About Quaker HoughtonTM
industrial process fluids
, continually improving and innovating so the world’ssteel
,aluminum
,automotive
,aircraft
,machinery
andindustrial parts manufacturers
can stay ahead in a changing world. Ourchemists
,engineers
andindustry experts
partner with our customers to continually improve their operations so they can run even moreefficiently
, even more effectively, whatever comes next.We are proud to serve the following industries:
METALS
Non-Ferrous
Steel
METALWORKING
Aerospace & Defense
Industrial
Transportation – Components
Transportation – OEM
Tube & Pipe
SPECIALTY
Can
Energy
Greases
Metal Finishing
Mining
Specialty Coatings
Quaker HoughtonTM Leadership
Michael Barry
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President
Michael F. Barry joined Quaker Chemical in 1998. On May 13, 2009, Mr. Barry was elected as Chairman of the Board, in addition to his current position as Chief Executive Officer and President which he has held since October 2008. Prior to this position, he was Quaker’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director – North America, beginning in January 2006. In that role, he was responsible for all aspects of the steel and metalworking/coatings businesses throughout North America, including two subsidiaries, AC Products, Inc. and Epmar Corporation. Mr. Barry was named Senior Vice President and Global Industry Leader – Metalworking and Coatings in July 2005 with responsibility for the Company’s global metalworking and coatings businesses through December 2005. From January 2004 through June 2005, he held the position of Vice President and Global Industry Leader – Industrial Metalworking and Coatings and, from 1998 through August 2004, he held the position of Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Mr. Barry joined Quaker from Lyondell (formerly Arco Chemical) where he was Business Director for its Americas urethanes business and also held various finance and line management positions. In addition to graduating from Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering, he earned a Master’s Degree with Distinction from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Barry serves as a Director of Rogers Corporation, a global technology leader in the development and manufacture of high performance, specialty-material-based products for applications in diverse markets. Mr. Barry also serves as a Director of Livent Corporation, a leading, global, fully integrated lithium company serving a diverse group of markets. In addition, Mr. Barry is on the Board of Trustees of The Franklin Institute, one of the oldest and most respected science museums in the country located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Michael Barry
Michael F. Barry joined Quaker Chemical in 1998. On May 13, 2009, Mr. Barry was elected as Chairman of the Board, in addition to his current position as Chief Executive Officer and President which he has held since 2008.
Prior to this position, he was Quaker’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director – North America, beginning in January 2006. In that role, he was responsible for all aspects of the steel and metalworking/coatings businesses throughout North America, including two subsidiaries, AC Products, Inc. and Epmar Corporation.
Click the image below to see each executive’s biography:
Joseph Berquist
Senior Vice President, Global Businesses & Chief Strategy Officer
Joseph A. Berquist joined the Company in 1997. Effective August 1, 2019, Mr. Berquist was named Senior Vice President, Global Specialty Businesses and Chief Strategy Officer. In this role, he is responsible for creating broad strategic plans for the commercial business segments, and ensuring detailed execution plans are aligned across the regions. The following areas fall under Mr. Berquist’s perview: strategic portfolio management, business and key account development, strategic marketing, and global marketing communications. Mr. Berquist is also responsible for management of the global businesses (can, coatings, grease, metal finishing, mining, and offshore). Prior to this position, Mr. Berquist served as Vice President and Managing Director, North America from April 2010 until July 31, 2019. From 2008 until 2010, Mr. Berquist held the position of Senior Director – Commercial, North America. From 2007 until 2008, he served as Industry Business Director, Metalworking/Fluid Power. Prior to that time, Mr. Berquist held a regional sales manager position and other key roles across Quaker’s Steel, Metalworking and Fluid Power businesses.
Prior to joining Quaker Houghton, Mr. Berquist held a technical manager position at AK Steel in Middletown, Ohio. He holds a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Youngstown State University and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University.
Joseph Berquist
Senior Vice President,
Global Businesses,
Chief Strategy Officer
Jeewat Bijlani
Senior Vice President, Managing Director – Americas
Jeewat Bijlani has served as Senior Vice President, Managing Director Americas since joining the Company on August 1, 2019. In this role, Mr. Bijlani is responsible for leading Quaker Houghton’s commercial business for North America and South America.
Prior to joining Quaker Houghton, Mr. Bijlani was previously with Houghton International from 2011 until July 31, 2019, where he served as the President, Americas and Global Strategic Businesses. Previously, he led Global M&A, Strategic Planning, and Business Development teams to execute Houghton’s growth initiatives with key customers and in business segments. Prior to joining Houghton, Mr. Bijlani was a Director in the Private Equity Group at Celerant Consulting where he led strategic and business transformation engagements in the Chemicals and Manufacturing sector. He led the Celerant team at Houghton from 2008 to 2011, driving the Operational Excellence program and post-merger integration of DA Stuart and Shell MWF into the Houghton organization. Prior to Celerant, Mr. Bijlani spent time in the commercial organization at Green Seed/FFB Group and Holcim International in Asia Pacific.
