Today we have an interview with industry experts “Thomas Wingens” and “Mark Hemsath” of “Wingens Consultants“.

  1. Thomas, both you and Mark are pretty well known in the North American heat treat industry, as a matter of fact you both are pretty well known in the global heat treat industry so I don’t believe we need your full background, however a brief synopsis wouldn’t hurt.

Hi Gord, and thank you for the kind words. Mark and I have taken similar, yet different, paths through this industry, and both of our fathers were in this business. I am a third-generation heat treater and have worked for IHI, Bodycote, Ipsen, Seco-Warwick and Tenova, and I started Wingens Consultants 15 years ago. Mark also worked for Seco-Warwick, did consulting work with his father, and was President/CEO of Nitrex, GM Enterprises and UPC-Marathon until the Austrian firm bought them last year. We each have almost 40 years in the industry, including commercial heat treating and furnace companies. Together with our six additional consultants, we cover a fairly broad range of heat treat experience, and we still learn something new on almost every project.

  1. Mark, not that long ago you made a career change by moving to “Wingens Consultants” which represents a substantial change. I might be getting ahead of myself a little bit, but my first question is; has this been a good career move for you and are you having fun?

Yes, very much so. It has been exactly one year since the Nitrex equipment divisions were sold, with my last signatures on the deal. I was offered the chance to step away, and I took it. Now that my past agreements are behind me, two things have pleasantly surprised me: how much I enjoy consulting, and how interesting and innovative the projects at Wingens Consultants are. In this role I get to help many more companies and people than before, and that is the part I enjoy most. I am glad I can be of help.

  1. At this point let’s back up slightly, Thomas, can you give us the background on “Wingens Consultants”?

Wingens Consultants works in three connected areas: metallic materials, the furnaces that treat them, and the heat treaters, captive or commercial, who run those furnaces. We have been fortunate to support rare earth magnet material projects; titanium, tantalum and niobium metals production projects; and clients procuring plant equipment such as furnaces and cleaning systems. In short, we aim to be a full-service metals advisory group, and we rely on a wide network of colleagues and partners when a project calls for expertise beyond our own.

  1. What do you consult on? A basic question yes, but does Wingens get involved in any and every form of heat treating? Steel mills as an example? Foundries? In other words what are the fields that your team focuses on?

Over the years we have worked on projects ranging from powder metals and primary metals to forging, dies, aerospace parts and coatings, cleaning of metals, and recycling of high-value metals, so the work spans quite a few disciplines. Where there is heat and metal, there is a good chance we have seen something similar before, and where we haven’t, we are happy to say so and bring in the right people.

  1. And you personally Mark, can you give us some examples of projects you have been involved with to date? I fully understand that you probably can’t name, names, but in general terms what occupies your time day to day?

We generally don’t mention current customers, but in broad terms: I am starting to work with a graphite machining and CFC forming group (materials used in vacuum processing). I have also worked with some commercial heat treaters. I will be advising on nitriding of all kinds this month, and I am helping with project management of large furnace installations in an industry that is new to me, which keeps me learning. We would also welcome the chance to support aerospace and industrial gas turbine companies as they expand. Project management is something I picked up early, through my MBA studies, working with my father, building furnaces and the installations and start-ups that go with these projects. I still love seeing equipment installed, tested and commissioned until it runs productively and delivers high-quality output. In those days I did a bit of everything, including writing PLC code, running loads and testing materials.

  1. Thomas and Mark, I have all kinds of questions such as how long your projects last, are you international and so on and so on. With all due respect when I think of most consultants I think of old, retired guys picking up a few little jobs here and there-obviously this is not you and your team.

Thomas: Thank you, Gord, we will gladly take “experienced” over “old”! We have been fortunate to pick up a number of new clients in recent months, many of them European equipment companies looking at the US market. We help with market messaging and market fit, adapting product design for the US, and supporting messaging materials such as brochures, website content and technical papers. What we bring most is familiarity with these US markets and how to position oneself and sell. Aerospace, gas turbines and rare earth metals are very hot right now, no pun intended, and there are simply not enough experienced people to go around. That is a gap we can help fill now and for the short run, working alongside our clients’ own teams.

  1. Thomas, money is flowing into this industry. Business are being bought, sold, and merged. We just heard about Private Equity putting in large sums into software for heat treaters and Bodycote, as you know, is a huge deal. We ran an article recently on The Monty talking about PE failures. What are you seeing?

Gord, we are glad to see money coming into the US heat treat market. Between Mark and I, we have seen these transactions from several sides. After acquiring and/or integrating 24 heat treat shops in my Bodycote years, I came back to the US again to help buy companies for strategic and PE investors, and Mark participated in the sale of Nitrex, a PE-owned company, and has secured venture capital in the past. We both have MBAs and enjoy the equity side of the business. We have nothing negative to say about PE; the US heat treat industry needs to catch up with investments, and more of it is needed, not less. What investment in this field requres is people who understand the industry to help structure deals, perform proper due diligence, and, most of all, know how to run the daily business. In this field, getting qualified people is usually the most valuable asset. Deciding who to keep and how to fill the gaps and train and mentor are skills we have. This is precisely where many mistakes are made after the purchase. Having seen what is under the hood of quite a few of these companies, we can often help buyers see early on what is worth paying for, comprehending what they are buying, and what may become an issue a few months after closing. That is where we try to be useful.

  1. I have known you guys a long time. Mark, you love to boat. I never realized Wingens was this prevalent in the industry. Do you guys have time for all the work that should be coming your way?

Thomas: We are still growing Wingens Consultants. We have started building out a nitriding advisory team with Mark, we will be introducing Dr. “Glow” (Dr. Edward Rolinski) and several other metallurgists, and we are now, in October, advising equipment companies in these areas. The aim is to help users of this equipment (heat treaters) nitride better and choose the right equipment right here in the US. And yes, Gord, we are busy, but we both enjoy the work, and we try to keep a healthy balance, whether that is Mark on his boat in Florida or me running, biking the Pittsburgh hills, or at soccer tournaments with my family. We have also added services and people to support us: last year we implemented an ERP system and increased our back-office staff, so the consulting team can focus on what they know best — heat treating and metallurgy. In the end, our goal is simply to be useful to companies that value experience and careful thinking, and to help them grow with as little cost and risk as possible.

“After 40 years in the Steel, Heat Treatment, and Industrial Furnace business, Michael K. Klauck, P.Eng. will officially retire from CAN-ENG FURNACES INTERNATIONAL LTD. on Sept, 30, 2026.

Klauck spent 26 years with CAN-ENG, the last 14 years as President. He leaves the business in a strong financial position, despite difficult global headwinds in the Industrial Furnace sector.

After a lifetime in the Metals business, he looks forward to spending time with Family and Friends, Travel and hitting the Bike Paths throughout Southern Ontario.

Succeeding Michael as President will be Company Owner Victor Oreskovich.

