From furnace builder Aichelin Group based in Mödling, Austria we have this summary about how the company did in 2023-it would appear that they did quite well.
 
“The globally positioned AICHELIN Group based in Mödling increased its turnover to EUR 214 million in 2023, an increase of 16 % after EUR 184 million in 2022. The Group grew both in its core segments of plant engineering – it produces industrial furnaces, industrial heating systems, control and automation systems as well as Industry 4.0 solutions – and in the service division, which now accounts for almost 40 % of the total sales.
 
The positive development reflects the geographic diversification of the Group. AICHELIN has subsidiaries in eight countries on three continents and a distribution network in 22 countries. The Group generates 45 % of its sales in the EU, 35 % in Asia and 20 % in North America.
 
“Our global footprint contributes significantly to our success. Our strong positioning was a key factor in our double-digit percentage growth in both revenue and earnings last year. We rely on decentralized local production facilities with a strong regional presence to respond efficiently to customer needs. This also makes us more resilient to unstable supply chains,” says AICHELIN Group CEO Christian Grosspointner.
 
Focus in Europe: New Assembly Center as an opportunity in a difficult market environment; To increase its competitiveness, the AICHELIN Group is joining forces in Europe and has established a new, joint production site in Europe. The modern 4,125 m2 Assembly Center Europe was built in Celje, Slovenia, next to the existing site and has been operating since the first quarter of 2024. All European production activities are now carried out here.
 
“The market situation in Europe is difficult, especially in the area of new equipment. Customers are postponing investments, partly because of the difficult conditions for the industry, such as high inflation, increased energy costs and the lack of qualified personnel,” explains Grosspointner. “However, we have a clear commitment to the location and want to remain a strong industrial partner in Europe. With our new Assembly Center Europe, we are pooling our strengths to respond even more efficiently to our customers’ needs.”
 
In addition, the Group is focusing on its core competencies with the sale of its subsidiary EMA Indutec GmbH, which specializes in induction heat treatment (see press release in March 2024). The proceeds will be invested in future-oriented projects such as modern furnace solutions for the heat treatment of battery powder, for example for e-mobility, the expansion of the product portfolio and in M&A projects.”
 
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We wish our friends in the USA a very memorable Memorial Day 2024.
 
“Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2024 will occur on Monday, May 27. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, it marks the beginning of the summer season.”
 

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The link below will take you to the June 2024 issue of “The Monty Heat Treat News“-for almost 50 years the premier source of news and trends in the Global Heat Treatment industry. A few stories in this issue include these;
All these stories are combined with hundreds of surplus heat treat furnace listings. As always the entire “Monty” Team looks forward to your thoughts and comments. Sincerely, Gord, Dale and Jordan
 
Click Here To Read: The Monty Heat Treat News Magazine June Issue
 
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Auburn, Indiana, USA is home to Auburn Gear LLC a very progressive manufacturer and captive heat treater who recently invited “The Monty Heat Treat News” to inspect their manufacturing facility and in house heat treat department. “Auburn Gear, LLC is a leading designer and manufacturer of custom engineered wheel drives, axle drive components, and specialty drives and solutions for diverse mobile equipment applications. Through its expansive product portfolio of planetary gearboxes, electric drive systems, driveline systems, and differentials, Auburn Gear offers more than 120 base product models covering over 3,200 application solutions that transfer power and torque to wheels, axles, booms, augers, winches, and platforms. https://auburngear.com/ 
 
Gord Montgomery of “The Monty Heat Treat News” in conjunction with Ben Tackett and Ryan McLaughlin of “McLaughlin Furnace Group” were given the complete tour of the Auburn Gear facility this week by long time heat treater Don Bartelt, Process Metallurgist for Auburn Gear and it could not have been a more interesting and complete tour mainly because of Don’s enthusiasm for the company and it’s abilities.
 
What we viewed was a company which offers a complete “made in America” solution to high end drive systems. While the entire facility was fascinating, as usual our focus was on the “in house” heat treating department. In years past the heat treat department was fairly typical of many if not most heat treat departments-older, dark and smoky. However the decision was made earlier this year that this was no longer acceptable and early in 2022 most of the floors were replaced, solutions to smoke from the furnaces were addressed and the entire heat treat department was updated. The end result is that what you now see is quite a clear, well organized department with large batch IQ furnaces, ancillary equipment and a brand new induction system being added.
 
These photos show the Surface Batch IQ furnaces, part fixturing and in one of our favorite pictures the finished product ready for shipping. The underlying theme of the entire company is their desire to offer a top notch, entirely made in America product which has complete control over every part of the manufacturing process and this includes heat treating.
 
It was a joy to see this facility and we thank the entire “Auburn Gear” team for their incredible hospitality.
 

