Walter AG, one of the world’s largest suppliers of industrial cutting tools and parent company of Walter USA, LLC, Waukesha, WI, has announced that Mirko Merlo will become President of the company effective January 1, 2012. Merlo is currently the company’s Executive Vice President and a member of the board. He succeeds the current President, Andreas Evertz who will become President of Sandvik Machining Solutions of which Walter is part.

Mr. Merlo has held a variety of positions since joining Walter in 1984. Among other duties, he was responsible for the company's business operations in Brazil, the United Kingdom and Italy and was President of the Western Europe region.

“His many years of experience at Walter, his comprehensive knowledge of metalworking and his international experience in various management positions have given Mirko Merlo a high professional standing in the industry and created an excellent network,” says Mr. Evertz.

“I am very much looking forward to my new responsibilities at Walter,” says Merlo. “In recent years, Walter has developed into an international company with subsidiaries in all the important markets of the world. We are ideally placed to master the challenges of the future and further expand our position as competence leader in machining.”