Matthew Decker Email and Phone Number

Provide technical vision and leadership for the global Consumer Fabrics (COF) business. Work collaboratively with both the COF business teams and global & local technical leaders/associates to develop and deliver on business needs and plans

• Led new process and product development for intermediate materials for multiple business units• Drove successful derivative product development for Filled-ePTFE fiber applications • Managed and implemented continuous improvement projects across several processes and operations• Provided technical support to multiple value streams and was responsible for maintaining technical relationship with the downstream business partners• Maintained stable and capable processes for GORE (R) REMEDIA(TM) and filled-ePTFE fiber intermediates• Negotiated specifications for and qualified external processing of critical raw materials

CHEG432 - Chemical Process Analysis (Senior Design) Lecture• Co-developed and taught curriculum for “Product Design and Engineering” lecture series for senior design course (CHEG 432)• Taught Stage-Gate(TM) approach to product development and focused on understanding product needs, translating needs into quantifiable engineering targets, creating and evaluating a technically feasible design, and implications of design in creating robust manufacturing• Highlighted differences in economics between traditional chemical process analysis and product engineering as related to theories of cost and value• Introduced tools such as Product Concept Statement, Product Attribute Matrix, Value Chain Assessment, Quality Function Deployment, Business Opportunity Analysis• Provided overview of intellectual property creation and managementCHEG432 - Chemical Process Analysis (Senior Design) Project• Developed and sponsored an original, semester-long "Product engineering" design project for senior design course (CHEG 432) • Advised and mentored five student teams (15 students) as they worked to generated a technically feasible product design for (a) a membrane distillation unit for potable water product (2012) and (b) an affinity chromatography column for therapeutic protein separation (2013, 2014, 2016) based on hypothetical technical, sales, and market information. • Students were expected to use the processes and tools introduced in lecture module to assess an initial market opportunity, develop a technically feasible design, and make a recommendation on whether or pursue the business based on technical and economic assessments.