In a statement, Primetals Technologies said Satoru Iijima will move into his new role on 1 April. He’ll succeed Yasukuni Yamasaki, who will continue to serve on the board of directors.  

“This is the perfect time for Satoru Iijima to become Primetals Technologies’ next chief executive officer. We've chosen a very strong leader after we have grown together as one company,” said Yasukuni. 

“Our new CEO needs to ensure that the company can thrive in a highly dynamic environment, be capable of accelerating what we have started and further develop what is working well already. Mr. Iijima will translate our vision and strategy into world-class execution and drive results.”

Iijima previously served as the chief executive of Primetals’ U.S. subsidiary, Primetals Technologies USA. Primetals Technologies announced a change in its U.S. leadership in January, saying that Iijima had accepted a new assignment with the company and had returned to Japan. 

A mechanical engineer, Iijima began his career with Mitsubishi Corp. in 1986 in the heavy machinery department. Between 1990 and 2014, he held a variety of roles in project development, export business and machinery systems at the company’s headquarters in Tokyo, Japan; Dusseldorf, Germany; and Chicago, Ill., USA. 

“I am honored that I have been chosen to lead this exciting company in this next phase of growth,” he said in a statement. “I look forward to further developing the positive progress made by Primetals to date, and will work to leverage the expertise and passion of our worldwide employees to achieve sustainable growth.”