Effective January 1, 2026, the Plastics Center (SKZ) has restructured its management. The reason for this is the growing importance of the SKZ in the areas of research, education, testing, and certification.
Clear responsibilities in the SKZ companies
Dr. Thomas Hochrein, previously managing director of SKZ-KFE gGmbH and SKZ-Testing GmbH, is taking over the management of SKZ-Holding FSKZ e. V. from the chairman of the board, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Bastian. Hochrein will continue to be responsible for SKZ-Testing GmbH. He is handing over the management of SKZ-KFE gGmbH entirely to his previous deputy, Dr. Benjamin Baudrit.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Bastian will focus on his duties as Chairman of the Board of SKZ in the future. The responsibilities of Dipl.-Ing. Robert Schmitt remain unchanged; he will continue to head SKZ–Cert GmbH and the management system certification business area.
Reinforcement from within
Dr. Giovanni Schober is joining the management of SKZ-Testing GmbH. The former head of customer and project management will support Dr. Thomas Hochrein in the product certification, monitoring, and testing business area. With this restructuring, SKZ is focusing on internal expertise, experience, and continuity. The aim is to strengthen the further development of the individual companies and offer partners a reliable management team.