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Gord Montgomery, Don Bartelt, Ryan McLaughlin

Gord Montgomery, Don Bartelt, Ryan McLaughlin

Don Bartelt, Ben Tackett and Ryan McLaughlin (McLaughlin furnace group)

Last week “The Monty Heat Treat News” briefly mentioned a new mesh belt furnace installation in Germany, we are now in a position to provide the full details.
 
Nedschroef Altena GmbH, of Altena, Germany is the oldest screw manufacturer in Europe dating back to 1709 when it started producing needles, The company was a pioneer in drill screws and tapping screws and now focuses on small screws. It has always considered heat treating to be a “core competency” which means a reasonably large and certainly a modern in-house heat treat department consisting of a number of mesh belt furnace lines.
 
Literally days ago the firm started producing parts on their newest mesh belt furnace line which was provided by Sistem Makina of Turkey. The “U” shaped line includes an automated loading system, high heat furnace designed for neutral hardening, an oil quench, rotary washer and mesh belt temper all controlled by a state of the art control system with complete datalogging. The line is capable of 1,000 kg/hour (2,200 pounds) and will be producing parts to the highest standards in the automotive and aerospace industries.
 
The line was sold by “Sistem Makina’s ” German sales representatives, “Avion Europe, Heat Treating Equipment” who also did the installation and start up (next week we will have two articles about Avion, their place in the European heat treat market and how they are cementing their impressive standing in the heat treat market).
 
The association between Nedschroef Fasteners and Avion is a close one as Avion has updated and rebuilt the other mesh belt heat treat lines at this facility.
 
In these photos we see part of the Avion team including, Roland Caminades, President, George Cluse, Sales Manager and Sebastian Schmidt. Also included in these pictures are Bulent Civici, General Manager of Sistem Makina and Aylin Civici, Sales & Marketing Engineer, Gord and Jordan Montgomery of “The Monty” and part of the engineering team from Nedschroef.
 
What we saw during this visit was a very impressive mesh belt installation which would rival anything available on the market. Stay tuned for the “Avion” story next week.
 
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Each week “The Monty Heat Treat News” tracks our most popular heat treat news stories according to “Social Media”. For the week starting Monday May 13 these were the top 3 stories with each getting several thousand “reads”. 
 
Furnace Builder Aichelin to Offer Vacuum Furnaces; “The AICHELIN Group and Sistem Teknik have signed an agreement to establish a joint venture in Austria. This joint venture will produce and distribute industrial vacuum heat treatment technologies and services in Europe. The AICHELIN Group is thus adding a promising segment to its existing product portfolio.
 
“As one of the global market leaders in the production of industrial furnaces for industrial heat treatment, we want to become an even stronger partner in the supply of vacuum furnaces for industry. The joint venture combines the best of two worlds: With the products developed by Sistem Teknik and our global after-sales and service network, we create maximum customer focus – a perfect combination to better meet the increasing demand for vacuum solutions in the future,” states Christian Grosspointner, CEO of the AICHELIN Group.
 
“The motivation of our joint venture is to offer the best possible technology that fits our time, which inevitably demands environmental efficiency and sustainability. We have noticed that there is a strong market for megatrends such as carbon footprint, electromobility and lean production. With our vacuum furnaces, we aim to provide solutions that ensure low carbon emissions and maximum process quality. I am very confident that this collaboration will not only bring innovation, but also benefit our industry,” says Mehmet Özdeşlik, CEO of Sistem Teknik. https://themonty.com/furnace-builder-aichelin-to-offer-vacuum-furnaces/?no_cache=1715691989
 
 
Ipsen USA Welcomes Max Stormo to Souderton, PA; Ipsen welcomes Max Stormo as the new Ipsen Customer Service (ICS) Operations Manager as the company streamlines its aftermarket services in Souderton, PA. Stormo comes to Ipsen after an extensive career working as a manufacturing operations leader in Texas, and a recent role as Vice President of Operations at a manufacturer in the Philadelphia region.
 
In this position, Stormo will be a hands-on leader that directs and coordinates activities of Ipsen’s aftermarket business for the Souderton plant. This includes overseeing manufacturing activities, developing and implementing production plans, training and developing staff, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality aftermarket parts to Ipsen’s customers.
 