Jeewat Bijlani
Senior Vice President,
Managing Director – Americas
Mary Dean Hall
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer
Mary Dean Hall joined the Company in 2015. Effective August 1, 2019, Ms. Hall assumed the position of Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Ms. Hall’s responsibilities include managing the finance organization, corporate development, internal audit, enterprise risk management and insurance, and investor relations, as well as providing senior leadership to the IT organization. Prior to this position, Ms. Hall served as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, from 2015 until July 31, 2019.
Prior to joining Quaker Houghton, she was Vice President and Treasurer with Eastman Chemical Company. Prior to that role, she held various senior-level financial treasury positions of increasing responsibility with Eastman since 1995. Prior to Eastman, she held financial and banking positions with Nalco Chemical Company and various banks, including Citibank and First Chicago (now JPMorgan).
Ms. Hall also serves as a Director of Applied Industrial Technologies Inc., a leading distributor of bearings, power transmission products, engineered fluid power components and systems, specialty flow control solutions, and other industrial supplies, serving MRO and OEM customers in virtually every industry.
Mary Dean Hall
Senior Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer,
Treasurer
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Kym Johnson
Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources, Chief Human Resources Officer
Kym Johnson has served as Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources, Chief Human Resources Officer since joining the Company on August 1, 2019.
Prior to joining Quaker Houghton, Ms. Johnson was previously employed by Houghton International from 2015 until July 31, 2019, bringing over 23 years of experience in the chemical industry and 17 years of global human resources leadership. Prior to joining Houghton, she served as VP, Human Resources & CHRO of FMC Corporation. Ms. Johnson began her career as a chemist at FMC and advanced through successive human resources roles, including the leadership of HR for the Asia Pacific region in Shanghai.
Kym Johnson
Senior Vice President,
Global Human Resources,
Chief Human Resources Officer
Dieter Laininger
Senior Vice President, Managing Director – Asia Pacific
Dieter Laininger joined the Company in 1991. Effective August 1, 2019, Mr. Laininger assumed his current position of Senior Vice President, Managing Director – Asia Pacific, with responsibility for the Company’s Asia/Pacific region, specifically to lead, manage and grow the commercial business in the region. Prior to his current role, Mr. Laininger, served as Vice President, Managing Director – Asia Pacific from April 2018 until July 31, 2019, in addition to his position as Vice President and Managing Director – South America, a position he assumed in January 2013 and held until July 31, 2019. Mr. Laininger also served as Vice President and Global Leader – Primary Metals, a position which he assumed in June 2011 and held until July 31, 2019. Prior to his global roles, Mr. Laininger held a number of managerial positions within the Company’s EMEA Region, including Industry Business Manager for Steel and Metalworking since 2005; Regional Industry Manager, Steel from 2000 until 2005; and, prior to that, Sales and Key Account Manager, Steel.
Dieter Laininger
Senior Vice President,
Managing Director – Asia Pacific
Wilbert Platzer
Senior Vice President, Global Operations, Environmental Health & Safety & Procurement
Wilbert Platzer joined the Company in 1995. Effective August 1, 2019, Mr. Platzer assumed his current position of Senior Vice President – Global Operations, EHS and Procurement, with primary responsibility for the Company’s manufacturing, supply chain, purchasing and quality processes and assets. He is also responsible for the Company’s health, safety and environmental activities along with corporate social responsibility (CSR). Prior to his current role, Mr. Platzer held the position of Vice President Global Operations, EHS and Procurement from April 1, 2018 until July 31, 2019. From January 2006 until March 31, 2008, Mr. Platzer held the position of Vice President and Managing Director – EMEA, with primary responsibility for all aspects of the steel and metalworking businesses throughout Europe. From July 2005 through December 2005, he held the position of Vice President – Global Industrial Metalworking with responsibility for the Company’s global industrial metalworking, VAR, tube and pipe and can businesses. From January 2001 through June 2005, he held the position of Vice President – Worldwide Operations overseeing the Company’s global manufacturing, purchasing, quality, logistics, health, safety and environmental activities. Prior to that, he was Managing Director and Director of Operations for the Company’s European business.
Wilbert Platzer
Senior Vice President,
Global Operations,
Environmental Health & Safety
Procurement
Dr. Dave Slinkman
Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer
Dr. Dave Slinkman has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer since joining the Company on August 1, 2019. Mr. Slinkman’s primary responsibilities include the oversight and strategic direction of research, technology and innovation.
