Heat Treat News

Arshad Hafeez/Performance Review Institute. PRI is the organization responsible for Nadcap audits (NADCAP of course is the accreditation process for the aerospace industry which would oversee heat treating as well as other processes). For the past 20 years Mr. Arshad Hafeeze has been with PRI, most recently as  Executive Director, Global Business Operations and Corporate Strategies and as such he has had an enormous impact on the organization having taken Nadcap from inception to this point-his influence cannot be understated. However it is our understanding that Mr. Hafeez has parted ways with the organization, what effect this will have is unknown.  July 29/10

Business Opportunities. I have noticed a substantial increase in the number of captive and commercial heat treaters looking to hire these days and a coresponding decrease in the number of individuals looking for work-all in all a very good sign. If you are a company looking to hire please send us your job description and we will be glad to include it in our “Companies Looking to Hire Section”. Looking for a position? Send us your description and we will include it on the site FREE of charge. With a readership of almost 20,000 heat treaters/month we will help you fill your position or help you find a job. July 29/10

Looking for a new position? This is a brand new listing, an Aerospace company looking for a Heat Treat/Process Shop Supervisor. A Divisional/Business Unit Manager for a large commercial/captive heat treater in Erie, PA is needed. A Field Service Technician is required by a company in the Southeastern US. This is a brand new addition to our list of companies looking to hire-a Quality Manager for Solar Atmospheres in California. This individual has solid qualifications; Senior Metallurgical Engineer or Senior Materials Engineer. This week Tri City is looking for an experienced 2nd Shift Hands on Supervisor and an experienced Maintenance Person. Our newest addition to our "help wanted" section is from a commercial heat treater in the US who has two positions to fill Heat Treat Supervisor and Order Entry Position. A commercial heat treater in the US Southwest is looking to fill the these positions; Quality Manager, Production Manager and a Maintenance Manager. Byington Steel Treating, Inc. located in Santa Clara, Ca. is looking for a Maintenance Supervisor and a Heat Treat Operator. We also have a very experienced Furnace Design Engineer looking for work in North America. A progressive commercial heat treater in the Midwest is looking for a Maintenance Supervisor. One of the top heat treaters in North America, Paulo Products has an exciting position for a Technical Sales Engineer.

Bodycote. Commercial heat treating giant Bodycote has just released their 2010 interim financial results (http://www.bodycote.com/). The results should be encouraging to all commercial heat treaters around the world as it shows some upturn in the industry. July 29/10

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Revenue increased by 8.1% to £246.3m (H1 2009: £227.9m) Headline operating profit(1) of £22.5m (H1 2009: loss £1.7m) Operating profit of £22.0m (H1 2009: loss £50.8m) Basic and diluted earnings per share(2) of 7.6p (H1 2009: loss 23.9p) Operating cash flow(3) of £22.5m (H1 2009: £14.5m) Group net debt at 30 June 2010 of £87.5m (30 June 2009: £88.7m) Annualised ROCE(4) at 30 June 2010 of 8.6% (30 June 2009 : minus 0.6%) Interim dividend per share of 2.95p (H1 2009: 2.95p) Interim dividend payment to be brought forward to November from January BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

Aerospace, Defence & Energy:
Revenues down by 5.6% to £98.4m (H1 2009: £104.2m) Headline operating margin increased to 15.2% (H1 2009: 11.2%)

Automotive & General Industrial:
Revenues increased by 19.6% to £147.9m (H1 2009: £123.7m) Headline operating margin increased to 8.9% (H1 2009: minus 8.6%)

Restructuring programme nearing completion:
Annualised cost savings now £44.5m which is higher than previously expected (2009: £43.0m)
Headline operating margin increased to 9.1% (H1 2009: minus 0.7%)

Strategic Progress
Targeted market focus of the new divisions is delivering market share gains Special focus proprietary technology business units are gaining traction Operational improvement programme and selective capital spending regime are increasing profitability and cash generation

(1) ‘Headline’ excludes exceptional items. Exceptional items are major facility closure costs of nil (2009: £19.8m), impairment charge of nil
(2009: £28.6m) and amortisation of acquired intangible fixed assets of £0.5m
(2009: £0.7m).
(2) A detailed reconciliation is provided in note 5 to this announcement.
(3) Operating cash flow is defined as cash generated by operations of £38.2m
(2009: £34.2m) less net capital expenditure of £15.7m (2009: £19.7m).
(4) Return on capital employed is defined as headline operating profit divided by average capital employed. Capital employed is defined as net assets plus net debt.

Commenting on the results, Stephen Harris, Chief Executive said: “These results demonstrate that the work undertaken so far in reshaping the business and improving management effectiveness is delivering the benefits expected. The overall environment is less harsh than twelve months ago, but the general economic recovery still appears to be at an early stage. In the near term and in the second half in particular, tight operational control remains key.”

Used Equipment Available. Just about every heat treater in the world doing sand blasting needs a dust collector, this is what we have to offer a Donaldson Filtration Systems Dust Collector. Last week amongst other additions were a Lindberg 500 CFH Endo Generator and a ThermCraft Batch Washer. This item really caught our attention in that it is the smallest complete batch IQ line I have ever come across Accutemp Batch Integral Quench. An item we are pretty much giving away is an electrically heated Carbottom Furnace with an operating temperature of 1500F and work dimensions of 65" high X 48" wide X 139" long for $5,000 USD. Remember even if you don't see what you are looking for-let us know and we will find it for you. For further details please contact us at victoria@themonty.com July 29/10

Mike Doer/EDMS. Let's move to the world of Induction Heat Treating which as we have mentioned a number of times over the years is a completely separate section of the heat treating industry. It would appear that within the past few weeks Mike Doer formerly Sales Manager at Inductoheat (new induction heating systems and the world's largest) left the company to join with Engineering Design and Manufacturing Services Inc. (EDMS) in Surgoinsville, TN, USA. EDMS is a company started by Frank Cole which specializes in Induction Heating/Press Quenching systems. EDMS was in the news very recently when it was announced that they were merging with SAET Group, a large Italian based manufacturer of Induction systems. July 28/10

Pyradia/BMI Vacuum Furnaces. This is an interesting news item from Quebec, Canada firm Pyradia. Pyradia has been around for quite some time manufacturing ovens and heat treating furnaces for the heat treating and aluminum industries. From what we can see below they are now the exclusive licensee for BMI Vacuum Furnaces based in France. BMI makes top notch vacuum furnaces but has never had a great deal of presence in North America which explains this fit. As we mentioned BMI is part of one of the largest new builders in Europe, MTH Group-more information can be found in our articles section of this website in which we list the largest new furnace builders in Europe. July 28/10

"This is to inform you that PYRADIA is now the exclusive licensee of Europe’ prestigious BMI VACCUM FURNACES (FRANCE, MTH GROUP) for USA & CANADA.   BMI, already having running installations in North and South America, offers in-depth process expertise combined with well-reputed reliable equipments for heat treatment, brazing, annealing, sintering, thermo-chemical process as ionic nitriding or low pressure gaz nitriding and carburazing , operated up to 1600°C under high vacuum and/or controlled atmosphere.  This new line of equipment enable PYRADIA to offer US, Canadian and Mexican companies with the best equipments for every type of equipment all under one roof (PYRADIA, CODERE, BMI), and all serviced from our plant in Montreal. " 

"Seco Warwick/New Furnace Orders. SECO/WARWICK S.A. has commissioned three horizontal, front loading vacuum furnaces for Motor Sich JSC, located in the
Ukraine:

.     (1) 10.0VPT-4022/24HV - 10 Bar high vacuum, high pressure gas
quenching furnace
.     (1) 10.0VPT-4035/36HV - 10 Bar high vacuum, high pressure gas
quenching furnace
.     (1)  2.0VP-4056/60MHV - 2 Bar high vacuum furnace equipped with an
all metal hot zone

