​Auto parts giant Dana Corporation needs no introduction as one of the globe’s largest suppliers of auto and truck parts (and of more interest to us at “The Monty Heat Treat News” one of the largest in house heat treaters in the world). As an example of how much heat treating the company does we can say that Dana has 88 manufacturing facilities around the world of which 41 have heat treating in house which represents 13 different types of heat treatment.

Our interest today lies in the Dana, Queretaro, Mexico, Drive Shaft facility which is ranked by “The Monty Heat Treat News” as one of the 11 largest captive heat treats in North America. Many years ago the company expanded into Mexico with a number of different locations and this includes an enormous complex in the Mexican city of Queretaro. We at “The Monty” have had the chance to visit this location several times over the years and it is certainly impressive. There are actually 3 separate facilities here which have heat treating, Dana Forja, which has a heat treating department doing annealing and normalizing in continuous furnaces, Dana Cardenes which has 7 batch IQ furnaces and a great deal of induction (more on that later) and Dana, ENCO which has batch IQ and pusher furnaces.

Our most recent visit took place yesterday and focused on the Cardenes facility in general and their induction heat treating department in particular. Our host was Mr. Alejandro Garcia, “Heat Treatment Champion Engineer” which means he oversees induction heat treating for all Dana facilities. He is a 7 year veteran of the company and we couldn’t have asked for a more knowledgeable and friendly tour guide. During our discussion with him and his team we learned that in total this facility has a total of 41 Induction systems, most of fairly recent vintage and “state of the art”.

Alejandro Garcia, DANA, Salvador Alvarado, SSi Mexico

Overall induction hardening accounts for over half Dana’s total heat treat requirements with atmosphere heat treating being slightly in the minority-induction of course being largely for shafts, atmosphere heat treatment for gears. We should point out at this time that induction like all technologies has benefits and drawbacks but a large advantage in many people’s eyes is the fact that it produces little in the way of CO2 emissions. This very interesting photo shows the finished end product, both a front and rear wheel axle assembly. In the background we see from the left; Salvador Alvarado, SSI Mexico, Alejandro Garcia, Dana, Carlos Rodriguez, Metallurgical Coordinator and Adab Marquez, SSi Mexico.

Earlier we mentioned the Dana Forja facility-this includes several continuous furnaces for annealing and normalizing product after forging and heat treating. Part of this department can be seen in this picture which shows from left to right; Jordan Montgomery, The Monty, Alejandro, Garcia, Celeste Olvera, DANA and Gord Montgomery, The Monty.

Over the years “The Monty Heat Treat News” has visited this location several times-dating back at least 6 years now from our first visit and the difference was striking. What we witnessed on this visit was a location dedicated to safety, well organized part flow, cleanliness and quality with a very strong dash of “light & bright” thrown in. This picture shows part of the team responsible;

Alejandro Garcia, Serafin Miranda, Dana Manager, Celeste Olvera, Dana Forge Project Eng., Noe Hernández, Dana Forge Operations Manager

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We are very excited to be speaking today with Mr. Andreas Fritz, CEO of cleaning system experts “HEMO”. In our opinion “HEMO” offers the most advanced cleaning technology solutions in the heat treatment industry. Read on.

“The Monty Heat Treat News” is very excited to be speaking with Mr. Andreas Fritz, Managing Director of “HEMO”, a German firm known as one of the foremost in the world when it comes to cleaning systems. Andreas lets start off today with some background, why don’t you tell us about your personal background and also that of “HEMO”?

“Dear Gord, thanks for having me in this most excellent heat treatment source. I appreciate all the information you provide to us and of course being a part of it.

In 1999 I joined the company as a temporary help after school. I did whatever was necessary in any department, was fascinated by the size and technology of the machines and finally agreed to do an apprenticeship. After that I did a 6-year distance study in order not to lose the daily business and also spent 3 years at a near Nuremberg manufacturing wire drawing machines. That helped a lot to gain knowledge and different perspectives concerning organization, development of foreign markets and provision of a global service structure.

