Remembering Dr Olle Grinder
July 31, 2018
It is with much sadness that we report the death of Dr Olle Grinder, who passed away on Sunday, July 22, following a short illness.
Olle was a world-renowned powder metallurgist who actively contributed to the advancement of PM technology in Europe, Asia and North America. He made unparalleled contributions in fully dense PM technology and was one of the leading experts on the subject of Hot Isostatic Pressing.
Olle graduated from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden in 1968 and was the recipient of a PhD in metallurgy and material science from the same institute in 1977.
From 1970 to 1975, he worked on research projects in the fields of Powder Metallurgy and surface coating technology at the Axel Johnson Institute for Industrial Research and, after a return to the Royal Institute of Technology as a lecturer in 1976, he joined the Swedish Institute for Metals Research (now Swerea KIMAB) in Stockholm in 1977. There, he managed basic and contract research projects in the fields of PM, solidification and casting, surface coating and rapid solidification technology.
In 1985, Olle established his own consulting company, PM Technology AB, Stockholm. His consultancy activities were primarily within the field of Powder Metallurgy and materials science to companies in Sweden, Finland, Norway, UK, Germany, Austria, China, Japan and USA and to governmental organisations in Sweden and Finland.
Olle’s commitment to advancing Powder Metallurgy was recognised through an EPMA Distinguished Service Award in 2011 and an APMI Fellowship award in 2013.
On a personal note, many of us at Inovar Communications enjoyed a longstanding friendship with Olle and have fond memories of his warmth and good humour. Dr David Whittaker, who worked with Olle on a number of consulting projects through the Global PM Consultants grouping as well as being a longstanding friend, stated, “I was gratified to learn from his family that he managed to retain this sense of humour right up to the end, and that he had a joke for every doctor and nurse (hundreds of them) that he met during the last weeks of his life, which he spent in three different hospitals. I am sure that anyone who knew Olle well, will readily empathise with this view.”
Our condolences go to Olle’s family.