The models 10.0VPT-4022/24HV and 10.0VPT-4035/36HV furnaces are designed for a quenching and homogenizing process for turbine blades and aircraft engine
parts manufactured from a variety of steel alloys.   The 2.0VP-4056/60MHV
furnace is designed for annealing titanium parts. About Zaporozhye Motor Sich; The Zaporozhye MotorSich Public Joint Stock Company is among the largest in the world, and the only enterprise in the Ukraine manufacturing engines for airplanes and helicopters as well as industrial gas turbine installations.  For more information, please visit www.motorsich.com" July 28/10

Korea Heat Treat Corporation (KHT Corp). Let's go to Korea for an interesting little heat treat news item. The Korean market has a handful of large commercial heat treaters-possibly half a dozen at most with anywhere up to 300 "mom and pop" shops. Amongst the largest and possibly the largest is KHT Corp., with two locations offering most commercially available heat treating processes. This is soon to be expanded by one more-Ion Nitriding. Jewon Lee of KHT Corp., recently purchased an Ion Nitriding system which will compliment what the company already has to offer. In the photo below you see from left to right Gord Montgomery (themonty.com), Jewon and on the right Don Sparks of Fears Equipment in Chicago. Jewon by the way is the son of the founder and CEO of KHT, Hi Young Lee who is amongst the most respected heat treaters in the country having been President of the Korean heat treat society for quite some time. July 27/10

"AFC-HOLCROFT ANNOUNCES EXPANDED OPERATIONS IN INDIA (July, 2010) AFC-Holcroft is pleased to announce the following changes with our partnerships in India. BGL Furnaces, a division of Bharat Gears Ltd., has been re-instated as AFC-Holcroft's exclusive partner for all core products. BGL had been a long time partner of Holcroft dating back to 1981. This move will bring BGL back into the forefront with AFC-Holcroft as we expand our activities in the Indian marketplace. BGL has extensive experience building and servicing the full range of AFC-Holcroft designed furnaces, including continuous pushers, cast belts, mesh belts, roller hearths, rotary furnaces, endothermic generators, salt quench equipment, and many others. We are very proud of our past and present association with BGL Furnaces group. HighTemp, who has been working with AFC-Holcroft for the past 6 years, will no longer support AFC-Holcroft's ferrous metal processing equipment and market in India and this market with immediate effect will be supported by BGL. High Temp will instead focus their efforts on Continuous Atmosphere Aluminum Brazing (CAABR) equipment. This change supports the increased market potential in the CAAB industry within India and will build on the past successes that HighTemp and AFC-Holcroft have shared with CAAB. AFC-Holcroft has more than 90 years of thermal processing experience. The company manufactures turn-key heat treating systems for applications including commercial heat treating, bearings, automotive, aerospace, military, aluminum heat treatment, gear manufacturing, fastener manufacturing, and alternative energy industries. 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, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Spain, and Turkey, including manufacturing means in many of these countries. For more information on AFC-Holcroft, contact Tracy Dougherty at tdougherty@afc-holcroft.com."

ZF/South Carolina. This news item is interesting on a number of different levels. It shows the growing manufacturing base in the Southern US (at the expense of other areas such as Michigan), it shows how a number of European companies are continuing to invest in the US for the auto industry and probably most importantly this will undoubtedly mean a new top end heat treat department. While we can't say this for sure I would have to assume (based on their history) that ZF will be investing in vacuum carburizing systems to heat treat these components. Time will tell. July 27/10

"Gov. Mark Sanford today joined ZF Group in Friedrichshafen, Germany to announce the company's decision to expand its operations in South Carolina. ZF Group plans to invest approximately $350 million in a new manufacturing facility in Laurens County to produce fuel-efficient automatic transmissions for the passenger car and light truck market. The new transmission plant is expected to employ 900 workers by 2015. ZF already operates manufacturing facilities in South Carolina and has been gradually growing its presence in the state, thanks to its proximity to major transportation hubs, competitive business environment and skilled workforce. ZF expects to begin construction of its new, Laurens County facility in January. Hiring is anticipated to begin in early 2012 for skilled positions that include CNC operators, assemblers, production and logistics. The state's worker training program, readySC, will assist in the hiring process. Information will be posted at www.sctechjobs.com as jobs become available. "We are eager to build our fuel-efficient automatic transmissions in North America. We believe the increasing emphasis on fuel economy and our reputation for producing high-quality, fuel-efficient transmissions provide an unprecedented opportunity to grow our business. We believe this production facility could serve as a key driver of this growth," said Gerhard Wagner, Group Executive of ZF's Car Driveline Division. The announcement was made following a meeting at ZF's corporate headquarters in Friedrichshafen that included members of ZF's Board of Management and officials from the South Carolina Department of Commerce. "ZF's decision to make a jobs and capital investment of this magnitude, indeed the largest single infusion of jobs in the history of Laurens County, is an incredible compliment to our state. This announcement represents not only enormously good news for our state's economy, but also is a telling dividend from our continued efforts to better the business climate in South Carolina. Our meeting with ZF today was productive and offered a real glimpse of what is headed to our state with ZF's new operations, and I'd join with South Carolinians in thanking ZF for their investment. We are proud to count ZF among a growing and distinguished list of companies that have chosen to call South Carolina home," Sanford said. ZF is a worldwide automotive supplier for driveline and chassis technology, with 123 production locations in 27 countries."

Ipsen. On July 20th of this year we posted on this site comments from Mr. Bill Jones, CEO of Solar Atmospheres about the Ipsen line of Titan vacuum furnaces (these comments are still on this site). Nate Durham of Ipsen has chosen to respond to these comments-below. July 26/10

"Dear Gord, I have heard of Mr. Jones and for someone who appears to know it all, he got this one totally wrong.  I will address the errors one at a time from his July 20 statement in The Monty:

(1) Titan Vacuum Furnace quantities are actually higher!  They are going to companies in the USA, Mexico, Canada, Europe, China, Japan and Singapore..so far.

(2) Yes, you can rent an Ipsen Titan and return it "like a rented Hertz car".is that a bad thing?

(3) Single piece flow (Titan at each machine center) is a modern lean manufacturing concept.  It is possible with a completely new furnace design but not with 35 year old technology.

(4) Although Mr. Jones had suggestions for Ipsen's top management, I have none for him.  I would like to thank him though for helping our Titan brand awareness.

Titans come in sizes large and small with various hot zone configurations, partial pressure, convection, high pressure quench and more.  And don't forget: for special applications, we have a separate team ready to tackle all your custom heat treating challenges.  At Ipsen, our motto is Hard Work Wins!   --- Nate Durham, Ipsen Titan Team"

Michel Korwin/Nitrex Metal Inc. A reader recently confessed that he is always curious how successful companies get started-the idea appealed to us and we contacted Michel Korwin, founder and owner of Nitrex Metal Inc., probably the best known name when it comes to gas nitriding. Michel was very agreeable and the result is below. I would like to thank Michel for his contribution and his candor, obviously these thoughts are from the heart. July 26/10

"Improving a Good Thing or how Nitrex Metal Inc. was born. Why you shouldn’t dismiss product improvements in your search for opportunity. Or, never underestimate what you’ll find in a good library.

I have always admired people and companies that were able to arrive at a revolutionary, successful and profitable product through careful analysis and re-engineering of an existing one. I am not talking about little, obvious improvements bringing little value added to end users; I am referring to such improvements that, once implemented, leave the user wondering how he or she used to get by without them. So many opportunities lie under our noses, but we often fail to notice them when searching for groundbreaking business ideas. We tend to think that a revolutionary product is necessarily a new product, but this is not always the case. Many products are underdeveloped, and new or enhanced commercial applications can arise from their improvement. I think Japanese firms are particularly good at recognizing such opportunities. As a result, and in awe of some of these firms’ accomplishments, I embarked on my search for that golden opportunity… to improve.