CAN-ENG would like to thank Mr. Klauck for his dedication and commitment to CAN-ENG’s success.”

Since 1999 “The Monty Heat Treat News” has been providing a list of the largest commercial heat treaters in North America (USA, Canada & Mexico) based upon annual sales. What started as the “10 Largest” morphed into the “25 Largest” which grew into the “52 Largest” in 2025.

While the list itself makes for fascinating reading, what makes it more interesting still is that it gives us a very clear picture about which industries are growing, which are shrinking and what geographic areas are seeing positive or negative growth when it comes to heat treatment. While this list only includes commercial heat treaters, the same trends can be found amongst in-house heat treaters.

For example, when we first started compiling this list, it was dominated by heat treaters largely concentrated in the Northern USA which focused on the automotive industry. While this is still partly true (“Woodworth” and “Heat Treating Services” are good examples of this) , we are now seeing more and more firms on our list involved in the aerospace, defense and power generation industries. A striking example of this would be “Solar Atmospheres”, the third largest commercial heat treater on our list which probably has little or no involvement in the automotive industry.

Another example of this would be “Stack Metallurgical Group” based in Portland, Oregon which has been growing by leaps and bounds in the past few years, again the firm has little exposure to the automotive market.

You will notice a number of changes on our list this year, some are the result of companies finding and growing new markets, some are the result of very good business decisions and some not so good changes are quite frankly the result of very poor management decisions (we are not naming names by the way).

Be that as it may this year’s list largely reflects changes in the manufacturing sector throughout North America in terms of shifts in where manufacturing takes place and also changes brought about by market forces and shifting demands.

We always emphasize the point in our yearly rankings that because most of the organizations on this list are privately owned and do not publish sales figures, this is a very tricky “exercise”. However, with that caveat out of the way we will in our conceit say that this is the most accurate list of the largest North American commercial heat treaters available anywhere in the world. Sincerely, Gord Montgomery

Since 1999 in a heat treat industry exclusive “The Monty Heat Treat News” has been publishing annually a list of the largest commercial heat treaters in North America based upon yearly sales, last year’s list can be found at “50 Largest North American Commercial Heat Treaters 2025”

Before we get to our list here are a few points we need to add;

#1) Bodycote North America

Based in the UK we have ranked “Bodycote” as the largest North American commercial heat treater and indeed the largest globally for a number of years now and this year is no exception. For the purposes of this report we are only looking at Bodycote’s North American sales and operations. Our understanding is that 2026 sales in North America will be approximately $445 million USD, with a total of 61 plants in North America covering Mexico, USA and Canada.

These sales figures include both heat treating and “hipping” (Hot Isostatic Pressing)-it is worth noting that Bodycote is the largest commercially available “hipping” source in the world.

#2) Aalberts Surface Technologies

Based in the Netherlands “Aalberts Surface Technologies” is one of only two companies on our list which has a substantial global presence being very strong in both Europe and North America. Since the company entered the North American market a number of years ago, they have seen spectacular growth largely through acquisitions such as Paulo, Premier Thermal, Applied Process, Alfe and several others. As of 2026, the specific annual sales for Aalberts surface technologies are not published as a standalone figure because its parent company, Aalberts N.V., does not separate its financial results down to this individual division in public summaries. However having said that we have no hesitation in naming them the second largest commercial heat treater in North America.

#3) Solar Atmospheres

“ Solar Atmospheres” of Souderton, PA has a very unique claim to fame being the largest privately owned commercial heat treater in North America with seven heat treat facilities in Eastern PA, Western PA, California, San Diego, South Carolina, Michigan, and Connecticut. It is worth pointing out that their sister company is “Solar Manufacturing”, one of the largest vacuum furnace builders in North America.

The Solar Atmospheres family of companies announced $153.5 million in sales for 2025. The six heat treat facilities posted $109.6 million, up 94% over a five-year period, while the manufacturing companies posted $43.95 million, up 107% over the same period. Over the past five years, the Solar family of companies has grown from 291 employees to 415 today. The companies are owned by William and Myrtle Jones who started the companies from scratch, a very impressive feat.

#4) Woodworth Inc

The fourth largest North American commercial heat treater on our list, “Woodworth Inc.” is a privately owned company which operates 4 facilities in two countries and specializes in large volume automotive work. “Woodworth Inc. provides a wide range of heat treatment services through our four facilities. We are currently located in Pontiac, Homer, and Flint, Michigan, as well as Puebla, Mexico. The company operates 40 large furnaces in North America. Woodworth Inc. has installed capacity to run 16 million + rotors per year. (2.2 million Lbs. / Day).” Woodworth is similar to many heat treaters on our list in that they are almost exclusively dedicated to the automotive industry, albeit on a very large scale.

#5) “Braddock Metallurgical”

The second largest family-owned commercial heat treater is “Braddock Metallurgical”which was founded in 1953 by William Braddock. The company has eight production facilities mainly in the US Southeast; however, two of these facilities are in NJ and Puerto Rico. Certainly, in the growing US Southeast region Braddock is the dominant commercial heat treater. The company is a full-service heat treater in that they offer virtually every process available. We are quite confident in saying that they are the third largest family-owned commercial heat treater in North America.

#6) Bluewater Thermal Solutions

“Bluewater Thermal Solutions” offers a wide array of heat treating and boronizing processes at 7 different locations around the US. Bluewater has different heat-treating processes throughout their facilities depending upon the geographic area. For instance, the Ridgway, PA location (located in the heard of the powdered metal industry) offers different processes than say the facility in Houston, Texas. The company is owned by private venture firm Aterian Partners in New York.

#7) “ThermTech”, Waukesha, Wisconsin

Not only is “Thermtech” in Waukesha, Wisconsin the dominant commercial heat treater in their area, this family owned business is also one of the fastest growing commercial heat treaters in all of North America. “ThermTech in Waukesha, Wisconsin is a privately held commercial heat-treating company that offers a wide range of services to a diverse and discerning set of customers. It was founded in 1982 by Charles Wiberg and remains a family owned business under the guidance of Mary Springer and her brother Steve Wiberg. We would consider ThermTech to be a full service shop in that it offers most commercially available heat treat processes.

#8) “Advanced Heat Treat Corp.”, Waterloo, Iowa

Established in 1981, “Advanced Heat Treat Corp.” (AHT) is headquartered in Waterloo, Iowa and has 4 locations in Alabama, Iowa and Michigan. It offers over 20 surface treatments such as UltraGlow® Ion & Gas Nitriding, UltraOx®, Nitrocarburizing, Induction Hardening, Carburizing, Quench & Temper and more. What makes Advanced such a fascinating company is that it is the creation of Mr. Gary Sharp who started off with the idea that there was a place in the North American heat-treating industry for Plasma (Ion) nitriding). Gary started off with a small investment and has never looked back-a very impressive achievement. To this day they remain the largest commercial plasma nitriding firm by quite a margin. In this photo we see Gary on the right, Gord Montgomery in the middle and Mike Woods, President on the left.

