According to this press release two of the larger European furnace controls companies will be working together more closely in the future. This press release is quite vague and provides few if any details beyond the fact that “Stange” and “Demig” feel it necessary to work together more closely in the future. “The Monty” will provide more details as they become available.

“Stange Elektronik and Demig, two experts in the regulation and control of thermal processes, are joining forces.
The most important thing in advance: Nothing will change for you for the time being.
– All products remain available as usual
– Service and maintenance, installations and repairs continue to run reliably
– Same contact persons, same telephone numbers, same quality
So why the cooperation? Because we are convinced that the challenges of the future can be better mastered together.
We have intensively studied the wishes and needs of our customers and tailored our product developments accordingly.
This includes that we want to integrate more functions and that our products will meet the challenges posed by new legal requirements and standards.
These include the increasing demands on development and products due to the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), which will come into force at the end of 2027.
What will result from this? A new, common ecosystem for thermal processes, from controllers to controllers to process control systems.
Perfectly coordinated, it combines the strengths of both worlds and at the same time meets the new regulatory requirements.”

The Metal Treating Institute Educational Foundation has announced an extension of its 2026 scholarship application deadline to May 15, 2026, providing additional time for students and industry professionals to take advantage of valuable educational funding opportunities. $123,000 will be awarded in total scholarships.

The MTI Educational Foundation is committed to supporting the next generation of leaders in the heat treating industry by offering scholarships that help offset the cost of education in engineering, materials science, and related technical fields. This deadline extension ensures that more qualified applicants have the opportunity to apply and pursue their academic and career goals.

“We understand that students and working professionals are balancing many priorities,” said Tom Morrison, for the Metal Treating Institute. “By extending the deadline, we are reinforcing our commitment to workforce development and making it easier for individuals to access the resources they need to succeed in our industry.”

Scholarships are available to students in college or trade schools pursuing careers aligned with the heat treating and thermal processing sectors including material sciences, engineering and industrial sectors. Awards are based on academic achievement, career aspirations, and commitment to the industry.

The MTI Educational Foundation plays a vital role in strengthening the workforce pipeline by investing in education, training, and leadership development initiatives. Each year, the Foundation awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to deserving applicants, helping to build a stronger, more skilled future workforce.

Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials prior to the new deadline of May 15, 2026.

For more information on eligibility requirements and to apply, visit www.mtieducationalfoundation.com.

With an estimated 450-500 vacuum furnaces in an area of less than 300 square miles it is doubtful that there is any other region on the planet that is as densely populated with vacuum furnaces as Singapore-virtually every one of which is dedicated to the aerospace industry. (Editor’s note; this estimate of the number of furnaces comes from 3 different sources, all with a very intimate knowledge of the market).

“AI” has this to say about heat treating in Singapore; “There are approximately 47 manufacturers and 67 service providers related to heat treatment operating within Singapore as of early 2026”.

“Gord Montgomery” of “The Monty Heat Treat News” just last week had the opportunity for a brief visit to the region, a visit which included three “Barnes Aerospace” locations and one “GE” facility.

Aerospace firms are notorious for being very “closed lipped” about their manufacturing facilities but “The Monty” did learn a few things about vacuum furnaces in the Singapore aerospace market and we are able to provide a few details about the market along with some photos from a “GE” aerospace facility and two “Barnes Aerospace” locations.

First off many of the largest aerospace companies in the world maintains a manufacturing location in Singapore including but not limited to;

• Pratt & Whitney
• Barnes Aerospace
• Boeing
• Airbus
• General Electric (GE). One single GE facility in Singapore has just over 30 vacuum furnaces.
• Rolls Royce (a joint venture with Singapore Airlines)
• Safran
• Collins
• Conway Aerospace
• Bombardier
• Standard Aero

All of these locations are either an “OEM” location (original equipment manufacturer meaning they make aerospace components) or an Aerospace “MRO” (maintenance, repair & overhaul) facility which in many cases incorporates vacuum furnaces.

Many of the best-known vacuum furnace manufacturers from around the world are present in these locations including these (in no particular order);

• Ipsen
• SECO/WARWICK
• Solar Manufacturing (represented by a local company, “Aeromac Thermal”)
• GM Enterprises

We are sure there are many more brands to be found in Singapore but a brief visit would appear to show that these are the “dominant” brands.

Included in this article are photos from 3 “Barnes Aerospace” locations and one “GE” facility. In the case of the “GE” facility, what can be seen is a fixtured load preparing to go into an “Ipsen” bottom load vacuum brazing furnace (which is not shown).

Another photo shows a rebuilt “Ipsen” bottom load vacuum furnace with working dimensions of 48″ diameter x 54″ high, capable of 1100C with 2 bar argon quenching and a 35″ diffusion pump.

Other photos show two older horizontal “VFS” (Vacuum Furnace Systems) furnaces at a second Barnes location.

Our host for these visits was “Rui Shan Engineering”, a furnace rebuilder with a location in Singapore and a manufacturing facility in Thailand with 16 people. “Mr. Christopher Rajendran”, Owner., is shown in one of these photos, his partner “Mr. John Muraly” was not available during our visit.

While it would be fascinating to know the exact number of vacuum furnaces provided by each manufacturer to the Singapore aerospace market, no such list exists and we doubt it ever will. So for the time being “The Monty” is happy to provide this brief summary.

