Aaron Middleton
Senior Technical Manager & AI Lead at (EVRAZ) East Metals AG
Senior Technical Manager & AI Lead | Passionate about developing sustainable solutions through novel engineering, collaborative research and data science
Aaron is passionate about developing innovative products and sustainable applications that benefit people and the environment. 

Aaron has a background in applied material science, product development and digital transformation. An affinity for creative problem solving and a rapid ability to acquire new skills has enabled Aaron to work across differing fields such as lean manufacturing, sales, marketing, supply chain, informatics and data science. This broad foundation allows for the assimilation of new ideas and solutions, which is particularly conducive to the implementation of digital transformation solutions. 

Aaron has international experience in managing projects within a broad range of industrial segments. 

Projects often driven by factors such as;

- new product development in various industries (mining, automotive, recycling, agriculture, construction, offshore / renewable)
- implementation of digital transformation tools (AI/Machine-Learning, Web Platforms, Simulation Tools etc.) to support new business opportunities in accordance with six sigma principles  
- reduced carbon-footprint of a given product 
- improved lifecycle costs (LCA) across product assets
- improved safety performance
- improved production efficiency (Design For Manufacture) of new concepts

Aaron places great value on trust and integrity, which enables him to develop strong relationships with clients and colleagues. He also strongly values curiosity within a company culture, whereby collective ideas are empowered and supported by a diverse working environment. 
Curiosity is the precursor to innovation, which has the inherent ability to transform lives and our environment. 

“Design, if it is to be ecologically responsible and socially responsive, must be revolutionary and radical." 

- Victor Papanek, Design for the Real World
(EVRAZ) East Metals AG
https://ch.linkedin.com/company/evraz-east-metals-ag
• Managing collaborative research projects on sustainable materials, in order to enhance their lifecycle and reduce product carbon footprints.

• Technical consulting and modelling/simulation support for clients and internally within EVRAZ.

• Supporting the sales and supply chain organisation with technical seminars, conference presentations and executing a technical marketing strategy.

• Vanalytica©: created and developed the AI-solution which forms part of a managed digital technical service (utilising Artificial Intelligence and Digital Twins) to support Vanadium-users in deriving data-driven insights to improve productivity and enhance profitability throughout the steelmaking and commodities ecosystems.
Zug, Canton of Zug, Switzerland
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Senior Technical Manager & AI Lead
SSAB
https://ch.linkedin.com/company/ssab
• Providing advanced technical support on the selection, design and fabrication of high-strength steel grades such as: HSLA, super-hard martensitic grades, dual-phase and martensitic cold-rolled steels, roll-formed profiles and thick-gauge quench & tempered grades.

• Developing digital tools and applications that automated design and manufacturing processes for client projects.

• Delivering upgrading projects and educational training seminars on subjects related to product improvements and upgrades e.g. conceptual design, material selection, fatigue, buckling, production efficiency and welding education.

• Managing and coordinating product improvement projects for both SMEs and global OEMs and submitting technical recommendations in accordance with design specifications and factors such as increased steel strength, weight reduction and production efficiency. Clients included JCB, Caterpillar, Komatsu Mining. 

• Conducting material investigations, coordinating testing requirements with external and internal laboratories to establish possible causes, and advising on mitigation measures.

• Understanding the needs and challenges of a particular segment e.g. working alongside large recycling operators nationwide to improve lifecycle costs by using longer-lasting materials and conducting 3-D wear-mapping for performance evaluations.

• Associated with carbon reduction incentives, supporting upgrades to lighter equipment by liaising with key industry partners and universities e.g:
- Involvement in Innovate UK projects alongside the Center for Sustainable Road Freight, Cambridge University 
- Supporting research at Edinburgh University into the use of high-strength steels in offshore energy structures
- Supporting strategic lightweight initiatives in the transport and construction sectors with Monash University, Melbourne
Oxelösund, Södermanland County, Sweden
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Technical Development Manager
BAE Systems
https://ch.linkedin.com/company/bae-systems
• Managed the testing and manufacture of new material designs and concepts, valued in excess of £300,000.

• Modelling of bespoke design concepts using MATLAB (and Finite Element software) and developing novel instrumentation techniques to validate concept performance.

• Developing systems engineering toolkits to support system integration in complex products.

• Coordinated testing of new steel grades in conjunction with research institutions and steel manufacturers.

• Overseeing systems engineering aspects of developed product, ensuring it could fully integrate into complex systems.

• Reverse engineering operational equipment by using analytical testing methods: Scanning Electron Microscopy, Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Fluorescence, Real-Time X-radiography, Digital Optical Microscopy and Jet Etching.