#9) “Parker Trutec”

“ Parker Trutec” is a North American subsidiary of Japan based Nihon Parkerizing, a very substantial player in the global heat treat industry. In North America Parker has 4 heat treat locations in Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mexico. The Springfield, Ohio facility is fairly typical of the plants and has this equipment;

For More Information About Parker Trutec we would suggest this link “Parker Trutec-One of the Largest Commercial Heat Treaters in North America”

#10) “Stack Metallurgical Group”, Portland, Oregon

In the US Northwest, privately owned “Stack Metallurgical Group” is the largest commercial heat treater by a large margin and a firm which has been described to us several times as “the best run commercial heat treater in the USA”. Stack has three locations, Portland, Oregon, Salt Lake City, Utah and Spokane, Washington. Stack specializes in advanced heat treating, aluminum anodizing and painting, and hot isostatic press (HIP) services. With a rich history dating back to 1946, Stack has become a trusted partner to demanding clients in industries such as aerospace, power generation, precision cutlery, oil and gas, and general industrial. Stack has been privately held by the Ederer family since 1974. Over the last 46 years, the business has grown and expanded into new markets.

#11) “Dowa Thermotech”

Globally Japan based “Dowa Thermotech” is one of the largest commercial heat treaters in the world so it is no surprise that it also ranks as one of the largest in North America. Their facilities in “San Luis Potosi”, Mexico and “Bowling Green”, Ohio are both dedicated to servicing the Japanese automakers which means that they largely “fly under the radar” and don’t usually appear on lists of commercial heat treaters. The company almost exclusively uses furnace built in Japan and their focus is very narrow-the automotive industry.

#12) “Heat Treating Services”, Pontiac, Michigan

“Heat Treating Services” based in Pontiac, Michigan HTS is a privately owned commercial heat treater founded in 1978. Over the years the Hynes family has done a tremendous job of growing the company (current President Brad Hynes)to their current size which include 3 heat treating locations in Michigan able to process 50 million pounds of material per month in over 161,000 square feet under roof. HTS also has a fourth facility, Trojan Heat Treat in Homer, Michigan. On a side note, Jeff Hynes of used furnace brokers “Furnaces, Ovens & Baths” is a cousin of the owners of “Heat Treating Services” proving the heat treat industry is a very close one.

#13) “Specialty Steel Treating”

“Specialty Steel Treating”, founded 1956, has been performing precision heat treating for more than 60 years. The privately held company has 4 locations in the US, three in the Detroit, Michigan area and one in Connecticut. While Specialty is located in the auto capital of the world it has broadened its customer base over the years and now has a very strong presence in the aerospace and bearing industries.

#14) “FPM Heat Treating”, Elk Grove Village, IL

Founded in 1979 “FPM Heat Treating” based in Elk Grove Village, IL has two locations in the US Midwest, Elk Grove Village, IL and Cherry Valley IL. FPM has the capability to offer most heat-treating processes including Through hardening, Carburizing, Carbonitriding, FNC and Nitriding, from a variety of furnaces including batch IQ furnaces, mesh belt, vacuum and salt bath. The company has NADCAP approval along with CQI-9.

#15) “Hansen Balk Steel Treating Company”, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Family owned “Hansen Balk” in Grand Rapids, Michigan is very interesting is that it is a single location heat treater which is fairly unusual amongst the larger commercial heat treaters on our list. It is also very interesting in that it is one of the largest vacuum heat treeaters in North America. “Since 1955, Hansen/Balk in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA has built a reputation as a state-of-the-art provider of steel heat-treating services. Our 85,000-square-foot facility features a full cohort of best-in-class batch vacuum and batch atmosphere furnaces, capable of processing orders of all sizes. We offer a variety of services, but are best known for the breadth and depth of our vacuum heat-treating capabilities-including high-pressure quenching up to 15 Bar-as well as unique services such as cryogenic treating, flame hardening and induction heat-treating services. We adhere to the most technologically advanced heat-treating methods with modern equipment to ensure your parts meet the required specifications-from hardness tolerance to surface finishes. We also bring customers a deep well of metallurgical knowledge, formed over six decades of work on millions of parts.”

#16 ) “Pressure Technologies Inc.”

“Pressure Technology Inc. (PTI)“ is rather rare on our list as the firm concentrates almost exclusively on one form of heat-treating technology, Hot Isostatic Pressing (Hipping). “PTI primarily services the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Our three hot isostatic pressing facilities are located in Warminster, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia, Concord, Ohio, east of Cleveland and Alachua, north of Gainesville, Florida”. “Pressure Technology is a leading provider of high-quality hot isostatic pressing (HIP) to the aerospace, medical, ceramics, electronics, precision casting, powder metallurgy, additive manufacturing and a variety of other industries.” The firm is owned by the “Bowles” family and overall, the company has in excess of 13 vessels throughout the facilities.

#17) “Industrial Steel Treating”, Jackson, Michigan

“Industrial Steel Treating Company” (IST) began operations in Jackson, Michigan in 1943, initially servicing the growing tool and die industry in mid-Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. This is one of the largest single location heat treaters in the US operating out of an enormous 350,000 square foot facility and is owned and run by the “Levy” Family. “Two separate, across-the-street facilities house production, prototype samples and warehouse-inventory management capabilities. IST offers gas nitriding, carbonitriding, induction hardening and several other processes. The firm is now fourth generation which few commercial heat treaters can boast of”. The company continues to invest and recently installed a new Can Eng mesh belt furnace line.

#18) “Vac Aero International”, Oakville, Canada

“Vac Aero International” is not only the largest commercial heat treater in Canada but also a very substantial manufacturer of new vacuum furnaces. Their heat treating/coating facilities include two plants in Quebec, their main operation in Oakville, and a new Greenville, SC, USA “Shop-in-Shop”. Both their heat treating/coating operations and their furnace manufacturing facility are very heavily aerospace focused which includes being NADCAP accredited.

#19) “Rex Heat Treat”

“Rex Heat Treat” is a family owned-and-operated business that entered business in 1938 in Pennsylvania making it one of the oldest commercial heat treats in North America. The company has two locations in PA offering a total of 30 heat treating processes which covers industries as diverse as Mining and Drilling, Energy, Aerospace and Defense, and Transportation. The company claims to have the world’s largest vertical vacuum oil quenching furnace.

#20) “Continental Heat Treating” Santa Fe, CA

Nadcap approved “Continental Heat Treating” is an aerospace approved heat-treating company located in Santa Fe Springs, California. Established in 1957 in Downey, CA the company moved to their current location in Santa Fe Springs in 1969 where it has grown and prospered under the leadership of Mr. Jim Stull. Because the firm is so focused on the aerospace market, it generates very impressive revenues from a single location.

