June 8th of this year it was announced that controls company Watlow would be acquiring Eurotherm from Schneider Electric Company®. The deal was concluded and announce Wednesday of this week. Both companies are well known in the heat treatment industry.
Eurotherm is a premier provider of temperature, power and process control, measurement and data management equipment, systems, software and services for global industrial markets. The company employs about 650 people worldwide, with headquarters in Worthing, U.K. and core manufacturing operations in Ledziny, Poland. Rob Gilmore, Watlow’s CEO, said, “We are excited about Watlow and Eurotherm and all we will accomplish together. This acquisition aligns with our vision of providing innovative thermal products and technologies that help increase our customers’ competitive advantage. The combination of Watlow and Eurotherm products and technologies will create new global opportunities for our collective customers and allow us to focus our advanced thermal systems in important areas.”
Watlow will establish Eurotherm’s sites in Worthing, U.K. and Dardilly, France as Advanced Development Centers for its electronics and controls product offering and plans to invest in Eurotherm’s facility in Poland to become Watlow’s Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Europe. This additional capacity and capability also provide a path to growth in other parts of the world including the Americas and Asia.”
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Hubbard-Hall a name known in the heat treatment industry for their chemical line announces that they have acquired “Torch Surface Technologies” a supplier of lubricants for the metal forming industry;
“Torch Surface Technologies is now a Division of Hubbard-Hall Inc.; Waterbury, CT – Hubbard-Hall has expanded its product offering and customer resources by acquiring the assets of Torch Surface Technologies (10/28/22), a specialty chemical company based in Whitmore Lake, MI. Torch specializes in pretreatment chemistry, offering innovative technologies for zinc, manganese and zirconium phosphate applications. Other product lines include a wide range of lubricants for metalforming – soap and polymer based lubes for cold forming, heading & wire drawing applications as well as a complete line of machining and grinding chemistries. ISO certified, Torch also offers toll blending and private label services. “
We are delighted to welcome the Torch team to Hubbard-Hall,” said Molly Kellogg, CEO/President of Hubbard-Hall. “Their product lines are complementary to Hubbard-Hall’s proprietary chemistries for surface finishing and most importantly, we share a ‘customer first’ strategy that emphasizes highly responsive technical support.” Torch will operate as a division of Hubbard-Hall and continue operating out of its 24,000 square foot facility west of Detroit.
All employees have been hired by Hubbard-Hall and the Sarlund family will continue in leadership and customer facing roles. “This really makes sense for our customer base,” said Torch General Manager, Erik Sarlund. “As part of a larger company, we have access to more products, a deeper technical bench and additional blending capabilities.” In addition to the Torch location in Michigan, Hubbard-Hall operates manufacturing sites in CT and SC, with lab capabilities in all three locations.”
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From time to time “The Monty Heat Treat News” scrolls through our extensive archive of pictures and profiles an interesting (fascinating) captive heat treatment facility, a unique industry supplier or a commercial heat treat. Today we look at a commercial heat treater in the USK which we have had the privilege of visiting several times over the years and observing first hand their very impress growth. https://www.ht2000.co.uk/
“Heat Treatment 2000, West Bromwich, UK; Over the years “The Monty Heat Treat News” has crossed paths a number of time with a commercial heat treater in West Bromwich, UK by the name of Heat Treatment 2000 Home :: Heat Treat 2000 (ht2000.co.uk) This past week our paths crossed yet again as can be seen in these photos. We have been rather lucky in that we have been able to witness first hand how the firm has grown and prospered over the years. For instance we made their acquaintance when they installed a large 6,000 pound per hour mesh belt furnace line from Can Eng back in 2013, and we again ran across them in early 2020 when they made a major investment in an aluminum processing facility. Our previous postings about the company can be found here.
