For Lorenzo Soldavini, science has always been a leading force in his life. Thanks to this passion, his expertise, innovativeness, communication skills, and customer-focused determination, he was named one of our 2020 Rainmakers!
‘Feeling’ the Way from Technician to Manager
After 10 years in the coatings industry and 15 years in the powder industry, Lorenzo joined PPG in 2018 as our technical manager for Powders, EMEA.
I was surprised about being named one of our
Rainmakers. Then honored and happy. I feel proud to have started as a technician in a small Italian chemical company and to now be in a managerial role at a multinational like PPG.
In his role, Lorenzo is responsible for delivering new products and supporting operations and customers. He believes in “seeing and feeling” the products to know how best to meet our customers’ needs.
This really is ‘my’ job – a role that permits me to use my technical competence as well as my people skills.
Supporting the Next Generation with STEM
Lorenzo has three key pillars in life and at work: math, physics and chemistry. Whenever in doubt, he goes back to these basics. That is why he’s keen that future generations learn to do the same.
Together with his sons, he’s a big fan of PPG’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) educational programs and even participated with his family at the last Night at the Da Vinci Museum in Milan, Italy.
Our educational focus on community engagement programs is driving in this direction, and I’m proud of it. I can’t wait to see us increase the frequency of such initiatives by doing some remotely!
Pushing Through Cutting-Edge Powder Technology
Recently, Lorenzo’s driving innovation was instrumental in launching and commercializing our High Edge Powder break-through technology in EMEA.
Machines and tools made of steel, like agricultural trucks, are often and mostly powder coated. But rust can get into its corners and bends and cause potentially serious damage.
As Lorenzo explains, the reason is that standard powder coatings are not “covering” these edges very efficiently. The formulation of High Edge Powder permits it to cover the sharp edges more efficiently, leading to significantly better corrosion protection.
But timing was also key to its success.
Time is crucial. Often, it is not possible to deliver a perfect fix promptly, but we were able to deliver a robust solution and solve a customer need quickly.
Lorenzo with EMEA technical team during a meeting in Felizzano in 2019; with powder technical managers from Kuala Lumpur and the USA in Pittsburgh in 2018
Faith in Science for the Future
Although the COVID-19 pandemic affected Lorenzo’s family significantly, as with everything in life, what keeps him positive during this time is his faith in science.
Science is telling us what to do to get through these months: social distancing, face masks, personal hygiene. I truly believe our medical scientists will find a vaccine or a treatment. It’s just a matter of time.
Lorenzo reminds us that it is a “temporary storm”. The innovations being implemented now will make us more sustainable for the future.
After being named one of PPG’s 2020 Rainmakers, he wanted to learn the origin of the term ‘rainmaker’ and found it means: a person who attempts to cause rain to fall, either by rituals or by a scientific technique.
I feel this is exactly what we should be doing in these days. Sticking to the techniques and procedures, so one day, we’ll be able to dance in the rain.