The economic uncertainty, job insecurity, and lack of control over my own destiny experienced during the 1981 – 1983 recession had led me to the point where I felt I needed to be my own man. This was not an easy decision, as I had no savings, my wife was studying, both of our children were in a private school, and I was under great pressure to find a way to support them. However, since we had managed to gather the courage and strength to leave our country of birth in search of a better life – first on one continent and then on another – I knew my family could pull through the first few crazy years of a company startup. Still, I could not afford to fail. My quest led me to get very well acquainted with a local university library, where I spent long hours browsing through technological reviews, shelf by shelf. I went through more articles than I care to remember, but none ignited my imagination. As fatigue and discouragement began to slowly settle where enthusiasm and determination had once ruled, an article finally caught my eye.
The article, published in a German metallurgical journal, discussed “gas nitriding”, a metal heat-treating process invented at the beginning of the last century, but never developed to its full potential, despite its superior ability to render metals resistant to corrosion and wear. One of the main reasons this process had not received proper attention from the industry was the fact that no one was able to fully control and duplicate its results. The article I had stumbled on was written by a Polish scientist who claimed to have achieved just that. But from behind the iron curtain, he had little means of commercializing hi discovery. This news appeared exciting to me, but as with many underdeveloped products and processes, a broader application of gas nitriding was also stifled by another major problem: its high cost. In fact, the process was so expensive that it was only used for military or aerospace purposes. Still, I gathered further information on the topic and forwarded it to George Tymowski, a friend who had a Ph.D. and extensive experience in metallurgy, for a second opinion. He was so enthused with the idea that he offered to invest if I decided to go ahead with it. He believed that the greatest impediment to the technology’s success had been overcome bys this scientist, and that a commercially sponsored development of his method would actually lower the cost of the process, making it commercially viable and opening up a whole new spectrum of applications.

After further consultations with specialists, I decided to get in touch with the Polish scientist (author of the said article) and go ahead with the project. However, I knew I could not make it alone, so I began to look for associates that could help professionally or to invest in the company. Unfortunately, I did not know people in the business community, so I feared the search would be difficult. Still, I was so excited about the project that I talked about it constantly, and this is how some of my bridge buddies came to hear of it. My enthusiasm must have been contagious, because after hours of heated discussions (our bridge games often lasted into the wee hours of the morning) many of them decided to invest, and one even decided to join the company. This is how Nitrex was born. The first few years were very difficult. Being a mechanical engineer by education and profession, I had not seen a nitriding furnace in my life. It took me a year of intensive studies with a lot of help of several university professors, seeking to create an ideal fully automated nitriding system specification. We had to overcome many problems and obstacles, but we kept on growing. By the time the next recession rolled around in the early 1990s, we were ready. In fact, while so many other companies were struggling to survive or going out of business, we were able to provide a process of such high quality that it eliminated the need for further processing of parts treated, which often represented a 15% reduction in production costs. Most groundbreaking improvements originate with recognizing the needs of end users and adapting a given product to suit those needs. Nitrex fulfilled and even at times pre-empted customer needs, and I believe this has been the secret of our success for the past 25 years. As our product satisfied users to a level they did not think possible, others gained interest in our process and became users themselves. Through the years, we have been able to supply a product that corresponds so well to many companies’ needs that they come looking for us, rather that us to look for them ­ a marketer’s dream. Our future strategy is thus based on making sure we continue to pay attention to our worldwide customers, as they are our greatest source of inspiration. Btw, two of my bridge buddies and founding partners are still with Nitrex – one of them is responsible for all Nitrex heat treating operations in the USA, the other one is in Europe taking care of our European and Asian sales. MK"

"Kuznia Polaska S.A./Seco Warwick. "Swiebodzin, Poland –Kuźnia Polska S.A.  has purchased a 10 Bar high pressure quench vacuum furnace to be used for the heat treatment of hot work tool steels (H13, etc), cold work tool steels (D2, etc) and HSLA steels.  The furnace will have a hot zone area of 900x800x1200mm with a hearth loading capacity of 1200kg.  The furnace is equipped with 10 bar gas cooling system [HPGQ], convection heating, and isothermal cooling. SECO/WARWICK’s unique isothermic cooling and automated control system provides a precise heat/cooling profile for optimum uniformity and distortion control.  The equipment meets the GM H-13 test specifications, exceeding NADCA recommendations for cooling. About Kuźnia Polska S.A. Kuźnia Polska S.A. produces high quality forgings for the automotive, mining, railway and engineering industry. About the SECO/WARWICK Vacuum Team; The Vacuum Team offers vacuum heat treating furnaces for hardening, tempering, annealing, solution heat treating, brazing, sintering, carburizing, carbonitriding, high vacuum, CVD–graphitizing and degassing.  SECO/WARWICK has built some of the largest and technically advanced vacuum furnaces in operation today, developing advanced technologies like Universal HPQ™ (High Pressure Quench), PreNit® & FineCarb® LPC vacuum carburizing, fully automated control systems and modeling software. Vacuum furnace configurations are available for vertical, horizontal and elevator style furnaces. Both cylindrical and rectangular hot zones with metallic or graphite heating elements are available for both new and used equipment." July 26/10

ALD/Dynatech. This very interesting press release was issued July 19/2010. ALD Vacuum Technologies is one of the largest builders of new vacuum furnaces in Europe and primarily known for their vacuum carburizing systems. Dynatech based in India is a well established new vacuum furnace builder with a large presence in India and a relatively small presence in North America and Europe so the fit is obvious. Typically "Western" new furnace builders wanting to enter the Indian or Chinese markets will work with a partner based in those countries for obvious reasons. July 20/10

"ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH, Germany, a leading global supplier of processes and services in the field of vacuum process technology, has picked up a 30% stake in Dynatech Furnaces (Bombay) Private Limited, a 25 year old leading Indian production vacuum furnace manufacturer, thus marking its entry into India. ALD is the world-wide market leader in vacuum metallurgy, technology leader in vacuum heat treatment and sole supplier of vacuum thermal recycling world-wide. It is part of AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group N. V., Netherlands, which is listed on NYSE Euronext Exchange. The investment in Dynatech is a long term strategy of the company to expand its presence and manufacturing in India. M. S. Ganesh, Director - Dynatech Furnaces said "We are very delighted to be a part of the ALD family. This merger will help Dynatech in the next phase of its growth both within India and globally, as ALD is one of the world renowned manufacturers of Vacuum Furnaces and a part of the global AMG Group." BDO acted as the sole advisors to the deal. Kirti Shah, National Leader, Corporate Finance Advisory, BDO said "The deal marks a new phase of growth in the Indian Vacuum Furnaces Technology Industry. With this deal ALD will get access to India, one of the fastest growing markets in the world. It also facilitates manufacturing in India for global markets."

