Norman Gilsdorf

2011 Co-op Hall of Fame Inductee

Co-op Alumnus

Norman Gilsdorf worked in various positions for UOP for 30 years, becoming senior vice president and general manager of the process technology and equipment business. In 2005, Honeywell acquired full ownership of the company and Gilsdorf transitioned into the role of vice president and general manager of Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS). HPS, part of Honeywell’s $14 billion Automation and Control Solutions business, is one of the world’s leading suppliers of automation and control systems. It also designs and develops the associated advanced software solutions that control and optimize refineries, oil and gas installations, pulp and paper mills, chemical, pharmaceutical, and power plants around the globe. HPS employs approximately 13,000 people located in more than 100 countries around the world. The company is famous for inventing the first distributed control system in the 1970s, called TDC 2000. Recent projects include designing and producing the flow-metering stations that transmit gas from Russia to Europe. HPS designed and built one of the world’s most complex automation control systems for the world’s largest gas-to-liquids plant. This plant will make clean fuels from natural gas. The company is also designing and automating one of the world’s first plants to convert biomass to clean diesel fuel. Mr. Gilsdorf is leading efforts to solve one of worlds grand challenges, energy.

Mr. Gilsdorf credits his cooperative education experience for catalyzing his career as an engineer. He enjoys the combination of problem-solving and diversity he has experienced through an internationally focused engineering career.

Degrees

B.S. '77, Chemical Engineering, Purdue University

Current Position (as of nomination)

President, HPS Honeywell in the United Kingdom