(June 30) - Our friends at CHS-Asia are on a roll these days with business booming on all fronts. We just reported their news of a new probe repair center for the Southeast Asia region and now we have news of their winning a large contract for new furnaces. Here's the PR:
CHS Asia Company Limited Thailand has been awarded the contract to build four (4) Continuous Mesh Belt Furnaces for a Japanese/American Joint venture automobile parts manufacturer located in Thailand. The equipment will be manufactured at CHS Asia’s Thailand facility and installed later this year.
CHS Asia was awarded the contract based on shorter delivery times and local support. With offices in Thailand and Singapore CHS Asia is only a few hours away from the farthest customers in South East Asia. CHS Asia has a well rounded support staff that includes Metallurgical, Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation and Environmental Engineers.
47,000+ Buyouts at GM & Delphi Accelerate Turnaround by 2 Years
(June 28) - Over 47,000 union workers at GM and Delphi have agreed leave or retire with buyouts ranging from $35,000 to $140,000. This is seen as the largest downsizing in history and many analysts say it puts GM on the path to recovery, accelerating their restructuring by a full two years. Of the 47,000 buyouts about 12,600 are at Delphi and should allow a massive restructuring of the ailing parts manufacturer. GM's Chairman and CEO, Rick Wagoner said that, as a result of the buyouts, GM is increasing its cost-reduction forecast for North America from $7 billion to $8 billion by the end of this year. Hey, a billion helps, right?
In all seriousness, if the analysts are right this could help put GM back in the game in the not-to-distant future and that's good news for sure.
Ironically, GM and Delphi will have to scramble to hire or rehire workers (at lower costs of course) to keep production up.
CHS-Asia Opens Probe Repair Center in Thailand
(June 27) - Looks like Randy Simmons and his partners at CHS-Asia have opened a new probe repair facility in Thailand. Here's there PR:
CHS Asia has opened South East Asia'a first and only probe repair center. CHS Asia now covers factory warranty on all MSI probes locally and also repairs all manufacturers probes for a fee. All non-Marathon probes require the customer to bare all shipping and duty cost that adds up to around 500 USD per probe.
The photo shows CHS-Asia's Ms Warunee (Accountant) evaluating if the fat little furnace can make a profit!
More Photos from "Temas de Tratamento Térmico 2006" (Brazil)
(June 26) - While some of the exhibitors at last week's heat treat conference in Brazil were apparently a bit miffed at the show being the same week as a big game for Brazil in the World Cup (vs. Japan and, yes, Brazil won 4-1), most seemed to think the technical content was strong and attendance pretty good. Here are a few more shots to add to those we put up last week. We have folks from Rubig, SSI/Maxitrate and Metaltech/MMI below:
SECO/WARWICK Automated Vacuum Forging System
(June 23) - The sales team at SECO/WARWICK is sure keeping Beth Ryan (their communications person) busy lately!. Here's their latest release:
"SECO/WARWICK will provide a fully automated vacuum forging system designed to handle work with multiple heating chambers, each rated for loads up to 12,000 pound/5,400 kg. When fully installed, the system will be loaded and unloaded by robots and operate on a “lights out”, fully automated basis. When complete, the system will be one of the largest vacuum furnace systems in the world."
Brazil Heat Treat Conference
(June 22) - That heat treat conference in Brazil is underway this week and, from what we hear, the turnout is pretty good - about 200 attendees with a bent toward research in the presentations. Not a huge show by US standards but for a technical conference in Brazil it's certainly a nice showing. Here are a few photos from the exhibit:
"BMICRO" Vacuum Furnace from BMI
(June 20) - BMI has been in the vacuum business for many years. While we've not seen much of their stuff in the US, we have seen them throughout Asia and Europe. Their latest PR is about their small, vertical furnace called the BMICRO. Here's a snippet:
The latest of the BMI quenching vacuum furnaces, the BMICRO is selling at soaring rates. Owing to its low investment and maintenance costs, this compact furnace is an economic alternative to sub-contracting. By opting for the BMICRO, our customers also benefit from an optimised quality/price ratio and total control of the production cycle, as well as echnological features that have been widely tried and tested on furnaces such as the B84T (BMI quenching furnace with the highest sales across the world).
The BMICRO is a small vertical furnace that is loaded from the top. Its pivoting upper removable cover makes loading/unloading tasks so much easier. The useful dimensions of the heating chamber of the standard version (BMICRO 20-30) are Ø200 x h300 mm and the maximum load is 30 kg.
Longer and wider versions of the BMICRO are also available according to requirements. The BMICRO 20-45 (Ø200 x h450 mm) and the BMICRO 30-45 (Ø300 x h450 mm) are designed for 40 and 50 kg loads respectively.
During a cycle, the BMICRO can reach a maximum temperature of 1250°C (1400°C optional) for a maximum quenching pressure of 10 bars. The BMICRO is an advantageous addition to the BMI range as, although a basic model, it incorporates the best vacuum treatment technology. The BMICRO is widely used in small-scale production industries that wish to perform all steps of their production processes for technical reliability reasons (motor sports, industrial tooling, punch processing for coins and medals, etc).