Bill Jones/Solar Atmospheres. "With Reference to the Ipsen Road Show announcement: On April 6, 2010 Ipsen indicated something like 10 Titan vacuum furnace “sales” on a world wide map  on their web site. In fact 8 or 9 were leased or sold and  one rented. Leased or rented units are not exactly “sales” as they can be returned like a rented Hertz car. In a News Release, week July 12th the Monty, they claim “sales” of 20 units with some companies planning to place additional orders for up to 6 units for each”machining center”, really! This is a difficult economy, world wide, for furnace OEM’s in general, although  the  commercial heat treating business has improved. So per their News Release Ipsen is gearing up for major production of their Titan series. I suggest the top management of Ipsen had better find space in their plants to store these speculation furnaces, as not every user can buy, and even if they can, standard sizes and other engineering considerations will not suit all. William R. Jones, CEO , Solar Atmospheres, Inc.   Souderton, Pa. " July 20/10        

Odds & Ends From Around the World. Kobe Steel is adding a heat treatment furnace at it's Kobe CH Wire plant in Thailand to better support the auto parts industry. Capacity at this plant will increase by around 30% for heat treatment and by around 20% for wire processing volume by January 2011 when Thai automobile production is expected to reach record levels. Kobe Steel is increasing capacity to meet growing demand from Japanese auto transplants. Debbie Mellor the managing director of Keighley Laboratories has been elected as director to the management committee of the Contract Heat Treatment Association (CHTA) – the only woman among 19 officers. CHTA  is the largest organization of it's kind in the UK and represents 70% of commercial heat treaters in the country (the UK equivalent of MTI). Powder Metal Industry. We ran across this rather interesting article about how the PM industry is rebounding after several years of declining shipments. "After several years of declining shipments, mainly due to falling light vehicle production in North America, the metal powder industry has returned to its growth track, reported Michael E. Lutheran, president of the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) here at PowderMet2010, the 2010 International Conference on Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials. In 2009 the industry slowly began turning the corner, with a 28 percent rebound in iron powder shipments in the second half of the year. However, for the year total iron powder shipments declined 25 percent from 2008 to 244,839 short tons. Essentially, the industry hit bottom in 2009, marking five years of dwindling powder demand. Copper and copper-base powder shipments have declined as well, with 2009 shipments declining 24 percent to 13,239 short tons. But 2009 ended on a positive note, especially during the final quarter, Lutheran reported. 2010 Outlook The strong rebound of last year's fourth quarter has continued into the first quarter of 2010 when iron powder shipments soared 64 percent above the same period in 2009 to 88,410 short tons. First quarter 2010 copper and copper-base powder shipments rose 36 percent to 3,977 short tons. The Automotive Market The light-vehicle market remains the dominant force impacting the powder metallurgy (PM) industry's financial health and future growth. With this in mind, Lutheran reported that the automotive industry will consume an estimated 230,000 short tons of PM parts in 2010. It is also estimated that PM parts content in the average-size vehicle will remain about the same as in 2009 with 41 pounds per vehicle. This is based on typical Detroit 3 usage and on overseas brands such as Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai-Kia actually increasing their PM content. The U.S. number continues to compare favorably with the European PM average parts content in 2009, 15.8 pounds as reported by the European Powder Metallurgy Association, and with that of Japan, 17.6 pounds in 2008 as reported by the Japan Powder Metallurgy Association. GM's use of PM parts continues to be very strong at an average of about 48 pounds per vehicle. Ford is next at 45 pounds, Chrysler at 43 pounds, followed by the Asian brands at 38 pounds. However, some European SUVs and light trucks contain as much as 42 pounds of PM parts." "Wall Colmonoy Limited Introduces Video Highlighting Capabilities. Wall Colmonoy Limited of Pontardawe, Wales has recently released a video describing their impressive array of capabilities. In this 10-minute video, you can learn about their wide-range of manufacturing processes, products, services and industrial applications. Some of the highlights include: History of Wall Colmonoy Limited, Industries Served, Atomization Process, Colmonoy® Hard Surfacing Products & Services, Nicrobraz® High Temperature Brazing Products & Services, Castings The video can be viewed at Wall Colmonoy’s website by visiting: www.wallcolmonoy.com/news/wcvideo.html" July 19/10

"SECO WARWICK Allied has commissioned a 54,400 MTPA capacity 4 base Hydrogen atmosphere annealing installation for Uttam Galva Steels Ltd., Khopoli (near Mumbai). The charge material is cold rolled strip coils of grade DQ / DDQ having outer diameter 2,000 mm and width of 1,250 mm. Each annealing base is designed for a maximum load of 108 MT and reference charge load of 96.4 MT. The designed overall stack height is 5,300 mm for 4 coils per batch which are stacked using intermediate convectors between the coils.The scope of supply for the installation included (2) gas fired heating hoods (pulse firing) based on LPG / NG fuel, (4) annealing bases each with base valve stands, (4) corrugated inner covers, (2) mist cooling hoods, main common pressure reducing station for the utilities and complete PLC-based control and monitoring system. About Uttam Galva Steels; Uttam Galva Steels is one of the largest manufacturers of cold rolled steel (“CR”) in western India. The company is into the business of procuring hot rolled steel (“HR”) and further processing into CR and further into GP and color coated coils. Excess capacity of CR is converted to value added grades in Cold rolled closed annealed (“CRCA”) coils, cut to length sheets and sold in the market. In the fiscal 2009, it had net sales revenue of US $ 876.5 million and net income of US $ 19.46 million. The company is a major supplier of CRCA to manufacturers of automobiles, white goods, general engineering and drums and barrel segments. About SECO WARWICK Allied Founded in 1971, Allied Consulting Engineers has over 180 employees and is a highly accomplished producer of industrial furnaces and incineration systems.  They specialize in hydrogen bell annealing, roller hearth, galvanizing, continuous hardening & tempering, reheating, bright annealing, bogie hearth, pit pot, rotary and special application furnace systems along with hot air generators, fired process heaters and incinerators.  As an integral member of the SECO/WARWICK Group, SECO WARWICK Allied shares engineering expertise and provides local manufacturing services in India." July 19/10

"Nickel Pricing. So where is the price of the most expensive component (nickel) in alloy furnace components and fixturing going? If you believe the report below nickel and consequently alloy pricing is expected to decrease. Nickel premiums seen sliding after Vale deal. New York (American Metal Market) - U.S. nickel market participants are anticipating lower premiums after Vale SA and union leaders reached an agreement Sunday that could end a year-long strike at nickel operations in Sudbury and Port Colborne, Ontario. Assuming that union members approve the deal, lower physical nickel premiums are almost certainly on the horizon as additional supplies enter the market over the next couple of months. "At the moment there hasn't been a precipitous fall-off in premiums because it's not like this (Vale) production can be delivered immediately," said a U.S. based physical nickel trader. However, premiums will start to fall well before the Vale material actually starts making its way onto the market, which would take about three months if production restarts quickly. "Vale coming back is going to push premiums back to more historically normal levels - the question is how quickly," a second physical nickel trader said. While premiums may slide, analysts don't expect LME nickel prices to crash when the strike ends. "The market still believes that the fundamentals are still fairly good, even though we are definitely seeing a seasonal slowdown," David Wilson, Societe Generale director of metals research, told AMM. Tom Jennemann  American Metal Market" tjennemann@amm.com July 16/10

"Lepel is pleased to announce that we are moving to a new, larger location in Waukesha, WI. “Given the drastic increase in sales and demand for more R&D capabilities… we must take action to expand our operations and align our manufacturing operations to better serve our customer base,” said Lepel’s President Avner Guez.   * Please update your computer systems with our NEW office address, phone and fax numbers. Our employee email addresses and company website will stay the same. For your convenience, we will continue to accept calls from our old numbers for a limited time.   • New Address: W227 N937 Westmound Drive, Waukesha, WI 53186   • New Tel: 262.782.0450 • New Toll Free: 800.231.6008 • New Fax: 262.782.3299   • Email: sales@lepel.com  • Website: www.lepel.com To ensure valued services for our customers, we will be combining and relocating our existing branches from 730 Larry Court, Waukesha, WI 53186 and 200 Executive Drive Suite. G. Edgewood, NY, 11717 to our NEW facility at W227 N937 Westmound Drive, Waukesha, WI 53186.   To better serve our customers we have a service center at: 100 Schmitt Blvd., Farmingdale, NY 11735.  This service department can be contacted using any of the following information:   • Tel: 516.779.7860 • Fax: 631-393-2769 • Email: egozler@lepel.com We are confident that the move will be smooth, but we apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may have caused. We would like to thank you for your patience, and your enduring relationship with our company. We look forward to being of continued service to you and hope you will enjoy the benefits of our new location.  Avner Guez , President Lepel Corporation." July 16/10

Craig Zimmerman/Bluewater Thermal. Experienced heat treater Craig Zimmerman, a former Bodycote employee has just joined with commercial heat treater Bluewater Thermal as Technical Director. July 15/10

"ZIMMERMAN APPOINTED BLUEWATER'S DIRECTOR-TECHNICAL. Craig Zimmerman has been appointed to the corporate position of Director-Technical for Bluewater Thermal Services. Ben Crawford, Bluewater's COO states "We are delighted to have Craig on the Bluewater Team. Craig brings the knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm that will provide our customers with new thermal solutions. He will also be instrumental in improving our processes and expanding our business into new markets." Craig Zimmerman received his Bachelor's Degree in Material Sciences and his Master's Degree in Metallurgy, both from the University of Wisconsin. He has over 15 years of heat treating experience."

