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 | AK Steel Calls Back Workers
(February 3 - morning update) - We've
held off on a lot of news of late owing to the vast majority of it
being bad news. They say recessions are psychological - people get
scared and stop spending - so the last thing we want to do it put up
too much bad news about company closures, lay-offs and the like. So
today we come back from our hiatus with good news: AK Steel - a true
bellwether of the US manufacturing economy that supplies automotive,
electric and construction, called back 525 hourly workers at their
Ashland Works and will restart its blast furnace within the next couple
weeks. |  | American Axle & Manufacturing Announces Asset Purchase Agreement with FormTech Industries
(December 10 - morning update) - Some restructuring of sorts at American Axle today. Read the full press release here.: American
Axle & Manufacturing (AAM), which is traded as AXL on the NYSE,
today announced that it has executed an asset purchase agreement with
FormTech Industries LLC ("FormTech").
As
part of this agreement, AAM exchanged its hub and spindle forging
business for FormTech's differential gear, hypoid pinion and ring gear
forging businesses. In order to compensate for the difference in value
between the assets and businesses exchanged by the parties, AAM made a
cash payment to FormTech. The parties also exchanged certain direct and
indirect inventories, fixed assets and tooling related to the exchanged
businesses.
Other key aspects of the agreement include:
-- The sale of AAM's Tonawanda Forge Facility to a third party.
FormTech will continue to operate in the Tonawanda facility.
-- AAM's acquisition of FormTech's 50,000 square-foot
manufacturing facility, in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. AccuGear, Inc., a newly formed AAM
subsidiary, will produce net shaped
differential gears for a variety of customers.
|  | Former Heat Treat Industry Executive Found Guilty of Murder
(December 10 - morning update) - Long-time
heat treater, Kenneth Otto Sr. was convicted of murder by a Connecticut
court yesterday. He's looking at 25 to 70 years. Full story can be
found on the Hartford Courant's site.
|  | China Heat Treatment Association Visits MMI / UPC
(December 9 - morning update) - Today we have a photo from the United Process Controls facility in West Chester, Ohio (aka Marathon Monitors Inc.).
The photo shows the 2008 North American tour group from the China Heat
Treatment Association (CHTA) during their visit to Marathon's
facility. Every
few years CHTA, a group of academics focused on improving heat treating
in China, tours North American suppliers to learn about new
technologies and to make recommendations to Chinese industry.
The four key folks are up front: starting with the gentleman in the
orange coat and moving right we have Mr. Ge Jingjing, Vice Chief
Secretary of CHTA, Mr. Tong Xiaohui, the Chief Secretary of CHTA, Mr.
Eric Boltz, president of MMI and then Ms. Yvonne Boltz, VP of MMI. 
|  | Big Three CEOs to Set Example
(December 2 - afternoon update) - After
coming under heavy fire for asking for taxpayer help while flying
corporate jets and taking salaries in the tens of millions of dollars,
the CEOs of the big three US auto manufactures have agreed to $1/year
salaries. In addition, both Ford and GM has announced plans to sell
their corporate jets. Chrysler does not own any jets. This
is good news for the industry as a top-down example of taking it on the
chin for the good of the company, while maybe a bit symbolic, sets a
tone for the companies. It also increases the chances of the government
getting behind them and helping them survive the current recession. |  | William R. (Bob) Keough Passing
(November 24 - morning update) - Bob Keough was a trailblazer who succeeded in so many things it's difficult to enumerate, many outside th e heat treating industry. We learned this weekend of Bob's passing... November 20, 2008. Age 91. Founder of Atmosphere Furnace
Company. Beloved husband of "Toni". Dear father of Patrice Gibson,
William M. (Gina) and John R. (Nancy). Step-father of Michael and
Patrick O'Mara. Grandfather of Eric, Kevin, Bonnie, Scott, Sara, Josh,
Ian and Lane. Also survived by five great-grandchildren.
|  | GETRAG Files for Chapter 11 for its Tipton, IN Facility
(November 20 - morning update) - GETRAG
is well known in the industry and has, like many, suffered under the US
automotive slump. More specifically, it has seen large planned work
with Chrysler canceled, resulting in lawsuits and the like. As a result
they recently filed for Ch. 11 protection for the Tipton, IN facility
they were building to make transmissions for Chrysler. Here's the PR:
GETRAG
Transmission Manufacturing LLC (GTM LLC) has filed for protection under
chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code for its Tipton, Indiana
facility. The GTM LLC facility in Tipton was being constructed for the
sole purpose of manufacturing dual clutch transmissions for Chrysler LLC (Chrysler).
This
action is a direct result of a recent termination by Chrysler of
contractual agreements related to the construction and operation of a
dual clutch transmission manufacturing facility in Tipton. Also as a
result of Chrysler’s actions, GTM LLC has been forced to terminate its
operations in Tipton and cancel the project. The filing will enable GTM
LLC to deal with all claims related to the project in an orderly and
equitable fashion.
GTM
LLC and its German affiliate also filed a countersuit on October 30,
2008 against Chrysler to recover, among other elements, costs
associated with the project and reimbursement of all expenses incurred
by GTM LLC and its suppliers in connection with the project.
“We
recognize these developments have had significant impact on all of our
stakeholders, including employees, suppliers and the Tipton community,”
said Jim Shoup, GTM LLC Chief Executive Officer. “We ask for their
patience and understanding as we manage through this process.” Shoup
also indicated the organization will continue to update the creditors
of GTM LLC throughout the process.
Press contact: Michelle Culver for GETRAG Transmission Manufacturing LLC, 248-362-4200 ext. 295 or via email at mculver@baileypr.com.
|  | Bodycote Shares Plummet
(November 17 - morning update) - A
lot of folks in the industry are saying that a recession could be good
for commercial heat treaters since more companies will outsource their
heat treating. Well, Bodycote's shareholders aren't buying it. Today,
on word that Bodycote warned of second half performance "modestly below
its hopes." shares of the world's largest commercial heat treater
tumbled nearly 24% (as of this wirting). Right now their share price is
94 pence compared to over 225 back in August. |  | Bailout 101: Impact of a Chapter 11 General Motors
(November 17 - morning update) - With
all the talk in the news lately about the possible but highly
controversial emergency loans to the US auto industry, it's worth
spending some time trying to comprehend the overall impact of an
insolvent "Big Three" in the USA. One
staggering fact is that GM alone spends some $31 billion per year on
parts and materials that it buys from about 2,100 suppliers. That's
nearly $15 million per supplier on average. In some cases GM may
represent a big chunk of those companies' business. When you factor in
Ford and Chrysler, auto parts could, for many, represent nearly 100% of
a given businesses sales so that's an awful lot of jobs affected
without even considering dealerships. Some say that a GM insolvency
alone would cost 2.5 million jobs. So
many folks are saying we should let the "dinosaurs" die to fix the
industry. The problem with this attitude is twofold: 1. all those
thousands of vendors will likely suffer or go out of business and 2. a
US auto bankruptcy will likely go Chapter 7 (liquidation) instead of
Chapter 11 (reorganization) - if not immediately then shortly after a
Chapter 11. Why? Unlike
the airlines, which many people flew on despite their being in
bankruptcy, consumers are not likely to buy a car from a company that's
in Chapter 11. A car, unlike a ticket, is something one tries to hang
onto for many years. If the manufacturer goes down, you've got not
warranty and no support for recalls, etc. So
Chapter 11 is out most likely. That means they somehow survive without
a bailout (emergency loans), get that help from the government or die. |  | Steel Industry Pulls Back
(November 12 - evening update) - After
two or three banner years, the world-wide steel industry is seeing
lay-offs, plant-idling and even plant closures. Just within the last
weeks we've seen pull-back announcements of one kind or another from
the likes of AK, Carpenter and ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel
producer. What
does this mean for heat treaters? We think it means the supply chain is
going to get a whole lot narrower leading to more shortages and higher
demand and higher prices as a result. |  | MTI Updates
(November 12 - evening update) - At
the recent FNA show, MTI had their big shin-dig where they handed out
awards and presented new officers. Anyone in the commercial heat
treating industry who isn't aware of MTI should get in touch as they've
helped many companies become more competitive and pursue business from
the captive heat treating industry. Those of you looking to cut costs
by using top-notch heat treaters to take care of your internal heat
treating needs, MTI is your best starting point. Anyway,
here's a slew of news, awards and information from the recent MTI bash.
While you're on the MTI site have a good look around: Jeff
Uhlenburg (Donovan Heat Treating, Philadelphia) named new president and
Tom Morrison (MTI) takes over for long time leader Lance Miller. MTI Elects New Officers: Jeff
Uhlenburg (Donovan Heat Treating, Philadelphia) as President, Doug
Glenn (Industrial Heating Magazine, Pittsburgh) as Incoming President,
Judy Rudy (Queen City Steel Treating, Cincinnati) as Treasurer and Gary
Huss (Hudapack Metal Treating, Franklin, WI) as Immediate Past
President. MTI
Annual Awards: MTI Award of Merit - Doug Peters, Peters Heat Treating,
Erie, PA; Associate Member of the Year - John L. Becker, J.L. Becker,
Plymouth, MI; Commercial Heat Treater of the Year - Therm-Tech of
Waukesha, Inc., Waukesha, WI; Industry Legend Award - Retiring MTI CEO,
Lance Miller |  | It's Not All Bad News
(November 10 - evening update) - It's
good, with all the negative news on the economy, to point out some news
of expansion. Make no mistake, expansion and growth are not the norm
today, but we're hearing the John Deere is doing particularly well of
late with expansions going on at at least two of their heat treating
locations. Good news! |  | Job Searches Double in Three Months
(November 10 - evening update) - Enough
with the mainstream media reports on new jobless claims - how about
some locally-brewed job news? October saw job searches at
HeatTreatNews.com's Careers Page (see above) hit an all-time high with
a total of 19,362 job searches in a single month. That's double the
rate from only three months ago. 
|  | Jobless Rate Spikes to 14-year High as Ford Lays-off Another 10%
(November 7 - morning update) - Definitely
not a good way to end the week: the latest jobs data for the USA has
another 240,000 people filing for first-time unemployment making the
unemployment rate 6.5% - the highest in 14 years. Many experts expect
that number to hit 8.5% next year. Fortunately experts are often wrong. On
top of that news, Ford announced it will cut white-collar salary costs
another 10% owing to plummeting sales and a $3 billion loss in the last
quarter. |  | GM & Chrysler Woes, Rumors and News
(November 5 - evening update) - GM
is now bleeding from both its auto and its GMAC finance business with
the latter having just posted a $2.56 billion loss for the third
quarter and the government recently decided they didn't need a bailout
like the banks. Meanwhile efforts to merge with Chrysler are rumored to
mean massive layoffs with some claiming that all of Chrysler's
offerings other than Jeep and their minivans would be shut down. Today
CNN has an article that spins GM's misfortune in a new way. The claim
is that with a new president bent on keeping US manufacturing jobs and
a democratic congress GM (and Chrysler) just may get that bailout after
all. GM wants the money to help it buy Chrysler but the article makes
the point that GM buying Chrysler would be a net negative. Worth a
quick read here. 
|  | Severstal Garners Additional Financing for Expansion
(November 5 - evening update) - Russian
Steel giant Severstal has bolstered its cash position to expand its
flat rolled steel operations. Here's their press release: Severstal
has received an additional $100 million in secured financing from GE
Commercial Finance Corporate Lending for its flat-rolling steel mill in
Columbus, Miss. The loan will be used to expand the mill, doubling its
production capacity to 3 million tons per year. With the first phase of
construction complete, it currently has the capacity to produce 1.5
million tons per year of high-quality, flat-rolled steel. The
Greenfield construction of the mill began in 2005. The increase in
funds brings the total project financing for the former SeverCorr
operation to $577.5 million.
In 2008, Severstal has acquired
Wheeling-Pittsburgh parent company Esmark Inc. (four plants in Ohio,
West Virginia and Pennsylvania) and has purchased plants in Baltimore,
Md., and Warren, Ohio. It also recently acquired PBS Coals, a miner and
processor of metallurgical and thermal coal with six underground and
six surface coal mines in Somerset County, Pa. |  | Yeah yeah, we know...but we're back!
(November 3 - evening update) - We
took a HUGE amount of flack for "letting this site go" at the recent
FNA show in Nashville. So we're back at it... There
was also talk that, not only should HeatTreatNews.com come back, but
that we should add a safety section to the site to cover good safety practices, recent
accidents and good preventative maintenance procedures in the heat treating industry so that, as a
group, we can learn from each others' mistakes and create a safer
industry for everyone. So
we relent! HeatTreatNews.com is back and we'll be working on new
content to help the industry. Please be patient as we're bringing on
some new writers, but we think you'll like the changes. |  | Furnaces North America - Big Turnout
(November 3 - evening update) - We're
playing catch-up on news here but this bears reporting. Furnaces North
America in 2008 was, by all accounts, a huge success. Not only were the
booths sold out, but attendance was high and, as Pat Torok, VP for United Process Controls, reported "the highest quality traffic I've seen in ten years." We invite everyone to send their favorite photos from FNA to
news@heattreatnews.com and we'll put up some photos over the coming days.
|  | United Process Controls Makes a Big Splash at FNA 2008
(November 3 - evening update) - Many folks have wondered just what United Process Controls was shaping up to be. When you take five companies (Furnace Control Corp., Marathon Monitors Inc., Nitrex Metal Process-Electronic and Waukee Engineering) and try to make them act as one it's simply got to be a monumental task. Well
FNA 2008 showed that they've got that one licked. Not only did the
United Process Controls companies have the largest presence of all
companies at the show (they occupied thirty feet of both sides of one
aisle), but they had more equipment, software, analyzers and technical
papers than most any other company too. With technical papers covering
combustion control, nitriding and real-time carbon diffusion control
and "hands-on" with all their analyzer and hardware systems, it was
quite a "coming out" party for the newly integrated group. Here are a few shots from their booth: 


|  | Pat Torok Appointed V.P. of North America Heat Treat at United Process Controls
(September 2 - morning update) - Looks
like United Process Controls is brining in the ringer with the
appointment of Pat Torok to handle heat treating in North America for
their combined companies. Pat, of course, is a former VP for Waukee/FCC
and MMI and is the inventor of the first widely-used portable IR system
for heat treating. Here's the PR: United
Process Controls is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick
Torok to the position of Vice President of Sales & Marketing - Heat
Treat for the UPC group.
