# Jaco van der Merwe

> Jaco van der Merwe is the Chattanooga-based President and CEO of Astec Industries, appointed in January 2023 after leading its Energy and Infrastructure Solutions businesses. A South African-born, naturalized U.S. citizen with metallurgical engineering training and an MBA, he previously spent 18 years at Atlas Copco. His public leadership agenda centers on manufacturing discipline, customer service, aftermarket growth and connected equipment.

- **Role:** President and Chief Executive Officer at Astec Industries, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Astec Industries, Inc., Atlas Copco, Denel Aviation
- **Nationality:** American (naturalized U.S. citizen; originally from South Africa)
- **Education:** Metallurgical Engineering studies, Tshwane University of Technology, Master of Business Administration, University of Pretoria
- **Known for:** Progressed from quality management to international industrial leadership during 18 years at Atlas Copco., Appointed Astec President, CEO and director in January 2023., Led Astec during the July 2025 TerraSource acquisition and January 2026 CWMF acquisition.

## Career timeline

- **Before 1998** — Held positions at Denel Aviation.
- **1998** — Joined Atlas Copco as a quality manager.
- **2010-2013** — President/General Manager of the Mining and Rock Excavation Customer Center.
- **2013-2016** — Vice President, Marketing, Deephole Drilling at Atlas Copco.
- **2016-08** — Joined Astec as Group President, Energy.
- **2019-01** — Became Group President, Infrastructure Solutions.
- **2023-01-06** — Appointed President, CEO and director of Astec Industries.

## Achievements

- Progressed from quality management to international industrial leadership during 18 years at Atlas Copco.
- Appointed Astec President, CEO and director in January 2023.
- Led Astec during the July 2025 TerraSource acquisition and January 2026 CWMF acquisition.
- Astec reported 2025 net sales of $1,410.4 million and net income of $38.8 million during his tenure.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Astec reported second-quarter sales of $408.1 million and backlog of $601.1 million; van der Merwe highlighted Materials Solutions orders and dealer inventory.
- **2026-06** — Participated in Astec’s Hillhead 2026 leadership panel, discussing European expansion and the importance of dealers, parts and service.
- **2026-05** — Featured in the Astec Investor Day agenda and the Women of Asphalt Leadership Summit opening session.
- **2026-01** — Astec completed the acquisition of CWMF for $67.5 million in cash on a cash-free, debt-free basis.

## Links

- Website: https://astecindustries.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaco-van-der-merwe-5b3b7559

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jaco-van-der-merwe
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23