Since 2012 I have been CEO and pretty much involved in the heat treatment industry.

To be honest, customers in this industry are different than in others. The direct, honest way of talking – negative and positive – is and was very helpful especially in my first years. It is like a big family and I really like to meet these people whenever and wherever possible.” 

From background let’s move on to what “HEMO” has to offer, your range of products, your capabilities and specifically what you have done in the heat treatment industry.

“We are supplying high end cleaning machines which are customized. Our machines fit into any application, any place in your heat treatment line and communicate with any operating computer system. 

This starts with one tank solvent machines for cleaning after oil quenching. Half of our orders in this section are substitutes for existing spray /dunk washers because they don’t provide staple quality, costs for water disposal are increasing and the refurbishment of a hot zone of tempering furnace is also very expensive.

Our hybrid cleaning machines are very popular in cleaning before gas nitriding and LPC because the hardened parts later on are spot free and of the highest quality. 

And of course, our machines run 24/7 like furnaces do. Hence the quality is of the cleanliness and the machine itself are of highest importance.”

Years ago, an individual who I had a very high opinion of, Mr. Phil Dennis of H & S Heat Treating told me that the key to good heat treating was clean parts. While Phil unfortunately passed away a number of years ago, I have always remembered his words of wisdom and have come to agree with him (although I confess at the time I wasn’t convinced). I am sure you would agree with his statement but why is it so important to have clean parts? 

“Our business in the heat treatment industry started in 1996 when we sold a machine to a supplier of BOSCH. This captive heat treater delivered the parts to BOSCH and they returned them because they were not hardened. Since it was normal at that time that hardened parts were black and dirty, BOSCH Quality Manager did not even test the degree of hardness. Finally, we explained that cleaned parts before heat treatment are clean parts after that as well and after testing the parts they were accepted. From that day on cleanliness became very important in the heat treatment industry. Earlier dirty parts were supposed to be heat treated, nowadays they are scrap and will not be accepted. I’m sure this will more and more also become normal in the North American market.  

Especially the scrap rate is very important in many industries. Cleaned parts have a much lower scrap rate than dirty ones. We supplied machines to the UK where parts are heat treated for Formula 1 racing cars. Due to budget caps every dollar is important for the development of upgrades that can make the cars faster. Hence many parts are manufactured individually and not as a series. When you are manufacturing one of these critical, complex parts and the heat treatment is not good, you have to dump it. This causes costs and waiting times. Hence the heat treatment shops trust our cleaning machines and reduce the scrap rate down to zero.

Last but not least clean parts protect your equipment. Dirty parts bring a lot of different chemicals into the furnaces which causes trouble in the environment due to emissions and has influence on the hardening processes because of adhesions on the furnaces’ walls. Organic residues like oil vaporize in the furnace and crack the walls. This also causes very high costs of refurbishment.”

The first time I visited your facility in Otisheim, Germany I was absolutely astounded at the quality and complexity of some of your cleaning systems. Perhaps complexity is the wrong word, let me change that to heavily engineered. This obviously means that these are not inexpensive systems, my question would be how can you compete with a cheap and dirty dunk/spray washer? Or do you try and compete with these more basic solutions?

“We do not try to compete with these washers because we are unable to do. In 1996 HEMO delivered the first vacuum cleaning machine using hydrocarbon far above its flash point for perfect cleaning and drying results to a commercial heat treatment shop.

Very important is that the whole system is running under full vacuum throughout the whole cleaning cycle – not only for the drying process.

The cleaning process is supported by high temperatures above the solvent’s flash point, pressure flooding, rotation or oscillation of the parts, ultrasonic or Organic cNp which is a kind of cyclical nucleation process – very good for blind holes e.g.

This technology causes costs in manufacturing but also provides huge benefits. Our customers really deal with facts like the costs of current spray/dunk washers including the total costs from water disposal and fresh water over the maintenance workers costs to costs of scrap parts caused by bad cleaning. Very often they find out that the total costs of our system within e.g. 10 years are even less than those of the cheap washer even though investment costs are a multiple of the spray/dunk washer. 