Prior to joining Quaker Houghton, Mr. Slinkman was employed by Houghton International from 2012 through July 31, 2019, where he served as Vice President of Technology. Prior to joining Houghton, Dr. Slinkman worked for Nalco Chemical Company, where he served as global technology leader, overseeing global research in the areas of mining, colloidal technology, and analytical services from 2008 until 2012. Early on at Nalco, he held various positions including Manager, Research and Development for the finishing technologies group, which encompassed both metal working fluids and surface treatment products, and Technical Director for the paper chemicals group.
Dr. Dave Slinkman
Senior Vice President,
Chief Technology Officer
Adrian Steeples
Senior Vice President, Managing Director – EMEA
Adrian Steeples joined the Company in 2010. Effective August 1, 2019, Mr. Steeples assumed his current position of Vice President and Managing Director – EMEA, with primary responsibility for overseeing the Company’s commercial operations in Europe. Prior to his current role, Mr. Steeples held the position of Vice President, Managing Director – EMEA from April 1, 2018 until July 31, 2019. From July 1, 2013 until March 31, 2018, he served as Vice President and Managing Director – Asia/Pacific, with primary responsibility for the management of the Company’s China and SEA operations, as well as joint venture relationships in Australia, Japan and India. From March 2011 through June 2013, he held the position of Industry Business Director for Metalworking. From May 2010 through February 2011, he held the position of Manager, European and Global Special Projects. Prior to joining Quaker Houghton, he worked for the BP Group for 23 years, most recently serving as the BP/Castrol European & Asian Pacific Sales Director in Industrial Lubricants and Services during 2009 and European Performance Unit Leader Industrial Lubes and Services from 2002 through 2008.
Adrian Steeples
Senior Vice President,
Managing Director – EMEA
Robert T. Traub
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Mr. Traub joined the Company in 2000. Effective August 1, 2019, Mr. Traub was named Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Mr. Traub’s primary responsibilities include providing legal advice and overseeing the legal function for the Corporation on a global basis, with specialized focus in securities law, litigation, compliance and disclosure areas, and corporate development. Prior to his current role, Mr. Traub held the position of Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary from April 2015 until July 31, 2019. From March 2012 through March 2015, he served as the Corporation’s General Counsel. He has also served as Director of Global Corporate Compliance since January 2009, a role he continues to hold in his new position. From August 2000 until January 2009, he served as the Corporation’s Senior Counsel. Prior to joining Quaker Houghton, Mr. Traub worked for Penske Truck Leasing as business counsel. He possesses a J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law and a B.A. from Pennsylvania State University.
Robert T. Traub
Senior Vice President,
General Counsel,
Corporate Secretary
Legacy of Industry Firsts
Six years after the discovery of oil in Pennsylvania, we invented COSMOLINE, a grease like, waxy compound extracted from Pennsylvania crude oil, for lubrication and rust protection that is still in use today. We went on to win two awards for this product. The Franklin Institute honored us with a medal in 1874, and the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia honored us with an award in 1876.
For all the coolant that runs through your systems, did you ever wonder who developed this technology? Quaker Houghton patented the first coolant concentrate in 1916 and eliminated the need to ship the coolant with water.
In the heat treating industry, the No. 2 Soluble Quenching Oil is the reference standard. Quaker Houghton developed this technology in 1918.
Did you know that Quaker Houghton invented the first fire-resistant hydraulic fluid in 1954? This was at the request of the U.S. Navy and the product is used in military applications as well as in the food, steel, and automotive industry.
Rolling oils play an important role in the steel industry. In 1965, Quaker Houghton was the first to introduce a synthetic ester in a rolling oil, replacing the normally used natural animal oils like tallow and lard oil.
By being the first to gain approval in the US for a prelube product in 1985, Quaker Houghton allowed the American automotive industry to use one single product for both corrosion prevention and steel drawing, improving car body quality and simplifying processes.
In 1989, the introduction of QUAKEROL 400 DPD (defined particle size distribution) series of cold rolling oils impacted the steel industry by introducing a new shear stable emulsifier system based on polymeric emulsifiers resulting in good oxidation stability and improved evaporation .
In Metalworking applications, a versatile, multi-functional fluid would streamline the need for a different fluid for each process, reducing costs and waste and removing concerns of incompatibilities. Quaker Houghton first introduced Multi-Functional Fluids in 1995.
Do you know HOCUT 795? It is a staple in the metalworking fluids industry, especially well known for its biostable performance. Quaker Houghton launched this product in 1997.
With the invention of Acid Etch in 2006, Quaker Houghton revolutionized the etch process in the aluminum finishing industry with this flagship technology.
Five years ago, Quaker Houghton launched the innovative hot melt, a solid film lubricant in the automotive market, compatible with new alloys, pretreatment and adhesives and enabling innovative use of aluminum like never before in auto stamping.
As Quaker Houghton strives to develop game changing technologies and approaches is ingrained in our heritage, we will continue to enrich the Legacy of Firsts as part of our future.
Continually refine and innovate to deliver better and more efficient solutions.
R&D Investment = 2.8% of revenue in 2017