JANUARY 2020 PRESS RELEASE; “Heat Treatment 2000 Ltd./UK. We are about to announce the opening of a new £3 million heat treatment facility for aluminium processing. It is sited adjacent to our existing facility and complements our current aluminium capability and the 300 tons per week of fasteners and presswork we currently heat treat. The investment consists of a suite of automatic computer controlled rapid quench furnaces capable of taking up to a 3 ton charge which can be quenched in temperature controlled cold water, hot water or polymer. The latter is followed by and agitated rinse and hot power wash to ensure product cleanliness. This is supported by new precipitation ovens with automatic door opening. Furnaces are a combination of gas and electrically heated opening up new opportunities as well as meeting increased demand for our services. Our investment doubles capacity giving us one of the largest processing capabilities in the UK. Bar code tracking and scanning have also been introduced providing live data which can be accessed remotely.”
MARCH 2013 PRESS RELEASE Heat Treatment 2000 Ltd./UK. We’re learning a thing or two about heat treating in the UK, namely that generally the volumes aren’t as large as in areas such as the US, Germany, China or Taiwan. Large volume cast or mesh belt continuous furnace lines for heat treating fasteners in all of the areas just mentioned are not uncommon but in the UK they are relatively uncommon and to date the only commercial heat treater we have seen or heard of that specializes in big volume fastener heat treating is a company by the name of Heat Treatment 2000 located West Midlands, England. In 1998 the company invested in a 6,000 pound/hour mesh belt line bought from Can Eng in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada for an investment of roughly $2 million USD and just last year purchased another very large mesh belt line from a supplier in Taiwan. While it would appear that continuous heat treating of fasteners is a very strong area for the company not to be missed is the fact that the company also has a very large aluminum processing department. We would describe this as a medium to large size commercial heat treater that looks to have captured an area of heat treating not generally covered by other heat treaters in the UK and consequently the company looks to be doing very well.
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“Wall Colmonoy is pleased to announce a $2.5 million modernization plan at their Alloy Products plant located in Los Lunas, New Mexico. The plan aims to increase capacity, improve processes, and add new capabilities. The investment includes upgrades to plant infrastructure and environment, alloy furnace equipment, and R&D laboratory. The focus is on continuous improvement initiatives to supply consistent, quality products on-time to customers.
“This investment is a reflection of our commitment to our customers to provide the very best quality products and to our team members to provide them with safe and advanced working environments,” states Kurt Boehm, Plant Manager. State–of–the–art analytical equipment was purchased for its R&D laboratory to better characterize products, resolve customer concerns, and develop new products. This included, but was not limited to, a wet/dry sieve vibrator, robotic paste dispenser, hardness tester, and vacuum mixer. A modern digital microscope was installed that captures high-resolution images up to 2000x, which gives unapparelled depth of powders and 3-D renderings of objects. A new ICP analyzer and carbon/sulfur analyzer allows for quicker testing, reducing cycle time in the lab; a moisture analyzer accurately assesses raw materials before production to eliminate rework and a new air jet sieve characterizes fine powder particles.
The health and safety of its nearly 100 employees were a key consideration in the undertaking of the capital improvements. The melting deck was reinforced to improve and secure structural integrity. A central vacuum system (CVS) was installed to improve dust collection. The dust collector remotely captures data and allows for instant monitoring of air quality. Additionally, new fork trucks, racking, lifts, and hoists were purchased in support of its employees. Los Lunas is a 52,000 square foot facility that manufactures nickel-based Colmonoy® nickel-based hardfacing and Nicrobraz® nickel-based brazing products, FusewelderTM Torch, SpraywelderTM System and NicroSprayTM Systems. Alloy Products supports many diverse industries: automotive, aerospace, glass container, oil & gas, rubber & plastic, food & agriculture, steel, nuclear and waste to energy. Products are shipped to customers around the globe including across Wall Colmonoy business units. The Los Lunas facility is ISO 9001:2015 with AS9100 Rev D certified.
About Wall Colmonoy. Wall Colmonoy is a global materials engineering group of companies engaged in the manufacture of Colmonoy® surfacing and Nicrobraz® brazing products, precision castings, coatings, and engineered components across aerospace, automotive, glass container, oil & gas, steel, rubber & plastic, food, power generation and other industrial sectors. Wall Colmonoy also provides advanced metal coatings, brazing, and heat treatment.”