Flame Metals/Ipsen Road Show. Way out in Minnesota, USA is a commercial heat treater, Flame Metals Processing Corp. that I have yet to visit and yet I have a very high opinion of the company based upon business dealings with them and what I know about the firm. This good sized commercial heat treater generally only invests in new top of the line equipment and is very progressive when it comes to finding new opportunities. For instance the company is one of only a handful that early on recognized the potential in wind energy and invested accordingly with the result that they have some of the largest and newest batch IQ furnaces available. Also impressive is the fact that they were the only commercial heat treater that I am aware of that qualified for US government money based upon their investment in "green energy". With the background out of the way the photos below were taken during a visit by the "Ipsen Travelling Road Show" promoting their new line of "Titan" vacuum furnaces. In the one photo below you see from left to right; Peter Kerbel (Ipsen Midwest Sales), Michael LaPlante (Flame Metals General Manager), Dennis Stevermer (Flame Metals President) and Nate Durham (Ipsen Titan Sales). Incidentally Ipsen claims that the Road Show is a real success having sold over 20 units and consequently they are speeding up production to meet increased demand for all three sizes that are available.  We have been told that some companies are looking at buying 4 or even 6 at one time using them more like a machine tool (one Titan by each machining center) instead of the old way of batching parts for heat treatment in one larger furnace.  July 15/10

Nadcap Audit. Adeel Karim, President of Doctor Furnace, Inc., offers us these ideas about the Nadcap audit as part of his continuing series. July 15/10

"The Nadcap Audit: Topic 3: The finding. Yes it is bad to get a finding, however it is not the end of the world.  It is very difficult when you fail an audit and that is certainly something you want to avoid, but that is a topic for another week.  Now one of the negative things about Nadcap I will say is not all auditors are alike.  This is also one of the things that will not change.  Some auditors after they get their first finding loosen up a bit. Others won't give up until they find something.  Are either of these scenarios ok? No, and Nadcap and the Heat Treat Task group works to minimize these as much as possible.  Is it ok for the auditor to write the same findings over and over again just at different clients? Do auditors have "favorite" findings? The benefit of being a 3rd party consulting firm is you do tend to see a trend, however remember checklists are updated very frequently as are the specs they cover.  Auditors for the most part walk into the facility with very little on their mind aside from your previous 2 audit's findings. If you are caught in a situation when you have missed something and it is apparent a finding is imminent there is a strategy that is a bit harder to write here but some of the points are as follows:

1.       Don't panic. The audit doesn't end here it ends with the Task Group
after the Staff Engineer

2.       Make sure you have the finding written out properly and you accept
the wording the auditor used.

3.       Understand the finding and make notes about the circumstances that
will help you respond later on

4.       Is it a Major or minor, does it have product impact, is it
systemic? These are things that will help you solve the issues.

5.       Arguing will only get you so far.  If there is a disagreement
politely table the discussion until such time as you can discuss it with the staff engineer via email or phone call.

6.       Know this: Most of the times the staff engineer will side with the
auditor.  If a finding was written chances are it may be written in the future and it is not a bad idea to put in the measures that will close out the confusion. 

7.       The worse thing you can do is spoil the audit early on and the mood
of the auditor for the remainder of the audit.  Be cordial and respectful and if the auditor writes the finding and it's an easy one to close sometimes taking it isn't a bad strategy.

8.       If you know you are a bit of a hot head or are angry from an
exchange time to excuse yourself form the situation as you are probably not thinking rationally.  Here's the golden rule: Don't step over a dollar to pick up a penny. 

This is a huge topic and one that we lecture on quite frequently with our clients.  For more questions, please contact Adeel Karim, President of Doctor Furnace, Inc. at adeel@doctorfurnace.com or Zia Karim President of Heat Treat Professionals Inc. at zia@heattreatpro.com."

Metex Heat Treating/Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. A sign of the times is the fact that captive and commercial heat treaters are starting to "loosen their purse strings" and invest in more equipment. The latest is commercial heat treater Metex Heat Treating who has just placed an order for a complete AFC Batch IQ line with working dimensions of 36" X 48" X 36". The company  joins several others in the Canadian market that have added more furnaces or are planning to in the near future. July 14/10

"Solar Manufacturing Ships Vertical Top Loading High Temperature R&D Vacuum Furnace to NETL.Souderton, PA- Solar Manufacturing has shipped a new Model VTC-714 Vertical Top Loading high temperature R&D furnace to the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), in Albany, OR.  NETL is owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and part of DOE’s national laboratory system.  NETL supports DOE’s mission to advance the national economic and energy security of the United States. Pete Reh, vice president of sales for Solar Manufacturing stated, “This is the second vacuum furnace that Solar Manufacturing has shipped to NETL in Albany, Oregon.  The first furnace shipped in 2006 was a model HFL-2624-2EQ .  The new furnace, model VTL-714 will be used to homogenize and heat treat refractory alloys, perform diffusion couple experiments as well as other proprietary heat treat work. The Model VTL-714 Vertical Top Loading high temperature R& D vacuum furnace, features a Hot Zone size of 7.5” diameter  x 14” high.  The maximum operating temperature is 3000 degrees Fahrenheit, and the insulation is graphite felt and a FlexShield hot face.  This vacuum furnace also features graphite heating elements, a 35 CFM two-stage vacuum pumping system, a partial gas system of argon and nitrogen; and the controls are SolarVac 3000 including Honeywell DCP 550 and Allen-Bradley Micrologix 1500. Solar Manufacturing is part of Solar Atmospheres, Inc., one of the largest and most progressive, independent commercial heat treaters in the USA.  To learn more about Solar Manufacturing’s diverse product line of vacuum heat treating, brazing, and carburizing furnaces, contact Peter Reh, vice president of sales, at 267-384-5040 x 509 or pkr@solarmfg.com.  More information can also be found on www.solarmfg.com." July 14/10

SECO/WARWICK Meadville, PA - Keith Boeckenhauer, President, has announced the addition of Daniel Peterson as a Reverb Sales Engineer to the SECO/WARWICK Corp. Aluminum Team. Mr. Peterson has worked in the reverb furnace business for over 30 years, beginning in 1978 with Warwick Furnace Company in Wheeling Illinois.  He has experience both in furnace design and equipment manufacturing, serving as a consultant to every sector of the aluminum Industry including die cast, foundry, automotive, secondary and primary applications. Contact Information; Daniel Peterson, Reverb Sales Engineer. Office Phone and Fax:  352-560-7533. Email:   dpeterson@secowarwick.com The Aluminum Melt Team offers direct-fired, open hearth reverb furnaces used for melting and holding aluminum.  Applications for the reverb furnace include melting sows, solids and scrap, along with alloying the molten metal before casting into usable forms. July 14/10