#21) “Grupo ETSA” (Especialidades Térmicas, S.A.), Mexico

“Grupo ETSA” has 7 plants in Mexico, Guadalajara, Celaya, Aguascalientes, San Juan del Río, and Mexico City. The company is privately owned, Mario Fabian Mendez, President. Typically their operations have heavily focused on automotive and oil components (~85%), with the remaining 15% dedicated to vacuum tooling. However during a recent meeting with Mario he said that the firm is investing in more aerospace work.

#22) “Metex Heat Treating” / “Exactatherm”, Brampton, Ontario, Canada

“Metex Heat Treating” is the largest commercial heat treater in Canada and the first of three Canadian firms on our list. While there are few heat treat processes the company doesn’t offer they are best known for their mesh belt heat treating of fasteners. Metex operates several continuous furnaces including 3 of the largest in Canada-each with a capacity of 6,000 pounds per hour meaning they can process over 300,000 pounds per day. In 2024 the firm acquired commercial heat treater “Exactatherm Limited” allowing the company to expand into aerospace heat treating.

“Metex Heat Treating Ltd. In 1983, Metex Heat Treating Ltd. was founded by Mr. Surjit Bawa to serve the heat-treating needs of the manufacturing industry in the Greater Toronto, Canada Area. Since that time Metex has grown into the largest commercial heat treater in Canada and the company services customers as far as Montreal, Cleveland and Michigan. We specialize in Continuous and Batch Neutral Hardening, Carburizing, and Carbonitriding. We also have 10 state of the art induction hardening systems.

#23) “ALD Thermal Treatment Inc.”

“ALD Thermal Treatment Inc.”is part of “ALD” in Germany and it’s commercial heat treating operations include two facilities in North America; ALD Thermal Treatment, Inc., in Port Huron, MI, and its sister plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, a state-of-the-art facility in Saxony, Germany, and a location in Suzhou China. All of the plants focus on Low Pressure Carburizing (LPC) and High-Pressure Gas Quenching (HPGQ). For the purposes of this report, we only considered the US and Mexico plants. Originally, they were 100% automotive related however over the years they have diversified to some extent. Both North American facilities are extremely impressive to visit.

#24) “Nitrex Heat Treating Services”

“Nitrex HTS” is a leading global provider of fully integrated heat-treating solutions and technologies. Founded in 1984 in Montreal, Canada, the company operates Heat Treating Services (HTS), a worldwide network of commercial heat-treating service centers. Nitrex HTS serves customers globally from 8 locations across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy, and China. For our purposes we are looking at the North American plants only which include; Franklin, Indiana, Aurora, Illinois, Mason, Michigan and Querétaro, Mexico. While Nitrex is best known for their nitriding services their heat treat facilities offer most processes including LPC.

#25) “East Carolina Metal Treating & Virginia Metal Treating”, Raleigh, NC

“East Carolina Metal Treating & Virginia Metal Treating” headquartered in Raleigh, NC is a family owned company (Jamie Ramm, President) founded in 1976 which over the years has grown into two locations; a 45,000 square foot facility just outside of Raleigh, NC and a second location (Virginia Metal Treating) in a 20,000 square foot building in Lynchburg, VA. ECMT offers a full range of heat-treating services including Vacuum, Batch IQ, Nitriding/FNC, Induction, Cryogenics, Salt bath hardening with austempering and marquenching, Stress Relieving, Age Hardening, as well as Black Oxide. The company has just announced (May 2026) a 20,000 square foot addition to their Lynchburg, VA location which will house an additional batch IQ line and aluminum quenching line.

#26) “Flame Metals Processing Corp.”, Rogers, MN

Privately owned “Flame Metals Processing Corp.” (Dennis Stevermer) was founded in 1985 and operates out of a 102,000 square foot facility with over 100 employees working 7 days a week in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. Focus is on the General Industrial Markets-Off Highway, Construction, Marine, Outdoor Recreational, Agricultural, Mining and Wind Energy. With eleven integral quench furnaces (9000 lb. max capacity) and two pit furnaces (25,000 lb. capacity), the company is best known for its ability to process large critical components. Additional capabilities include continuous processing, vacuum, salt bath nitriding, neutral salt, induction, aluminum and car bottom.”

#27) “Century Sun Metal Treating”, Traverse City, Michigan

For over 40 years “Century Sun Metal Treating” in the northern Michigan city of Traverse City has been offering “high end” heat treating services including Ion nitriding and vacuum hardening. In 2021 the company was acquired by Hillcrest Investment Partners, LLC, a private investment group. This is a very impressive heat treat by any standards.

#28) “Accurate Steel Treating”, Southgate, CA

“Accurate Steel Treating” in Southgate, CA bills themselves as “The Fastest Growing Aerospace Heat Treating Company in the West”-whether this is true or not we can’t say but this privately owned firm (Mr. Chris Hall, President) is a well run, well organized operation. “Accurate Steel Treating was founded in 1962 on a strong commitment to quality and customer service. In 1989, Accurate Steel Treating was acquired by a new management team and embarked on a carefully planned expansion program. During the next 25 years, new processes and equipment were added to keep pace with growing demand including high-pressure gas quench vacuum heat-treating, precision carburizing, and ion nitriding. In 2012, management decided, along with encouragement from several key customers, to enter the Aerospace market to be better diversified and capitalize on the many opportunities developing in this sector.

Today, Accurate Steel Treating continues to be the fastest growing commercial aerospace heat treat service provider in the western US. We are AQS AC7004 certified and accredited by Nadcap for a wide range of thermal processes and support services, including vacuum & atmosphere hardening, gas carburizing, ion & gas nitriding, stress relieving, annealing, aging, pre & post cleaning, oil, salt, water & polymer quench mediums, titanium processing, straightening and metallurgical evaluations. The transformation to a full service Aerospace Heat Treat provider accelerated in 2014 when we achieved our first Nadcap accreditation, we have since accomplished many milestones that we are proud of.

#29) “Pinson Valley Heat Treating”, Alabama

“Pinson Valley Heat Treating” was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Birmingham, AL. The company has a very unique mix of capabilities including vacuum heat treating, atmosphere and some very interesting and unique tip up style furnaces. Originally a family owned business the company was acquired by Weinberg Capital Group, December 5, 2025. “Acquisition”

#30) “Tube Bending Technology”

In 2024 “Tube Bending Technology” made our list of the largest North American commercial heat treaters by making two acquisitions, “Thermal Vac” in Orange, CA and “Scarrott Metallurgical” in Los Angeles, CA. These acquisitions gave the company annual sales of between $15 and $20 Million USD propelling them to our annual rankings. The California based company is a manufacturer and fabricator of tubing and ducting assemblies who has always sent a great deal of heat treating out to local providers of brazing and heat treating services. The firm made the decision that it wanted all parts of the manufacturing process to be under their direct control-leading to the acquisitions.

