Dear Readers,

My name is Aurélien Elias; from July this year I am your new contact partner for French-speaking Switzerland. I would like to introduce myself in this Newsletter.
I was born on May 15, 1980 in Castres (Tarn) in the south of France. After achieving my A-levels in science I studied in Toulouse for two years before moving to Dijon (Burgundy), where I completed my studies of materials science; I additionally obtained an MBDA degree in sales and marketing.

I worked for a manufacturer of optical instruments where I was responsible for international marketing support. Thanks to intensive cooperation with industrial and scientific experts I was able to gain knowledge which now benefits my present customers.

With KRÜSS I have been customer support specialist for southern France since 2006. Moreover, I support our customers in France and Great Britain with application measurements and technical support. Since July 2007 I have also been responsible for our services in French-speaking Switzerland.

I have taken over customer support from my German-speaking colleague, Dr. Thomas Skrivanek. From native language contacts we hope to provide our customers in this region with even better service. KRÜSS is represented directly in France – this means that after the change in customer support specialist there is still a direct contact. I am very often in the western Alps and would be pleased to be able to introduce myself personally.
I look forward to visiting you and to lively discussions on surface science.

Katrin Oetjen, our new colleague in the application laboratory, introduces herself.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to introduce myself as a new employee of KRÜSS. My name is Katrin Oetjen and I have been working in the KRÜSS application lab since March this year.

I was born and grew up in north Germany. When having passed my university entrance exam my love of science led me to study food chemistry in Münster. After the second state examination and a six-month practical course in Switzerland my work took me back to the north.

In the Federal Fishery Research Institute in Hamburg my work was primarily concerned with chromatographic analytical methods and I developed methods for GC and HPLC. Method optimization was also my main activity when working for a manufacturer of baking agents, where I was able to extend my range of experiences to include quality assurance, product development and production.

Diversity and variety make my new job attractive for me. In addition to working with high-precision instruments, the factor that attracts me to KRÜSS is the multi-facetted field of the chemistry of phase boundaries. On top of this there is the range of different types of problems that promote and extend our competency. I am pleased to be able to make a contribution to answering your questions and, together with Ms. Bilke-Krause, our Application Manager, am also pleased to be one of your contact partners.

At the A-TESTex in Moscow

The Russian economic upswing is also noticeable in the chemical industry. KRÜSS has reacted to the increasing requirements for laboratory instruments and has made contact with customers from the newest G8 member state. There were numerous opportunities for this at the A-TESTex in April 2007 in Moscow.


At the fifth trade fair for laboratory equipment, measuring and testing instruments to be held about 300 international exhibitors faced very knowledgeable expert visitors. The fair, which is important for this economic sector, had a lot to offer from the scientific viewpoint with about 40 papers, seminars and roundtable discussions. In addition to new business relationships, KRÜSS also profited as an exhibitor from the fruitful discussions about highly-specialized application problems.