Pat
joins us with over 25 years of experience in the design, marketing and
implementation of metals heat treat process controls and sensors. Pat's
previously held positions within the group companies include a 13 year
tenure at Marathon Monitors where he co-authored the industry's first
heat treat specific data acquisition system-Process Master. He
held various other positions within MMI including VP of sales and
marketing. Pat was President/Owner of Triadx manufacturing where
he developed the FurnaceDoctor® heat treat gas analyzer, and later
became VP of Engineering and Technology for Furnace
Control/Waukee. Pat recently joins us from Danaher Industrial
Controls (West/Partlow/PMA) where he was Director of NA Systems
Business.
"Bringing
into UPC such a knowledgeable and energetic person as Pat Torok is a
boost to our already very strong management team," said Paul
Oleszkiewicz, Vice President of UPC, "Our global position of leader in
heat treatment controls is enhanced by his experience." Pat will be
charged with development and implementation of a unified market
strategy for North America. UPC group companies include Furnace
Control, Marathon Monitors, Nitrex Metal, Process-Electronic, and
Waukee Engineering.
ABOUT UNITED PROCESS CONTROLS United
Process Controls is an alliance of five recognized companies within the
heat treating industry (Furnace Controls, Marathon Monitors, Nitrex
Metal, Process-Electronic and Waukee Engineering) that share a common
goal to provide prime control solutions through their worldwide sales
and services network with easy-to-access local support.

|  | Bodycote Sells Testing Services, Hubbard to Step Down
(September 2 - morning update) - Bodycote has sold its testing business in a news story over at Industrial Heating. You can read that news here.
We've also heard that Bodycote CEO John Hubbard has announced that he
will step down as soon as his successor is found. Hubbard has run
Bodycote for the last six years and we're sure he's excited to get back
to some good Southwestern cuisine and open roads. Not that the Chile
Colorado in Manchester UK is terrible or anything...it just tastes a
bit like Vindaloo. 
|  | Guest Editorial from Ken Hinckley
(August 11 - morning update) - Anyone
whose been in the industry a long time or spent much time around MTI
meetings likely knows Ken Hinckley. Ken is a long-time heat treater who
lately spends much of his time in Thailand. Today we have a some words
from Ken regarding what he says is the baloney press coverage of the
falling dollar helping the trade deficit. Comments welcomed:
The American press and the politicians
are all jumping on an imaginary band wagon trying to justify the
devaluation of the US dollar by saying it is closing the trade
deficit and creating jobs because we are exporting more. Make no
mistakes, we are not exporting any more product and no new jobs have
been created. Furthermore, we are paying considerably more for
imports and the standard or living for Americans has been
significantly lowered. The trade deficit is decreasing on paper only.
Since I spend a great deal of my time
in Thailand, I will just use it as an example. The dollar value
differentiates against different currencies but in all cases it has
lost value dramatically. In Thailand, the Baht has gained 33.5% over
the US dollar. Here is an example of how it has affected America:
- Trade volume between the US and
Thailand in 2006 was approximately $30 billion.
- That is, we exported approximately
$8 billion to Thailand and imported $22 billion from them.
- That constitutes a trade deficit
on our part of $14 billion.
Now, let’s see what is happening. For
conversation purposes, we will use the same 2006 figures. The
volume remains the same at $30 billion. Note, no exports or imports
have been added.
- Now we have exported $10.64
billion and imported $16.54 billion.
- The $14 billion trade deficit has
dwindled down to $5.9 billion.
- According to the government we
have closed the trade gap by $8.1 billion.
Sure looks good on paper. Keep in mind
that there has been zero change in trade volume. It looks good for
the US politicians to say the trade imbalance is narrowing when in
reality nothing has changed. What has happened is the price of goods
imported to Americans has increased in price, while the goods we
export have become cheaper for foreigners to purchase.
A simple example: Let’s say a widget
in Thailand cost 44,000 Thai Baht, which was $1,000 USD in 2006.
That same widget now cost Americans $1335. Conversely, an American
product worth $1,000 used to cost Thai citizens 44,000 Baht to
purchase, it now cost them 33,000 baht. Since we import more than we
export, the standard of living for Americas has decreased
significantly.
Apply this example to products
manufactured all over the world and it is easy to conclude that the
weak USD has a devastating effect on the American standard of living.
|  | Ipsen Supplies a Third TurboTreater® to Nevada Heat Treating
(August 6 - morning update) - Here's
the latest PR from Ipsen regarding delivery of one of their well-known
TurboTreater furnaces to Nevada Heat Treating: 
(Rockford,
IL) - Ipsen delivered another vacuum furnace to Nevada Heat Treating, a
H5448 2-Bar Quench TurboTreater® Horizontal Vacuum Furnace. This
enhanced TurboTreater® has a work zone size of 36” wide x 36” high x
48” deep with a gross load weight capability of 3,500 lbs at 2400°. The
unit offers reduced power consumption, compact floorprint, and quick hot
zone removal in less than one hour for maintenance. The vacuum furnace
system includes robust graphite heating element assembly and an energy
efficient 2” thick graphite thermal insulation pack composed of a
carbon composite hot face backed by four layers of graphite felt. The
insulation is housed in a carbon steel gas distribution plenum for
uniform gas distribution into the workload. The Ipsen CompuVacTM
control system offers many features including DigiTrim automatic multi-
zone tuning feature, virtually unlimited recipe storage, real-time and
historical trending and modem capability for remote diagnostics. The
control console is UL listed and the unit is designed and engineered to
meet AMS 2750 D code requirements.
Nevada
Heat Treating, Inc. provides heat treating services for a broad range
of industries which includes some of the most advanced heat treating
and brazing equipment in the world. The Ipsen TurboTreater® was
purchased to service a large aerospace contract which was awarded after
more than a year of process development with their Tier I customer.
Ipsen was able to expedite the H5448 build and delivered it within 8
weeks from receipt of purchase order. Between its California and Nevada
facilities, this is 7th vacuum furnace Nevada Heat Treating, Inc and
California Brazing has purchased in the past 5 years.
Ipsen,
Inc. designs and manufactures thermal processing systems including
vacuum heat treating equipment, atmosphere furnaces and advanced
thermal process control systems. With manufacturing operations
worldwide, the most sophisticated research and development facilities
in the industry, and the largest installed base, Ipsen, Inc. offers
innovative solutions and technical
expertise to improve the efficiency and performance of your heat
treating applications. Ipsen, Inc. maintains manufacturing plants in
Rockford, IL, Souderton, PA, Kleve, Germany, Calcutta, India and
Shanghai, China.
|  | United Process Controls Upgrades MAHLE Heat Treat Facility
(August 5 - morning update) - Based on the number of PRs of late it looks like the five companies that make-up the relatively new United Process Controls (Furnace Control Corp., Marathon Monitors Inc., Nitrex Metal, Process-Electronic and Waukee Engineering)
have been quite busy. Today's release is about a controls and software
upgrade at the MAHLE facility in Russellville, AK. Here's the full release:
Marathon
Monitors Inc., a member of United Process Controls (UPC) recently
upgraded the North Plant at MAHLE Group's Russellville, Arkansas plant.
MAHLE, a leading designer and manufacturer of automotive parts, updated
the plant with advanced controls and SCADA from UPC.The
system upgrade is based on the industry tested and established MMI
DualPro controller and a custom-designed SCADA system. "United Process
Controls sent the MMI field guys out and did the whole upgrade in just
a couple days," says heat treat manager, Rodney Moore (right). "At
UPC we work with the customer on a virtual prototype of the SCADA
system over the Internet so we can dial in the customer requirements
before we ever step foot in the plant" said Marathon's Engineering
Director, Paul Barker. MAHLE plans to extend this upgrade to their South Plant in the near future. Marathon
Monitors Inc. is a leading supplier of heat treating and combustion
control systems. As part of United Process Controls, Marathon products
are sold, supported and serviced world-wide and integrate seamlessly
with products from UPC's member companies. www.marathonmonitors.com - www.group-upc.com. |  | Another Heat Treat Supplier Wins an Export Award
(August 4 - morning update) - Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio recently announced the Ohio Excellence in Exporting Awards for 2008. This
year, 24 companies received the honor for exporting products from Ohio
and supporting the economy of the state. Of the 24 companies, 2 were
awarded Exporter of the Year 2008, one in the small and medium category and the other in the large company category.
Last year's winner of the overall Exporter of the Year was Marathon Sensors (Marathon Monitors), beating out 30 other companies in Ohio that received the "Excellence in Exporting" award.
Following
on Marathon's success last year, another heat treat supplier, Super
Systems Inc., was given one of this year's 23 "Excellence in Exporting"
awards for 2008.
Beating out Super Systems and the other 21 "Excellence in Exporting" award winners, the big winners this year were Select Sires (small to medium companies) and Lincoln Electric (large companies).
Select Sires sells frozen bull semen. Lincoln Electric is a global leader in the brazing and alloys equipment market.
Companies can only be considered for the Exporter of the Year award once every three years.
For the full release from the state of Ohio, go to http://www.odod.state.oh.us/newsroom/releases/1949.asp.
|  | Bodycote Results
(July 31 - morning update) - Bodycote
recently released their latest results. The short version is a 4.9%
profit increase on a 20.5% revenue increase. Definitely a good result
considering both the slump in manufacturing and the low dollar with
Bodycote owning so many plants in North America. You can read the whole
report here. Here's the quick recap: - Revenue from continuing operations increased by 20.5% to £382.6 million (H1 2007: £317.6 million) - Headline operating profit1 grew by 8.9% to £52.5 million (H1 2007: £48.2 million) - Operating profit ahead 6.7% at £50.8 million (H1 2007: £47.6 million) - Headline profit before tax2 up 7.4% to £46.4 million (H1 2007: £43.2 million) - Profit before tax improved by 4.9% to £44.7 million (H1 2007: £42.6 million) - Operating cash flow3 increased by 20.8% to £29.0 million (H1 2007: £24.0 million) - Basic headline earnings per share4 lifted by 4.9% to 10.8p (H1 2007: 10.3p) - Basic earnings per share increased 2.0% to 10.3p (H1 2007: 10.1p) - Interim dividend increased by 7.3% to 2.95 pence per share (H1 2007: 2.75p)
|  | No More Leased Vehicles from Chrysler
(July 31 - afternoon update) - Starting
tomorrow you will no longer be able to lease a vehicle from Chrysler
LLC. The move is a drastic attempt to avoid the losses Chrysler has
seen on returned vehicles with sharply lower residual values than
expected thanks to high gasoline costs and the corresponding drop in
demand for its trucks, SUVs and gas-guzzling cars such as the 300C. Unfortunately
for Chrysler this may be a no-win situation since leases account for a
very large portion of Chrysler's total new vehicle sales. The
change is having a positive short-term outcome, however, with CNN
reporting that Chrysler's sales have soared with customer's trying to
get leases in the last few days of July. |  | Toyota Sees Hard Times Ahead
(July 29 - morning update) - Only
a few days after beating GM is quarterly auto sales, Toyota has revised
its forecasts for the year downward based on sluggish North American
Sales. Read the full story here. |  | Gas Prices Tumbling - Time to Lock-in?
(July 29 - morning update) - It was only a couple weeks ago that
we were lamenting skyrocketing natural gas prices. Well if you take a
look at our chart (provided courtesy of Power Market Today) over to the
right, you'll see gas futures tumbling! This is a good thing for those
who didn't already lock-in their natural gas prices. |  | Nitrex Lands Two-Furnace Repeat Order from MAHLE
(July 22 - morning update) - Nitrex,
as pretty much everyone knows, was a pioneer in high-quality nitriding
processes and is currently the benchmark by which all such systems are
judged. As part of United Process Controls they have a support network that's frankly hard to beat. No surprise to see MAHLE going with them again for their nitriding needs. Here's the PR: MAHLE
Group, a leader in the design and production of piston systems, has
purchased two complete NX-1015 gas nitriding systems for its new plants
in China and Mexico. These Nitrex systems will process piston rings
using the Nitreg®-S controlled nitriding technology for stainless
steels and enable Mahle to meet its requirements for high manufacturing
and quality standards. This represents Mahle's eighth and ninth systems
for use in piston ring manufacturing. The decision to reorder was based
on the success achieved with the equipment and technology previously
supplied to the group's operations in Brazil and Portugal. The orders
are scheduled for installation during the 3rd quarter of the year at
the facilities in Ying Kou, China and Aguascalientes, Mexico.