Surface Receives LPC Order
(June 19) - For years various people have predicted the rise of vacuum carburizing...but it remained a niche application. Seems things are changing these days as we have order after order for LPC systems showing up on HTN.com. Back when people were combining vacuum carburization with oil quench we don't think people were seeing the full benefits. Not so today. This latest order goes to Surface Combustion and we saw it first in Industrial Heating's site here. Here's a snippet:
Surface Combustion Inc. (Maumee, Ohio) has received an order for a multi-chamber Vacuum Carburizing System, utilizing Surface's patented VringCARB® technology, from Specialty Heat Treating, Inc. in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Chrysler to Add 750 Jobs in Toledo, Ohio
(June 15) - Chrysler plans to add some 750 jobs to its Toledo plant to ramp up production of their new Nitro sport utility vehicle. The Toledo plant opened in 2001 and currently produces both the Jeep Liberty and Jeep Wrangler. In all, Chrysler is investing some $600 million to develop and build the new mid-sized Nitro sport utility vehicle. The Toledo plan currently has nearly 3,000 employees.
Even More SECO/WARWICK News
(June 14) - SECO/WARWICK is certainly racking up quite the batting average of late. The slant in this release is how the combination of High Pressure Quench with vacuum carburizing capabilities paired with a vacuum retort tempering furnace gives users the best value. Never did understant the idea of LPC with an oil quench...
Here's a slice of the PR:
Isoflama Ltda. has installed a 12 Bar Universal™ High Pressure Quench Furnace with low pressure Vacuum Carburizing and a Retort Tempering Furnace for their commercial heat treat operation in Indaiatuba, SP , Brazil.
Each furnace features a 24” (600 mm) x 24” (600 mm) x 36” (900 mm) hot zone with a 1,200 pound (540 kg) hearth loading capacity. This unique system heats by convection, providing faster and more uniform heating. The system is fully automated, utilizing PLC/IPC control system featuring the FineCarb™ control system that permits the operator to accurately pre-program the carburizing effective case depth (ECD) and carbon concentration on the surface.
The furnaces will be in service in July, 2006.
SECO/WARWICK Lands Another One!
(June 13) - SECO/WARWICK seems to be firing on all cylinders this year. Here's their latest PR about a new order for a vacuum brazing furnace:
Meadville , Pennsylvania – Senior has purchased a vacuum furnace with 2 bar gas quenching capability for their Sharon, MA facility for heat treating and brazing stainless steel assemblies.
The 2.0 VP-4020/24M vacuum furnace with gas quenching is used globally for both vacuum and brazing applications for medical, aircraft, automotive and aerospace industries requirements. The furnace is designed according to National Electric Code (NEC), OSHA, NFPA 86D guidelines and complies with CE mark requirements. The furnace is a compact design with an internal recirculation blower and heat exchanger requiring minimum usage of gas, electric, water and floor space. Durable molybdenum insulation and heating elements provide long, reliable service in this heavy-duty furnace designed for the industrial work place.
The pumping system, power supply and cooling systems are generously sized to enable a wide range of aircraft and aerospace heat treatment applications including quench hardening, tempering, degassing, annealing, solution heat treatment and brazing. The cooling gas recirculation system includes a multi-nozzle gas feed arrangement to optimize the uniformity and rate of load cooling during quenching. T his furnace complies with AMS 2750 Class 1 Type AA and ES 1238, 2769 and MIL-F-80113D Furnaces, Vacuum Heat Treatment and Brazing, AWS C3.6 Furnace Brazing specifications. Visit the Vacuum group homepage for more information: http://www.secowarwick.com/vacuum.html.
About Senior
Senior engineers and manufactures complex assemblies that require forming, welding, brazing, soldering and assembly of metallic components. This includes such products as metal bellows and bellows assemblies, heat exchangers for a wide variety of markets.
Marathon "Heat Treat Hounds" Update
(June 12) - Looks like Yvonne at Marathon has been having some fun with her dogs again. Here's the latest:
"Oso has decided that people skills are his strong suite. Here he is on a support call. The headsets make things so much easier."
"Bob's been so busy lately that Ursa is helping with production planning and making sure we stay at 100% on time delivery. She doesn't seem to like being interrupted."
Well all kidding aside we have to say those "pups" aren't so puppy-sized anymore. Here's a shot of Yvonne and the "pups" now and on her lap some three or four months ago:
The Truth about Conrad Kacsik and Jake
(Friday night note: Gord has since "corrected" his site based on our complaint below and we thank him! We're leaving our article up as a reminder that "yellow" journalism sucks)
(June 9 - Aftenoon Update) - Over on Gord Montgomery's "blog" site yesterday he put up a "news" story that implied that Jacob Kacsik was "no longer involved in the business the way he used to be" at Conrad Kacsik owing to his having sold the company to his son-in-law, Christopher Miller. We know for certain that this is absolutely not true.
