Anne is the Research and Development Leader with Invista Specialty Materials. Currently in the process of creating a new type of nylon, Anne’s team researches and develops new technologies and materials for consumers. Although her background is heavily based in math and science, Anne’s position calls for high levels of creativity and innovation.
Transcript
>> My name is Ann Gaffney, and I'm a research chemist for Invista. And we're situated here in Newark, Delaware. So I'm a leader of an R&D group who are designing a new nylon material and a new way to make the nylon. So we are trying to create new technology, new materials for consumers, and working off of the existing knowledge base, and then also involving creativity, new approaches. And we just recently had a major discovery on a whole new area of chemistry. So it calls for a lot of innovation and creativity. So the team leader, so basically I have this project to lead, the technology component, the business component, the discovery. And I have a team of scientists, engineers, analytical chemists, working with me. So I'm not really a manager, per se, they're not my direct reports, so I lead by influence and getting their time and commitment and drive behind the project. And I do lab work, so I have a couple labs and do experiments in labs and measurements. And we also do chemical engineering skill, design work, computer design work, to take something from literally a bench top like your kitchen table up to a manufacturing size plant. So we have what we call stage gating, so it's a way to keep a project organized and moving forward. So we recently had the discovery this fall in September, and we realize it has a great value to the company in terms of net present value. That's it the leading project for specialty materials now. And so we're building up the concept of the technology, how to take it from literally a little vile up to a manufacturing site. So it calls for a lot of chemistry engineering, financial planning, doing calculations, you know. What does this mean for the company as an investor; am I going to get a good return? How will you compete against the marketplace? How is your product differential and how will it have an impact? How will the market grow over the next few years? And what share of the market can you get? So it pulls for, you know, a lot of planning and touching on many different aspects.
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