#31) “Modern Heat Treat”, Richland Hills, Texas

“Modern Heat Treat” was founded in July of 2009 by Brad Luce and Rudy Saucedo (unfortunately Brad passed away in 2019 at a very young age, Rudy is now President and owner). What started as a relatively small operation featuring several batch IQ furnaces has grown into a very substantial company which includes numerous batch IQ furnaces, vacuum furnaces, induction equipment, flame hardening, deep freeze and straitening capabilities. The firm operates out of a 25,000 square foot building with over 60 employees and 50+ pieces of equipment.

#32) “Thermetco”, Quebec, Canada

Founded in 1982 “Thermetco” is a privately held company, the largest commercial heat treater in Quebec, Canada and the third largest overall in Canada. In terms of processes offered there are few that the company doesn’t offer in that they have several vacuum hardening furnaces, 4 batch IQ units offering carburizing and neutral hardening, salt processing, stress relieving, and annealing to name a few all operating 24/7. The company is Nadcap certified and in the summer of 2025, became an approved supplier to aerospace company “Safran Landing Gear Systems”. The 150 employees spread out over the 3 plants service a wide variety of industries including automotive (15% of total sales), aerospace and “general industry which includes a wider variety of gears. This diversity is probably why the company is reporting that business continues to be very good for them.

#33) “Specialty Heat Treating”, Houston, Texas

“Specialty Heat Treat, Inc.” is a family owned commercial heat treater founded in 1993 by Tom Moore in Houston, TX. SHT operates a 100,000 square foot facility on 9 acres and has grown to 42 furnaces up to 25′ in length. The company employees over 60 people and can process more than 50 million pounds of material annually, operating 24/7. Like many heat treaters in Texas, the company’s fortunes are closely tied to the oil and gas industries. In 2024 Gord and Dale Montgomery of “The Monty Heat Treat News” had the opportunity to tour this facility at the invitation of Sam Moore, President-the story can be found here; https://themonty.com/heat-treating-in-texas-is-different-specialty-heat-treat/

#34) “Tohken Thermo Mexicana de SA de CV”, Aguascalientes, Mexico

“Tohken Thermo Mexico” in Aguascalientes, Mexico is part of “Tohken Thermo”, the largest heat treating group in Japan. Tohken’s customer base is composed of 55% Japanese customers and 45% non-Japanese clients. They process components for transmissions, steering, brakes, motors, seat recliners, safety-belts, etc. Equipment includes roller hearth furnaces, mesh belt furnaces, batch furnaces, and press tempering equipment.

This is how “Tohken Thermo Mexico” describes this location and their processes; “The Heat Treatment service we offer is the best in the world, the type of services we offer are nitriding furnaces as well as the carbonitriding, quenching and tempering type. We also have the necessary technology to provide any type of thermal treatment they require, as well as the necessary experience to respond at all times to the needs of our most demanding customers”. This location has over 250 employees with annual sales of approximately $17 million USD.

#35) “Byron Products”, Fairfield, Ohio

Founded in 1982 by Mark Byron in a 1 car garage, “Byron Products”has grown into a very significant player in the US Midwest commercial heat-treating region. The NADCAP approved company offers brazing, heat treating, welding and coatings, all with a strong emphasis on the aerospace industry. Byron excels in the heat treating of stainless steel and high temperature aerospace alloys. For an in-depth look at the company, we would suggest this exclusive story from “The Monty”, “The Monty” Visits Commercial Heat Treater “Byron Products”

#36) “Kittyhawk”

“Kittyhawk” of Garden Grove, CA is the seond entry on our list to focus almost entirely on “Hiping” (Hot Isostatic Pressing). THe company is owned by “Trive Capital”, a Dallas based private equity firm; “Founded in 1981, Kittyhawk is a leading provider of Hot Isostatic Pressing (“HIP”) services on the West Coast from its locations in Garden Grove, CA and Canby, OR. The Company is trusted by many of the largest aerospace, defense, and space OEMs to increase the performance and safety of their most iconic platforms. HIP is an integral service that improves the strength and metallurgical properties of casted and additively manufactured parts. Kittyhawk specializes in servicing parts for high-temperature, high-pressure, and high cost of failure applications such as rocket and jet engine componentry.” As of publishing the company had just announced they were investing in another vessel for their CA plant.

#37) “Texas Heat Treating”

Everything is bigger in Texas and that includes heat treating. “Texas Heat Treating” is one of several commercial heat treaters in the state to make our list and over the years it has grown to serve a number of different industries. CEO C.H. “Buddy” Crossley started Texas Heat Treating in 1977 as a small company in a 6,000 square foot shop. Today, the company has expanded to two large facilities, the first in Round Rock, Texas, and the second in Fort Worth, Texas. “Buster Crossley” is the long standing President and the company features batch heat treating equipment including IQ’s, pit furnaces, vacuum furnaces and nitriding systems.

#38) “Thermal Process Holdings”

“THERMAL PROCESS HOLDINGS” in the US Midwest now consists of 4 locations having sold or closed at least two facilities over the past couple of years. The locations offer fairly standard heat treating processes including vacuum hardening, carburizing, neutral hardening and tempering. Ownership is a venture capital firm by the name of “Calvert Street Capital Partners”.

#39) “Phoenix Heat Treating”, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

“Phoenix Heat Treating” in Phoenix, Arizona has been family owned and operated since 1963. “With 75 employees operating 24/7, Phoenix Heat Treating primarily services the Aerospace and Defense markets, but Energy and Semiconductor are close behind. Not to mention general manufacturing, tool & die, and firearms. Phoenix Heat Treating is proud of its paperless quality system and merit Nadcap status. On a practical note, Phoenix Heat Treating has over 14,000 unique part number processes saved and operates 60+ thermal units. Of course, Phoenix Heat Treating performs conventional heat treating process in IQs and Vacuums, but it is the more unique processes that make Phoenix Heat Treating stand out. Processes such as, boiling water aluminum solution treating, high temperature thermal oxidations, aluminum up-hill quenching, aluminum thermal cycling, mar-quench, austempering, and titanium solutions. Phoenix Heat Treating is the diamond in the desert focused on becoming the most customer centric heat treater in the county.”

#40) “Worldwide Heat Treat”, Houston, Texas

“Worldwide Heat Treat” in Houston, Texas was founded in July of 2018 by Mr. Robert Gutierrez as a 6,000 square foot facility offering small batch atmosphere heat treating. After a tremendous growth spurt, only doable by a consistent volume of work from our loyal oil and gas customers, the company moved into their current location of 40,000 square feet under roof and added employees to bring our employee count to 32 presently. We now offer some of the largest vertical atmosphere / carburizing capabilities in the USA. We can accommodate up to 90.00″ diameter x 140.00″ long parts in our largest pit furnaces.

We can process up to 38′ long in our car bottom furnaces for various types of heat treat processing. Due to our growth, we have opened a second location, “Worldwide Bor-X” here in Houston this past year. We are currently offering gas nitriding and boronizing up to 72.00″ diameter x 95.00″ long at this current moment in our line of pit furnaces. We will be installing another 2 pit furnaces in the 3rd quarter of 2026 to add to our fleet. This location started off with just 1 employee last year and we are up to 10 employees at this time and we anticipate adding an additional 5 throughout this year. We anticipate opening up several more plants around the USA that offer these types of services.

