After completing a PhD in a physics laboratory, Xavier joined Saint-Gobain Recherche as a research engineer in the Thin Films Department.

"I wanted to work for an industrial group," Xavier explains.



"As a major French research centre, I was immediately interested in Saint-Gobain Recherche." He therefore applied and in 2010 was taken on as a research engineer.

"I am currently working on two studies at the same time. One is on the quality of the surface of glass and its influence on the thin films that are applied to it. This is a very diverse project that involves many Saint-Gobain research centres in Europe. The other seeks to understand the impact of specific thin films on the quality of the end product."

A research technician assists in all the handling stages: the deposition of thin films, optical and mechanical characterisation of the films, thermal treatment etc.

Finally, his role also includes other activities. "I am in charge of one of the coating machines. I am also involved in stock management, breakdowns or contacting partners who deal with the maintenance of the machine. And I also take part in sharing knowledge within Saint-Gobain Recherche. We meet very regularly to find out about the various projects and the progress of the other teams in the thin films field."

A variety of work that he enjoys and which characterises his work. "At Saint-Gobain Recherche, we enjoy considerable autonomy and significant resources to enable us to successfully complete our research. In addition, we work in very practical areas: making a change in the laboratory can result in improvements for the general public in industrial quantities."

 

A research engineer in Saint-Gobain Recherche's Textile Solution Group, Erisela is working on several studies on fibre-glass technical textiles.






"The studies on which I am working are intended to improve acoustic comfort in the home, or to make fitting wall coverings easier", Erisela says. She is currently involved in numerous projects within Saint-Gobain Recherche.

"Some are designed to improve the acoustic performance of wall, floor or ceiling coverings. For this, we are exploring several avenues, such as optimising the physical and chemical properties of the materials: their behaviour to the passage of air for example. Others consist of improving the ease and efficiency of fitting wall coverings."

Commissioned by Saint-Gobain Adfors, these studies are consistent with market needs in terms of wall coverings and acoustic panels. Although one of the studies should lead to a product being marketed in the course of 2011, other projects are still at the research stage.

 

Applied Mathematics Group Leader, Alessandro manages a team of 7 people. Their mission: solving problems involving mathematics for all the activities of the Saint-Gobain Group.




Alessandro began working for Saint-Gobain Recherche in October 2004 and he now leads the Applied Mathematics team. "We apply mathematics to a wide range of subjects," he says.

"We help the other research teams to optimise new products in respect of several criteria, by improving their shape, composition or manufacturing process. We also help them in the preparation of their experiments so that they extract as much information as possible from their measurements. In addition to R & D issues, we work with the logistical, financial and marketing departments by applying mathematics to sales forecasts, plant production planning, optimising stock inventory and the flows of raw materials and finished products, etc."

Activities that lead Alessandro's team to have to communicate with many people in the group in several countries and on different topics. "We are the only applied mathematics team for the whole of the Saint-Gobain Group, bringing together people with very different profiles: mathematicians, physicists, engineers etc." he adds. "Our mission is also to seek and develop new techniques and find applications for them for the Group."