ABOUT NITREX METAL INC. Nitrex
Metal is a key supplier of automated, turnkey heat treating systems for
nitriding and nitrocarburizing applications and operates a network of
commercial heat treating facilities across North America. To date the
company has over 250 installations in plants worldwide and has licensed
its technology to commercial heat treating companies in Australia,
Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Italy, South Korea, New
Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, UAE, UK, and
USA. Nitrex
Metal is a member of United Process Controls, an alliance of five
recognized companies within the heat treating industry that share a
common goal to provide prime control solutions through their worldwide
sales and services network with easy-to-access local support.
|  | Bidding War for Bodycote Test Business
(July 14 - afternoon update) - On
the topic of Bodycote (see next item) it's worth nothing that six
private equity firms have made it to the second round of Bodycote's
"auction" of is testing business. Bodycote is hopeing to garner some
400 million pounds ($800 million) for the business unit. You can read
the story here. |  | Bodycote Makes First French Acquisition
(July 14 - afternoon update) - I'm
pretty sure there are quite a few Bodycote facilities in France, but
the wire claims that Bodycote said this was their first acquisition in
France. I suppose that means the previously bought someone who owned
some French facilities or maybe they just meant the testing services
group. Anyway, here's the PR: Bodycote has bought Toulouse-based materials testing laboratory Centech
for an undisclosed sum, according to a statement issued at the
Farnborough Air Show today.
The Macclesfield-based engineering group said the deal was its first acquisition in France.
Centech’s
customers include Airbus, French jet engine maker Snecma and General
Electric Aircraft Engines and its services include mechanical testing,
machining and failure analysis of metallic and composite materials.
Sean
Kerr, Bodycote Testing's managing director Europe, said: "The
acquisition of Centech, with its close links with Airbus France, not
only dovetails perfectly with our existing business, but gives us
further opportunities for expansion into the European market."
|  | Gas Prices Going Through the Roof
(July 8 - afternoon update) - In
case you haven't been watching the handy-dandy chart over to the right
side of this window that gives you the very latest on natural gas
prices here's some news - it's heading up. It was just a few months
back we were below $9 and now we're pushing $14. And it's not just
natural gas, but propane and nitrogen and, heck, I suppose Helium's
probably up too. I guess we can take some solace in the reasonable
nickel costs of late. |  | Ford and GM Riding High!
(July 8 - morning update) - ...in
China that is. Yes, two of the "big three" US auto makers - you know
the ones that reported sales down between 21-30% just a week back - are
reporting strong sales in China. Overall, GM's sales in China grew
about 13% and Ford's grew abut 21%. Not nearly enough to offset North
American sales drops, but good news for sure. I guess the pressure is
on Chrysler for some good news now. |  | Derek Dennis Joins Solar Atmospheres of California
(July 1 - morning update) - For
those who don't know that Solar Atmospheres is opening a facility in
California, well, now you do. The man to head that operation is its new
president, Derek Dennis. Here's the full Press Release: Souderton,
Pa. — Roger Jones, Corporate President, announces the hiring of Derek
Dennis as President of Solar’s new California heat treating company:
“Derek comes to Solar with a wealth of heat treating and management
experience, primarily from the aircraft and petrochemical business as
former Director of Operations for Valley Metals and Manufacturing
Manager for Jet Products (Senior Aerospace) both of San Diego,
California. He also served in the US Marine Corps as an Aerial
Navigator and Crew Chief.”
According
to William R. Jones, CEO: “Derek was carefully selected to head
the new company after reviewing numerous applicants”. His strong
points are his life long ties to California, his managerial experience,
and knowledge of the metals business.
Derek’s
first assignment will be to select a plant site with a primary focus on
the Inland Empire, just east of Los Angeles, where an experienced labor
pool is available and several potential plant sites exist.
According
to Bob Hill, Solar’s President of Western, Pennsylvania operations, who
did advance marketing research for the project: “Our aim is to
install large, high tech furnaces and provide high quality operations
not currently available on the West Coast.”
For more information, contact Solar’s Marketing Manager, Bob Lacock, at 800.347.3236, extension 213.
|  | Delphi Looks to Sell Global Exhaust Business
(July 1 - morning update) - Well-known
auto parts giant, Delphi is looking to sell its exhaust business as
part of its ongoing transformation plan. Here's a brief bit from the press release: AUBURN
HILLS, Mich., — Delphi Corporation (PINKSHEETS: DPHIQ) today announced
that it is seeking buyers for its global exhaust business as part of
the company's transformation plan.
The
business to be sold relates to the design and manufacture of the
exhaust system front exhaust module ("hot end") including catalytic
converters and exhaust manifolds. The business serves more than 10
major customers and includes sites in Blonie, Poland; Clayton,
Australia; Gurgaon, India; and Port Elizabeth, South Africa; as well as
joint venture interests in Shanghai, China; and Monterrey, Mexico; and
technical centers in Auburn Hills and Flint, Michigan; and Bascharage,
Luxembourg.
Although
Delphi intends to divest its exhaust business, the company intends to
continue to provide full engine management systems, including air and
fuel management, and combustion and valve-train technology.
Additionally,
Delphi's non-equity based alliance with Belgium-based Bosal Group to
offer complete exhaust systems will be terminated by mutual agreement.
The alliance was announced in the spring of 2005. Delphi and Bosal
together provided customized exhaust systems for automotive and
commercial vehicle manufacturers worldwide to meet stringent exhaust
emissions standards and reduce engine noise.
Pending
Court approval, Delphi will retain Lincoln International, a leading
global mid-market investment bank, to explore sale opportunities.
Parties interested in Delphi's exhaust business should contact Robert
Satow at (+1) 212.277.8102 or rsatow@lincolninternational.com.
|  | MAHLE Acquires Oil Pump Manufacturer ENTEC
(July 1 - morning update) - It
wasn't that long ago that a major pump manufacturer (Sulzer) was
making noises about buying Heat Treating Biggie Bodycote. Well today we
hear that a large auto parts manufacturer (and large captive heat
treater) has reversed this news by buying a pump manufacturer. No
connections of course. Here's a snip from the MAHLE press release: Stuttgart, July 1, 2008 – Stuttgart’s MAHLE Group announced
today that MAHLE has acquired all the shares of ENTEC GmbH in
Thuringia, Germany. ENTEC is a developer and manufacturer of controlled
oil pumps for combustion engines.
In its current
organization, ENTEC develops controlled oil pumps on customer order and
produces prototypes and small lots for special applications and
motorsport. These brought in sales of about EUR 7 million in the 2007
business year, generated with a total of about 60 employees. In
addition, licenses for controlled pumps have been issued to contract
manufacturing companies for large lot orders. While development is
currently concentrated in the Crock/Thuringia location, production
principally takes place at the Brattendorf/Thuringia location.
Development
trends in modern generations of combustion engines are focused strongly
on the topic of significant reductions in fuel consumption, especially
in light of imminent CO2 regulations and legislation. In the future,
controlled oil pumps will make significant contributions in this area,
since they can be precisely tuned to provide only the amount of oil
that is needed at different engine operating points. Potential fuel
savings due to optimization of the entire oil circuit system, using
controlled oil pumps, range at up to three percent. MAHLE plans, in the
middle and long term, to exploit the great growth potential for
controlled oil pumps as part of its in-house manufacturing program. |
| American Axle Strike to Close Another GM Plant
(March 3 - morning update) - Looks
like the ongoing strike at American Axle has caused GM to close
(temporarily) their assembly plant in Morain, Ohio. The plant makes
TrailBlazers, GMC Envoys, Saab 9-7X and the Isuzu Ascender and employs
some 2,170 hourly workers. |  | AFC-HOLCROFT Names Director of European Operations
(February 18 - morning update) - You'd
be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't know AFC-HOLCROFT and their
success in developing standard furnace products that they can deliver
around the world on very short notice - including a snazzy modular
endo-generator system. Well it looks like they've got a new guy - both
a metallurgist and engineer no less - to run Europe. Here's the PR: AFC-Holcroft,
one of the largest suppliers of industrial heat treating equipment in
the world, has named Marc Ruetsch as Director of European
Operations. Ruetsch will be responsible for all activity in
Europe, including Russia, from a branch office in Boncourt,
Switzerland. Ruetsch
holds degrees in both Metallurgy and Engineering and has 27 years of
experience in the heat treating industry. He is fluent in French,
German and English.
The
scale of opening a satellite office of a world-leading company is
nothing new for Ruetsch. In his previous post at another major
European industrial furnace company, he launched manufacturing support
in China, organized a network of technology agents across Europe and
Asia, and managed large customized projects from start to
finish. Throughout
his extensive industry experience he has been responsible for all
phases of the commercial cycle – beginning with inquiry, progressing to
site review, sales, commercial contracts, project management, and
after-sales support. His 18 years in Sales also included posts as
Managing Director and Director of Sales of a former technology licensee
of AFC-Holcroft. With
the U.S. dollar currently very weak against the Euro, the obvious
benefits of manufacturing equipment in North America and shipping to
Europe make the timing of a European support location “a logical step”
according to Ruetsch. Ruetsch
stated, “AFC-Holcroft is recognized worldwide as a leading manufacturer
of atmosphere heat-treatment furnaces. I will be able to support
the main office in Wixom, Michigan, by servicing customers in Europe,
as well as promoting our industrial furnaces with exceptional
price-performance ratio in various heat treatment processes.” As
part of this concept, AFC-Holcroft’s UBQ (Universal Batch Quench)
family of products has been re-engineered to minimize international
shipping expense, to maximize global flexibility. AFC-Holcroft
has more than 90 years of thermal processing experience. The
company manufactures turnkey heat treating systems for applications
including commercial heat treating, automotive, aerospace, tool and
die, foundry and forging, gear manufacturing, fastener manufacturing,
and the wire and cable industry. AFC-Holcroft
is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of heat treating
furnaces. The company has a global reach, with organizations in
the United States, China, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, India, Mexico,
Italy, Spain, Romania and Japan, including manufacturing means in many
of these countries. For more information on AFC-Holcroft, contact Tim Josephs at (248) 668-4014. |  | New European Office for AFC-HOLCROFT
(February 18 - morning update) - Tied to our previous news item is news of AFC-HOLCROFT opening a new office in Europe: AFC-Holcroft,
one of the largest builders of industrial heat treating equipment in
the world, is proud to announce the official opening of a branch office
in Boncourt, Switzerland. The office will support sales and
replacement parts activity for the European region of the world,
including Russia. Currently, AFC-Holcroft has projects in
Russia, Romania, Spain and Italy. Marc
Ruetsch will be responsible for all European activity, operating
out of the new Swiss office. Ruetsch’s title is Director of
European Operations.
Ruetsch,
who holds degrees in both Metallurgy and Engineering, has held several
management positions for other large European heat treat equipment
suppliers throughout his 27 years in the heat treating industry.
He had worked with AFC-Holcroft previously as a technology licensee. William Disler, Vice President of Sales and Technology for AFC-Holcroft, explained the decision to open an office in Europe.
"The
European markets, as well as other regions of the world, are critical
to AFC-Holcroft to allow us to manage the peaks and valleys of our
business more efficiently. With the U.S. dollar currently very weak
against the Euro, the opportunity to manufacture equipment in North
America and ship it to Europe is very promising”. Disler
continued, “Our Boncourt office will serve as a beachhead not only to
support this current activity but to further expand and
penetrate the European marketplace with our products.
We will continue to make adjustments in our organization to support our
global activity as we expand our footprint around the world.”
Following
this economic trend, AFC-Holcroft recently finalized an important
agreement with a major European heat treater to supply North American
built batch equipment into several countries throughout
Europe over the next few years. In addition,
AFC-Holcroft’s UBQ (Universal Batch Quench) family of products has been
re-engineered to minimize international shipping expense, to maximize
global flexibility in the future.
AFC-Holcroft
has more than 90 years of thermal processing experience. The
company manufactures turnkey heat treating systems for applications
including commercial heat treating, automotive, aerospace, tool and
die, foundry and forging, gear manufacturing, fastener manufacturing,
and the wire and cable industry.
AFC-Holcroft
is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of heat treating
furnaces. The company has a global reach, with organizations in
the United States, China, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, India, Mexico,
Italy, Spain, Romania and Japan, including manufacturing means in many
of these countries.
For more information on AFC-Holcroft, contact Tim Josephs at (248) 668-4014.
|  | Ken Hinkley Report - Save This Man!
(February 18 - morning update) - Heat
Treat News has learned that Ken Hinkley long Heat Treat consultant has
taken up parasailing. Things must be slow in the consulting
business leaving him with too much free time. So if anyone needs
a good consultant please contact him before he hurts him self.
email: sklease@aol.com 
|  | ALD Technology Breaks 30 Million Euros Worth of Vacuum Carburizers
(February 6 - morning update) - No
doubt atmosphere carburizing is here to stay for many parts, but
there's no denying the fast rise of low-pressure carburizing around the
globe. Today's PR from ALD brings that point home as we learn that they
have made some rather substantial sales of their systems. Here's their
PR: ALD
Vacuum Technologies has developed important new heat treatment
processes and furnaces over recent years. These technologies
ideally achieve the latest requirements of industry via advanced levels
of modern manufacturing. Based on vacuum technology, these processes
comply with demands of today and address future process requirements,
bringing flexibility, improved product quality, increases in
efficiency, distortion control improvements and lower production costs.
