MIAMI, March 5, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abakan Inc. (OTCQB:ABKI) ("Abakan" or the "Company"), an emerging leader in the advanced coatings and metal formulations markets, today announced the appointment of welding industry expert Dr. Damian Kotecki, Ph.D., PE to its Board of Advisors. Dr. Kotecki brings 43 years of welding expertise as well as his extensive technical and business network to the Board of Advisors, as Abakan transitions its CermaClad™ large-area cladding technology into full commercial production. Dr. Kotecki's extensive experience in welding research, pipeline failure analyses, welding training and specifications, welding procedure development, quality assurance and stainless/high-alloy welding filler metal and product development will help assure the company's CermaClad™ products incorporate the highest levels of technical excellence.
In addition to co-authoring the leading textbook on stainless steel welding, Dr. Kotecki conducted welding research projects and pipeline failure analyses for the Battelle Memorial Institute, was the Director of Research for Teledyne McKay (now part of Illinois Tool Works) and retired as the Technical Director for Stainless and High Alloy Product Development for the world's largest welding company, The Lincoln Electric Company. Dr. Kotecki is a former president of the American Welding Society (AWS), where he currently chairs the A5D subcommittee on stainless steel welding and the International Standards Activities Committee. He is also past chair of the International Institute of Welding Commission II Arc Welding and Filler Metals. Dr. Kotecki holds a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering, as well as a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Metallurgical Engineering.
Abakan Director and MesoCoat's CEO, Andrew Sherman, stated: "Damian has been a true industry champion and technical leader with strong experience in our industry sector. We are very pleased that he has agreed to join our Board of Advisors and expect significant contributions from him in both technological advancement and commercial product applications."
About Abakan Inc.
Abakan develops, manufactures, and markets advanced nanocomposite materials, innovative fabricated metal products and highly engineered metal composites for applications in the oil and gas, petrochemical, mining, aerospace and defense, energy, infrastructure and processing industries. Abakan's technology portfolio currently includes high-speed, large-area metal cladding technology; long-life nanocomposite anti-corrosion and-wear coating materials; and high-strength, lightweight metal composites. Abakan's products have demonstrated longer life, higher productivity and extremely high strength-to-weight ratios compared to competing technologies. The Abakan group of companies have been honored by The Wall Street Journal for being in Manufacturing Innovation across the globe, by Forbes as the #1 Most Promising Material Science Company in the United States and has received numerous other trade, industry and technology awards including 5 R&D 100 Awards and a Technology Innovation Award from National Institute of Standards and Technology. Over $50 million has been invested in product development and testing by federal agencies, national labs, and our companies in order to deliver products that offer improved performance over the current state of art. Abakan has successfully introduced its metal coatings for metal asset protection and life-extension in the oil and gas and mining industries, and is currently focusing on the scale-up and commercialization of its highly-disruptive metal cladding products for the oil and gas, oil sands, mining, and chemical industries. Abakan currently operates from multiple locations in United States and Canada, and intends to expand global operations in South America, Canada, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
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Forward Looking Statements
A number of statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties including technological obsolescence, market acceptance of future products, competitive market conditions, and the sufficiency of capital resources. The actual results Abakan may achieve could differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. Abakan encourages the public to read the information provided here in conjunction with its most recent filings on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Abakan's public filings may be viewed at www.sec.gov.