Cyclone Metals Ltd (ASX:CLE) has taken a step towards the full integration of its operations with European and Middle Eastern steel mills with the appointment of Paul Vermeulen as general manager of Technology and Steel Markets.
In this pivotal role, Vermeulen will spearhead the development of high-value, low-carbon steel products and lead all technical studies across the ferrous value chain, from mineral resource definition to steel production.
His appointment is effective on November 6, 2023.
Metallurgical expertise
“We are privileged to have a metallurgist of the calibre of Paul Vermeulen join our leadership team,” Cyclone Metals chief executive officer Paul Berend said.
“Paul is one of the very rare metallurgists who has a complete and expert understanding of the full ferrous value chain – from the ore in the ground to steel production.
“His appointment illustrates our strategy to fully integrate our future operations with European and Middle Eastern steel mills, who will benefit the most from our products.”
Operation experience
Vermeulen brings more than 25 years of knowledge as a highly-credentialled metallurgical engineer, with a comprehensive background in iron ore mining, processing and steel production.
His previous operational roles include serving as the blast furnace manager at Iscor South Africa (now Arcelor-Mittal), where he managed one of the largest blast furnaces in the southern hemisphere.
Following this, Vermeulen worked for five years at Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) Iron Ore as the principal technical marketing, contributing significantly to the development of high-value iron ore products for steel mills, including the benchmark Rio Tinto 'Pilbara Blend'.
Technical know-how
In 2007, he established Vulcan Technologies, a company specialising in providing technical consulting services to key players in the iron ore and steel industries.
Vulcantech's services encompass mineral beneficiation, metallurgical test work, steel plant design, decarbonisation of steel-making operations, mineral resource definition and project management.
Recent projects completed by Vulcantech include the study management of an integrated direct reduction-grade pellet plant from high-grade magnetite ore, the modelling of direct reduced iron and hot-briquetted iron plants and the design of complex iron ore blends.
Vermeulen holds a Bachelor's Degree in Metallurgical Engineering with a post-graduate specialisation in Refractory Materials from the University of Pretoria.