The comfortable working atmosphere of our systems and the
environmentally friendly nature of the processes are additional
benefits of ALD’s technology. Following
the commercial launch in 2002/2003 and a fully successful
implementation of the pilot system at Wegener Haertereitechnik in
Homburg/Saar, Germany, a great many of our customers have been and are
continuing to be, convinced of the advantages of the process and
furnace technologies. The success of this furnace concept is based on a
modular design, which enables easy adaptation to a variety of processes
and products. In addition to the automotive industries like BMW,
Getrag or General Motors, the new process technology was also
effectually implemented in the Diesel injection and industrial
transmissions markets. Between the years 2003 and 2006, 20
furnace systems with more than 100 treatment chambers were installed
and commissioned.
In
2007, ALD has again increased its order intake significantly with 10
furnace systems including more than 50 treatment chambers. This
volume represents about 35 m € to high ranking customers like ZF
Saarbruecken and Getrag Untergruppenbach. Further orders were
closed with commercial heat treatment centers in Germany, The Far East
and Mexico. A significant number of letters of intent for
additional projects are supporting the growth well into 2008.
Since delivery and commissioning of the ordered furnaces will extend
over the next few years, ALD is now working to full capacity.
Orders placed with large producers of transmissions provide proof for
the acceptance of ALD’s latest heat treatment technology. With
its representative offices and subsidiaries as well as licensees in the
USA (ALD-Holcroft) and Japan (Daido), ALD is well positioned for sales
and services worldwide. Furthermore, ALD operates its own heat
treatment service centers in Germany, the USA and Mexico. Ongoing
research and development activities and the intense collaboration in
national and international development projects as well as the
technical expertise from our own centers are reinforcing ALD’s
leadership position in this specific world market.
Richard Seemann January 2008
ALD
Vacuum Technologies in Hanau, Germany, is the globally leading supplier
of process technologies, furnaces and services in the field of vacuum
metallurgy and vacuum heat treatment. With subsidiaries in the USA,
Japan, the UK, Russia, China, Poland and Mexico as well as more than 70
representative offices, ALD is a world-wide supplier to industries i.e.
power generation, environment, aviation, photo voltaic and automotive
suppliers.
For further information please contact:
ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH Barbara Ahrens Sekretariat der Geschäftsführung Tel.: +49.06181. 307-3107 Fax: +49.06181. 307-3320 barbara.ahrens(at)ald-vt.de
|  | CHS-Asia Earns ISO9001:2000 Status
(February 5 - morning update) - Big
news from David Pickup's and Randy Simmons' controls & furnaces
company, CHS-ASIA. Their team has been growing by leaps and bounds and
has achieved ISO9001 certification. Here's their PR: CHS-ASIA
(S) Pte Ltd. a Manufacturer and Supplier of Industrial Furnace
Equipment has reached a significant milestone and is proud to announce
that we are now certified to ISO 9001:2000 by DQS Certification
(www.dqs.de). The certification is accredited by the German
Accreditation Body, Deutscher Akkreditierungs Rat (DAR,
www.dar.bam.de).
The
certification of the effectiveness of our Quality Management System
recognizes that the policies, practices and procedures of our company
can ensure consistent quality in the equipment and services we provide
to our clients. With this certification, our clients can be confident
that CHS-ASIA is dedicated to maintaining the highest efficiency and
responsiveness in achieving our ultimate goal – guaranteed client
satisfaction.
CHS-ASIA is certified to ISO 9001:2000 for the following scope: 1.Design, Fabrication, Assembly, Installation and Commissioning of Industrial Furnaces & Associated Equipment 2.After Sales Service of Spare Parts, Servicing and Maintenance In
maintaining our Quality Management System, CHS-ASIA is committed to
conduct semi-annual audits to ensure compliance and to assess
initiatives for continued improvement. Our clients can be confident
that CHS-ASIA will continue to provide the high quality services they
have come to expect well into the future.
We
believe that our decision to become ISO 9001 certified is a proactive
one that not only anticipates the demands of our clients, but also
demonstrates our commitment to providing quality services to all our
clients. |  | Ever Treat an 11,000 Pound Weldment? Solar Just Did Two
(February 1 - morning update) - In the category of "a picture's worth a thousand words" we have the latest from Solar Atmospheres: 
And here's the story from Solar directly:
Solar Atmospheres, Souderton, PA,
recently heat treated two 4140 (chromium molybdenum) steel weldments,
each weighing 11,000 lbs. Using a 12 foot long horizontal loading
Solar Manufacturing furnace with a 50,000 lb. capacity, Solar
normalized and tempered the weldments to achieve specific yield
strength, while minimizing distortion, through controlled heating and
cooling.
The weldment dimensions were, 54 x 34 x
84 inches, with section thicknesses ranging from 2 to 6 inches. The
configuration required vacuum thermal processing in order to prevent
structural cracking. Critical to this goal, Solar strategically
placed six workload thermocouples in the various weldments sections.
Uniform heat up of the large part was accomplished with strategically
planned pre-heat steps, a uniform soak at temperature, and a
controlled 2 bar quench.
Tri Kris Fabrication, Lansdale, PA, was
very pleased with the heat treating and will process more weldments
of this type at Solar. The part is a component in a large tensile
testing machine that tests braided steel cable for shipbuilding
applications.
*
* *
Bob
Lacock Solar
Atmospheres, Marketing 800.347.3236
x 234 jenna@solaratm.com
|  | ThyssenKrupp Forging Purchased by Sona Group
(January 29 - evening update) - More
and more manufacturing companies are being snatched up lately. Today's
news comes from India's Sona Group, a large manufacturer of steering
systems, axle components and forgings for automotive applications. It turns out they've just purchased Praezisionsschmiede, ThyssenKrupp's
forging business, which has plants all over Germany and one in Selma,
North Carolina. An interesting note is that the sale, which closes any
day now, has an effective date of October 1, 2007.
|  | Chrysler Offering $100,000 Buyouts
(January 29 - evening update) - In
an effort to trim some 10,000 jobs by April, Chrysler LLC is offering
up buyout deals for up to $100,000. The offers are a combination of
lump-sum buyouts and early retirement packages. In all about 19,000
workers are being offered the buy-outs with Chrysler wanting 10,000 to
take it. Buyouts
are being proposed to workers at the Conner Assembly plant, the Detroit
Axle plant, the Mack Avenue Engine I and Engine II plants, Mt. Elliot
Tool & Dye, the Sterling Stamping plant, the Warren Stamping plant,
the Trenton Engine plant and the Sterling Heights test center. |  | Expansion at Overton Gear
(January 28 - morning update) - Overton
Gear Corp is a custom gear company servicing transportation,
construction and wind applications. Based in Addison, IL, Overton has
recently completed a 10,000 square-foot expansion of their heat
treating department. New
additions to the heat treat include two new carburizers and an 84-inch
quench press (probably one of the largest in the world). With the new
equipment, Overton can now handle gears up to 90 inches in diameter.
|  | Geek Ear-Wear Technology Put to Good Use
(January 25 - morning update) - Okay,
come on and confess...you've worn one of those little ear decorations
for talking on your cell phone without a wire, haven't you? Well,
believe it or not, all those earpieces worn in the world's
airports have resulted in something truly useful. Those
microphone/earphone devices are all based on a wireless technology
called Bluetooth and that technology is now being used to help
double-amputee soldiers walk again. Instead
of transmitting your latest bet on the Giants to your cell phone,
Bluetooth is being used to allow replacement legs to communicate with
each other and coordinate walking for soldiers who've literally given
their legs up for their mission and for their country. Nothing to do with heat treating, but great news as we head into the weekend. Read about it here. |  | Westinghouse Specialty Metal Plant Adds SECO / WARWICK Furnace
(January 25 - morning update) - SECO/WARWICK
has landed another furnace order from Westinghouse Specialty Metals in
Blairsville, PA. The order is for a new vacuum annealing furnace.
Always better reading when the customer's let their names be used for
sure. Here's the PR : Westinghouse
Specialty Metals Plant in Blairsville, PA has purchased a High Vacuum
Retort Annealing Furnace to process zirconium tubes. Westinghouse
is increasing their plant capacity to meet the needs of customers in
both China and the United States.
The
Vacuum Annealing furnace is custom engineered to meet the exceptionally
tight uniformity standard of ±5ºF in the 48 inch x 6 inch x 216 inch
hot zone. The furnace is rated for 1200ºF and will be
equipped with a cold cap High Vacuum diffusion pump.
About Westinghouse Specialty Metals Plant
Westinghouse
Electric Company offers a wide range of nuclear plant products and
services to utilities throughout the world, including fuel, service and
maintenance, instrumentation and control, and advanced nuclear plant
designs. With headquarters in Monroeville, Pennsylvania – near
Pittsburgh – Westinghouse now has operations in twelve states and
fourteen countries, with annual sales of approximately US$1.8
billion. After designing the world's first commercial pressurized
water reactor nuclear power plant in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, in
1957, Westinghouse and its licensees provided more than 40 percent of
the world’s 434 operating commercial nuclear plants, the world’s
largest installed base of operating plants.
All
of this experience places Westinghouse at the forefront of the nuclear
industry. But most importantly, Westinghouse applies its expertise to
ensure that nuclear power will continue to provide safe, reliable and
economical electricity without producing carbon emissions or other
greenhouse gases.
For more information, visit www.westinghousenuclear.com
About SECO/WARWICK SECO/WARWICK’s
Vacuum Team custom engineered, quality Vacuum Furnaces for most
processes including hardening, tempering, annealing, solution heat
treating, brazing, sintering, carburizing, carbon/carbon composites,
CVD–graphitizing, high pressure quench and degassing.
SECO/WARWICK has entered into a Strategic Alliance Agreement with
Retech Systems LLC offering advanced technology for VIM, VAR, electron
beam & plasma arc furnaces, along with powder production and
environmental remediation equipment.
Visit the Vacuum Team at http://www.secowarwick.com/vacuum.html
SECO/WARWICK
Worldwide manufactures industrial heat processing equipment including
heat treat furnaces, vacuum furnace technology, atmosphere generators
and aluminum reverb melting and holding systems. SECO/WARWICK
provides heat treating equipment and services worldwide for customers
involved with primary aluminum, aluminum recycling, automotive,
aerospace, commercial heat treating, HVAC, electronics, lighting,
medical equipment, nuclear applications and high temperature
sintering. The globally integrated organization includes
SECO/WARWICK Corp. (USA), SECO/WARWICK S.A. (Poland), ELTERMA S.A.
(Poland) and SECO/WARWICK Industrial Furnace Co. Ltd. (China).
The company has over 700 employees worldwide and is an industry leader
in industrial heat processing equipment and processes. More
information can be found at www.secowarwick.com.
###
Press Contact: Beth Ryan, Marketing Communications Director 814/332-8437 bryan@secowarwick.com
|  | Credit Suisse Upgrades Bodycote to "Outperform"
(January 24 - morning update) - Some
good news for Bodycote today as Credit Suisse has upgraded their status
from "neutral" to "outperform." The downside is that they've cut their
target for Bodycote stock from 300 pence to 240 pence. Still, at a
current trading price of about 160 pence this is good stuff for the
world's largest commercial heat treater and materials testing
company. Credit Suisse tops it off by saying "Bodycote is the clear global leader in outsourced Heat Treatment." |  | BlackEagle Acquires Rockford Products' Assets
(January 24 - morning update) - BlackEagle
Partners is a private equity firm that focuses on "turnaround"
acquisitions - companies with customers and products that have stumbled
into difficult financial situations. Today we've learned that
BlackEagle has acquired "selected assets" of Rockford Products, the
nearly eighty-year-old manufacturer and heat treater in Rockford, IL.
Rockford's wares are used in critical suspension applications such
as Ball Studs, Studs, Track Bolts, Ball Pins, etc. The
details of the asset purchase aren't entirely known to us but from the
sound of it, BlackEagle will retain the profitable stuff, jettison the
rest, put in a new or partly new management team and try to bring
Rockford back to profitability. |  | Bodycote Sells Tarzana Property
(January 24 - morning update) - Bodycote
has sold a nearly 15,000 square foot facility in Tarzana, CA to
Columbia College for $3.5 million. The facility, located at 18600
Oxnard St., will be leased back to Bodycote by Columbia College for an
undisclosed period of time. |  | SECO/WARWICK's China Venture Earns ISO9001 and Relocates
(January 23 - morning update) - SECO/WARWICK'S
joint venture company in Tianjin (China) has recently obtained
ISO9001:2000 status and it looks like they've also relocated their
corporate offices in Beijing. Here's the full scoop for those
interested: SECO/WARWICK
(Tianjin) Industrial Furnace Co., LTD has completed a successful
year in their first year of operation having increasing both sales and
staff along with earning ISO9001:2000 certification.
According to Jeff Boswell, SECO/WARWICK Group President, “We are
pleased at the tremendous success that SECO/WARWICK Tianjin has
achieved this year, particularly demonstrating their commitment to
meeting global quality standards by completing the ISO9001
certification process.”
Company
President Jing Heng Li commented, “We are proud to have earned
this world standard measurement for quality management that assures our
customers that they can have confidence in SECO/WARWICK Tianjin
to supply equipment and services with exceptional quality and value as
a Chinese owned and operated company.”
