Simcoa leader changes career

Former Simcoa vice president Jim Brosnan has cited family — not slim profit margins — for his decision to resign from the post he held for 22 years.

Mr Brosnan was involved with Simcoa Operations since its inception, when he was part of the company which designed and built the plant at Kemerton, north of Australind.

He said he had considered a career change to consulting for some time but held off until his children finished school because his new job would involve more travel.

“The profit margins have nothing to do with my resignation, my decision was set by the fact my kids are finishing school,” he said.

Mr Brosnan said the silicon industry faced a challenging time and any company operating internationally had cost pressures.

In a full financial year, Mr Brosnan said Simcoa produced 50,000 tonnes of silicon which sold for about $2000 a tonne.

“That’s not a lot of profit margin at present,” he said.

Mr Brosnan said Simcoa was already efficient but it was important to remain so to be competitive.

“That’s a long-time concern, it is expensive to operate here,” he said.

Mr Brosnan will continue to consult part-time for Simcoa on issues such as the carbon tax and infrastructure.

“I’m glad I chose my time for when I could leave, it would have been hard to do if Simcoa was not doing well,” he said.

Current Simcoa vice president David Miles said Mr Brosnan was a valued member of the team.

“He has been involved since the very early stages and we are better off for his involvement,” he said.