Borg Warner/Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. Going back some time we mentioned about how auto parts maker and captive heat treater Borg Warner was closing one of their smaller plants in Simcoe, Ontario, Canada. This shut down is now complete. The heat treating department consisted of several Dow batch IQ furnaces and two very impressive rotary retort furnaces. Most of the batch IQ equipment was moved to another location however the rotary retort units ended up being scrapped. Very unfortunate as they were in great shape however at the end of the day this technology has fallen out of favor and generally these furnaces are cut up for scrap. Keep in mind though that the retorts are made of high alloy material, they can weigh anywhere up to almost 8,000 pounds which means a significant value as scrap. July 13/10

Bodycote. Yesterday we had a news item taken from a UK newspaper about Bodycote's (commercial heat treating) financial results. Below is the complete report taken directly from the Bodycote website http://www.bodycote.com/ July 13/10

"Bodycote plc is providing the following trading update ahead of its interim results announcement on 28 July 2010. The Group has continued to see a steady and broad based improvement in demand since the time of the IMS on 28 April 2010. Consequently, revenue for the Group for the six months to 30 June 2010 is expected to be 8% above the same period last year (9% at constant exchange rates). At the same time, the Group continues to benefit from the planned reduction in its cost base as a result of the wide-ranging restructuring programme, which commenced in late 2008 and is nearing completion. Looking ahead, demand levels remain uncertain and possibly uneven. Sales in the second half are expected to be impacted by the usual seasonal pattern of customer requirements and are therefore likely to be lower than in the first half. Against this backdrop, if current levels of demand are sustained and allowing for normal seasonal differences between the first and second half, the Board now expects that headline operating profit for the year will be significantly above the top of the current range1 of full year forecasts. 1 Range of current analysts' forecasts for full year 2010 EBIT (headline operating profit) (Bloomberg) = £27.2m to £34.7m For further information, please contact: Bodycote plc, Stephen Harris, Chief Executive +44 (0) 1625 505300, David Landless, Group Finance Director +44 (0) 1625 505300, Financial Dynamics Jon Simmons +44 (0) 20 7831 3113"

"SECO WARWICK ALLIED commissions cracked ammonia atmosphere bell annealing systems for jindal stainless. For Immediate Release Monday, July 12, 2010 Mumbai, India–

SECO WARWICK Allied has recently commissioned (4) cracked ammonia atmosphere annealing bases with a capacity of 30,240 MTPA for Jindal Stainless, Hissar, India. This installation includes (2) gas-fired heat hoods or bells, (4) annealing bases each with base valve stand, (4) corrugated inner covers, (2) air/water spray cooling, common pressure reducing station for utilities and complete PLC-based control system.   This equipment was in addition to (4) existing bases previously installed by SECO WARWICK Allied.

 The charge material is hot rolled strip coils of grade 430, 409M, 410, 420J and 439 stainless steel with a maximum outer diameter of 1,800 mm and width range of 900-1300 mm.  Each annealing base is designed for a maximum load of 54 MT and reference charge load of 45 MT.  The designed overall stack height is 4,100 mm for 3 coils per batch of maximum width.  The coils are stacked using intermediate convectors between each coil.  The furnaces are designed for a high temperature, with gas temperature control of 850 deg. C.  The thickness of the coil strip to be annealed ranges between 3 – 6 mm. About Jindal; Jindal Stainless is ranked fourth among the top Indian Business houses in terms of assets.  At Hisar, Jindal Stainless has India’s only composite stainless steel plant for the manufacture of stainless steel slabs, blooms, hot-rolled and cold-rolled coils, 60% of which are exported worldwide.  Visit http://www.jindalsteel.com" July 13/10

Bodycote. We ran across these financial notes about Bodycote in a UK newspaper. Their results are heartening to the whole industry in that being the only truly global commercial heat treater what they see all heat treaters see. July 12/10

"Bodycote. LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Shares in Bodycote jumped around 12% Friday after the U.K. engineering group said in a surprise trading update that it expects operating profit for the year to be significantly above the top end of market expectations. The group, which specializes in heat treating services for the aerospace, defense and auto industries, said demand has improved steadily across the board since its last trading update in April, leading to a roughly 8% rise in first-half revenue from the 227.9 million pounds ($345.3 million) reported a year earlier.250200150100JASON10FMAMJThe growth reflects a sharp turnaround from the first quarter, when the group said revenue had dropped 2.6% year-on-year. At the same time, it has also continued to find further cost savings from the program it began in late 2008, Bodycote /quotes/comstock/23s!e:boy (UK:BOY 218.50, +27.80, +14.58%) said. The company stuck to its cautious outlook, saying demand levels "remain uncertain and possibly uneven," and that a normal seasonal slowdown means revenue in the second half will likely be below the first-half level. But even accounting for that slowdown, Bodycote said operating profit should still be "significantly above the top of the current range of full-year forecasts." Analysts polled by Bloomberg were expecting operating profit between £27.2 million and £34.7 million. Shares in the group rose 11.6% on the London Stock Exchange. The stock has risen around 34% since the start of the year. "Bodycote is the U.K. industrial most geared to a cyclical recovery, and a view on the stock is largely a macro call," said Investec Securities analyst Chris Dyett in a note to clients. Dyett said he expects to lift his 2010 earnings forecast for the group by around 35% to 11.7 pence a share and his 2011 forecast by around 15%, however he said the uncertain outlook means Investec will stick to its hold rating for now. "We are not yet convinced on the speed and sustainability of economic recovery and believe uncertainty remains. There is a time to own the stock and it does feel to be getting closer, but for now we retain our hold rating," he said."

Seco Warwick/India. On July 7/2010 we had a posting about how new furnace builder Seco Warwick is doing and what their plans for the future are. The posting mentioned a new facility in India and how the company sees a large part of their growth from areas such as India and China. The press release below gives us a few more details about their plans in India. July 12/10

"SECO WARWICK Allied has recently completed a new 4,000 square meter manufacturing facility in Mumbai, India. 

About SECO WARWICK Allied Founded in 1971, SECO WARWICK Allied has over 180 employees and is a highly accomplished producer of industrial furnaces and incineration systems.  SECO WARWICK Allied specializes in hydrogen bell annealing, roller hearth, galvanizing, continuous hardening & tempering, reheating, bright annealing, bogie hearth, pit pot, rotary and special application furnace systems along with hot air generators, fired process heaters and incinerators. As an integral member of the SECO/WARWICK Group, SECO WARWICK Allied shares engineering expertise and provides local manufacturing services for SECO/WARWICK Group equipment in India. SECO/WARWICK Worldwide provides industrial metal heat treatment furnaces used in a variety of processes for material finishing and component manufacturing applications.  We supply furnaces to customers involved with steel and aluminum production, aluminum recycling, forging, automotive, aerospace, commercial heat treating, HVAC/R, electronics, wind energy, medical equipment and nuclear industries. The globally integrated organization includes SECO/WARWICK Corp. (USA), Retech Systems LLC (USA), SECO/WARWICK S.A. (Poland), ELTERMA S.A. (Poland), SECO WARWICK Allied Pvt. Ltd. (India) and SECO/WARWICK Industrial Furnace Co. Ltd. (China).  The company is an industry leader in industrial heat processing equipment and processes.  More information can be found at www.secowarwick.com."

An item that can be over looked and have an adverse effect on processing is the flow scope unit.

A flow scope is an instrument which is highly accurate when operating properly. Common items that
affect the flow scope accuracy are:
• Flow scopes are calibrated to a specific delivery pressure. If the pressure is above or below
   the specified pressure the flow scope will not be accurate.
• Flow scopes are manufactured to the specific gravity of the gas, air = 1.0, natural gas =0.59, etc.
• If an air, S.G. 1.0, flow scope is used for natural gas, S.G. 0.59, the readings will not be correct.
• Endothermic gas flow scopes can build up carbon soot on top of the float assembly and
   affect the reading accuracy.