ISO 9001 Certification
SECO/WARWICK
(Tianjin) Industrial Furnace Co., LTD earned ISO9001:2000 certification
on December 18, 2007 for their quality management system, audited by
CNAS Management Systems. The company achieved certification in
less that a year after the joint agreement was signed in December 2006.
SECO/WARWICK (Tianjin) provides Chinese customers with advanced global
technology, but manufactured with Chinese components and labor that
meet both Chinese and global quality standards.
Chinese Operations and Staff
Tianjin
The
Tianjin location currently employs approximately 100 people. The
company was established in 1992 and occupies a 22,062 square meter lot
located north of the Tianjing City Industrial area near Bao Hai in
Mainland China. The company currently employs a complete staff
including administrative, engineering and manufacturing functions,
experienced in all aspects of equipment design, manufacturing and
service.
SECO/WARWICK (Tianjin) Industrial Furnace Co. Ltd. Beisunzhuang Village Jinwei Road, Beichen District,Tianjin,China 300402 Phone +86-22-86853179 Fax +86-22-86850027 info@secowarwick.com.cn www.secowarwick.com.cn
Beijing
SECO/WARWICK
continues to operate a Beijing Representative Office that was
established in 1994, however inquiries may be directed to Tianjin. On
January 1, the office was moved but the contact information remains the
same. The new address is:
SECO/WARWICK Beijing Representative Office 522 Room, Zhenlong Dasha, No.9 Building Dongluoyuan, Fengtai District, Beijing, China 100075 Tel: 010-68032526 Fax: 010-68032235 Contact Person: Chen, Da-Peng - Senior Engineer
|  | Bodycote Shares Take Another Hit (January 22 - morning update) - The
London stock exchange "FOOTSIE" took a real beating last week,
especially in the manufacturing sector. Overall it was the exchange's
worst day since the 9/11 attacks.
Heat treating giant, Bodycote saw about a 6% drop in its share price
alone dropping below 150 p for the first time in years. They've climbed
back up a bit this week to around 154 but are way off their high of 327
from about 10 months ago. Experts in the UK cite the recent poor economic news in the US and expectations of worse news to come. Let's hope they're wrong. |  | Two New Solar Car Bottoms Ordered (January 17 - afternoon update) - We've
heard from many customers that the US recession is for real and people
are starting to worry...that didn't stop Solar Manufacturing from
landing a very nice order from V.S.M.P.O Salda in Russia. Nice work!
Here's the PR: Souderton,
PA – A contract has been signed for Two (2) Large Car Bottom vacuum
furnaces for shipment to V.S.M.P.O. Salda, Russia. The total
order value with shipment and installation will approach US
$7,000,000. The furnaces will heat treat, anneal, and high vacuum
degas titanium and titanium alloys like V.S.M.P.O. grade 5553 for the
new Boeing 787 Dreamliner and other aircraft or related
applications. The furnace design is based on US Patent NO.
6,936,792 B2 specifically covering the critical hot zone and car bottom
design which features under hearth heating zones. The identical
furnace hot zones are 24’ deep x 84” diameter with work load capacity
to 50,000 lbs. each. Operating temperature is to 2400°F and high
vacuum to 10-5 torr with two 35” Varian high vacuum diffusion pumps per
furnace. Each furnace is powered with a one megawatt dry type
phase angle controlled Magnetic Specialty Inc. five zone power supply
and Honeywell micro processor based pyrometer controllers. A
PC-based data acquisition system backed by redundant Eurotherm data
acquisition instrumentation is provided for thermal work monitoring and
order processing input and retrieval. For additional information
contact Richard A. Jones, Solar’s International Sales Manager. |  | Selas Signs H.E.A.T. Network as Midwest (USA) Rep (January 16 - evening update) - Selas
is, of course, a long time player in the heat industry - premix
systems, furnaces, blender valves, flow meters, burners, etc. - and
they have a new group supporting their stuff in the Midwest sectino of
the US. Here's the PR: Montgomeryville,
PA -Selas Heat Technology Co. LLC today announced an agreement with
Heat Equipment and Technology, Inc. (H.E.A.T.) to represent the company
in the states of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, and West Virginia.
In addition to H.E.A.T.’s headquarters in Cincinnati, the firm also
maintains offices in Cleveland, Columbus and Detroit.
H.E.A.T.
Inc. has been providing solutions and equipment for thermal processing
for over 30 years. From single components such as temperature controls
and gas pressure regulators to complete industrial burner systems,
H.E.A.T. Inc. has the product range and experience to help improve the
combustion performance of Selas’ current and future customers. In
addition to product sales, H.E.A.T. will also offer installation
assistance and field service of Selas products as well.
Revitalized
and committed to growth, Selas Heat Technology Company LLC has been
dedicated to providing quality heat technology solutions since 1896. In
that time, Selas has served the advanced thermal processing needs of
tens of thousands of customers, providing radiant and low NOx burners,
combustion gas mixers, gas blender valves, flame arrestors and
blowouts, BTU monitors and controls, flow meters, heat processing
furnaces, and much more. Selas delivers heat technology solutions to
the glass, steel, non-ferrous metals, chemical, petrochemical,
automotive, and plastics industries with the highest quality products,
customer service and aftermarket support.
For
more information, contact Van Mai, Marketing Manager, Selas Heat
Technology Company LLC., 130 Keystone Drive, Montgomeryville, PA 18936.
• Tel: 800-523-6500 • Fax: 215-646-3536
• E-mail: sales@selas.com • Website: www.selas.com
|  | Curtis-Wright Lands Boeing Laser Peening Contract (January 14 - morning update) - While
not a traditional heat treating procedure, laser peening is an up an
coming technology for improving the fatigue resistance of metals using
lasers to impart layers of residual compressive stress into the metal.
In this case the laser peening technology originated a Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory and was commercialized by Curtis-Wright.
They will install this technology on a production cell inside the
Boeing Frederickson (WA) plant to be used on curved wing sections of
the new 747-8. This is Boeing's latest 747 incarnation and offers
improved aerodynamics and lower operating costs over the last
generation (747-400).
|  | New Order for Solar Manufacturing (January 11 - morning update) - The
other heat treat news sites had the inside edge on this one over
HeatTreatNews.com on this one, but, since it's a "we sold something" PR
that actually names the customer, we're happy to run it however late it
may be: Souderton,
PA –- Solar Manufacturing Inc. announces the receipt of an order for
two duplicate vacuum furnaces from Pratt and Whitney, East Hartford,
Conn., for a combined value just under $1,000,000 US. These
furnaces will be used in the final heat treatment process of turbine
blades for jet engines.
The
furnace hot zones have a 38” diameter, a 40” depth, a hearth capacity
of 1500 lbs., and operate to 2500F. Hot zone construction is a
standard Solar Manufacturing design with 360 degree internal circular
low watt density graphite band heating elements and insulated with four
layers of high purity graphite felt mounted on a 304SS supporting
ring. High vacuum performance is into the 10-6 Torr range with a
Varian 16” diffusion pump and backed with a Stokes 150 cfm / Stokes
2000 cfm mechanical pumps. The fully automatic digital control
system utilizes an Allen Bradley SCL 5/06 64K PLC and Panelview
operator interface with a Honeywell UDC 3500 temperature controller and
DPR250 on control panel recorder. The furnaces will be networked
to a central communication center via an ethernet hub.
According
to Peter Reh, Vice President of Sales, this is the first order Solar
has received from a prime jet engine manufacturer though Solar has
received orders for similar vacuum furnaces from second tier
suppliers. Reh further states the furnaces will be fully
installed and started up by Solar as a complete turn key installation.
Solar
Manufacturing designs and manufactures vacuum heat treating and brazing
furnaces. To learn more about their diverse product line, contact
Peter Reh, Vice President of Sales, at 267-384-5040 or
pkr@solarmfg.com. More information can also be found on
www.solarmfg.com.
|  | $2,500 for a Brand New Car? Go to India (January 11 - morning update) - Tata
Motors has just released the "Nano" - the world's cheapest car. This
thing apparently has room for 5 people (5 small people), gets 50
miles per gallon and meets safety and emissions standards. It does not
come with air conditioning (you need the deluxe version for that) or a
passenger side mirror and only has one windshield wiper, but, for
$2,500 what do you expect? The Nano is for India only at the moment but Tata plans to export eventually.
|  | Ipsen Growing, Adding Staff (January 9 - morning update) - Looks
like recently combined Ipsen, Inc. is doing quite well these days.
According to their latest release they added 12 people to their North
American operations in the last quarter of 2007 and had one of their
best years ever. Here's the full PR:
Due
to strong customer demand and a positive outlook, Ipsen, Inc added 12
new hires to its North American team in the fourth quarter of 2007. The
engineering and production departments were both expanded by four each
while the remaining talent is assigned to quality
control, purchasing and aftermarket services. Ipsen’s HR Manager John
Menne stated, “Adding a balanced mix of experienced and entry level
positions at the Rockford (IL) and Souderton (PA) sites assures that we
can deliver high performance for years to come.” Menne added, “We are
taking initiatives now to re-launch a revitalized Ipsen internship
program in the first half of 2008 to ensure that we also train the
experts of tomorrow.”
Ipsen,
Inc. finished 2007 with one of its best years in its history, and
continued strong bookings into 2008 have fueled the hiring initiatives.
2007 also caps a year in which the VFS brand (Vacuum Furnace Systems
Corp) was merged into the Ipsen family, to form the most experienced
and diversified vacuum furnace provider in the industry.
Ipsen,
Inc. designs and manufactures industrial vacuum furnaces, atmosphere
furnaces, and supervisory control systems for a wide variety of thermal
processing markets including: aerospace, commercial heat treating,
medical, nuclear, chemical, tool & die and automotive. Ipsen, Inc.
is one of the largest manufacturers in the world of vacuum and
atmosphere heat treating furnaces for the thermal processing market.
Ipsen also employs the largest and most skilled aftermarket &
service support team in the business to meet its customers’ needs for
controls upgrades, replacement hot zones, parts, maintenance and
service. Ipsen, Inc. maintains manufacturing plants in Rockford IL and
Souderton PA.
|  | US Recession is Here According to Merill Lynch (January 8 - morning update) - Fears
of a US recession have been growing over the last few months world-wide
since so much of the world economy is based on US consumer spending.
Today Merill Lynch has stated that Friday's poor jobs report confirmed
that the US recession has, indeed, started. Not
everyone agrees. Lehman Brothers, for example, denies a recession has
started. Officially it's the National Bureau of Economic Research that
proclaims when recessions occur, but they're proclamations always come
about two years after the fact so we won't hear from them until late
2009 at best. By then I think we'll all know for sure one way or the
other. |  | Tigers Route Buckeyes (January 8 - morning update) - LSU
came out a bit shaky and looked like they weren't up for the game early
on, but then their secondary turned on that SEC speed, shut down
Ohio State's passing game and it was all over. Final score 38-24 (but it wasn't really that close after the second quarter). Congrats
to the Tigers who played an excellent game all around - strong D,
strong offense and almost no penalties. Now if we could just get these
games to finish before midnight! Read all about the game here. |  | Chrysler Rumors (January 7 - morning update) - The rumors over Chrysler have become so numerous that even CNN & Money Magazine did a story on it (click here
to read). Suffice it to say that while Cerberus (Chrysler new owners)
maintains that Chrysler is doing well and exceeding its targets in many
areas, others are saying that things are more messed up than ever and
that an eventual merger with Ford is in the cards. |  | G-M Vacuum Furnace Start-up (January 7 - morning update) - If
you're interested in reading about the start-up of a new,
bottom-loading vacuum furnace at an undisclosed site, head on over to Industrial Heating's Industry News page. |  | CMC Impact Metals-Youngstown Receives ISO9001 Registration (January 7 - morning update) - Looks like CMC Impact Metals (formerly Allegheny Heat Treating) got its ISO9001 status: CMC
Impact Metals, formerly known as Allegheny Heat Treating, recently
received ISO-9001 registration for its Youngstown, Ohio facility.
The Youngstown facility had no findings at its registration audit which
was conducted by SRI Quality System Registrar.
CMC
Impact Metals was established in 1979 in Chicora, Pennsylvania.
It is now part of the Commercial Metals Company and has facilities in
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Alabama. CMC Impact Metals heat treats
long products including special bar quality (SBQ) rounds and structural
flats, plate, and shapes. It serves the needs of various steel
using markets including steel service centers, truck trailer and other
OEMs, oilfield equipment, and military.
The
Chicora, PA, facility has been ISO 9001 registered since 2004.
Efforts are now underway to implement ISO at the recently opened
facility in Pell City, Alabama.
|  | Welcome to 2008 - Go Buckeyes! (January 7 - morning update) - Well,
after a nice long break we're back. We'd like to say it was relaxing -
and it times it truly was - but a full house of relatives and many
meals prepared has us looking down the road for the next real vacation.