Last week “Gord Montgomery” of “The Monty Heat Treat News” had a chance to spend some time with “Mr. Salvador Alvarado”, General Manager of furnace controls company SSi during the “ASM Heat Treat Mexico” exhibition in Monterrey, Mexico. Very few individuals have seen as much of the heat treat market in Mexico, so we took advantage of the time to ask Salvador a few questions about the Mexican heat treat market-these are his answers’

• Salvador you are General Manager of furnace controls company “SSi Mexico”-tell us how you ended up in the heat treatment industry in general and with “SSi” in particular. “By background I am a chemical engineer and also a metallurgical engineer. I started my career in “high end” pyrometry and from there moved on to “SSi Mexico in 2011. From 2011 to 2020 I was Operations Manager, before becoming General Manager in 2020, a position I still hold.”

• Tell us about “SSi Mexico”. “I am very proud of our tremendous growth over the years. We have grown to a total of 25 employees in Mexico, 22 are in our Querétaro office, three are in our Saltillo location and we will shortly have a new office in Nuevo Leon with at least one field service engineer. Our employees include Metallurgists, field service engineers and pyrometry experts.

• Tell us about the heat treat market in Mexico, what are the main industries and where are they located? “Without a doubt automotive is #1, Aerospace #2, with Agriculture and Heavy Equipment #3. Querétaro and Monterrey are the hub of automotive heat treating with Aerospace concentrate in western Mexico, although there is a growing aerospace sector around Querétaro which includes firms such as Safran. Chihuahua is also a hut of aerospace heat treating.”

• How significant is the aerospace industry in Mexico? “The aerospace segment was virtually nonexistent in Mexico not that many years ago, however it has been growing by leaps and bounds the past few years and is now the fastest growing heat treat segment in Mexico.”

• Is heat treating growing, remaining constant or shrinking in Mexico? ” I would estimate that commercial and captive heat treating in Mexico is growing at a pace of 10% per year.”

• Who are the main suppliers to the heat treatment industry in Mexico? “While a number of furnace builders from the USA and Europe subcontract some work to local firms in Mexico, the only substantial furnace builder in the country is “Mattsa”. I am proud to say that “SSi Mexico” is by far the largest supplier of furnace controls. Alloy components such as base trays, fixtures, radiant tubes, etc. come from a wide variety of sources including suppliers in China, India, France and the USA. Chinese alloy suppliers in particular are gaining market share although “Cronite” is probably the largest supplier.”

• Is it an issue finding good people in Mexico? “There are quite a few good people to be found in the Mexican heat treat industry, however because the market is growing employees have a great deal of flexibility in who they work for. If you treat your employees right they have little incentive to look elsewhere.”

• Is there much investment in new heat treat equipment? “Yes, is the short answer! Having said that, I should clarify that while there are quite a few new furnaces being installed, there is almost as much being investment in updating furnaces and controls-modernization of existing equipment is how I would describe it. It is very interesting to us that there is a lot of investment in new control systems in preparation for more “Artificial Intelligence”.

• One final question Salvador-how large is the commercial heat treat market in Mexico? ” While there are no official numbers, I would suggest that commercial heat treating occupies 5-10% of the total heat treat market. Some of the larger players include; Bodycote, CRIO, ETSA, ALD, Tecnotrat and Bati and other companies”.

Salvador I very much appreciate your time and your willingness to share your knowledge of the heat treat industry in Mexico. Sincerely Gord Montgomery

This past week “Gord Montgomery” of “The Monty Heat Treat News” had the opportunity to visit the absolute “Mecca” of vacuum heat treating-the city/state of “Singapore” which boasts an astonishing 450-500 aerospace vacuum furnaces in a tiny 900 square kilometer area.

Next week we will have a summary of the aerospace vacuum heat treating market in Singapore along with a few photos. We leave you now with this exclusive photo from “Barnes Aerospace” in Singapore.

(Editor’s Note; “The Monty” has had several stories over the past number of months about USA furnace builder AFC-Holcroft-Aichelin Americas changing the direction of their sales force “Furnace Builder Continues to Change North American Sales Direction”. This press release mentions another change).

“Expanding Western Coverage Through Strategic Partnership; Aichelin Americas is pleased to announce a new partnership with Heat Treat Elements (HTE), represented by Mike Hummel, to strengthen support across the Western United States. Through this collaboration, HTE will represent Aichelin Americas in:

Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho”

This partnership enhances local access to:

• Spare parts and aftermarket support

• Equipment projects and upgrades

• Technical expertise and field suppor

At one point in time the SKF ring and seal operation in Hanover, PA, USA boasted one of the largest and most advanced heat treatment facilities in North America. It featured pit furnaces, press quenching, pusher lines and batch IQ furnaces. The highlight was a dual, roller hearth, salt quench line, completely automated and represented at the time (17 years ago roughly) probably the most expensive and advanced heat treat system in North America.

Nothing is immune to time and SKF announced in April 2025 that they would be divesting themselves of this facility. While a number of the furnaces had been scrapped or sold previous to this decision, there did remain the roller hearth/salt quench furnaces which remain in operation to this day as can be seen in these pictures. Unfortunately, their days are numbered also and by the end of the year nothing will remain of this once very impressive heat treat facility.

“Bluewater Thermal” one of the “52 Largest North American Commercial Heat Treaters” as ranked by “The Monty” has just appointed “Mr. Jamie Kuriger” “Chief Revenue Officer. 

 

Jamie has had a long career in the North American heat treat industry with companies such as “Ipsen” (vacuum heat treat furnaces) and commercial heat treating giant “Bodycote”. 

 

At this point in time we have to confess that we are not entirely sure what the title “Chief Revenue Officer” means.

However we are confident that “Bluewater” will enlighten us, in the meantime we wish Jamie the best of luck in his new position.