#41) “Southwest Metal Treating Corp.”, Fort Worth, Texas

“Southwest Metal Treating Corp., (SWMT)” is a family owned commercial heat treater in business for over 40 years run by Mr. Ryan Fussell. The company is full service in that it offers most heat treating processes including but not limited to; vacuum heat treating, carburizing, nitro carburizing, flame hardening, normalizing, stress relieving and Plasma Nitriding. Over the past number of years Ryan has done a tremendous job of expanding the company outside of their typical markets and now the firm can brag about being Nadcap accredited which gives them access to the booming aerospace industry.

#42) “Peters Heat Treating”

Located in Meadville, PA, USA family owned “Peters Heat Treating” has thrived over the years, so much so that the company now has 2 locations and roughly 85 employees. “Peters” can be considered a “one stop shop” in that there are few if any processes that the company doesn’t offer. Founded by “Doug Peters”, the current President is “Mr. Andrew Wilkosz”.

#43) “Ohio Metallurgical Service, Inc.”, Elyria, Ohio

“Ohio Metallurgical” in Elyria, Ohio has become a constant on our list of the largest North American Commercial Heat Treaters. Founded way back in 1947 the company has always been privately owned by the Gaydosh family with John Gaydosh the current longstanding President. The firm is “Nadcap” accredited and offers a variety of processes including carburizing, vacuum hardening and induction hardening.

#44) “Applied Thermal Technologies”, Warsaw, Indiana

“Applied Thermal Technologies” in Warsaw, Indiana, USA is almost entirely a “vacuum” shop. This is a company which has come a long way since its founding in 1992 by Micky Bradican (current owner) and two former partners. The company now has a total of 3 buildings in one location and services a number of industries although medical and aerospace feature very prominently.

#45) “Lone Star Heat Treating”, Houston, Texas

Founded in 1945 “Lone Star Heat Treating” is one of the oldest commercial heat treats in the USA. Like the majority of the companies on this list, it is a family-owned business, current President, Mr. Mike Van Dorfy Jr. Lone Star offers induction hardening, atmosphere carburizing, deep hole drilling and vertical heat treating. Lone Star can process parts up to 100,000 pounds and up to 58″ in length up to a maximum temperature of 2200F.

#46) “Lark Heat Treating”, Houston, Texas

“Lark Heat Treating” was founded in 1978 by brother’s Frank and Gene Clark with the guidance and inspiration of their father, Wade Clark, whose heat treating career started in 1936. Now owned and operated by Frank and Gene, Lark Heat Treating is one of the top commercial heat treaters in the southern United States. Lark operates out of a 55,000 square foot facility and can be classified as a “full service provider” in that they offer most commercially available processes, carburizing, nitriding, vacuum hardening, induction and a few others.

During a tour of the plant in 2024 what “The Monty” found was a commercial heat treater who has been growing and investing substantially in just the past few years. For all the details as well as future plans please follow this link; https://themonty.com/the-monty-visits-top-50-heat-treater-in-texas/?no_cache=1707835733 In this photo you see Matt Clark of Lark Heat Treating and Gord Montgomery.

#47) “Winston Heat Treating Inc.”, Dayton, Ohio

In 1959 “Winston Heat Treating Inc.”, was formed to service the local tool & die market. Since then the company has always focused on moving forward with new technologies and in the 1970’s the firm became a real pioneer in vacuum hear treating which resulted in Winston becoming one of the first to achieve both ISO and NADCAP status. Like so many on this list this is a family owned business with David Reger acting as President. We have watched Winston grow and invest and it is a fine example of a modern commercial heat treater.

#48) “Vacu Braze”, Quakertown, PA

“Vacu Braze” of Quakertown, PA is a company which has seen tremendous growth over the past years, mainly due to a very forward-looking management team. The company offers “high end” heat treating for industries such as medical, aerospace and defense and operates out of a modern 60,000 square foot facility. The firm was founded by Mr. Ralph Puerta and interestingly enough his son Doug is President of another company on our list, Stack Metallurgical in Portland, Oregon. For a detailed look at the company we would suggest this exclusive article; “The Monty” Visits USA Heat Treater Making Major Investments”

#49) “Q-Tech, Heat Treat LLC.”, DFW, Texas

“Q–Tech Heat Treat LLC.” Located in Dallas, Texas was founded in 1972 by R.D. Fussell and sons in a 1,000 sq foot building with 2 furnaces. The company now has over 100,000 square feet of operating space, over 40 furnaces and specializes in high production Quench & Tempering, Normalizing, Annealing and Stress Relieving. Like many commercial heat treaters in Texas this is a family owned business, and claims to be the largest family owned heat treat in the Dallas/Fort Worth Texas area.

#50) “Induction Heat Treating Corp.”, Crystal Lake, IL

“Induction Heat Treating Corporation” founded in 1946 recently celebrated its 80th anniversary as a family-owned and operated company. Headquartered in Crystal Lake, Illinois, the company operates 24 hours a day under the leadership of its fourth-generation owner. Expansions into Seymour, Indiana and Waukesha, Wisconsin have further strengthened IHT as the largest induction heat treater in North America.

Dedicated exclusively to induction, IHT’s combined 89,900 square feet of facilities house 45 induction machines ranging from 1 kHz to 450 kHz, with power capabilities from 15 Kw to 400 Kw. The company also plans to add two new state-of-the-art machines this year, capable of vertically scanning parts up to 12 feet, 6 inches in length, further enhancing its ability to serve a wide range of customer needs.
In addition to its heat-treating operations, IHT owns and operates its own tooling company, manufacturing induction coils not only for internal use, but also for captive and commercial induction companies worldwide.

#51) “Sun Steel Treating”, South Lyon, Michigan

“Sun Steel Treating” in Michigan is best known as one of the largest commercial plasma nitriding firms in North America; “Since 1958, Sun Steel Treating has specialized in providing our customers exceptional quality, expertise, and timeliness. Whether it’s hardening alloys, carbon steels, tool steels or high-speed specialty steels, our engineers know the precise metallurgical processes to apply. In 1981, Sun Steel Treating pioneered the use of plasma Nitriding as a viable surface hardening treatment.” Sun Steel is privately owned by Mr. Jim McGuirk and operates out of large facility close to Detroit, Michigan. The company concentrates on two areas, vacuum heat treating and Plasma Nitriding.

#52) “Akron Steel Treating”, Akron, Ohio

“Akron Steel Treating”was founded in 1943 by an Italian immigrant, Prosper P. Powell, in his home’s detached garage. Operating in the secrecy of soaped windows and late-night deliveries, with overflow work conducted in the family’s kitchen oven, Powell assisted the US Army in remedying issues with the heat treating of carbine firing pins for the war effort. Once WWII came to a close Prosper asked the US government when they wanted the furnaces back, the answer was “they are yours now” and thus one of the oldest commercial heat treaters in the USA was born. 82 years later, AST is in its third generation of family ownership and operation. AST has been NADCAP accredited for 20 years and provides world class quality batch heat treating services out of air, controlled atmosphere, molten salt and vacuum.” Mr. Matt Moldvay, President.

