In 2019 one of the more interesting commercial heat treaters in North America, Applied Process was acquired by Aalberts Industries of the Netherlands (the press release announcing the acquisition is below). Applied Process (which was started by the Keough family of AFC-Holcroft fame) is a very unique operation in that the company almost exclusively offers salt quenching and boasts the world’s largest integral quench batch austempering furnace with working dimensions of 84″W x 96″L x 54″T. It was built in 2011 by furnace builder AFC-Holcroft of Wixom, Michigan and has a gross capacity of 20,000 pounds and a quench tank which holds 400,000 pounds of salt. This photo shows Gord Montgomery standing in front of “The Monster” as it is appropriately nicknamed.

All of the Aalberts locations in North America are being “rebranded” under the name “Aalberts Surface Technologies” which means the name “Applied Process” name and their very iconic “Hostile Duck” logo are being retired. Rather a shame after such a long, distinguished history but such is change-we will though miss the “Hostile Duck”.

“AUGUST 2019; Applied Process, the industry leader in salt quench heat treating, announced today that it has been 100% acquired by Aalberts N.V. (Aalberts), a Dutch public company. Aalberts, one of the largest heat treating companies in the world, operates in over 50 countries and is committed to adaption and innovation with a clear focus on engineering mission-critical technologies for its customers. Applied Process will join the Material Technology group within Aalberts. The Material Technology group offers a unique combination of advanced heat and surface treatment technologies utilizing a global network of service locations with excellent local knowledge to customers active in general industries, automotive, aerospace and power generation.

Richard Wright, COO of the US Division of Aalberts Material Technology stated “Aalberts is very excited that Applied Process is joining our team of world-class service providers. Applied Process is the world-wide leader in austempering heat treatment, and we look forward to supporting their efforts to expand their technology and service offerings.” Harold Karp, Applied Process President and CEO stated, “We are very excited to be part of the Aalberts family. We especially look forward to the synergistic opportunities of providing a broader and stronger service offering to our customers that will come from the technical expertise and other businesses within Aalberts.”

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