Anyway, 2008 is here and so is another year of HeatTreatNews.com. Don't
forget to tune in tonight to watch The Ohio State University Buckeyes
trounce some school from Louisiana! Our neighbor played ball at LSU so
I have to give him hell. |  | Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays (December 21 - morning update) - We're
upon that time of year when most of the world takes a deep breath,
relaxes and then embarks on travel, homecomings, visiting
relatives, house guests, large feasts and a bit too much drinking. If any big news breaks in the next week we'll be sure to put it up here, but it's likely to be a quiet one. Thanks to all our readers and contributors. Have a wonderful holiday and great new year! |  | Luce Is Metroplex's Most Valuable Asset for Bodycote - Editorial by Randy Simmons (December 20 - morning update) - By
now everyone has heard about Bodycote's acquisition of Metroplex Heat
Treat. Today we have an editorial by Randy Simmons who has spent many
days (and a few nights) at Metroplex dating back to his days running
Marathon's service department. From the sound of it, Jerry Luce and the
things he can bring to Bodycote's corporate culture, are what Randy
sees has the most important aspect of this recent acquisition by
Bodycote. Read on:
Bodycote/Metroplex Dallas Fort WorthMetroplex was founded in 1982 by Jerry Luce with one small batch line and analarm clock. Jerry worked a day time job and heat treated at night usingthe alarm clock to wake him up when it was time to move the load. Overthe years Jerry has grown Metroplex to the largest shop I have ever beeninside and I have been in shops all over the world.His sound business philosophies were very instrumental in his success. Jerry treated every employee, customer and supplier like family. At leasttwice a week he brought in lunch for the entire shop, gave out good bonusesand even sent Texas Christmas hams to suppliers and customers. The listof things that Jerry has done for his Company and the locally community isway too long to mention. Long admiring his style I have personallyadapted many of his ideals in how CHS Asia is run and hope one day tobe just as successful. I thank Jerry for all the help he has given meover the years and wish him all the best in the future.During the same time period Bodycote purchased two Hinderliter plants onein Dallas and one in Fort Worth from Mr. John Hubbard who later became theCEO of Bodycote International. A few years later Bodycote purchasedLindberg Commercial Heat Treatment which also had a shop in the DallasArea. This gave them 3 commercial shops in the Area. Later they sold theLindberg shop back to the former owner Mr. John Fussell (Jerry Luce’scousin) and closed down the Dallas facility. Doing the math this broughtthem from 3 shops in Dallas/Ft Worth back down to one shop. Recently theyhave purchased Metroplex Heat Treat from Jerry Luce and are now back up totwo shops.One can only wonder why Bodycote would get rid of two shops and then turnaround a purchase another all in the same area. Was it part of thecorporate strategy? Maybe Bodycote realized what a true talent and truebusiness visionary Jerry Luce is and wanted to capitalize on his skills. Quite possibly buying him out was the only way forward for them in theDallas Fort Worth area. There is no doubt that he will be a great assetand teacher for the Bodycote management staff.Kind RegardsRandy SimmonsManaging DirectorCHS Asia Thailand Co. Ltdwww.CHS-Asia.comRandy@CHS-Asia.com |  | Bodycote Share Price Stumbles (December 19 - morning update) - In
the UK this is the time when many publicly traded companies release
"trading updates" before they go silent in preparation for releasing
real numbers later. So what happens when the world's largest commercial
heat treater releases a trading statement that says their year with be
"within the range of market forecasts" and that profit has grown
15%? Well their share price plummets! I'll
never understand it, but I guess the markets expected Bodycote to grow
profits more than 15% in spite of a weakening dollar, high energy costs
and the nickel fiasco we saw over much of the last year. As it stands today Bodycote's share price has dropped about 25% over the last year and stands at 178 pence today. |  | U.S. Trade Deficit Drops to Lowest in Two Years (December 18 - morning update) - Looks
like that weak dollar is finally having an impact on imports and
exports. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, the trade deficit
fell about 5.5% (to about $179 billion) during the July-September
quarter. That's the lowest quarterly trade deficit since 2007.
Hopefully the start of a trend for US manufacturers. |  | New Manufacturing Engineer at Marathon Monitors (December 18 - morning update) - Hot
on the heels of Marathon's release yesterday that they'd hired a former
SSI guy comes today's PR that they have a new manufacturing engineer.
Sounds like he's a machinist turned engineer which can't be bad. Here's
the PR: West Chester, OH (13 December 2007) Marathon Monitors Inc., a memberof United Process Controls, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr.Justin Clark to the position of Manufacturing Engineer at its West Chester,Ohio manufacturing facility.Clark comes to Marathon with an impressive background in machining,design, manufacturing and programming. He started off as a CNC machinistwhile completing his degree in Tooling and Machining. Currently, he iscompleting his BS in MET at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Clark is askilled CAD/CAM/CAE designer and has primary responsibility fordocumenting the designs and manufacturing processes at Marathon."Justin s skills and hands-on experience will allow Marathon to continuedelivering and developing the best products. His participation in our qualityprograms and customer support department will insure that he is, first andforemost, focused on providing the best value to our customers," saidMarathon Director of Engineering, Paul Barker. Clark s responsibilities include implementation of new Quality Systems forMarathon and UPC, design and manufacturing documentation andmanagement for the production and development of the current and nextgeneration oxygen sensors.Marathon Monitors Inc. is a leading supplier of heat treating and combustioncontrol systems with service and support subsidiaries in both Beijing andShanghai. As part of United Process Controls, Marathon products are sold,supported and serviced world-wide and integrate seamlessly with productsfrom UPC's member companies. www.marathonsensors.com - www.group-upc.com. |  | George Demary Joins Marathon Monitors (December 17 - morning update) - Looks
like SSI's 9200 Product Manager has left the company and landed over at
Marathon Monitors - what's that, about four miles away? Here's the PR: West
Chester, OH (12 December 2007) – Marathon Monitors Inc., a member of
United Process Controls, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr.
George Demary to the position of Quality Systems Specialist at its West
Chester, Ohio manufacturing facility.
Demary
joins Marathon after serving as Product Manager for the 9000 Series
Instruments at Super Systems Inc. in Cincinnati where he was key in the
development, deployment and service of the 9000 series instruments used
in their heat treating controls products.
Prior
to his three years improving the 9000 series, Demary was responsible
for electronic systems on the F-16 flight line at Shaw Air Force Base
in South Carolina. His assignment to this critical role for the flight
line underscores his problem-solving abilities.
"George
brings a wealth of experience in supporting critical systems under
pressure as well as a customer-focused approach to field support," said
Marathon President, Eric Boltz.
Demary’s
responsibilities include development of new Quality Systems for
Marathon and UPC both on-site at the nine UPC worldwide locations as
well as technical field-service and customer support.
Marathon
Monitors Inc. is a leading supplier of heat treating and combustion
control systems with service and support subsidiaries in both Beijing
and Shanghai. As part of United Process Controls, Marathon products are
sold, supported and serviced world-wide and integrate seamlessly with
products from UPC's member companies. www.marathonsensors.com -
www.group-upc.com.
|  | Bodycote Acquires Metroplex Heat Treat (Texas, USA) (December 16 - evening update) - Though
there is no official press release from Bodycote, word on the street is
that they've acquired Jerry Luce's company in Arlington, Texas,
Metroplex Heat Treat. This
adds substantial capacity to Bodycote's already large heat treating
capacity in Texas. Remember that Bodycote's CEO, John Hubbard, while
originally from a small town in Ohio, grew to prominence in the
industry with his heat treating company Hinderliter Heat Treat in
Texas. Hinderliter was purchase by Bodycote in 1996 and Hubbard
continued on to running all of Bodycote North America and then all of
Bodycote. |  | HeatTreatNews.com is Back (December 16 - evening update) - After
an unplanned absence, HeatTreatNews.com is back up and reporting. Look
for a slew of new articles this week including a full update of our
archives. |  | Ashby Buys Into Bodycote (November 28 - morning update) - We
just reported on Bodycote's rather large stock price tumble after UBS
downgraded their recommendation on Bodycote from "hold" to "sell." Well
one major investor and investment adviser, Credit Suisse Asset
Management's co-head of UK equities Graham Ashby, thinks quite
differently from UBS and is steering funds to mid and small caps at
their relatively "bargain" prices today. Ashby recently bought into
Bodycote at 220p per share. Click here to read more. 
|  | Furnace Finders Launches New Used Equipment Web Site (November 28 - morning update) - Pretty much anyone who has shopped used furnaces in North America knows Furnace Finders. Word today is that they, in team with HTFPonline.com, have developed a new site to sell new and used furnace parts. The
site is still a bit of a work in progress with several sections still
under development, but they've got parts up there with photos and all.
Great idea for sure. Here's their PR: Conyers,
GA. (November 27, 2007). Furnace Finders Incorporated (FFI), a supplier
of pre-owned and reconditioned heat treating furnaces, has entered into
an agreement with HTFPonline.com to
provide for the sale new and used heat treating furnace parts.
HTFPonline.com, developed in collaboration with FFI, will be
continually expanded to offer a broad base of furnace parts for many
brands and types of furnaces. In addition, HTFPonline.com, allows
visitors to request parts that are not currently shown or listed on the
website. Future features will also allow users to advertise parts that
are surplus to their needs.
Furnace
Finders has developed an incredible surplus of new and used parts over
the last 30 years and the HTFPonline.com website will provide the heat
treating industry a source for often “hard-to find” parts at reasonable
prices.
|  | Beijing Heat Treat Show (November 28 - morning update) - While
we in the US were celebrating our Thanksgiving holiday, a whole heap of
folks were talking heat treating over in Beijing, China. Apparently
there were lots of US folks there too (having Beijing Roast Duck
instead of Turkey no doubt) and many rumors have leaked out about some
significant personnel changes in the industry - retirements and
resignations, etc. We'll let you know about those after we confirm them. One
bit of news we have confirmed is that Super Systems Inc.'s Damian
Bratcher has announced to trade show attendees that SSI will soon be
producing probes in China for sale at under 5000 RMB ($672 US). Here are some shots from the show. The
first shot is of the PowerMax booth. PowerMax is a fast-rising furnace
manufacturer outside of Shanghai and also the AFC-Holcroft licensee in
China: 
The second photo is of US controls company Super Systems Inc.'s booth who stated they will soon be producing probes in China: 
The
next three shots are from the MMI-China booth where they were
exhibiting the wares of the United Process Controls companies:
Process-Electronic, Marathon Sensors, Furnace Control Corp, Waukee
Engineering and Nitrex Metal: 


And finally, here is a shot of the Aichelin Furnaces booth: 
|  | Metalex 2007 - South East Asia Heat Treatment Show (November 27 - morning update) - We
got a nice write-up from Randy Simmons of CHS-Asia last week. He
recently attended Southeast Asia's largest heat treatment show. What's
interesting is how few western companies have a presence at these
shows. It really reinforces how much the industry needs global players
to ensure quality support to the big players around the world. Here's his write-up complete with photos: Metalex 2007 is
South East Asia’s largest annual Heat Treat and Automation
exhibition with over 250,000 visitors coming to the four day event.
This year was very different as only a few western companies were
exhibiting, less than 5 percent down from nearly 20 percent at last
years show. Indoctoheat was the only American heat treat equipment
manufacturer at the show with sales and service offices all over the
world they are truly a global player. They had a seminar hosted by
Indoctheat employees from 8 different countries bringing the latest
technology from around the world.
The main players
at the show were from Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan all of which are
only a short distance away and on nearly the same time zone. When
companies in South East Asia are asked why they prefer to purchase
equipment from these countries the most common answers are:
When we are working the west is
sleeping, when we sleeping they are working and we lose too much
time.
They do not have direct employee
service support 8 am to 5 pm local time, only a rep that is of
little to no help.
No spare parts stocked locally
thus increasing down time.
Operation and Service manuals are
not in the Native language.
Shipping cost is more than double.
South East Asia is the future “Land
of Opportunities” and companies wanting to take advantage of these
opportunities need to localize. CHS Asia has done well in the region
as we are located in South East Asia with offices in Thailand,
Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. My advice to anyone wanting to
leverage the opportunities available is to locate a good localization
company that understands the rule of engagement. I would recommend
www.ultimate-g.com
email: consult@ultimate-g.com
as they are western speaking Engineers that have lived in the region
for years. They provide the full range of localization service from
language translation, employment recruitment, parts sourcing all the
way to setting up a manufacturing base. We use them from time to
time when we get stuck on an issue.
Tao Sheng Nian (owner) Nanjing Nianda Furances one of the world largest.
Geof Fielding (Aussie) Doug Brown (US)and Andrew Keep (Ausie)
|  | Bodycote Share Price Falters (November 27 - morning update) - This
news came out on the financial pages a few days ago, but hasn't been
reported on any of the industry web sites/blogs. Basically UBS
financial, citing the slowing US economy and a "deteriorating
macroeconomic environment," downgraded Bodycote's stock from "hold" to
"sell." Bodycote is far from the only company affected as the entire sector has been downgraded. |  | Global Heat Treat Summit Tours Ipsen - Sees New TurboTreater Technology (November 14 - morning update) - For
those who hadn't heard, this week was the "Global Heat Treat Summit" in
the Rosemont, IL area and, as part of that summit, attendees were
invited to tour the newly-part-managment-owned Ipsen facility and see
their just-released new TurboTreater technology. Here's the PR and
photo: 
11/14/07 (Rockford,
IL.) – Attendees at the Global Heat Treat Summit in Rosemont, IL were
given the opportunity to be the first to see the new TurboTreater®
technology unveiled at Ipsen’s Open House on November 9th at their
Rockford Showroom. The social event consisted of product presentations
on the new technology by Ipsen’s team of experts and an informative
plant tour. The TurboTreater® boasts many new features, which promote
simplicity of maintenance, speed of assembly, and ease of automation.