(We are proud to say that you can find a banner ad“Graphite Materials” one of the leading suppliers of CFC fixturing in the world on this page). 

“Technical Article From Graphite Materials” Graphite Materials – Graphite Products and Graphite Electrodes (graphite-materials.com)

“CFC fixtures for high-temperature processes offer you numerous advantages for your applications. They are not only durable and ideally suited for automated charging, but also extremely light: with the same load-bearing capacity, CFC fixtures only take up about one fifth of the weight of steel fixtures. This allows you to significantly increase the number of components for each oven run.

Thanks to the higher packing density as well as the energy saving properties, you can also reduce your costs.

In addition, our support structure allows stacking of charging beams. With the increased process efficiency, you can raise your applications to carbon level – we would be happy to advise you.

As tough as it comes: CFC

CFC fixtures show high resistance to distortion even at extreme temperatures. This means they remain dimensionally stable even after thousands of oven runs. Even at high temperatures, they retain their functionality, whereas steel fixtures experience stronger distortions.

Our CFC fixtures are suitable for parts for which lower shape and position tolerances have to be maintained after heat treatment. In addition, they are particularly applicable for distortion-critical parts, for automated charging as well as for small and light parts – e.g. bulk material.

CFC – Advantages for your application:

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DuComGrid® at a glance:

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(Background; To add to this story we will mention that previous to this position, Wayne spent a number of years with “Milwaukee Tool”, who maintains large in-house heat-treating operations.)

“United Process Controls is pleased to welcome Wayne Jaworski as our new General Manager of Operations! Wayne brings more than 15 years of leadership experience across global operations, engineering, manufacturing, and digital transformation.

His career includes building new manufacturing capabilities, leading Industry 4.0 initiatives, developing global centers of excellence, and guiding large engineering and operations teams.”

Over the course of the past few months “The Monty Heat Treat News” has had several stories about the attempted takeover of the globe’s largest heat treater “Bodycote”-these stories can be found at;

According to the press release below from “Reuters” the takeover bid has now been narrowed down to one prospective buyer.

“Sept 28 (Reuters) – Private equity firm CVC Advisers said on Monday it does not plan to make an offer for Bodycote (BOY.L), opens new tab, abandoning its pursuit of the British thermal processing services group.

The decision clears the way for US-based private equity firm Veritas Capital, which won Bodycote’s backing earlier this month for its £1.85 billion ($2.45 billion) takeover offer, including debt.

Background; “The Monty Heat Treat News” has been ranking the largest commercial heat treaters in North America for the past 30 years-this list can be found at; “52 Largest North American Commerical Heat Treaters”. This press release comes from “Bluewater Thermal Solutions” who has always featured prominently on this list.

“Bluewater Thermal Solutions Announces Ryan Cantwell as Regional Sales Manager; Bluewater Thermal Solutions is pleased to announce the addition of Ryan Cantwell as Regional Sales Manager. Since joining the company earlier this summer, Ryan has already made a meaningful impact by engaging with customers, supporting key growth initiatives, and strengthening relationships across the markets Bluewater serves.

Ryan brings extensive experience in sales, customer relationship management, and business development within the heat treating industry. In his role, he is responsible for supporting customer growth, identifying new business opportunities, and expanding partnerships throughout Bluewater’s diverse customer base.

“Ryan has made an impressive start since joining Bluewater,” said Jamie Kuriger, Chief Revenue Officer of Bluewater Thermal Solutions. “His heat treatment industry experience and customer-first mindset have enabled him to quickly build relationships with both existing and prospective customers. In a short period of time, he has demonstrated a strong understanding of our business, our capabilities, and the challenges our customers face. We’re excited about the energy, expertise, and commercial leadership he brings to our team.”

“We are excited to have Ryan as part of the Bluewater team and look forward to his continued contributions as we expand our capabilities and provide industry-leading heat treating and brazing solutions to customers across North America.”

About Bluewater Thermal Solutions; Bluewater Thermal Solutions is a leading provider of heat treating, brazing, and metallurgical solutions serving customers across aerospace, defense, energy, automotive, industrial, and other critical manufacturing markets. With a network of facilities strategically located throughout North America, Bluewater delivers innovative thermal processing solutions that help customers improve performance, quality, and reliability.”

“A British partner has commissioned a large-scale SECO/WARWICK Vector vacuum furnace to enhance its heat treatment capabilities for oversized titanium castings in the aerospace and energy sectors.

The Vector vacuum furnace with gas cooling up to 6 bar and a high vacuum system will enable this Partner to expand its heat treatment capabilities for large castings and meet the growing quality requirements of the market. The contract confirms the sector’s trust in SECO/WARWICK technology.

For years, the British company has been developing competencies in advanced material technologies and the production of castings for the aerospace, energy and heavy industry sectors. The new system will increase annealing capabilities for large metal components and relieve the existing heat treatment installations at the plant. The furnace will be used for processing large titanium castings, among other things that require very high process cleanliness and highly uniform temperature distribution.

“The UK market is among the most demanding in Europe—both technologically and in terms of quality. All the more, we’re pleased that this Partner has once again chosen a SECO/WARWICK solution. This contract confirms their trust in our technologies and reflects years of cooperation with a Partner that knows our equipment well, and is satisfied with it. Customer decisions like this are an important sign of recognition for us – and a strong motivation to keep advancing vacuum technologies,” said Maciej Korecki, Vice President of the Vacuum Segment at SECO/WARWICK.

Titanium alloy castings with Vector furnaces

The system on order features a very large work zone of 1600 × 1500 × 2000 mm (63″ × 59″ × 79″), enabling the processing of oversized parts and new types of castings being developed by the customer. The round heating chamber maximizes space and allows the company to load large components while maintaining excellent temperature uniformity.

The furnace is equipped with an advanced high-vacuum system based on two mechanical pumps, a Roots blower, and a diffusion pump. This configuration enables exceptionally clean processing—particularly important when heat treating titanium alloys and other demanding materials.

“This system was designed for heat treating large, demanding cast components. A key advantage of the furnace is its spacious work zone and very good temperature distribution in the heating chamber – achieved in part thanks to additional heating elements installed in the door and the rear wall of the chamber. Combined with an efficient high-vacuum system and gas cooling up to 6 bar, it’s possible to run extremely clean, repeatable annealing processes even for large components,” said Grzegorz Głuchowski, Sales Manager at SECO/WARWICK.

The furnace design also includes a dew point control system to prevent water vapor condensation, as well as a partial pressure system that limits evaporation of alloying elements during vacuum processes. These solutions improve process stability and protect hot zone components from contamination.