In Germany we say, if you pay for a Volkswagen, you receive a Volkswagen and not a Mercedes.”

Some time ago I sold for a period of time vapor degreasers. In my humble opinion these were a very effective cleaning system, perhaps amongst the best ever devised but health and environmental concerns have led to their partial demise. Can you tell us what the EPA currently has to say about vapor degreasers? What is your alternative?

“A proposed EPA rule regulating perchloroethylene (PCE) will impact the parts cleaning. The rule proposes that PCE can be used in vapor degreasing, but only if a challenging ECEL of 0.14 ppm and requirements to prevent skin exposure are met. The ECEL (Existing Chemical Exposure Limit) is the workplace exposure limit determined by the EPA.

Similar regulations for more hazardous solvents such as Mehylenchloride or NPB are already law. This means that any open top vapour degreaser in the US will have to be substituted. Even closed system cannot reach the ECEL limits hence there will not be any other chance than moving to harmless solvents such as modified alcohols. These solvents are flammable but harmless under vacuum and will be the future of parts cleaning in North America like they are nowadays already in Europe.

Due to these changes in environmental and health legislation, HEMO invented and patented the first cleaning machine which was working under vacuum in 1995. Since then we have manufactured more than 2000 systems in any size and for a large variety of branches and customers. These full-vacuum systems will be the only solution to meet the governmental legislation.” 

Water or solvent based systems? Both are available I know, does “HEMO” offer both and if so, what are the relative advantages/disadvantages of each?

“In our explanations we always start with the basic rule “like dissolves like”. This means that organic contamination can be removed best with an organic detergent which is in our case a solvent like hydrocarbon or modified alcohol. Quenching oil is the best example in that case. Cleaning it off with water is very inefficient. On the other hand, inorganic residues like water-based coolants cannot be removed with solvent without leaving salt residues as white spots on the parts. In that case there is nothing better than water and detergent. 

Still roughly 70% of the systems sold are water-based but this number has been decreasing for decades now. We mainly focus on the solvent systems because we want to sell stable cleanliness. This is not possible by using water-based systems where the concentration of the detergent changes all the time and the quality gets worse until you change the whole bath. In our machines you never have to change the solvent and it provides continuous quality.

Sometimes we combine solvent and water in case it makes sense to reach perfect cleanliness or, like in commercial heat treatment shops, a variety of unknown contaminations are on the parts when they arrive for heat treatment. In this case we use our HYBRID and BEYOND machines.

In 2001 we invented our hybrid cleaning machines. This gives companies more flexibility and maximum clean parts because you can clean them in the same machine using a solvent and/or a water-based media.

In 2018 we invented a new technology called BEYOND. In this case you also have a water-based and a solvent-based cleaning cycle but in difference to the hybrid system, the two medias are not separated but mixed. This help getting a shorter cycle time with similar cleaning results compared to the hybrid system.”

Are your cleaning solutions dependant upon the heat trying process? For instance, would you offer the same solution to somebody doing gas nitriding as opposed to carburizing? What about LPC?

“The machines itself can be used in any heat treatment process and line but the demands for cleanliness are different. In case hardening cleanliness does not really matter. Very often the parts will have additional manufacturing steps like grinding after the hardening. Then optical issues do not play a role. 

In LPC or in nitriding a clean surface is very important to have a perfect bonding layer and the heat treatment is the final step of manufacturing hence all spots or stains on the part will cause discussions with the Quality Management of the customer.” 

Do you have the ability to fit into most heat treatment lines? Obvious examples would be a standard batch IQ (Sealed Quench) line? A pusher furnace? A modular LPC system?

“We can build any batch size and put our machine into any heat treatment line. That’s a big benefit for our customers because there is no need for additional handling of the parts and the line can run in full automatic mode.

