Since 1999 “The Monty” has been publishing annually a list of the largest commercial heat treaters in North America based upon annual sales, our 2021 list can be found at https://themonty.com/articles/50-largest-north-american-commercial-heat-treats-2021-2/ This year readers will see we became much more ambitious and expanded the list to the 50 largest. In our 34th spot we have Byron Products, Fairfield, Ohio.

Founded in 1982 by Mark Byron in a 1 car garage, Mark has grown Byron into a very significant player in the Thermal Processing Industry in North America. The NADCAP approved company offers brazing, heat treating, welding and coatings all with a strong emphasis on the aerospace industry. The company operates out of 2 facilities in Ohio.

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Since are incorporation in 1969 WG Montgomery Ltd., (The Monty Heat Treat News) has accumulated 1000’s of photos of various captive and commercial heat treaters around the world. Today we are reaching into our archives to find one of the most memorable locations we have been lucky enough to visit, Gruppo T.T.N. in Northern Italy (the notes below date back to 2019 when “The Monty Heat Treat News” team had the chance to visit, our summary is below). While there are many things about Gruppo T.T.N. that stick in our minds far and away the most remarkable was the pit nitrider installation shown in these photos. The sheer size of the furnaces and the size of the pit required was truly impressive, why the pit is actually larger than the one at the old Bodycote, Melrose Park, Illinois facility.

“January 2019; Gruppo T.T.N./Italy. Last week we had the chance to visit commercial heat treater Gruppo T.T.N., at their headquarters in Nerviano, Italy which proved to be a rather interesting experience. The family owned group consists of 9 locations, all in northern Italy with a total of 500 employees-now 9 plants and 500 employees would rank the company as one of the largest commercial heat treaters in Europe and even the world for that matter.  As far as we can tell there are no processes the company does not have-Induction, Vacuum, Salt, Gas & Plasma Nitriding, annealing, Quench & Temper, Vacuum Carburizing-there is literally not a process we can think of that the company does not have. The only common denominator would appear to be that the company focuses mainly on large parts, however since they also have belt furnaces even this statement is not entirely true. In the lobby there is a rather interesting photo and certificate dating back about 15 years. The certificate of achievement is from Boeing and emphasizes the company’s contributions to the Nasa Space missions when they heat treated components for fuel tanks for rockets, a contribution which required a Boeing team to be on site for 6 months. Mr. Pirovano who founded the company back in 1978 and who is still very active turned out to be a very friendly and open fellow who allowed us to take photos of the entire plant-some of the results of which you can see below and are far more interesting than our scribblings.”

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Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT), a recognized leader in heat treat services and metallurgical solutions, announced today that Chris Molencupp has joined the company as its new regional sales manager. Molencupp will be responsible for driving sales from Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Canada. Molencupp joins the AHT team with over 30 years of experience in heat treatment and manufacturing.  AHT President Mikel Woods commented, “Chris comes to AHT with a background in both operations and quality, and in-depth experience with heat treatment, brazing, forging and other metallurgical services. His well-rounded background will serve our customers and their diverse needs well.”

Molencupp will be based in Monroe, Michigan. The AHT facility in Monroe offers ion (plasma) and gas nitriding, ferritic nitrocarburizing, UltraOx®, UltraOx® Hyper, black oxide, stress relieve and more. While the location can accommodate parts of all sizes, it is uniquely positioned to handle long parts with its 31-foot tall nitriding unit and 40+ years of heat treat experience.  “With our knowledgeable sales staff and multiple locations, we’re able to better serve our customers and give them the UltraGlowing® experience in every location, every time,” added Woods.  Learn more about Advanced Heat Treat Corp. and its 20+ surface treatments at www.ahtcorp.com or by calling (319) 232-5221.

About Advanced Heat Treat Corp. Established in 1981, Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT) is a recognized leader in providing heat treat services and superior metallurgical solutions to companies across the globe, with locations in Alabama, Iowa and Michigan. Their UltraGlow® family of processes includes plasma ion nitriding, ferritic nitrocarburizing (FNC), gas nitriding, UltraOx®, through hardening, carburizing, carbonitriding, induction hardening, black oxide and many more.

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On a regular basis “The Monty Heat Treat News” features articles from Josh Hale of International Search Partners about what those in the heat treatment industry can expect to get paid-past articles can be found at What Do Those in the Commercial Heat Treat Industry Get Paid? | The Monty and OEM’s (Furnace and Oven Manufacturers) Salary Guide | The Monty In his unique position as part of the largest organization in North America recruiting individuals into the heat treat industry Josh’s knowledge about salaries is second to none. With all the turmoil in the labor market these days we reached out to Josh for an update about how salary expectations and hourly labor rates had changed in the past year.

The result are these very knowledgeable thoughts, read on.

Heat Treat Salary Analysis 2022 (written for the Monty)

ISP’s Heat Treat Salary Guides have historically been updated every few years, but even though the latest versions were just published during Summer 2021, A LOT has changed in just the past few months.