The new system will be the second vacuum furnace delivered by the SECO/WARWICK Group to this Partner. Expanding the technology base will enable the company to increase production capabilities and respond even more effectively to the market’s growing demand for advanced metal castings.

This investment confirms the growing role of vacuum technologies in the materials industry and their importance in manufacturing components for sectors with the highest quality requirements. For the market, it is also a clear signal that leaders in the foundry industry are investing in modern heat treatment solutions that enable the delivery of increasingly advanced materials.

The growing role of titanium heat treatment in modern industry

Titanium is characterized by an exceptionally favorable strength-to-weight ratio, very good corrosion resistance, and stable properties at elevated temperatures. These qualities make this material widely used in sectors such as aerospace, energy, space, medical, and chemical processing. To fully leverage the potential of titanium alloys, heat treatment must be tightly controlled to manage the material’s microstructure and achieve the required strength, ductility, and fatigue resistance.

Processes such as annealing, stress relieving, and solution treatment and aging help stabilize the structure of titanium alloys and remove stresses generated during casting, forging, or welding. For many industrial applications, extremely high process cleanliness is also essential, because at high temperatures, titanium readily reacts with oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen. For this reason, heat treatment of titanium parts is very often performed in vacuum furnaces or in controlled protective atmospheres that prevent surface oxidation and material degradation. This ensures high process repeatability and maintains the highest surface quality of the components being treated.

The importance of titanium heat treatment continues to grow alongside advances in modern industrial technologies. Today’s aircraft and jet engines incorporate an increasing share of titanium alloys, as they reduce structural weight while maintaining very high strength. At the same time, new titanium alloys and additive manufacturing technologies are emerging – requiring even more advanced, precise heat treatment. As a result, demand is rising for modern vacuum furnaces capable of running processes at high vacuum, ensuring uniform temperature distribution and stable cooling parameters.”

At one time Alcon Industries of Cleveland, Ohio, USA was arguably the largest supplier of cast alloy fixturing in North America-while it lost this distinction some time ago it has remained a major supplier to the industry. With the firm’s recent layoffs, several heat treaters have reached out to ask if there is the possibility of a shortage of cast alloy capacity in North America. The answer is an unequivocall no. There are several large high temperature cast alloy suppliers based in North America, Europe and Asia currently supplying the North American market with enough capacityy to easily supply the market.

SEPTEMBER 24, 2026 POSTING “Major USA Foundry Laying off Employees”, UPDATE! Monday September 21, 2002 as part of our “Heat Treatment “Monday Morning Briefing” we included this exclusive heat treat news item;

“A USA foundry and substantial supplier of cast furnace fixturing and components laid off most of their employees two weeks ago. Some employees remain but our understanding is that production has largely ceased. We will have updates on this story as they become available.”

“The Monty” is now in a position to provide an update. The foundry in question is “Alcon Industries” in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, a foundry which has long been one of the most well-known and respected in the North American heat treat industry. Details remain “sketchy” but our understanding is that the company has had a number of layoffs and a reader received the response below from Alcon just last week in response to an e-mailed RFQ.

“We are currently undergoing a layoff period, and a conclusion date has not yet been set. As a result, quoting is temporarily paused, and I have no new status updates. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time, and I will share further updates as they become available.

(Background; Find out more about “AKG Group” mentioned in this press release. This is how CAB is defined; Controlled Atmosphere Brazing (CAB) is a widely used industrial manufacturing process that joins metal components using a molten filler material inside an oxygen-free, chemically controlled environment. It is the premier global standard for manufacturing aluminum heat exchangers—such as automotive radiators, evaporators, condensers, and data center liquid cooling plates. Learn about furnace supplier “SELLACAN”).

“SELLACAN has received another order from its long-standing partner AKG for the delivery of two CAB (Controlled Atmosphere Brazing) furnace plants equipped with an integrated vacuum/purge system. The new equipment will be installed at AKG’s production sites in Brazil and China.

This order further expands the use of SELLACAN furnace technology within AKG’s international production network. CAB furnace lines supplied by SELLACAN are already in operation at AKG sites in India, Mexico, and Germany. AKG’s products are used in a wide range of demanding applications, including trains, buses and passenger cars, agricultural and construction machinery, high-performance generators, power electronics, wind turbines, and aviation cooling systems. The furnace technology from SELLACAN supports the manufacture of these high-performance cooling solutions and ensures controlled and reproducible conditions during the brazing process.

The CAB tower furnace plants – comprising a degreasing/drying/preheating oven, a preparation/cooling chamber, a CAB brazing chamber, final air cooling, and a telescopic/sliding loading table – are designed to offer maximum flexibility when brazing various types of aluminum heat exchangers. The components can vary in size, weight, and design, and the furnace technology can also handle XXL dimensions..

An operational advantage is that the brazing lines support both vertical and horizontal brazing within the same furnace. This dual capability allows operators to process a wide variety of heat exchanger types and configurations on a single plant, including charge air coolers (CAC), oil coolers, and plate-and-bar (P&B) heat exchangers. Different core types can also be easily interchanged, providing flexibility for a broad spectrum of applications.

The furnace technology is suitable for test series and the development of heat exchangers as well as for large-scale series production. This combination allows manufacturers to use the same furnace technology for development activities and series production, adapting to different production requirements.

Low energy consumption, short heat-up times, and simple standby operation additionally contribute to efficient furnace operations. The automatic brazing rack circulation supports the handling of different heat exchanger batches within the production process. A key feature of the CAB furnace series for AKG is the integrated vacuum/purge system. It is designed to replace the remaining air inside the heat exchanger with a nitrogen atmosphere prior to the brazing process, thereby significantly reducing the oxygen content inside the component.

This additional process step is particularly beneficial for heat exchangers with complex or difficult-to-access internal channel geometries. By reducing the oxygen content in the component before it enters the brazing furnace, the system creates an optimized, controlled, and reproducible atmosphere for the subsequent brazing process, ensuring reliable brazing quality in demanding heat exchanger applications.

Key Benefits

The combination of flexible CAB furnace technology and the vacuum/purge system offer:

· The system allows flexible processing of different heat exchanger types, sizes, and weights.

· The furnace technology is fully suitable for XXL heat exchanger dimensions.

· Both vertical and horizontal brazing can be performed in the same furnace.

· Operators can easily switch between different heat exchanger core types.

· The technology is suitable for both development tasks and large-scale series production.

· Low energy consumption and short heat-up times ensure high efficiency.

· Temperature management features precise control with up to ten heating zones.

· Controlled and repeatable brazing conditions ensure reproducible atmospheres.

· The vacuum/purge system effectively removes ambient air and reduces the oxygen content inside the heat exchanger.

· Reduction of flux consumption

· Enhanced process reliability and repeatability significantly improve overall process safety.

With the two additional furnace lines for Brazil and China, SELLACAN continues to support AKG’s international production capacities for aluminum heat exchangers, complementing the systems already in use in Mexico, India, and Germany.”