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Sandvik Materials Technology’s R&D Director Receives Kami Prize
03/21/2011 - Sandvik Materials Technology Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Olle Wijkhas received the Swedish Kami Foundation’s Kami Prize for almost 30 years of pioneering research in non-metallic slag inclusions in steel.
Sandvik Materials Technology Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Olle Wijk has received the Swedish Kami Foundation’s Kami Prize for almost 30 years of pioneering research.
The Swedish Kami Foundation is awarding the prize of SEK 1 M for the first time this year. The purpose of the prize is to honor persons who have made significant contributions to development in the Swedish steel and metal industries, as well as the mining industry. The prize was also created to draw attention to institutions, companies and employees who have been involved in research and development.
Olle Wijk’s research, which has been focused on non-metallic slag inclusions in steel, has made possible the manufacture of advanced products in high-quality special steels.
The Kami Prize jury identifies the research results as a significant technological leap in which Olle Wijk has been one of the scientific founders.
“As the Head of R&D at Sandvik Materials Technology, Olle Wijk has infused his organization with his knowledge, and has made optimal use of his research results. The commercial successes have been obvious: During the last five years, sales of new products has increased from SEK 600 M per year to currently SEK 4 billion. For these new products, metallurgical process control is one of the prerequisites for attaining the high quality the market demands,” reads the jury’s statement.
Wijk began his career in research at the beginning of the 1970s at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. He received a doctorate in process metallurgy, and began working as a process developer in the field of metallurgy. From 1987 and for nine years after that, Olle Wijk was a professor in applied process metallurgy at KTH. In 1996 he returned to Sandvik, and since 2005 he has been the Vice President and Head of R&D for Sandvik Materials Technology.