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This graph will bring joy to every heat treaters heart-we promise. What you are looking at is the spot market price for nickel in terms of dollars per pound over the past year. Aside from a wicked spike in March of this year pricing has remained fairly stable, hovering in the $10.00 USD/pound range which historically is pretty much mid range for the material. This means that pricing for all those alloy components which are a necessity for heat treaters will remain fairly stable and consistent be it base trays, baskets, fixtures, radiant tubes or muffles.
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Furnace builder SECO/WARWICK China is poised to deliver two CAB lines and one chamber furnace to a Chinese customer who provides diesel engine components. The furnaces are designed for aluminum brazing and one has a belt width of 2300 mm (90”)-a record for SECO. Read on for all the details;
The CAB line ordered by our Chinese Partner consists of a 2.3 m wide furnace, TTBB chamber, radiation pre-heating chamber, radiation brazing furnace, cooling chamber with an air jacket, final cooling chamber and control system. The second, narrower line (with a width of 1.5 m) has a similar design.
Radiation CAB furnaces are a perfect solution for brazing products of similar size and features in a continuous flow environment. The temperature distribution is uniform throughout the length of the belt thanks to several independent heating zones. This type of equipment is characterized by a lower capital expenditure whereas it provides high efficiency and low consumption of nitrogen atmosphere as well as lower maintenance requirements when compared to other CAB solutions. The CAB lines will be used for brazing large-size coolers for vehicle batteries.
The third system on order by our Chinese Partner is a universal chamber furnace, providing high-quality brazing for low-scale production. This type of furnace is designed for brazing a variety of heat exchangers in horizontal or vertical positions. It is the second SECO/WARWICK chamber furnace delivered to this Partner. “The first universal chamber furnace was delivered to our partner in 2016, and it is used for manufacturing plate-type heat exchangers. The system’s advantages include a shorter loading time, higher efficiency, and relatively lower cost. The fact that the customer has placed an order for another identical product is the best recommendation that we can expect. This means that the system proved itself in the manufacturing process and met the expectations, which is why SECO/WARWICK continues to be their first choice,” summarized Liu Yedong, Managing Director, SECO/WARWICK China.”
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Why is the entire team at Dominial Heat Treat in The Netherlands ecstatic with happiness? Because they just read the November 2022 issue of “The Monty Heat Treat News” and they now know everything there is to know about the global heat treatment industry. Want to be as happy as the Dominial team? Click the link below.
The Monty Magazine November Issue
For 26 years “The Monty” has been the largest and most well read news source in the world for heat treatment industry news and trends. In this 116 page issue you will find the absolute latest news in the industry including these items;
- “The Monty Heat Treat News” was invited to visit furnace builders “Can-Eng”, “ALD” and “Rohde” along with heat treaters “Hanomag” and “Dominial”. Read our summary of each company and see the exclusive pictures
- Can you Bar Code Heat Treatment Fixtures? The answer is yes
- We regret to mention the passing of Weston “Wes” Gregory, long a staple in the North American heat treatment industry
- Furnace Builder “Gasbarre” is expanding, see what they are planning
- Were the recent heat treatment exhibitions in Indianapolis, IN, USA and Cologne, Germany a success? Yes, yes and yes!
- Which North American furnace builder with annual sales of over $20 million USD just went on the market? Read the details and come to your own conclusions (hint; it is located in Pennsylvania, USA).
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We regret to mention the passing of a long time member of the North American heat treatment community, Mr. Wes Gregory. Wes for many years ran R & G Services of Joliet, IL, USA a firm which offered both new and used furnaces along with rebuilding and maintenance services.
“WESTON GREGORY OBITUARY; Weston M. Gregory, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran. Devoted father of Bret (Kimberly) Gregory, Jason (Michelle) Gregory, & the late Bree Gregory. Cherished grandfather of Elaina, Hayley, Emily, Ashley, Savanna, & Juliet.
Former husband & friend of Barbara Gregory. Loving brother of Kathy & Twilla. Resting at Thompson & Kuenster Funeral Home, 5570 W. 95th St. in Oak Lawn where Services will take place Wednesday at 11:00 am. Interment private. Visitation Tuesday from 3:00 pm until 8:00 pm.