• Identification/quality/failure analysis experience within forensic engineering division, investigating; high-strength carbon steels, exotic alloys, semiconductor devices, HME elements, microchips, printed circuit boards and manufacturing contaminants
Storbritannien
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Materials Scientist, Advanced Technology Center
Master's degree (Hons)
Thesis title: Dielectric studies in Nano-materials, Class 1.0
Physics
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University of Warwick
https://ch.linkedin.com/school/university-of-warwick/
A-Levels
Mathematics, Science and Geography
Sir Thomas Jones School
Sustainable forging steels must be evaluated according to their performance within the circular product economy, which encompasses efficient manufacturing, enhanced longevity and improved recycling rates of constituent ferroalloys. This research, by Alexander Gramlich and co-workers, focused on developing vanadium alloyed air-hardening medium manganese steels, that could achieve high through-hardness with good tempering resistance, which can enable down-stream productivity savings.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/1869344x/2021/92/6
On the Influence of Vanadium on Air-Hardening Medium Manganese Steels for Sustainable Forging Products
steel research international
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/srin.202000592
Materials Australia
Certified Materials Professional CMatP
BAE Systems Chairman's Award
Significant Contribution to Education
Waterman and Lightermen of the Great Thames River Race
Significant Contribution to Rowing 2005, 2008 and 2010
Hydrogen induced delayed fracture is a significant barrier to the widespread application of martensitic steels over 1500MPa ultimate tensile strength in structural applications in the automotive industry. Charging of Hydrogen during processing, such as can occur in press hardening and electro-galvanising, can result in subsequent cracking and splitting caused by hydrogen diffusion at high residual stress part features such as trimmed edges and pierced holes. As a result, manufacturers are required to use restrictive countermeasures to avoid the risk hydrogen induced delayed fracture in these types of steels, which reduce their robustness and breath of application.

Several studies in the last two decades [Asahi 2003, Szost 2013, Turk 2018, Cho 2018] have demonstrated that Vanadium additions to steels with highly dislocated microstructure can yield carbides which act as functional trapping sites for diffusible Hydrogen, with apparent benefits in resistance to hydrogen induced delayed fracture. In this paper, we explore the practicalities of alloy design and processing to form these Vanadium carbides using computational thermodynamic methods and propose a composition and processing concept for an 1800MPa ultimate tensile strength press hardening steel with enhanced delayed fracture resistance via an optimal carbide structure.
Computational design and processing simulation of V containing ultra-high strength automotive steels
https://www.mse-congress.de/program/scientific-program/?tx_dgmprogram_fullprogram%5Bsession%5D=9202&tx_dgmprogram_fullprogram%5Baction%5D=show&tx_dgmprogram_fullprogram%5Bcontroller%5D=Session&cHash=70702b8d1f6e23ef4b9bff1d62aa205f
A knowledge sharing conference presentation dedicated to the decarbonisation of the transport and infrastructure sectors, with special focus on lightweight steel solutions for electric vehicles. Presentation encompassed metallurgical principles, load cases, design concept through to lifecycle analysis. Example use case:

https://www.ssab.com/news/2019/03/ssabs-docol-steel-used-in-gacha-allweather-autonomous-shuttle-bus
Lighter infrastructure equipment and more sustainable transport vehicles
https://www.terrapinn.com/conference/australias-big-infrastructure-summit/agenda.stm
For assistance in choosing the right grade of steel and the design, McConnel turned to SSAB. 

“McConnel is a long-time SSAB customer, and for this development project, they attended many seminars to gain knowledge about what is really possible with high strength steel,” explains Aaron Middleton, Tech Support Special Steels, SSAB. “For the design concept, we looked to known principles based on the technical literature, focusing in on an optimal shape, and then identified the right steel.”

 Strenx® 700 MC Plus was chosen as the most optimal grade for the boom and auxilirary structures, based on its excellent formability, which enabled the optimized shape to be realized. The areas exposed to wear, in the vicinity of the flail head, are made from cold-rolled Hardox® 450.