In fact, when Jake asked Gord to correct the article, Gord's only change was to admit that Jake is still working there. He did not, however, print the bulk of Christopher Miller's letter to him. We have the critical part here as an HTN exclusive for now:
"While it is true that Jake still routinely puts in 60 hour workweeks, the message that we wanted to be conveyed was that although there has been an ownership tranisition of a family business, Jake is still the President of the company, and is actively involved in the day to day operation of the business. He is focused on Growth, Business Development, and the provision of Technical Advice to our customer base."
So there you have it. Jake, doing as most wise business owners do when handing off to the next generation and not wanting to pay a huge tax bill, sold the business to his son-in-law but remains the company's President and a very active leader.
Why, you ask, would Gord intentionally leave this out? Hmmm...we're not sure but we can guess that Conrad Kacsik has been putting the hurt on one of Gord's employers (hint, it starts with "Super") :)
Nitrex Start-up at Dana Italy
(June 9) - Looks like Nitrex has another installation under its belt -this one in Italy. Here's the PR:
Nitrex Metal Inc. (www.nitrex.com) completed the start-up of a 6000-kg capacity nitriding system for processing ring gears at Dana in Arco, Italy, a facility that manufactures transmission boxes for off-road equipment. This project reflects an interesting technological shift from induction hardening to a lower-cost, high performance Nitreg® controlled nitriding process. Production with the new Nitrex system started in May 2006.
The piston ring facility of Dana Automotive Systems Group in Brazil has also increased the nitriding capacity at its Gravataí location earlier this year. The additional 1.5-ton nitriding furnace is engineered to use Nitreg®-S, a special controlled nitriding technology designed for stainless steel applications. Nitreg®-S ensures the uniformity of nitrided case with no distortion following the treatment. The turnkey system also included the integration of an IN-65 effluent neutralizer to meet environmental emissions requirements. In addition to the new installation, Nitrex concurrently upgraded the operating software of the original nitriding system with NPC and NPM; the first is the newest version of the Nitrex Process and Furnace Control Program, the latter is a software utility that links the control system to a central interface at a remote location.
American Axle to Build New Facility in Poland
(June 8) - Looks like American Axle will be expanding in Eastern Europe with a facility in Poland. Here's a snippet from their press release:
DETROIT, May 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (AAM), which is traded as AXL on the NYSE, today announced that it will establish a manufacturing facility in Poland.
AAM plans to purchase a manufacturing building in Olawa, Poland. The building will be modified and upgraded with new manufacturing systems for AAM's current business requirements in Europe. In addition, AAM has purchased approximately 75 acres of land in an industrial park adjacent to the building for future development. AAM has designed a new 170,000 square-foot, state-of- the-art manufacturing plant for that site, to accommodate future manufacturing requirements.
Operations will begin in late 2006. Kim C. Forshee has been appointed plant manager to oversee the installation, build the organization, and be responsible for the future operation of the facility.
(June 7) - Below we have a couple photos from the recent Heat Treatment conference in Nanjing China.
The first photo is of Mr. Yakun Liu, General Manager of MMI-China giving his presentation:
The second photo is of Mr. Peter Lankes, International Director of the Ipsen Group presenting to the group:
An End to (Natural) Gas Surcharges?
(June 6) - Although gasoline may be sky high, you can see by our daily-updated gas futures graph (right) that natural gas has dropped to almost half the price we saw after last season's storms. Seems like a good time to lock-in rates before the next hurricane season as we hear their predicting six for this year.
Considering where nickel prices are going (also updated daily here) it's good that there is at least one point of relief for heat treaters these days.
UK Heat Treat Conference
(June 2) - Just a reminder for those of you in the UK that this year's Foundry, Furnaces and Castings starts up on Monday (runs June 5-7) in Harrogate, England. To learn more click the banner.
Gibraltar to Sell Thermal Processing Assets to GSO Capital Partners
(June 1) - It appears that Gibraltar - owner of many heat treating companies throughout the US - has decided that heat treatment and thermal processing are no longer "core assets" to their overall business. The existing management team, lead by Carl Spezio, will remain in place and go with the new ownership. This is a significant deal in the US heat treating industry as the combined revenue for Gibraltar's thermal processing companies was over $100 million. We don't know a whole lot about GSO Capital other than they are a diversified hedge fund that spun out Credit Suisse and is led by Bennett Goodman. You can read the full PR from Gibraltar in PDF format here.
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vacuum furnaces, the BMICRO is selling at soaring rates. Owing to its low investment and maintenance costs, this compact furnace is an economic alternative to sub-contracting. By opting for the BMICRO, our customers also benefit from an optimised quality/price ratio and total control of the production cycle, as well as echnological features that have been widely tried and tested on furnaces such as the B84T (BMI quenching furnace with the highest sales across the world).
with gas quenching is used globally for both vacuum and brazing applications for medical, aircraft, automotive and aerospace industries requirements. The furnace is designed according to National Electric Code (NEC), OSHA, NFPA 86D guidelines and complies with CE mark requirements. The furnace is a compact design with an internal recirculation blower and heat exchanger requiring minimum usage of gas, electric, water and floor space. Durable molybdenum insulation and heating elements provide long, reliable service in this heavy-duty furnace designed for the industrial work place. 
