Testimonial by François

A research engineer in the Industrial processes modelling group, François has progressed to become group leader. A job that brings together technical and team management expertise.


"The job of group leader is primarily to support a team," François summarises.

Within the Industrial processes modelling group, he now manages a dozen colleagues. "I divide up the studies among the researchers, and I take part in the contacts with our customers, plants or other Saint-Gobain R&D centres. My job also includes administrative and team management roles. In addition, I have kept a research activity and I am responsible for a study on the modelling of fibre-forming processes for glass wool."

François also travels in France and abroad, to meet with other teams in the other R&D centres and production plants. "Taking measurements in a plant at the beginning of a study, for example, or taking part in industrial trials or validating solutions on the spot at the end of a project is part of the modelling work."

And to keep abreast of the latest advances in his field, maintaining links with university laboratories and in particular finding ideas for exploratory research, he attends lecture-talks and takes part in international conferences. "These then give rise to reports, and help inform the other researchers of Saint-Gobain Recherche who might be interested."

Finally, his job involves contacts with many Saint-Gobain entities. "It is a particularity of the Industrial processes modelling group of working with virtually all the industrial activities of the Saint-Gobain Group," François insists.

"Our customers are also sometimes other Saint-Gobain Recherche departments. For example, we work with the thin films department on the modelling of the magnetron process which applies thin films to the glass. And we also work in constant collaboration with the IT department since we use a great deal of digital simulation."