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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.

We're Back!

(February 18 - morning update) - After a nice week off to focus on other projects (sure would have been nice to be in a warmer climate, but duty calls) we're back in the new business this week.

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:

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:

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 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 member
of 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 machinist
while completing his degree in Tooling and Machining. Currently, he is
completing his BS in MET at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Clark is a
skilled CAD/CAM/CAE designer and has primary responsibility for
documenting the designs and manufacturing processes at Marathon.

"Justin s skills and hands-on experience will allow Marathon to continue
delivering and developing the best products. His participation in our quality
programs and customer support department will insure that he is, first and
foremost, focused on providing the best value to our customers," said
Marathon Director of Engineering, Paul Barker.

Clark s responsibilities include implementation of new Quality Systems for
Marathon and UPC, design and manufacturing documentation and
management for the production and development of the current and next
generation oxygen sensors.

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.

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:

1. When we are working the west is sleeping, when we sleeping they are working and we lose too much time.

2. 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.

3. No spare parts stocked locally thus increasing down time.

4. Operation and Service manuals are not in the Native language.

5. Shipping cost is more than double.

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:

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:

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.

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):

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) -