New MD for Niro within GEA Group

Roland Luchte has taken over from Martin Koch as the Managing Director of GEA Niro - Buck, now headquartered in Mullheim, Germany

Niro and Buck, members of the GEA Pharma Systems group, manufacture a range of high containment valves for the safe transfer of active and toxic ingredients for pharmaceutical processing.

Martin Koch, the previous MD, will stay with the company to focus on research and development operations.

Roland Luchte, the new MD, is a chemical engineer who has been with the GEA Group for over five years, previously working with GEA Jet Pumps in Ettlingen, handling the sale of gas scrubbing equipment.

He joined GEA Niro - Buck on the 1st January at the same time as GEA created a separate H-Division to bring together all the companies within the GEA Group that specialise in serving the pharmaceutical industry (Buck, Courtoy, Niro, Lyophil, Aeromatic-Fielder and Collette).

"My main focus will be to increase sales," Roland explained: "We have market leading products and we are continually looking for new applications within the pharmaceutical industry".

The products he refers to are primarily the high containment valve range including the new BuckValve MC, a new concept in high containment valves that makes the transfer of active ingredients or chemicals between IBCs (Intermediate Bulk Containers) much easer and less expensive than has been possible in the past; and the HiCoFlex technology, a self-locking coupling which allows highly sensitive or toxic powders and granules to be transferred safely from flexible sacks into the manufacturing process or vice versa.

Recently the company has introduced its Hicoflex ZL (Ziplock) to the market intended for non-dusty applications and a high containment version that combines both the standard HiCoFlex SL and the HiCoFlex ZL technology for additional exposure protection.

Martin Koch had been the MD for GEA Buck Valve for 6 years.

His new appointment takes him back to his more familiar innovation roots.

"This is what I did before," he said: "My job is to constantly develop new products for the containment industry".

Specifically Martin will be working on the new generation of Buck split valve technology.

"We are happy with our containment level," explained Martin: "The challenge now is to aim for easier operation with the best possible reliability and make the valves less expensive".

Roland Luchte was confident that the GEA Niro - Buck history of innovation will continue commenting: "What we are trying to do sounds like a tall order but if anyone can do it, Martin Koch can".

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