Flow scopes with float assemblies, made by some manufactures, are physically interchangeable within
the same model series flow scope but will not be accurate.
• Float type flow scopes have a serial number on the flow scope body and a matching serial
   number on the float assembly.
• Parts from one flow scope float assembly cannot be used on a different float assembly
   without affecting the accuracy of the unit.
• Using an improper oil in the sight tube of the float type flow scope can slow the response
   time and will affect the accuracy.

Flow scopes should be included in the furnace Preventive Maintenance program and documented when serviced as required in some quality standards. An inaccurate flow scope can and will cause processing problems.        For a copy of this Quick Tip Click Here or visit www.HTSU.com Kyle Favors, Heat Treating Services Unlimited, Inc.
1-888-383-4878, 800-641-2491 Fax, 864-616-1097 Cellular www.HTSU.com July 12/10

Heatbath / Park Metallurgical is pleased to announce the hiring of John Duggan as a Quenching Specialist.  John will be responsible for the technical support and formulation of oil based and aqueous polymer quenchants.  John has extensive experience in the development, testing, and processing of polymeric coatings and sealers. His laboratory background includes coatings, sealers, corrosion analysis and metallurgy.  He has a Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering from Wayne State University and an MBA from The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. July 9/10

Schmolz+Bickenbach/Windsor, Ontario. I find it surprising (but good) that with 2009 being the worst year in history for the heat treating industry in Canada that almost every single commercial heat treater survived-smaller of course but still survived. However one that just closed down is Schmolz+Bickenbach just outside of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. S & B is a very large European steel company which offers primarily vacuum heat treating and Ion Nitriding as a service to their customers. June 23/2010 the Windsor operation closed their doors with the equipment either being sold or moved to their Carol Stream, IL, USA facility. July 8/10

NEW FURNACE ORDERS RECEIVED AT AFC-HOLCROFT (June, 2010) AFC-Holcroft is pleased to announce the receipt of two new furnace orders. The first order is for a custom batch furnace system from a leading Midwest manufacturer. This equipment will be designed for specific customer needs to support a lean, high quality manufacturing process. The order is for a model UBAB Atmosphere Box Furnace, which will be used for the processing of gears. The second order is from a major supplier of automotive components. For this customer, AFC-Holcroft will be providing a Belt Type Recirculating Atmosphere Stress Relief Furnace. The new furnace will be a duplicate of equipment recently ordered by the same customer, and will be installed in a facility in Mexico. AFC-Holcroft has more than 90 years of thermal processing experience. The company manufactures turn-key heat treating systems for applications including commercial heat treating, bearings, automotive, aerospace, military, aluminum heat treatment, gear manufacturing, fastener manufacturing, and alternative energy industries. 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, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Spain, and Turkey, including manufacturing means in many of these countries. For more information on AFC-Holcroft, contact Tracy Dougherty at tdougherty@afc-holcroft.com. July 8/10

Seco Warwick. Seco is known as one of the largest and most advanced builders of new heat treating equipment in the world however like virtually every single new furnace builder in the world 2009 was not a good year. The comments below came from the President of Seco Poland, Mr. Leszek Przybysz and originally appeared in the Polish stock market magazine "Parkiet” and can be found at http://www.parkiet.com/artykul/27,928475.html (in Polish). July 7/10

"In the first quarter of 2010 the turnover of Seco/Warwick decreased compared with the same period a year ago by 44 percent and amounted to 21,9 million PLN. The company had a 4,3 million PLN loss, as compared with a 3,9 million PLN profit one year ago. The board explains that this was caused by the economic downturn and the small number of contracts concluded in late 2009. The losses from the first quarter will be made up in the second, and by the end of 2010 the company will be profitable– the Seco/Warwick board promises. The main reason for this optimism is the rapidly growing portfolio of new orders. Right now it is worth 112 million PLN, which is twice as much as in December 2009 – we had such results in our best times (May 2008 – ed.) – says Leszek Przybysz the President. – We assume it will increase to around 200 million PLN by the end of 2010 – he adds. According to the board, the net profitability at the end of the year should reach 5 – 7 percent, which means that the company could earn at least 10 million PLN. By comparison, last year Seco/Warwick had a 1 million PLN net loss on sales of 123 million PLN. The board put high hopes on the far east markets. In India, a subsidiary S/W Allied is doing pretty well, they had almost 17 million PLN turnover last quarter and profit of 1 million PLN. By the end of June a new factory near Bombay will launch be launched. In China, a subsidiary was established at the beginning of May, which already has a portfolio of orders worth 4 million PLN. Ultimately it is to be two times more – China is our priority. We will invest 2 million dollars this year in China – says Przybysz.  The company is also very intensively looking for clients in EU and Brazil. The company sees future growth coming from melting furnaces (retech), the nuclear power industry and in the recovering automotive industry. Within a few weeks, a contract for a system  for production of metal powders worth 20 million USD is to be concluded."

"Inductoheat Inc Ships Induction Billet Heating System to Supplier of Hand Tools. Inductoheat, Inc., has designed, manufactured and shipped a Uniforge® Induction Billet Heating System to a leading manufacturer of hand tools (hammers, wrenches and fubars…etc.). This machine was designed specifically for heating carbon steel billets for a #8 die forger. This system is designed to heat 0.50” to 0.875” diameter x 13” long billets to 2250°F at a nominal rate of 250 pcs/hr. A STATIPOWER® SP12 induction power supply provides 100kW, 30kHz for this application. Features & Benefits include:

• Potentiometers for controlling power and feed rate.
• Infeed pinch roll drive assembly
• Fast extractor conveyor
• Self-contained portable unit
• Stand Alone water system" July 7/10

UPC and Nitrex is holding a fundraiser benefitting children with cancer with money going to the St. Baldricks Foundation. We’re hoping to rally the heat treat community and raise $50,000…more details below. July 7/10

DID YOU KNOW? Every 3½ minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer, and every 4 hours a child loses their battle to cancer. The good news is that with current treatments approximately 75% of children diagnosed with cancer are expected to become long-term survivors. When we at United Process Controls (UPC) and Nitrex Metal heard of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and its commitment to childhood cancer research, we wanted to share this incredible cause with the heat treat community, solicit your participation and make a difference in the lives of children with cancer. HOW? Six people from UPC and Nitrex have volunteered to go “topless” this October at Furnaces North America in Orlando, Florida to raise awareness and money for children fighting cancer. They will shave their heads in exchange for donations towards research. Their goal is to raise at least $50,000 in support of the St. Baldrick’s foundation, and when certain dollar targets are reached one-by-one the following persons will proudly face the clipper:
$5,000      Pat Torok (UPC)
$10,000     Jack Kalucki (Nitrex)
$15,000     Nikola Dzepina (Nitrex)
$20,000     Eric Boltz (UPC)
$30,000     Paul Oleszkiewicz (UPC)
$50,000     Yvonne Boltz (UPC)

Please go to www.stbaldricks.org/events/HEATTREATING and pledge a donation or become a shavee yourself and raise money. Then join us at Furnaces North America in stands 515-519 for the clip off on October 5-6, 2010. Together we can help ensure that MORE children and young people diagnosed with cancer are cured of their disease.

