PEOPLE WATCH
Lindqvist to leave SSAB
After 26 years in the company and 13 years as President and CEO , Martin Lindqvist has decided to leave SSAB to further his Board career . A recruitment process to find his replacement will start immediately .
Martin Lindqvist has been employed at SSAB since 1998 and served as the company ’ s President and CEO since 2011 . Under his leadership , SSAB completed the acquisition of Finnish company Rautaruukki . In 2016 , work began to transform the steel industry to fossil-free production through HYBRIT , a joint venture between SSAB , LKAB and Vattenfall . SSAB has since then taken a policy decision to transform Martin Lindqvist . its entire Nordic production system to fossil-free production . Last year , the transformation of the Oxelösund mill began and a decision was recently made to transform the steelworks in Luleå .
“ During Martin ’ s time as CEO , SSAB has developed into a publicly traded company with global markets and a strong financial position .
Croatian-American entrepreneur and owner of Cortec ® Corporation , Boris Miksic , has received special recognition for 50 years of dedicated work at NACE-International , the largest global organisation focusing on developing standards for corrosion prevention . Cortec ® is a global corrosion inhibitor manufacturer and a specialist in green corrosion protection technologies .
Boris Mikšić emigrated to the USA in the 1970s , where he founded Cortec ® in his garage . From modest beginnings in Hugo , Minnesota ( USA ), Cortec ® now boasts nine plants , warehouses and laboratories . It is reportedly the world ’ s largest producer of VCI , VpCI ® and MCI ® products and services , operating in over 100 countries .
“ I have dedicated my life to developing new green technologies in the corrosion industry , and this award is a great honour . All my investments have a sustainability focus , and my vision from the beginning was to develop environmentally safe solutions . Our plants operate on the circular economy principle , and we recently started utilising our energy resources by installing solar power plants ,” confirmed Miksic .
“ Most of our products are bio-based and recyclable . We reprocess them in-house , significantly reducing the amount of waste
He has been fundamental in building the company that SSAB is today and in driving the transformation to fossil-free production . He is a very appreciated leader and CEO . I want to thank Martin for his efforts for the company and wish him the best of luck in his future assignments ,” said SSAB Board Chairman ,
Lennart Evrell .
“ I ’ m very happy to have had the privilege to be part of this incredible journey together with many proud and skilled employees at SSAB . At some point , you have to step down and for me that time has come . In the future , I will spend more time on Board assignments and advisory roles ,” commented Martin Lindqvist .
Martin Lindqvist has six months ’ notice but has agreed to stay until a successor is in place . A recruitment process to find his successor will start immediately . n
www
. ssab . com / en
Special recognition award
for disposal . This is how we demonstrate not only responsibility towards our customers but also towards our communities . For me , this is equally important . Cortec ® is an example of a modern company that is based on sustainability principles ,” he added .
Over his 50-year career , he has received 66 patents and played an important role in the National Association of Corrosion Engineers ( NACE , now AMPP ). He has won numerous awards and chaired NACE symposiums and working groups , helping to develop numerous industrial testing standards . His discoveries on vapour-phase corrosion inhibitor technology have been published in various scientific journals . n
www . cortecvci . com
From left to right : Thibault Bautze-Scherff , Benjamin Bopp and Karl Christian Messer ( CEO ).
New strategic management team at Blackbird
Blackbird Robotersysteme GmbH , a manufacturer of system solutions for remote laser welding , is growing its leadership team and creating a new area for business field development . Benjamin Bopp is now in charge of sales from April 2024 .
The company , based at Garching near Munich ( Germany ), is repositioning itself to meet the growing requirements of its diverse customer base and to focus more on general future trends . It is adding a new business development department to its organisation . Thibault Bautze-Scherff ( 39 ), the previous sales director , took over as head of the new unit on 1 April 2024 . Together with his team , he will focus on future technologies , previously unexplored areas of application for laser processing and the expansion of partnerships with research institutions and associations to support the company ’ s medium-term growth .
“ Lasers as tools are viewed as one of the key production methods of the future , especially in conjunction with concepts such as artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing ,” explained Thibault Bautze- Scherff .
Benjamin Bopp ( 43 ) is stepping in to fill the gap in the role of global sales manager from April . From his previous work as an application engineer specialising in laser welding , Bopp brings a wealth of professional expertise in technical consultancy . He has over 15 years of experience in international sales from his former roles . n
www
. blackbird-robotics . de
10 | ismr . net | ISMR May 2024