Pusher furnaces are also possible. In that case the lowest cycle time is important for us. We just delivered four machines into a new case hardening pusher line in Germany. Each line had two cleaning machines, one for pre-cleaning before hardening and one for cleaning after oil quenching before tempering. The customer had more than 400 different parts. We took the shortest cycle time which was 8 minutes and checked what we need. For pre-cleaning with our Beyond system we needed approx. 20 minutes and for post-cleaning with hydrocarbon only approx. 15 minutes. Hence, we designed the pre-cleaning machine chamber to collect 3 batches and clean them at the same time because 3x 8 minutes is 24 minutes and we needed 20 minutes. The post-cleaning machines was smaller taking only two batched the same time and cleaning them in 15 minutes. The batches are collected in the cleaning chamber. After the cleaning process they are separated from each other again. We cannot be faster than physics allow us to be hence we need to be creative in the design department and finally find good solutions for our customers.

Modular LPC systems are very popular and we are also part of this market. Together with ECM we found a very good way to implement our cleaning systems into their LPC lines.” 

The previous question leads to another one-where are most of your systems installed? Vacuum hardening applications? Continuous either mesh belt, cast link or pusher? LPC?

“Most of our systems are installed in Batch IQ (Sealed Quench) lines. Main reason is that we substituted the existing spray/dunk washers there. Since we are well-known in that section for decades, most inquiries still are Batch IQ size machines.

Vacuum or atmospheric keep the balance since LPC is pretty much increasing. For our technology it doesn’t make any difference.

For pusher lines and roller hearth furnaces we found a way to handle the short cycle times by collecting batches in the machine and separating them after the cleaning again. Hence this is a new but growing field for us.

Impossible still are mesh belt furnaces since we clean under vacuum and therefore you need to have a batch that is cleaned in a closed chamber.” 

Are you able to share with us the names of some customers in the heat treat industry that you have worked with over the years?

“We have signed many NDAs hence it is not easy. But of course, we supply major commercial heat treaters like Bodycote, Aalberts and Braddock. 

Many of the biggest global captive heat treaters also use our systems. Same counts for the big automotive suppliers and gear manufacturers.

But also, smaller heat treaters are using our systems even though the investment is quite high for them. Very often they supply a niche industrial segment or have a special way of heat treatment and combined with highest cleaning quality they can work more profitable as they could do without a good cleaning system.

Very important for us is that the main furnace manufacturers such as e.g. Ipsen, Aichelin, ECM, Rübig, regularly consult us in case of projects with high cleanliness demands. Together we then realize these projects, and both have a benefit out of such kind of collaboration.

I think that says a lot about the reputation we have in the heat treatment industry and we are very proud about that.”

Do you see attitudes in the heat treat industry changing when it comes to cleaning? I mentioned earlier that basic dunk/spray washers are probably the norm around the world. They are basic, simple to use and relatively inexpensive and probably in many cases completely adequate but nobody would argue that they are the best solution possible. Are you seeing more interest in improved cleaning solutions?

“Yes, attitude is definitely changing. Cleaning is not anymore something nobody pays for, something people will start laughing when you put it into your price calculation. Cleanliness is important and it separates good and bad quality of parts. When parts are badly cleaned, very often they are also badly heat treated. Quality assurance starts with the eyes and when a heat-treated parts is clean the first test is already passed. 

In Europe it is already normal that commercial heat treaters are not only selected by heat treatment capacity anymore. It is also important if and how good they can clean the parts because. This finally became a second core competence beside the heat treatment.”

Last but not least what does the future hold for “HEMO”? Can you see more manufacturing facilities? An expanded product line? Perhaps acquiring competitors? I can promise that anything you say will be held in the strictest confidence, just between ourselves and our thousands of readers around the world. 

“We are always positive and see a very bright future for our company. The size is perfect, the way we work is very efficient and the technology we offer is innovative. With our Surface Alliance, a group of specialists we are shareholder of, we are able to supply any kind of cleaning system to anywhere in the world. Last step was the creation of Washtech in Queretaro, Mexico, and the Surface Alliance Cleaning Corporation as our US sales unit. 

At the moment we are working on a Joint Venture in the US to increase our sales and service capabilities. I think the US market has a huge demand for cleaning systems and we have what the market needs. But without local sales and service it will be hard hence the establishment of a local company is our first priority at the moment.

