Höganäs’ Ulf Engström receives Swedish research foundation prize
January 26, 2015
Ulf Engström, a research engineer at Höganäs, has been awarded the Kami Research Foundation’s prize for 2015. The award, amounting to SEK 1 million, was presented for his work on developing the iron powder process and his efforts to spread the knowledge globally.
“Powder Metallurgy was a fairly limited area when I started and it has been an exciting journey,” stated Ulf Engström. “This is an honour for me, and for Höganäs. We have initiated and driven most of the development in the field and of course, not only one man has done the job.”
The Kami Research Foundation’s prize is awarded annually and is a reward for a scientific researcher who has laid the foundation for a commercially successful technological development within the Swedish steel and metal industry. The purpose is to honour individuals who have made significant contributions to further the industry.
“The fact that Ulf Engström wins the Kami prize is not only a well-deserved personal accomplishment; it is also a success for Höganäs,” added Melker Jernberg, President and CEO of Höganäs. “We strive to be an innovative company and this award shows that we have employees and ways of working that encourage and drive innovation.”
Engström has worked for Höganäs since 1977, managing Höganäs’ development of metal powders for sintered steels. He was a pioneer in the use binders to create homogenous powder mixes such as the company’s Starmix® and has also been instrumental in the development of Höganäs’ most successful alloy products, Distaloy® and Astaloy®.
During the early 2000s Engström moved from Sweden to the USA and launched new powder technologies on the American market. Today Engström lives in Shanghai, China, where he is heading up the Höganäs Tech Centre and developing the company’s metal powder and sinter steel business in the Asian market.