New Leadership for the Materials, Compounding, and Extrusion Education Group at SKZ

Mathias Ruckdeschel, a long-time SKZ trainer, has been in charge since July

Ruckdeschel had already been working at the Plastics Center during his studies before joining the BMCE education group as an instructor in early 2019. There, he was responsible for the technical development of numerous training programs in the fields of materials science, plastics chemistry, and compounding and extrusion technology.

His projects included, among other things, the revision of the courses “Fundamentals of Plastics Chemistry” and “Modification of Plastics Formulations.” In addition, he developed new continuing education programs on current industry topics, such as the regulatory requirements surrounding PFAS. With the first online course on materials science from the SKZ Studio, he also played a key role in advancing the digitization of the educational offerings.

“We are very pleased that Mathias Ruckdeschel is taking on this role. Thanks to his many years of experience at SKZ and his close ties to the industry, he is ideally suited to successfully further develop the education group,” says Johannes Rudloff, Head of the Materials, Compounding, and Extrusion Division at SKZ.

The BMCE Education Group covers a broad range of educational offerings across the plastics processing spectrum—from materials science to compounding and extrusion to thermoforming processes.

“For me, the combination of an understanding of materials and practical application is an essential key to successful continuing education,” explains Mathias Ruckdeschel, BMCE Group Leader at SKZ. “Especially when it comes to complex topics, it’s crucial to convey chemical, physical, and technical relationships in a way that keeps them understandable and allows them to be applied to specific operational challenges.”

Focus on Internationalization and Practical Continuing Education
For the coming years, Ruckdeschel foresees a growing need for continuing education, particularly in light of regulatory changes. Companies must not only navigate the legal aspects of new requirements—such as recycling rates, packaging regulations, or PFAS—but also implement them technically and economically.

“Companies are currently facing the challenge of implementing new legal frameworks from both technical and economic perspectives. To do this, the necessary skills must be developed in a targeted manner. Continuing education thus becomes a decisive factor for competitiveness,” says Ruckdeschel.

Another focus of his work will be on expanding the international training portfolio. At the same time, in-house training programs are to be made more flexible and even more closely aligned with the individual needs of companies. By incorporating specific operational issues, knowledge transfer and process optimization can be directly linked.

Further information on the Plastics Technology course offerings
Further information on the Compounding & Extrusion course offerings