matching customer needs.

For me and for Impact Coatings the focus for the upcoming year will be to extend our coatings solution portfolio for fuel cells and electrolyzer applications, to continue to develop the next generation coating machine, and to increase coating service capacities in the EMEA region.

Therefore, I would like to invite everyone in the hydrogen environment to contact me to discuss and evaluate how we can support your organization with the optimal coating solution and service models matched to your needs today and in the future.