New VIPA International President
In April 2024, Vladimir Pogač stepped into the role of President of VIPA International. Sebastian Baars (former President) will continue as Vice President together with John Balazs.We would like to thank our Executive Committee for their continued dedication to VIPA International.
Get to know the new President – Vladimir Pogač
Vladimir Pogač is from Slovenia, and he is an engineer by heart. He is always curious about new things, like innovation, and how to improve. Vladimir has a business mindset and describes himself as a true entrepreneur focusing on vacuum insulation panels.
Vladimir Pogač is the founder and Board member of Turvac which is a spin-off of Turna’s vacuum insulation division. “Even refrigerators play an important role when it comes to energy efficiency, thanks to vacuum insulation panels”, states Vladimir in an interview.
Vladimir Pogač has been working within the vacuum insulation panels sector for more than 15 years. He has seen many changes, especially related to the important focus on sustainability and becoming carbon neutral.
“Interest for vacuum insulation panels is growing year by year, but not as high as expected by the industry”, states Vladimir. “The COVID-19 pandemic was a true changing point for vacuum insulation panels. VIPs played a crucial role to help and support the transport of temperature-sensitive vaccines to every corner of Europe. This was the moment when VIPs showed the many possibilities of this technology and where producers showed their flexibility to a new reality. The VIP market is growing in various directions, requiring us to continuously learn and adapt. We are well-acquainted in areas such as refrigeration, construction, cold-chain logistics, and transportation.
However, newer sectors like the automotive industry and aerospace are emerging as promising opportunities. We as an industry highly support the still many unexplored areas where VIPs could make a difference. We must continue to invest in R&D and explore how to use vacuum insulation panels in different scenarios”, states Vladimir.
VIPA International will celebrate its 10th anniversary in August 2024. Why should companies or Academia join the association?
“We are the global voice of the vacuum insulation panel industry. We are a small industry and very niche. Therefore, we must stand together to promote our products and solutions. We need to increase our visibility among policymakers and across various markets. Vacuum insulation panels are a solution to many difficulties related to energy efficiency matters which is also one of the biggest political debates at the moment. Only together we can transform society and make it greener”, concluded Vladimir Pogač, the new President of VIPA International.