“Leading organizations through a series of step changes leads to organizational transformation. I’m a big believer in step change – which drives sustainability,” Stormo explained. “These changes lead to bigger things and set new standards.” https://themonty.com/ipsen-usa-welcomes-max-stormo-to-souderton-pa/?no_cache=1715951458
 
 
New Commercial Heat Treat in Tennessee; According to this press release a German company by the name of BorTec will be setting up a commercial heat treat facility in Johnson City, TN. Once completed the facility will offer “boronizing”; “Boriding, or Boronizing, is a thermo-chemical surface hardening process used to improve the life and performance of metal components. The process is used to strengthen resistance to corrosion and abrasive wear, decrease coefficient of friction, and, of course, greatly increase surface hardness. What is the difference between boriding and nitriding? While boriding can increase the hardness of material up to 2600 HV, nitriding can only achieve 950 HV for certain types of steel. Nitriding is most effective on nitriding steels, whereas boriding is also used on steel grades containing nickel, nickel superalloys, and cobalt superalloys.”
 
Want to know more about boronizing? In a few short weeks boronizing expert Craig Zimmerman of commercial heat treater Bluewater Thermal will be speaking about the process in a new episode of “The Heat Treat Podcast”.
 
“A new manufacturing facility in Johnson City will be the first U.S. location for a German-based company. State officials announced Thursday BorTec USA’s plans to invest $3.1 million and create 35 new jobs at its plant at 3618 Bristol Highway. The heat treatment plant will mainly produce wear- and corrosion-resistant pipes for the oil and gas industries. https://themonty.com/new-commercial-heat-treat-in-tenesse/?no_cache=1715611884
 
 
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Bodycote, the world’s largest commercial heat treater has just appointed a new General Manager to their facility in Covington, Georgia, USA. Mr. Shaun Campbell started in his new position April of this year after many years in the heat treat industry with companies such as Walker Heat Treating in Ohio. 
 
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Recently Gord Montgomery of “The Monty Heat Treat News” interviewed Mr. Radek Houdek, Cronite Group VP Sales & Marketing and Mr. Erick Garcia, President, Cronite North America, an interview which can be found at https://themonty.com/cronite-talks-alloy-for-the-heat-treatment-industry/
 
In the interview, Radek and Erick explain why Cronite has become one of the largest suppliers to the global heat treatment industry-a key part of which is their “Better By Design” strategy. As a follow up to the interview Gord and Jordan Montgomery visited the Cronite Mancelle facility located in Arnage, France just 3 weeks ago. What we found was a modern, thriving facility with a very happy workforce who are obviously quite proud of what they are producing. This series of photos shows the plant from pattern design through to casting, final finishing, quality control and shipping.
 
We would encourage any heat treaters who find themselves in the north of France to take a tour of the facility, we have no doubt but that CEO Pierre Munch or Radek would be more than happy to spend some time with you. An added bonus is the fact that the famous Le Mans race track is located just 15 minutes away and the museum is fascinating to see-we include this picture from the Le Mans museum. 
 
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The German Design Council, in recognition of Ipsen’s pioneering innovation, has presented Ipsen Global the German Innovation Award for the ATLAS GREEN furnace platform. The award ceremony was held in Frankfurt, Germany on May 14, celebrating the innovators that emerged from a field of 520 submissions from across 23 countries. Ipsen was recognized as a winner in the Excellence in Business to Business – Machines & Engineering category for the development of the Ipsen ATLAS GREEN atmosphere furnace.

The ATLAS GREEN was selected for its ability to provide a high-quality heat treatment solution while reducing the end user’s carbon footprint. The ATLAS GREEN furnace achieves 100 percent CO2-neutral operation through a smart combination of green electricity and green hydrogen. Intelligent software monitors the availability of green electricity and switches to green hydrogen when needed.  This hybrid electric/hydrogen energy approach is important for the future of an industry that has traditionally relied on the use of fossil fuels, and a correspondingly high CO2 footprint. As many countries continue to tackle climate change, Ipsen Global and ATLAS GREEN help companies find ways to reduce future carbon tax costs, while continuing to offer the same high-quality, reliable heat treating solutions that industry demands.

“Targeted innovations are essential for success and sustainability. They are indispensable for addressing the challenges of our time and driving the sustainable transformation of industry forward. With the German Innovation Award 2024, we make these outstanding and exemplary innovations visible. I am very pleased with the diversity of the awarded projects this year: They not only provide significant added value for the industry but also for society and the environment,” says Lutz Dietzold, CEO of the German Design Council. Interdisciplinary Expert Jury The 2024 German Design Council jury consists of independent experts from companies that represent emerging technologies, data management, and a variety of industry leaders across many scientific disciplines. Submissions are evaluated based on the criteria of innovation, end-user satisfaction, and economic viability. For more information about the German Innovation Award 2024 and the German Design Council: www.germaninnovation-award.de

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Monday May 20th is a National Holiday in Canada celebrating the birthday of Queen Victoria of Britain. Unofficially it is know in Canada as the beginning of summer. The offices of WG Montgomery Ltd., (The Monty Heat  Treat News) will be closed with regular news updates resuming Tuesday May 21st with a virtual visit to alloy provider “Cronite” in Arnage, France. 
 
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