The new technology has a proven procedure for changing out the Hot Zone
in less than 60 minutes. Patrick McKenna from Nevada Heat Treat was one
of the guests at the open house and stated that he was impressed with
Ipsen’s ability to combine a clean modern appearance with improvements
that deliver measurable benefits to the user.
|  | New Shareholder Base for Ipsen (November 9 - morning update) - We
just learned that Quadriga Capital and Ipsen's Management team have
acquired a 100% interest in the Ipsen Group and is making expansion
capital available to the Group. We
think the ownership stake of Ipsen's management team is just as exciting
as the investment. Nothing to motivate a team better than owning a
piece! Sounds like great news for Ipsen. Here's the PR: Press release
The Ipsen Group has a new shareholder base
- Quadriga Capital and management acquire 100 percent - Expansion capital made available to the Ipsen Group - Application made to the cartel authorities for approval
Frankfurt
on Main/Kleve, 8th November 2007. Together with the Ipsen
management team Quadriga Capital has acquired all of the shares of the Ipsen
group of companies from the Elster Group of Luxembourg.
The parties concerned have agreed to maintain confidentiality in
respect of the purchase price. Execution of the transaction is
subject to approval by the cartel authorities.
Quadriga
Capital specializes in private equity solutions, in particular for
small and medium-sized companies, and is one of the leading investment
companies in this field. The
Ipsen Group, Kleve (Germany), will continue its successful development
with a new shareholder base. Ipsen is the world’s leading
manufacturer of automated heat-treatment furnaces; Hauzer, Venlo
(Netherlands) – Ipsen’s wholly owned subsidiary- is the world’s market
leader in coating systems for wear-resistant surfaces.
The
new shareholder base provides the Ipsen Group with the ideal
prerequisites needed for further expanding the worldwide market
leadership it enjoys in its segment as well as its product
portfolio. The company currently employs some 900 personnel at
its sites in Germany, the Netherlands, China, India, and the USA and
generated turnover of around EUR 170 million last year.
“Together
with our new shareholders we will be able to engage in activities such
as making strong investments in the important growth markets of e.g.
Eastern Europe and Asia and in doing so considerably expand our market
leadership”, said Dr. Hendrik Grobler, Chairman of the Ipsen Management
Board. Dr.
Andreas Fendel, Partner of Quadriga Capital: “Ipsen has the optimum
prerequisites for benefiting from its outstanding opportunities.
In this respect, Quadriga Capital will make sufficient capital
available and support Ipsen with its network of contacts, in particular
in Eastern Europe, respectively Russia, as well as in Asia.”
More
than almost any other company the Ipsen Group has played a major role
in setting the course for developments in the heat treatment
sector. Heat treatment is a key, extremely cost-efficient method
of achieving huge improvements in the structural conditions and thus
the load-bearing capacity of metals- in particular steel and
titanium. The company’s pioneering technology has ensured ongoing
market innovations for over 50 years.
The company’s sales are concentrated in the medical technology, wind energy generation, aviation and food industry sectors. Ipsen’s
customers include companies from the automotive, aviation and aerospace
sectors, as well as tooling and mechanical engineering, medical
technology and commercial heat treating plants.
Further information on the group of companies can be found at: www.ipsen.de; www.quadriga-capital.de; www.elster.com
About Quadriga Capital:
Quadriga
Capital is an investment company which specializes in private equity
solutions for small and medium-sized companies. The company
focuses on succession solutions, corporate spin offs, expansion
financing and financial support of strategic realignments. It has
been making commercial investments in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and
the Benelux countries for over 20 years and in Russia for over 10
years. Limited partners are institutional investors such as
international pension funds and insurance companies.
|  | Solar Sells a Furnace (November 9 - morning update) - News
today that Solar Manufacturing won an order for a furnace. The PR
says it's to a medical tubing manufacturer in Eastern PA, but no names.
The medical tubing manufacturers in Eastern PA that we can locate are
quite numerous so we can't really speculate. Read all about it over on
Industrial Heating's site here. |  | Maxon to be Acquired by Honeywell (November 7 - morning update) - To
date, most of the burner manufacturers in North America have had that
"family-owned" feel based on their roots (most were family owned at one
time or another and some notable ones still are). Well
Maxon Corp. has left those ranks to join industry heavyweight
Honeywell. You can read the details over on Industrial Heating's site here. |  | Can-Eng Ownership Change (November 7 - morning update) - Can-Eng
Furnaces has been sold to its president and a gentleman named G. John
Krediet. We don't know that name from the HT business, but it appears
he is the former Chairman of TB Wood's, the 150 year old power
transmissions components manufacturer. Krediet was a director who
stepped up to Chairman when long-time Chairman, Thomas C. Foley stepped
down to become the US Ambassador to Ireland in 2006. Earlier
this year Krediet handled the sale of TB Wood's to Altra Holdings Inc.
From what we can tell Krediet did not go with the company to Altra. Anyway, here's the PR: Mr.
Wally Bamford, the former Chairman of Can-Eng Furnaces, is pleased to
announce the sale of the business to Mr. G. John Krediet and the
current President of Can-Eng Furnaces, Mr. Alan Van Geyn. Mr. Bamford
will remain with the company by serving on its advisory board. The
management team of the company will remain unchanged. Mr. Van Geyn has
been with the company since 1994, and has served as its president since
2005. Under Mr. Van Geyn’s leadership, Can-Eng Furnaces will continue
to focus on long-term growth and profitability in the international
thermal processing equipment marketplace. Moving forward, Can-Eng
Furnaces will operate under the new name, Can-Eng Furnaces
International Ltd.
Established
in 1964, CAN-ENG Furnaces has grown to become a leading designer and
manufacturer of industrial thermal processing equipment for ferrous and
non-ferrous metals. Can-Eng product lines include: Continuous Mesh Belt
Furnace Systems, Batch Integral Quench Furnace Systems, Continuous
Steel Bar Heat Treatment Systems, Basketless Heat Treatment Systems,
Nonferrous T4, T5, T6, T7 Heat Treatment Systems, a SCADA system,
Process Enhancement Technology (PET TM ) and a wide array of custom
furnaces solutions. Can-Eng also offers a comprehensive After-market
Support Team delivering system upgrades, technical support and spare
parts |  | Timken Declares 342nd Consecutive Dividend for Shareholders (November 2 - morning update) - It's always nice to see U.S. manufacturers doing well around the world so here's a brief news bit along those lines: CANTON,
Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 2007--The board of directors of The
Timken Company (NYSE:TKR) today declared a quarterly cash dividend of
17 cents per share. The dividend is payable on Dec. 4, 2007, to
shareholders of record as of Nov. 16, 2007. It will be the 342nd
consecutive dividend paid on the common stock of the company. |  | Delphi Joint Venture in China (November 2 - afternoon update) - Looks
like Delphi is pushing into more markets in China with this recent
announcement of a JV to make seat belts for China and Europe: Beijing, China — Today Delphi Corporation and Beijing Automotive
Industry Holding Company Ltd. (BAIC) celebrated the opening of their
joint venture which manufactures seat belts.
Located in Changping District, Beijing, the Beijing Delphi
Automotive Safety Products Co., Ltd., manufacturing facility has 1,800
square meters of floor space..
The joint venture started production two months ago for customers in
the China market and has secured future production contracts in the
European markets.
The cooperation between Delphi and BAIC addresses growing
market demand for safety products in China and throughout Asia,
according to Beth Schwarting, Safety Systems product business unit
executive at Delphi Electronics & Safety Division. "This joint
venture will allow Delphi to leverage our innovative safety
technologies and lean manufacturing expertise with BAIC's China
manufacturing presence to build a foundation for growth," she stated.
"This cooperation is an important development for the auto parts
industry in Beijing. The adding of a safety products plant to the
portfolio of Beijing's auto industry is a significant contribution to
the construction of auto parts platform, and to complete the auto
industry chain in Beijing," said BAIC's deputy general manager and head
of the Parts & Components Group, Guo Xinmin. "BAIC has several OEMs
within its organization, and by collaborating with Delphi and other
multinational companies, BAIC expects to strengthen its competitiveness
and brand image in the China market. We are confident that this
cooperation will be a win-win for BAIC and Delphi."
The joint venture will enable Delphi and BAIC to more
effectively serve the rapidly developing Asia Pacific market and to
support global customers with operations in Asia Pacific and other
regions.
"The Delphi/BAIC business venture will help Delphi support the
growth in safety related products in China and other regions," said
Daniel Salmons, Asia/Pacific managing director for Delphi Electronics
& Safety Division. "We are very excited to team with BAIC to
provide quality products and services for our global customers."
The China market for safety related products is expected to
continue to grow rapidly since Chinese regulators are calling for
enhanced safety features for all vehicles. In 2005, rear seat belts
were made a standardized feature for light-duty passenger vehicles and
China is implementing light commercial vehicle requirements that follow
European guidelines.
Delphi Corporation is a world leader in mobile electronics and
transportation components and systems technology. For more than 100
years, Delphi has had a proven track record innovating automotive
technology such as the first production of airbags.
Delphi started operation in China in 1993. Today Delphi's investment in
China has reached more than US$500 million, and the company has set up
17 legal entities in China.
Pioneering the auto industry in Beijing 50 years ago, BAIC now
has grown into an industry group with capacity ranging from vehicle
manufacturing, vehicle equipping to asset management. BAIC boasts
strong competitive edge in vehicles and auto parts manufacturing, with
four OEMs under its organizational structure: BAIC Foton, Beijing
Hyundai, Beijing Benz-Dymler Chrysler and Beijing Automotive Co., Ltd.
For more information about Delphi (PINKSHEETS: DPHIQ), visit www.delphi.com.
For more information about BAIC, visit www.bqkgdjw.com.
|  | More Chrysler Cuts (November 2 - afternoon update) - On
top of the 13,000 layoffs announced in February, Chrysler will shed
another 12,000 jobs starting yesterday. The breakdown will be
approximately 10,000 hourly jobs and 2,000 salaried. In
addition to cutting jobs, Chrysler stated plans to ax a number of
vehicle models including the Magnum wagon, Pacifica crossover and
Crossfire sports coupe. New
models to be added include the Dodge Journey crossover and Dodge
Challenger sports car, along with two new hybrid models, the Chrysler
Aspen and Dodge Durango. |  | Bodycote - New Chairman (October 31 - morning update) - Bodycote has selected their next Chairman of its Board of Directors outlined as follows (read it on their site here): Bodycote International plc, the specialist thermal processing and
testing services company, is pleased to announce the appointment of
Alan Thomson as a non-executive director and Deputy Chairman with
effect from 1 December 2007. Alan Thomson, who was previously Group
Finance Director of Smiths Group, will take up the position of Chairman
of Bodycote at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting on 30
April 2008 in place of James Wallace who has already stated his
intention to step down from the board.
Alan is also a non-executive director of Johnson Matthey plc
(Chairman of the Audit Committee), Cross Match Technologies Inc.
(Senior Independent Director) and Alstom SA (non-executive director,
supervisory board) and served as a non-executive director at Laporte
plc from 1996 to 2001.
Alan, aged 61, began his career at Arthur Andersen and qualified as
a chartered accountant before moving to Price Waterhouse as an audit
manager. He spent 7 years in France and the US with Rockwell
International as finance director of the electronics division before
returning to the UK to serve as finance director for their automotive
components business. In 1982, he joined Raychem as finance director of
their materials science business, following which he joined Courtaulds
in 1984 as financial controller of Courtaulds Textiles and subsequently
was appointed finance director for Courtaulds Coatings.
In 1992 he became Finance Director at the Rugby Group plc before
being appointed Group Finance Director of Smiths Group plc from 1995
until he retired in 2006. Alan Thomson also serves on the council of
the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland where he is chairman
of the Technical Policy Board
Commenting on the appointment, Chief Executive, John Hubbard, said;
“I am delighted to welcome Alan Thomson to the Bodycote Board. He
will bring a wealth of sector, financial and investor relations
experience to the Board’s deliberations.”
|  | Rolled Alloys Acquires Super Alloys (October 31 - morning update) - Most
of us think of heat resistant alloys when we see the name "Rolled
Alloys," but it looks like they're moving into more exotic stuff with
this recent acquisition. Read all about it over on Industrial Heating's site. |  | Can-Eng Installs a Heat Treating System (October 31 - morning update) - Yeah,
we know, not our favorite type of PR since the customer apparently had
to be anonymous. Anyway, Can-Eng recently installed a T-6 heat treating
system that doubles the capacity of a "tier-one manufacturer" - name
not disclosed. Not
an overly surprising PR since Can-Eng is in the business of selling
heat treating systems and has long been a leader in roller-hearth
furnaces (that's what this one is). |  | Travel Week - Combustion Articles (October 23 - morning update) - News
will be a bit hit and miss this week as we're abroad playing that
trains planes and automobiles game in lands where English isn't the
norm. We'll do our best to keep the news coming nonetheless. Today
we have links to a couple articles on Industrial Heating's site.