“The complexity of the design required that we needed to get the tooling correct and the welding order was critical,” says Henry-Lefort. “It was a challenging process, but the result is worth it – and could not have been done without high strength steel.”
Upgrading agricultural equipment: improving equipment stability and performance
https://www.ssab.com/products/brands/strenx/customer-case-mcconnel
SSAB’s new Hardox steel is being used in containers that offer a boost in sustainability for the transport sector
Sustainable assets in the recycling sector: roll-on containers cut carbon dioxide
https://stories.worldsteel.org/innovation/roll-containers-cut-co2/
https://it.linkedin.com/in/alessandro-ferraiuolo-8419b029
Ravenna
Alessandro Ferraiuolo
R&D manager
https://fr.linkedin.com/in/ranosimon
Metropolregion Paris
Simon Rano
Project Manager - Battery Solutions
https://om.linkedin.com/in/eric-calvi-mba-9219a86a
Maskat, Oman
Eric Calvi, MBA
Account Manager at Halliburton
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/gavin-wallace-786790232
London
Gavin Wallace
Data Analyst at UK Civil Service
https://it.linkedin.com/in/miriam-figoli-7619a31ba
Narni
Miriam Figoli
Educatore-animatore  presso BabyParking Mary Poppins
https://dk.linkedin.com/in/annesofiefedders
Dänemark
Anne Sofie Fedders
Head of LEGO Ways of Working | Director | Authorised Psychologist
https://do.linkedin.com/in/jose-cabrera-guerra-spain
Dominikanische Republik
Jose Cabrera Guerra
General Director - CEMEX Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Haiti
https://it.linkedin.com/in/rinaldo-baldi-9008391b
Provincia di Brescia
Rinaldo Baldi
Chief Executive Officer at Abraservice
https://sa.linkedin.com/in/ssab-saudi-factory-hardox-wearparts-center-dammam-380ab01b2
Ad-Dammām
SSAB Saudi Factory Hardox Wearparts Center Dammam
SSAB SAUDI FACTORY
https://fr.linkedin.com/in/chrisvanbeurden1
Metropolregion Paris
Chris Van Beurden
President at thyssenkrupp Steel France
https://de.linkedin.com/in/martin-steudel-66b63318a
Leipzig und Umgebung
Martin Steudel
Stahlhart im Geschäft als Regional Sales Manager bei SSAB
https://se.linkedin.com/in/johan-anderson
Nyköping
Johan Anderson
Global Strategy Projects at SSAB
https://za.linkedin.com/in/malcolm-simpson-simpson-8b9068171
City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality
Malcolm Simpson Simpson
Specialist at Industrial Development Corporation of SA Ltd. (IDC)
https://au.linkedin.com/in/ian-cornfoot
Hazelmere, WA
Ian Cornfoot
Business Manager | Chartered Mechanical Engineer | Product Developer | Materials Expert | Director
https://ru.linkedin.com/in/olga-luzik-28a157b7
Russland
Olga Luzik
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https://sg.linkedin.com/in/pierre-louis-todesco
Singapur
Pierre Louis Todesco
Technical Manager at Forefront Medical Technology
https://in.linkedin.com/in/harish-kumar-6438412a
Visakhapatnam
Harish Kumar
Manager-Products  at TÜV Rheinland Asia
https://pk.linkedin.com/in/hammad1311
Hyderabad
Muhammad Hammad Siddiqui
Technical Manager at East-West Commercial Enterprise
https://ir.linkedin.com/in/maryam-ghanbari-a857ba87
Iran
Maryam Ghanbari
M.Sc. in Mineral Processing
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/bj-bill-brown-a76b5011
Aberdeen und Umgebung
BJ (Bill) Brown
Technical Manager at TRAC Oil & Gas Ltd
LinkedIn Mitglied
      
          



            
              
        
              
  

    
        „Aaron, with his unwavering confidence, made me assured of the best solutions to problems at workplace even when there were few options to employ, indeed he was a shoulder to lean on every moment of the work  Taya Craven
      
          



            
              
        
              
  

    
        „I have worked with many Technical resources in my career. None of them have ever compared with Aaron Middleton. Aaron combines his incredible talent for training and providing technical advice with an extraordinary sense of humility and simplicity. During my time as the Regional Sales Manager at SSAB, the extensive project work carried out by Aaron has led to dramatic changes to the high strength steel landscape in my territory. Aaron would be at the forefront of material engineers globally and would be an asset to any business. I cannot recommend Aaron enough. He is simply a superstar in his field.
Beliebt bei Aaron Middleton
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Public funded research in Germany for SME’s is a key to success.
Beliebt bei Aaron Middleton
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Schlam has done what was thought impossible and reduced weight while increasing service life in its new flagship mine truck body…
Beliebt bei Aaron Middleton
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"With this landmark investment, Intel plans to bring its most advanced technology to Europe, creating a next-generation European chip ecosystem and…
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Region London, Vereinigtes Königreich
Aaron Middleton
Executive Chef at Aaron Middleton LTD
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/aaron-middleton-76840b98
Braunton
Aaron Middleton
Estimator at TCi (GB) Ltd
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/amidd01
Coventry
Aaron Middleton
Junior Digital Marketing Executive at Dreamscape Design Ltd
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-middleton
Tampa Bay und Umgebung
Aaron Middleton
Financial Advisor at Edward Jones *       

Marine Corps Veteran
https://au.linkedin.com/in/aaron-middleton-a54aa466
Australien
Aaron Middleton
Product Safety, Standards and Engineering Coordinator at Toyota Material Handling Australia
Metal Fabrication
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FerroAlloys & Metals Trading Group
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Materials Australia CMatP Forum
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Forming High Strength Steels
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Australia Entrepreneur Network
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Manufacturing UK
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Metallurgy & Material Science
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Steel Manufacturers and Processors
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Workshop Secrets for Coaches and Experts
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CRT Australia
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The Australian Fleet Management Forum - Powered by Fleetcare
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AIST - Association for Iron & Steel Technology
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