Published by Thompson & Kuenster Funeral Home – Oak Lawn from Oct. 29 to Oct. 30, 2022.”
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It makes our day to present to you our readers an interview with Mr. Jim Grann, Technical Director of furnace builder Ipsen. Jim is based in the Rockford, Illinois, USA facility and has the distinction of being the second longest serving employee of the company-by only one month we hasten to add. We asked Jim a number of far reaching questions, his very interesting answers can be found here.
Jim, you have had a remarkable career having started with ABAR Corp. back in 1978. Please tell us how your journey with Ipsen started.
Growing up, I worked every summer for my father who was an industrial electrical contractor with 27 employees. After high school I attended Bucks County Community College in Pennsylvania and continued spending summers working for my father. One day I noticed an ad running in the help wanted section for an organization called ABAR Corp., a manufacturer of heat–treatment equipment. They were looking for a floor electrician for the assembly of vacuum furnaces. The job sounded interesting and was only 1.6 miles from my home, so I thought, why not inquire about the posting? I made an appointment for an interview, and the wheels were set in motion.
At my interview, I was asked, “how old are you?” I answered the question. The foreman then reached over, grabbed my wrist, and flipped it over to look at my hands. He was comparing the wear and tear on my hands against what I had listed on my resume. They asked me if I was familiar with electrical prints. I answered, yes, and water and hydraulic systems. Next, the foreman opens a roll of prints and starts pointing to devices and circuits asking what we were looking at. After acing that test, The HR director says, “when can you start?”
I spent several years in that position, moved to QC, then QC Manager and sometime thereafter picked up the additional title of Field Service Manager. Ipsen merged with Abar in 1985, and in 1996, I relocated to the Rockford facility after they consolidated operations and removed Abar from the name. My duties remained the same for a few years, then I transitioned into assisting sales with new equipment, retrofits and support.
Is there anybody at Ipsen who has served longer with the company than yourself?
Mr. Craig Moller (Chief Engineer) has exactly one month on me in tenure.
My understanding is that your title is Technical Director – what does that mean in terms of what you do on a daily basis?
My title pretty much sums it up . I basically interface with every department within Ipsen. I work with our customers on process related issues, sales and special projects.
Up to this point, Jim, I have been working under the assumption that your experience has been mainly with vacuum systems, but perhaps that is an incorrect assumption. Do you also get involved in atmosphere equipment?
I do have some experience with atmosphere furnaces and related equipment at an arms length, but I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination.
Others at Ipsen have told me you have had several roles with the company over the years, including quality control, instruction and technical support. What has been your favorite role?
My Favorite? Hmm… basically anything or anytime that I am helping others solve an issue. I have an “A type” personality, and some here may even argue compounded with a splash of OCD. I like being pulled into tasks where others may have fallen short. I enjoy the challenge. I enjoy explaining my thought process and how I arrive at a conclusion. When I’m done with a project, whomever is along side me, either a customer or a colleague, they know and understand what was done, why and how.
This is the question I have really been looking forward to asking you – what are the biggest changes you have seen in the industry since you began your career? This could include technical changes, changes in how furnaces are built, changes in how equipment is sold, pretty well anything.
This is a very broad reaching question that I could generate a book on. A few highlights perhaps being the transition from all molybdenum hot zones to graphite. 44 years ago, we were all taught that all metal hot zones were the standard and graphite hot zones were for low-end heat-treating processes. There was a lot of, “you can’t run this or that in a graphite hot zone.” Well, most of the people who said that are retired now, and the scales have nearly flipped, with graphite being the typical construction used for most applications.
There have also been many technical advances. Today, customers are requesting advanced controls functionality, energy efficiency, implementation of IoT systems, and predictive maintenance capability, such as Ipsen’s PdMetrics. Heat-treating technology has also come a long way in terms of efficiency. Customers have always come to us wanting a furnace that can handle more weight, cools faster, reduces distortion, processes faster, provides more uniform heating/cooling, has deeper ultimate vacuum levels, etc. Over the years we have been successful in finding ways to accommodate these requests to continually build better and better furnaces.
