Unstoppable People - Dietmar Helker - Senior Technical Services Professional

Milliken’s Unstoppable People series highlights Milliken & Company associates who guide us to success and embody our values: integrity, excellence, innovation, sustainability, and people.

Dietmar Helker reminds us of the passion life-long interest can have on a career journey.

Dietmar has been working with Borchers: A Milliken Brand coating additives for more than 23 years, returning to work for the brand three years ago.  “I joined the technical service department for Borchers (as part of Bayer) in 1999  to work with their coating additives, driers, accelerators, and catalysts. Over the years, I moved into different functions within the research and development department and technical sales.

I have over 28 years of coatings knowledge, further reinforced by my time spent as a distribution salesperson for additives at Biesterfeld Spezialchemie GmbH, a shift supervisor for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) coatings at Hempel (J.W. Ostendorf),  working with polyurethane systems at Stockmeier UrethanesStockmeier Urethanes, and my many years working with Borchers additives in Langenfeld, Germany. I rejoined the Borchers team as a co-supplier manager in 2021.”

Dietmar, who holds a Bachelor Professional (CCI) of Chemical Technology and Operations, has worked across various roles within Borchers— which Milliken acquired in 2020- to enhance the brand’s coating additive, drier, and catalyst portfolio and to deepen the coating industry’s knowledge of existing products. He brings technical insight to paint and coating manufacturers as well as other raw material suppliers for coatings (i.e., resin and pigment manufacturers). “I work with coatings customers across a variety of segments, including paints, composites, printing inks, and adhesives, to enhance their formulation performance with Borchers products. I’ve also built relationships with raw material suppliers to incorporate our additives, driers, and catalysts into their starting point formulations that coatings customers use when formulating products for end users.

At the beginning of 2024, Dietmar stepped into a Technical Service Manager role, leading a team in Milliken's Langenfeld, Germany laboratory. "With our team here in Langenfeld, we work on a variety of technical projects for a number of major global players within various coating markets, including DIY, automotive, and industrial. We firmly position our products both in their existing formulations and new developments."

To most people, paint and coatings seem simple, but they’re actually quite the opposite. Color systems are very complex multi-layered systems that require in-depth knowledge. Dietmar and his team work with many types of paint and coatings systems depending on the market (i.e.,DIY, industrial, marine or automotive),  which all have different high requirements.

“We recommend solutions for our customers if they are experiencing issues in current or new formulations. We take on customer projects to help their formulations achieve optimal results, including higher gloss, increased jetness, higher transparency, better drying times, improved leveling, or reduced sagging. Whatever the ask, our role is to find solutions within our product portfolio that bring about better performance.

"In this new managerial role, my primary focus is to use my experience and knowledge to train the next generation of coating additives technical specialists. I enjoy the opportunity to help others  gain experience both in customer projects and internal studies."

Dietmar jokes, “I’m married to the coatings business. I’ve been here for more than 20 years. I love working with coating additives to find new solutions, and I’m always happy to come across new challenges in my work. And I’m grateful to have a global team that helps expand my own abilities.”

It’s the symbiotic relationship among Dietmar’s team that stands out. He can support his team in many ways, and others support him in return. “If I ever need help, I can call a colleague at any of our global locations. Milliken fosters a very open, collegial company.”

Want to join our team of #UnstoppablePeople? Visit our careers webpage to learn more about your next opportunity.

Do you know an Unstoppable Person you’d like to recognize? Nominate them at [email protected].