We also increase our customer base in other kinds of heat treatment such as brazing and annealing. There is a lot of potential and we are looking forward to new challenges.

Thanks very much for having me here.”

Andreas I really appreciate your time and look forward to visiting your facility the next time I am in Germany.

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​Earlier this year we mentioned how commercial heat treater MT Heat Treat Inc. in Ohio was closing their doors, at the time “The Monty Heat Treat News” also promised updates. We have now learned that the firm has been closed since that time and that all the equipment will be going to auction in May of this year. The equipment consists of a number of Surface Combustion “Super 30 Allcase furnaces and ancillary equipment all of it purchased roughly 2004. We will have further details for you shortly. 

“Ohio Commercial Heat Treater Closes Doors; The understanding of “The Monty Heat Treat News” is that MT Heat Treat Inc., in Mentor, Ohio, USA closed their doors September 1 of this year. MT was a family owned business operating out of a 65,000 square foot facility 30 miles from Cleveland, Ohio. This is not a comp. any that we know much about, all we can say is that at one point in time annual sales were estimated to be up to $5 million USD and that the company had a number of batch IQ furnaces. As more information becomes available we will update you.”

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This week sees the ASM Heat Treat Mexico 2024 Conference & Exposition being held in Querétaro, Mexico 9, 10 and 11 and Gord and Jordan Montgomery of “The Monty Heat Treat News” will be reporting on the entire event.

Over the course of the week “The Monty” will also be visiting and reporting on some of the largest heat treaters in the country and our visits started with two today.

First up was auto and truck parts supplier Dana Corp., in Toluca. What our visit today revealed was a heat treat department which we would consider to be one of the largest batch IQ (batch integral quench) installations in North America rivalling two other giants, Allison Transmission in Indianapolis, IN and Linamar Gear in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Adab Marquez, Javier Vazquez, metallurgist, Israel Bobadilla, Jordan Montgomery 

Our second visit was to truck and auto transmission supplier Tremec, in Queretaro which boasts an immaculate heat treat department consisting of a mixture of batch IQ furnaces and single row pushers.

Later on this week or early next will be providing more details and pictures of each plant along with an interview with the Plant Manager of Tremec, a very open and articulate fellow who spoke freely about his heat treat department.

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“Greenville, SC, April 8, 2024 – Solar Atmospheres Greenville, SC facility is pleased to announce it has been awarded Lockheed Martin Space Systems approval. With this approval, now all five Solar Atmospheres facilities are an option for our customers with Lockheed Martin requirements for thermal processing services.

Steve Prout, President of Solar Atmospheres’ Greenville facility states: “We are proud to once again provide our customers in the Southeastern U.S. with another regional option for aerospace and defense thermal processes, saving them time and money while continuing to deliver the high level of quality required.”

With the ability to support vacuum thermal processing needs ranging from development cycles to 50,000 pound loads at temperatures of up to 2400°F, Solar Atmospheres provides AS9100 and Nadcap quality accredited heat treatments, providing our customers with the confidence their product is being processed as specified.

For additional information on our processing options and capabilities, contact Mike Paponetti at [email protected] or call 1-855-934-3284, and visit us at www.solaratm.com.”

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​April 9, 10 and 11 sees the ASM Mexico Heat Treatment exhibition in Querétaro, Mexico and “The Monty Heat Treat News” will be in attendance. Over the course of the week Gord and Jordan Montgomery will be taking the time to investigate the state of heat treatment in Mexico with visits to some of the largest heat treaters in the country, each of which we will report on. Visits will include auto parts suppliers Tremec, Dana, Eaton, industry supplier SSi, commercial heat treater Crio along with others involved in the industry. 

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Regular Contributor Josh Hale of International Search Partners, the top recruiting firm in the North American Heat Treatment Industry sends us this article entitled “Will the Heat Treat Industry Embrace a 4 Day Work Week?”