Scott Workman/Guandong Fuwa Engineering Manufacturing Co.,LTD. Scott Workman is an American boy who has worked at companies such as Arvin Meritor in Tennessee and commercial heat treater Byington Steel Treating Inc. in California. A long time heat treater he took a position with Fuwa in Shunde, China as a Metallurgical Engineer / Materials Quality in 2009. Fuwa as you would expect is a large captive heat treater who has ordered a number of new furnaces in the past year (more details of the company are below). Scott recently sent us some interesting photos taken at the Shanghai Expo and also with Andy Chen of Powermax Furnaces in Shanghai. July 6/10

"FUWA /Aichelin. Today we're visiting TaiShun, China for an interesting news item. First off FUWA has this to say on their website "Shunde Fuwa Engineering Manufacturing Co., Ltd. founded in 1997, is the largest manufacturer and supplier of special spare parts of semi-trailers in Asia, supplying to the world semi-trailer manufacturers and transportation operators with axles, landing gear, suspension systems ,fifth wheel and kingpins." Aichelin in turn is one of the largest new furnace builders in Germany. That's the background, now on to the heat treating part. FUWA recently placed an order for 2 Aichelin pusher furnaces which are being built (or will be built) in Shanghai, China. Each pusher will have an automated Gleason press quench on the end for press quenching large ring gears. This new equipment will join some new Induction heating equipment also purchased by the company. Apparently this is a mammoth operation with several of the buildings the size of an aircraft hanger for 2 or 3 Boeing 747's.   October 7/2009."

Chuck Miller/Solar Atmospheres of Southern California. While the press release below says it all we have to add a couple of comments. All of our regular readers will be well aware of the fact that vacuum commercial heat treater Solar Atmospheres is setting up a brand new location in Southern California which from all we have heard will be a very impressive operation. Moving on to the press release below we can say that Chuck is one of the top HT maintenance people out there and is very highly regarded by all the companies he has worked with. We have had some dealings with Chuck and we would certainly concur with this. July 6/10

"Chuck Miller Joins Solar Atmospheres of Southern California. Solar Atmospheres of California (SACA) is one step closer to the establishment of its state-of-the-art Vacuum Heat Treating facility in Southern California with the hiring of Charles (Chuck) Miller as Manager of Maintenance and Facilities Engineer. Chuck comes to Solar after many years of supervisory experience in the heat treating industry.  Some of Chuck's areas of expertise are vacuum furnace maintenance, pyrometry, instrumentation, hot zone fabrication and repair, among many other areas of proficiency.  Chuck's prior employment duties included Regional Maintenance Engineer for Body Cote Thermal Processing and prior to that, Maintenance Supervisor for Hitech Metallurgical, both located in the Southern California region. Derek Dennis, SACA President states: "We are very fortunate to have somebody with Chuck's in-depth knowledge and experience on the SACA Team.  I'm looking forward to working with Chuck in facility engineering and start up, along with the continuing day to day operations of the heat treating plant." Chuck's first assignment will be to jump into the already "full steam ahead" establishment of Solar's new 22,000 sq. ft. building, engineering and installation of Solar's support equipment and installation of Solar's first (3) furnaces to include the west coast's largest commercial vacuum furnace, at 24', with a double car bottom loading system.  All furnaces are engineered and manufactured by Solar Atmospheres sister company, Solar Manufacturing of Souderton, PA. For additional information, contact Derek Dennis, ddennis@solaratm-ca.com or visit our website at www.solaratm.com"

Nadcap Audit. Our continuing series about achieving and maintaining Nadcap accreditation includes this instalment from Adeel Karim, President of Doctor Furnace, Inc. Adeel is one of the top men in this field and he is more than happy to answer any questions you have about Nadcap. July 6/10

"The Nadcap Audit. Topic 2: The art of answering a question: Have you ever been in any one of the following situations when you or someone in the room is answer a question starting with:

1.       Honestly? I usually.

2.       Well we usually are instructed to do it this way but,.

3.       I've never been told to do that.

4.       I've never seen that requirement.

5.        Really? I was under the impression.

6.       There's an audit today? Why the heck didn't anyone tell me so I
could prepare!

You get the point.  The other killer is when the individual answering the question is so long winded instead of telling the auditor the time you've described how you make the watch.  Look, the rules are really simple.  The possible options are "Yes. No. I'm not sure, but let me get back to you after I find out." Most auditors well let you off the hook and give you a legitimate chance to offer up a correct answer.  If you are going to get back to them then remember to do so in a timely manner so as not to hold up the audit. The last thing you want to do is have the auditor close a chapter of the checklist and then have you come back and answer an old question and have him go back to that section.  This is an art folks.  It cannot be taught overnight it has to be drilled into the operators, testers and anybody else facing questions.  Most people are just honest people trying not to make a mistake.  They get nervous under pressure and say things that are not what they meant. This is a training issue.  It's why you need to have a robust internal auditing system by a 3rd part or internally grill your guys and then slap high fives afterward on a job well done. Learn the art, it will save your facility a heck of a lot of grief and remember to keep the stray managers or stakeholders that have no business being in the room with the auditor out of the room. For more questions, please contact Adeel Karim, President of Doctor Furnace, Inc. at adeel@doctorfurnace.com or Zia Karim President of Heat Treat Professionals Inc. at zia@heattreatpro.com"

Skip Jones/Bodycote, California, USA. Worldwide commercial heat treating giant Bodycote is doing some reorganization of their west coast facilities and part of this change is that unfortunately Skip Jones, West Coast Regional General Manager is no longer with the company. Industry on the west coast entered the recession a number of months after other areas such as Canada and the Midwest and consequently they are taking longer to exit the downturn. This has meant that changes are being made by many captive and commercial heat treaters on the west coast. July 1/10

"AFC-HOLCROFT NAMES NEW AGENT IN POLAND. (June, 2010) AFC-Holcroft, one of the largest manufacturers of industrial heat treating equipment in the world, announces the signing of an agent in Poland. IndProTech (Industrial Process Technology) deals with the production of new heat treatment equipment, along with services for the repair, modernization, and supply of associated equipment and spare parts, as well as subcontracted labor.
IndProTech is headed by Piotr Pelian, who has over 15 years of experience in the heat treating industry. This experience is comprised of over 8 years as a designer and a sales specialist for a large heat treating manufacturer, and several years as Technical Director for another furnace company before starting InProTech in 2007. Pelian holds an engineering degree from University of Zielona Góra, specialized in Automation and Organization of Production Processes. He is fluent in Polish, Russian and English. Pelian explains his decision to sign the agreement with AFC-Holcroft. “My strategy for expanding this business is based on cooperation with partners such as AFC-Holcroft who have a strong position in their local markets and who are interested in increasing their presence in Central Europe.” “I am convinced this cooperation will not only reach out to more potential new furnace customers, and also opens the door to IndProTech’s labor subcontracting support.” Pelian continues, “Due to the global economic crisis and the lack of new investment, the need for repair and modernization services remains strong. IndProTech has adopted a unique strategy based on advanced outsourcing. These are people with great experience who had worked in the production of equipment for heat treatment for many years. This gives us an experienced pool of specialists on a project-by-project basis, while keeping the operating costs low and easily adaptable to market changes.” Says Marc Ruetsch, Director of European Operations for AFC-Holcroft, “Having someone with the depth of experience as Piotr Pelian, owner of IndProTech, is a real advantage for AFC-Holcroft. Not only is he knowledgeable of the technical workings of heat treating furnaces, but he is also experienced in the total project life cycle – from consultation to engineering, design, construction, and logistics. AFC-Holcroft selects partners carefully, based on their ability to meet our stringent quality standards and we are delighted to welcome IndProTech as our agent in Poland.” IndProTech will be launching a website, www.indprotech.pl in the coming weeks. AFC-Holcroft has more than 90 years of thermal processing experience. The company manufactures turn-key heat treating systems for applications including commercial heat treating, bearings, automotive, aerospace, military, aluminum heat treatment, gear manufacturing, fastener manufacturing, and alternative energy industries. 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, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Turkey and Poland, including manufacturing means in many of these countries. For more information on AFC-Holcroft, contact Marc Ruetsch at +41-32-465-1143 or Europe@afc-holcroft.com." July 1/10