From the past, lets move to the future. With each advancement in furnace technology, we as a group tend to think that we have reached the limit of what we can do, that is until the next breakthrough happens. Is there still room to push the limits of what we can achieve? What do you see as the next big step in the advancement of heat–treating technology?
That my friend resides under the code of silence. Top level answer being, YES! There remains room for technical advancements in several areas. A few of which are currently in progress. Ipsen is always expanding its digital toolbox to optimize processes and maximize performance for our customers. We currently provide predictive analytics tools, and remote troubleshooting through augmented reality. We are on the road to using more artificial intelligence to further reduce furnace downtime and prevent failures.
Many in our industry would say that the number one challenge these days is finding good, experienced people. That being the case, does Ipsen have a plan for using technology to make up for the shortfall in experience?
I believe that technology is here to assist us and make our lives easier, but not to replace us. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it a little more difficult to obtain quality new hires (considering there are presently two jobs available for each unemployed person in the U.S.), but we have expanded our HR department and implemented internal training and advancement programs to focus on placing the right people in the right positions.
Next to finding good people, I would suggest that supply chain issues are the next major challenge these days. Several manufacturers have told me that in some cases they are forced to make design changes in new equipment when certain parts are unobtainable. Has this been the case at Ipsen?
Indeed, we are experiencing unprecedented times in the world of supply chain, but one thing remains crucial: relationships. Suppliers continue to face commodity and electronic component challenges – which will likely continue for the foreseeable future; therefore, being able to rely on our strong bond with key suppliers is more critical than ever.
For some electrical components, the standard products just aren’t available. In these situations, Ipsen’s experienced engineering group works hand in hand with purchasing and suppliers to come up with acceptable alternatives. In instances where lead times can’t be improved, long-lead items are engineered and ordered early in the project to minimize delays in the build schedule.
While Ipsen is certainly feeling the effects of the supply chain issues, we spend a lot of time communicating with our customers throughout their project so that they can adjust accordingly on their end. By adapting project schedules, working closer with suppliers, and providing creative engineering solutions, we have been able to keep up with production while minimizing disruption to our customers, and we certainly appreciate how patient they have been with us during this unprecedented period.
Let’s talk about trends in the industry. As Technical Director, I would imagine you are at the forefront of new technologies. That being the case, are you seeing any interesting trends these days? Perhaps increased demand for low pressure carburizing, more requests for nitriding, requests for larger and ever larger systems?
The demand for proven processes remains at a normal level. The request for larger and higher-pressure furnaces is on the rise. Many customers are advancing 3D printing of very small and very large components, driving changes in furnace design. We are partnered with several of these customers.
I almost forgot this question, Jim, and it is one our readers and I will be very interested in. In your many years in the industry, what is the project you remember the most? Perhaps because it was the most challenging or perhaps the biggest disaster. I am not going to ask for any names, just an idea about which project over the years was the most memorable for you.
Being honest, we have had the occasional setback, but disasters, not on my watch! Carefully reviewing compliance documents is paramount these days. It’s also important to make sure the customer truly understands what they are asking for and why, and that Ipsen understands the scope of the mission. Let’s be honest, sometimes it is ok to say no… gently though. I have been involved in so many projects, they sometimes seem to run together. We have partnered with many customers on new and bold process undertakings. Seeing these projects come to fruition and going into production is what I like and remember most.
And what does the future hold for Mr. Jim Grann? Obviously, you enjoy what you do and the company you work for. Will I be seeing you at trade shows 20 years in the future?
I am not the type of person who can sit back and relax, watching time go by. I thrive on changing environments and tasks, and I love dealing with customers. My plan is to continue my current path as long as health permits. Many people go through life punching in at 8:00 a.m. and out at 5:00 p.m. I love my job and love helping others in and out of work. My efforts don’t stop at 5:00 p.m. I, and others within the Ipsen organization, often take calls on weeknights, weekends and holidays, as I treat customers like they are family.
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