The Monty Heat Treat News has worked closely with International Search Partners (a US search firm known for being the only recruiting firm in the world working exclusively in heat treating), for over 20 years. That relationship has blossomed into a regularly featured article, “Ask the Heat Treat Recruiter,” where ISP’s seasoned team answers questions about salaries, interviewing, negotiations, and a host of other topics related to recruiting and job searching for companies and/or individual employees.

Every quarter in 2024, Managing Recruiter, Josh Hale and Sr. Recruiter, Jessica Maier, will address questions that come up regularly from industry professionals (email questions for future editions to [email protected]). Today’s question stems from a debate between commercial heat treat GMs about the benefits and feasibility of a 4-day workweek:

What are the pluses and minuses of a 4-day workweek or other alternative schedule such as work-from-home, hybrid models, or other variations?

The traditional 5-day workweek has come under recent scrutiny with many companies beginning to explore the potential benefits of different models, including the surging popularity of 4-day work weeks or so-called 9/80s with one extra day off every two weeks. Of course, COVID-19 also forced many workers to a work-from-home (or “WFH” for short) model, which some companies, and many employees, have taken a liking to and continued beyond the pandemic.

Many of those who have made the switch will swear by it, pointing to studies and empirical evidence showing increased employee happiness, productivity, and engagement along with reduced employee stress, burnout, and absenteeism. Additionally, alternative schedules are typically seen as a perk and can be used as recruiting and retention too. A final added benefit for companies considering making this transition is reduced costs in the form of savings on utilities, office space, and some minor things that still add up like snacks and coffee.

On the other hand, it takes some planning and coordination to make the shift and, while most studies support an overall productivity boost, there can be a slight dip in the short-term during the transition. It may also require upfront investment in technology and tools that can negate some of the cost savings previously mentioned. Most importantly, it is critical to remember that the 4-day workweek (or WFH or other flexible schedules) doesn’t necessarily function well for all positions or industries. Customer facing roles come to mind as something that might require a more traditional approach, as does businesses requiring 24/7 operations or tight turnaround schedules (*cough* “heat treating” *cough*).

While many companies have successfully made the transition and overcome some of these hurdles (yes, including commercial heat treats), the success or failure of this change ultimately depends on management and their foresight to address any prospective problems that may arise. Factors to consider when deciding on implementing such a program include industry, workplace culture, employee engagement, and resources available.

Remember, moving to a 4-day workweek is a significant change. Careful evaluation of company needs, employee feedback, and meticulous planning are key to reaping any potential reward while minimizing disruptions. When feasible, however, it can help boost morale and improve employee satisfaction and retention, while also acting as a strong lure when recruiting new workers.

Josh Hale has collaborated with companies to identify, engage, and hire top performers as a professional “headhunter” where he’s focused exclusively on the heat treat industry as part of International Search Partners since acquiring the firm in 2015. He works closely with Jessica Maier to support the practice, and, together, they’ve helped dozens of companies and hundreds of candidates find the match within the industry, including roles for engineering, sales, quality, metallurgy, management, and more. For additional information email [email protected] or call 619-465-9621.

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“Chesterfield, MI, April 1, 2024 – Solar Atmospheres of Michigan has successfully relocated from the old Fraser and Warren facilities to a new, state-of-the-art location in Chesterfield, Michigan. All ten furnaces (both new and existing) are fully operational at the Chesterfield plant, heralding a new era of efficiency and productivity. This spring, construction will begin on a 15,000 square foot expansion on an adjacent lot. The expansion will allow for the investment in cutting-edge vacuum furnaces from Solar Manufacturing.

Bob Hill President of Solar Atmospheres of Michigan states, “Our future is very bright in Michigan. The consolidation and expansion will us to elevate our service standards and meet the evolving demands of our clientele across Michigan and the surrounding states. Solar of Michigan remains steadfast in its dedication to innovation, service excellence, and customer satisfaction as it ventures into this new chapter of growth and expansion.”

For more information about the Solar Atmospheres Michigan facility contact Chris Molencupp at (586) 264-8100 ext. 1620, or [email protected], and visit us at www.solaratm.com.”

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