Everyone is looking for increased efficiencies these days so IH's two
recent articles on Combustion Efficiency are timely: Optimizing Combustion Controls ROI Analysis of Combustion Control for Gas-Fired Heat-Treating Furnaces |  | More MMI-China / United Process Controls (October 19 - morning update) - Finally we have a couple parting shots from the Nanjing Heat Treatment Congress (China) this week. The first shows MMI Vice President Yvonne Boltz and MMI-China General Manager Yakun Liu giving a presentation on the newly formed United Process Controls (FCC/MMI/Nitrex/Process-Electronic/Waukee): 
The
second shot shows the "congress" which is made up of technical people
from universities, research institutes and businesses throughout China: 
|  | Bohler International GmbH (Austria) Gets Nod for Indian Subsidiary (October 19 - morning update) - India's
Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, has approved 14 Foreign Direct
Investment proposals amounting to Rs. 1257.31 crore, including an
11-crore investment from Bohler International GmbH, an Austrian steel
firm.
Bohler plans to set up a wholly-owned subsidiary for
wholesale cash and carry trading of ores and metals, stocking,
distribution, cutting, machining and heat treating of special steels
and wholesale cash and carry of special steels. No word as to what
"special steels" mean or if high temp alloys might be in the mix. |  | MMI-China / United Process Controls (October 17 - evening update) - Marathon's China subsidiary was a driving force behind their winning the Ohio Exporter of the Year Award. By
having a fully-staffed field service team and local service center they
were actually able to take a good share of the Chinese sensors/controls
market with goods produced in Ohio. With the development of United
Process Controls (FCC/Marathon/Nitrex/PE/Waukee) it looks like the two
offices in China are about to get a whole lot busier! Today we have a shot of the MMI/MMI-China/UPC team in Beijing: 
|  | Houghton (Quenchants) Sold to New York Private Equity Firm (October 16 - afternoon update) - Houghton
is probably one of the best known names in quenchants (oil and
synthetic) for heat treating. Today we have word that they have been
sold to a private equity firm out of New York. Here's the news: Houghton International Inc.,
a Valley Forge maker of industrial fluids and chemical-management
services, announced that it had entered into an agreement to merge with
a newly formed affiliate of AEA Investors L.L.C., a New York
private-equity investor. Financial terms were not disclosed. In its
announcement, Houghton said that it did not anticipate any immediate
changes in its facilities, employment or range of product and service
offerings, and that all of the members of senior management were
expected to continue on with the company. The merger agreement is
subject to approval by closely held Houghton's shareholders.
|  | VFS Selling Stong After Integration into Ipsen (October 16 - morning update) - One
of our pet peeves - and we know we're not alone - are press releases
that say so-and-so sold something without saying to whom it was
sold. We
vastly prefer PRs that talk about who bought what since we already know
the guys selling stuff are in the business of selling stuff - that's
what they do! So
today's PR is a good one. Not only is the VFS furnace line selling
well, they're actually selling to customers who let them talk about
it. (Note
to buyers: let the guys brag about selling you stuff with your name in
the PR - you'll get better support for the life of the product since
you're a public reference!). Anyway,
VFS has a great product range so it's no surprise at all that they're
thriving within the Ipsen organization. Here's the PR: Souderton,
PA. – VFS vacuum furnaces, aftermarket components and service
areapproaching record bookings this year. This solid performance stems
from a loyal customerbase combined with the most extensive sales and
service network in North America. “The strength and depth of the VFS
brand team in Souderton, PA has been a critical part of this success.
We have increased the staffing in Souderton by nearly 20% since the
start of 2007 to ensure that we continue to meet our customer
commitments” stated Geoffrey Somary, COO, at Ipsen, Inc.
Standard
Aero recently purchased a VFS model HEQ-3826-2 vacuum furnace. This
furnace is an outstanding performer and an exceptional value. Ray
Romesburg of Standard Aero said,“Your dedication and support throughout
the project allowed us to commission the furnace in just 14 weeks after
the contract was awarded.”
Circle
City Heat Treating (CCHT) recently invested in VFS vacuum furnace
technology to expand its current production. Today, CCHT boasts 5 VFS
furnaces, including the most recent addition, an HIQ-7472 2 bar vacuum
furnace which can process up to 5000 lbs in a 48" W x 48"H x 72" long
work zone. Circle City Heat Treating has grown by providing quality
heat treating services, attention to customer’s needs, and reliable
customer service. The VFS team is proud to be supporting Circle City
for the last 25 years.
The
VFS brand aftermarket business continues to flourish as well. The
Souderton shop has been on pace to ship more than 10 new high
efficiency hot zones per month. New facility investments include a
graphite machining center to enable same day shipment for many critical
spare parts. “Our customers expect quality and speed, and we deliver”,
stated Gary Whetstone from the aftermarket parts sales department.
|  | VAC AERO Launches New Web Site (October 15 - morning update) - The folks at VAC AERO have launched a new "information-driven" web site for their customers. Here's their PR:
OAKVILLE, Ontario, (October 15, 2007)
- VAC AERO launched a new informational website and monthly newsletter
to promote its furnace products and metallurgical services and to
provide metallurgists with pertinent information relevant to their
needs. “Heat treating and surface engineering is a complex subject so
our aim is to deliver as much easy to find and easy to understand
information as possible,” says Alan Charky, marketing and
communications director at VAC AERO International. “As
a vacuum heat treating pioneer for aerospace and high-tech
applications, we’re really working hard to share information based on
decades of experience in metallurgical services and furnace
manufacturing,” continues Alan. “The new visually engaging website uses
a web-based technology that allows any of our division managers to
upload news and information to our site daily from their desktop so
that we can provide our customers and industry with a broad scope of
valuable information on a continual basis,” concludes Alan. About VAC AERO International Inc.A
pioneer in vacuum heat treating since 1959, VAC AERO International
offers heat treating and coating services and manufactures furnaces for
specialized applications to aerospace and high-tech industries
worldwide. A strong foundation of knowledge and experience in
commercial heat treating has provided VAC AERO with a keen
understanding of the design and performance of furnace equipment
systems and components to meet its end-users’ stringent requirements
for reliability, productivity and cost efficiency. VAC AERO operates
production facilities in Canada, Poland and India and is represented by
agents in North America, Europe and Asia.
|  | Recent Hiatus (October 15 - morning update) - After a nice and rejuvinating break, HeatTreatNews.com is back to work this week. Stay tuned. |  | CHS-Asia Getting into the Jewelry Business? (October 5 - morning update) - We
got a nice note from Randy Simmons (partner in CHS-Asia and former
Marathon Monitors Service Manager) this week. Looks like CHS Asia is
moving into the Gold Jewelry business. Here's his note: "CHS
Asia sells its first furnace into the Gold Jewelry business to Abby
Thailand located in Chang Mia District. Interesting that Jewelry,
Gems and many items get heat treat with similar processes as
metal. This small unit is an Age Harding furnace with
Nitrogen/Hydrogen atmosphere. It was manufactured tested and
delivered in 2 week. We were so excited about the chance to inter
this market we sent our best team of quality inspectors.
Inspecting
the outside of the furnace is lovely Ms. Prim CHS Office Manager and
inspecting the inside is Tony Blair (Left) and Jenna Bush (Right) CHS
Heat Treat Hounds?" Here are some shots of the furnace and CHS Heat Treat Hounds: 

|  | Ipsen Order from Schmolz + Bickenbach, Queretaro, Mexico (October 5 - morning update) - Queretaro
is becoming a real hotbed for heat treating in Mexico and this latest
PR from Ipsen brings that point home. Here's the PR: Ipsen
Inc. announces receipt of a contract from Schmolz + Bickenbach Mexico,
S.A. de C.V. forheat processing equipment for a new commercial heat
treatment facility to be built in Queretaro,Mexico. The scope of supply
includes two (2) TurboTreater 12 bar high pressure quench
vacuumfurnaces, a vacuum tempering furnace, temper furnace with cryo
system, temper furnace withnitriding, parts washer and support
equipment including buffer tanks and water cooling system.The equipment
control systems will be integrated with an Adminstration Management
System. Mr.
Helmut Freitag, Managing Director of Schmolz + Bickenbach Mexico, S.A.
de C.V. said thatthis new facility will be the most advanced commercial
heat treatment center in Mexico. Additionally, Mr. Freitag stated that
the decision to purchase Ipsen was made due to thecombination of
Ipsen’s industry leading technology and their strong service presence
in Mexico. According
to Geoffrey Somary, COO of Ipsen, the systems will be fully operated at
Ipsen prior toshipment, creating a benchmark which assures years of
repeatable performance. The new heat treatment center will be operational in the third quarter of 2008.For further questions, contact: Ipsen, Inc. Junell Fosnow Email: junell.fosnow@ipsenusa.com
|  | Professor Rick Sisson Elected President of ASM Heat Treat Society (October 5 - morning update) - Anyone
who has spent any time in the research end of heat treating knows of
Professor Sisson from WPI and his work in heat treat processese. Well
the good doctor is now ASM's new president of the its Heat Treating
Society (HTS). Here's the PR: "WORCESTER,
Mass. - Richard D. Sisson Jr., George F. Fuller Professor of Mechanical
Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and director of
the university's Manufacturing and Materials Engineering programs, has
been elected president of the ASM Heat Treating Society (HTS), an
affiliate society of ASM International, The Materials Information
Society.
A
fellow and past trustee of ASM International, Sisson will serve a
two-year term as president of HTS, the world's leading network of
captive and commercial heat treaters, equipment manufacturers,
researchers, and technicians. With roots dating back to 1913, when ASM
was founded as the Steel Treaters Club, HTS was organized in 1994 to
serve as a clearinghouse for heat treating information, which is
distributed through conferences, seminars, books, journals, and
electronic media.
"As
president, I will focus on opportunities for lifelong learning, one of
the most important strategic issues for our membership," Sisson said
during the recent HTS General Membership Meeting in Detroit. "I'm
looking forward to working with our volunteer leaders, our committees,
and our members to make HTS a more vital resource for the worldwide
heat treating community."
Sisson's
contributions to the literature in materials science and engineering
over the course of nearly three decades at WPI, including nearly 200
technical articles on materials process modeling and control, hydrogen
embrittlement of steels, and environmental effects on metals and
ceramics, have ranked him among the top five percent of scholars in his
field. His work, which has received more than $7 million in external
support, has earned him significant honors, including induction into
the Academy of Engineering Excellence at Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University (Virginia Tech).
Sisson
has mentored numerous undergraduates and graduate students in the
classroom and as a project advisor. His skill as an educator has been
recognized by WPI, which presented him with the Board of Trustees'
Award for Outstanding Teaching in 1987 and the inaugural Chairman's
Exemplary Faculty Prize in 2007. He received his B.S. in metallurgical
engineering from Virginia Tech, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Purdue
University.
WPI
is home to the nation's premier research center in metal heat treating,
the Center for Heat Treating Excellence (CHTE). Part of the
university's Metal Processing Industry, the largest industry-university
alliance in North America, CHTE is a consortium of companies and
university researchers established to address the research needs of the
$20 billion-a-year heat-treating industry. CHTE and the ASM Heat Treat
Society collaborated to establish the Heat Treat Global Database, an
authoritative collection of heat treating research reports, which is
made available to materials scientists and engineers worldwide."
|  | Where are they now Update: George Bodeen (October 3 - morning update) - A
few days back we got an inquiry from a reader wondering whatever
happened to George Bodeen. After a spelling correction from Lance
Miller at MTI (thanks Lance!) we got several other variations on the
correct way to spell George's last name, but verified that Bodeen is
indeed correct (thank you Securities Exchange Commission). George
Bodeen was a long-time Lindberg Heat Treat employee, rising to Chairman
of the Board. Towards the end of his tenure he and his wife, Nancy,
controlled a sizable portion of the Lindberg's stock. George
was clearly a very influential person in heat treating (ASM has a heat
treating award named for him), but he also was very actively involved
in supporting education in the Chicago area. As to the original readers question, as near as we can tell George and his wife retired to Hobe Sound, Florida. |  | Daimler Changes Back to Its Maiden Name (October 3 - morning update) - Not
very newsworthy, but Daimler (aka Mercedes) has officially dropped the
Chrysler from its married name (DaimlerChrysler). Doesn't sound like
much but we're guessing it wasn't a cheap process and there's got to be
a fair bit of obsolete letterhead and envelopes about now. |  | Most Photographed People in Heat Treat? (October 3 - morning update) - Last
week we posed the question of who is the most photographed person in
heat treat. While "Blondie's Dogs" made a good showing it was none
other than heat treat blogger Gord Montgomery that was the hands down
winner. Next time we'll make it specific to people who actually do heat
treating! |  | JMA Heat Treat Demise (October 3 - morning update) - JMA
Heat Treat had a particularly good news section of the web site -
that's how we got to know them. Unfortunately times haven't been easy
and ownership has made the tough decision to close the doors. 
|  | UAW / GM Deal May Result in Two More Plant Closures (October 1 - morning update) - Sources
who've seen the details of tentative new deal between the United Auto
Workers and GM have revealed that it will allow closure of another
plant in Michigan and another plant in Indiana as well as closure of
some other supporting facilities. The Michigan plant closure would be
the Livonia engine plant (Livonia's also slated to lose the Ford
transmission plant) while the Indiana closure would be a stamping plant
in Indianapolis. |  | Gemini Group Thumb Tool & Engineering to Add In-House Heat Treating (October 1 - morning update) - Word
today that The Gemini Group-Thumb Tool & Engineering plant is
undergoing a $1.6 million expansion that will create at least 10 new
jobs. The company designs and produces a wide-range of tooling for
aluminum extruders. Its dies are used to manufacture aluminum window
and door frames.
The company is expanding to install a heat-treating operation, a project that involves $1.6 million in private investment. |
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