Record high inflation, “the Great Resignation,” lingering COVID-19 concerns and a surge in early retirements are just a few of the factors causing a shift to an extremely employee-driven hiring market that has spurred across-the-board wage increases.

What follows is a brief snapshot of how salaries have changed for the most common job titles for a commercial heat treat or furnace OEM between July 2021 and February 2022:

Furnace Operators – Every commercial heat treat is hurting production hourly workers right now. Whereas operators have seen their rates increase from the low teens to the low twenties over the past few years, averages have risen to $25+/hr with availability for OT in the past few months.

Field Service Engineer – The demand for FSEs is such right now that an experienced service engineer willing to travel extensively can truly have their pick of offers. Pre-pandemic compensation for these road warriors as solid in the mid-$30’s per hour and up to $100kish with OT, but nowadays strong techs can demand and get upwards of $40-45+/hr (especially for those with strong PLC skills). This is a great field to enter for young people looking to start their career as the need for quality candidates is showing no sign of slowing down.

Maintenance – One reason why FSE comp has risen so much so quickly is because of the allure of becoming an onsite maintenance mechanic or manager with less travel. These positions have seen offers for employment go from an average of $30/hr to closer to $40/hr, with those experienced folks who are willing to take supervisory responsibilities or undesirable shifts garnering upwards of $50+/hr.

Quality Engineer/Managers and Metallurgists – There can be a lot of variation for base salaries between plant metallurgists, lab metallurgists and those who specialize in quality, but as with all positions in heat treat, the supply-demand ratio has led to an increase in pay, with ranges shifting from $65-110k up to $70-$125k and above.

Engineers – OEMs hiring engineers are needing to pay salaries with an uptick of 15-25% over the past 6ish months, with electrical engineers, and especially PLC and controls programmers, tending to be able to demand the highest wages (more than mechanical designers). These technical professionals are averaging $65-75k or more with 0-3 years of experience and up to the mid-$100ks for extensive industry experience or niche expertise.

Sales Engineers – Unlike most other job functions, base salaries for those in sales has been relatively stable, with more “normal” cost-of-living and inflation adjustments. However, in this hot market, many of the best performers are hitting record commissions and bonuses, so, to attract new talent, companies are offering more perks and non-salary comp like work-from-home, car allowance and extra PTO.

Plant Managers and GMs – Most of the increased demand for new hires has been more at the hands-on level and less so for management. Therefore, the top of the pyramid has seen less of marked increase than some of the other roles, but still factoring inflation and general rising of all wages, PMs and GMs have seen 10-20% bumps in overall comp thus far this year versus last.

As companies struggle to compete for talent during these unprecedented times, rising salaries are being used as the “carrot” to lure new employees and retain existing ones. To stay relevant, owners and managers need to re-evaluate their comp plans and budgets to see where an appropriate investment can be made. Remember, turnover is costly, as is losing out a potential strong hire to the competition.

Workers should consider this an opportune time to either ask for a raise or consider making a career move. Either way, it’s always a good idea to track one’s accomplishments and keep an updated resume on hand. While the overall market may be hot, it is the top performers with a proved track record who deserve to and will be rewarded.

This salary information has been culled together based on data International Search Partners (www.internationalsearchpartners.net) has collected from over 20 years of providing search and placement solutions exclusively to the heat treat industry. There are many variables to consider, and things shift rapidly under current market conditions, but this guide provides a solid, accurate baseline of information and is meant to be used as a reference point for employers and employees alike.

For specific salary questions, or to inquire about more about recruiting services, please contact Josh Hale at [email protected] or 619-828-1040.

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In this week’s action packed episode of “The Heat Treat Podcast” our articulate and charming host, Mr. Carlos Torres talks about New Technologies on LPC with James Muenzenberger and Kelly Peters of ALD Thermal Treatment in Port Huron, Michigan, USA.  

“ALD Heat Treat Services is considered to be one of the premier heat treat organizations in the world specializing in distortion control through its specialization in Low Pressure Carburizing (LPC) and High Pressure Gas Quenching (HPGQ). ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH., operates two facilities in North America; each ideally located in the manufacturing heartland of the United States and Mexico. ALD Thermal Treatment, Inc., located in Port Huron, MI, opened in 2006 and the sister plant in Ramos Arizpe, Coah. (Mexico), launched in 2008, have both earned the prestigious General Motors Supplier Quality Excellence Award for six consecutive years. ALD is proud to note that they are the only outside heat treat facilities in the GM supply base who can claim this honor. ALD also operates another state of the art facility in Saxony, Germany and are on track for a fourth facility in Suzhou China in early 2021.

We are the solution for superior quality vacuum heat treating services, with a strong international presence and worldwide operation which includes furnace sales and furnace equipment servicing offered by our world-renowned ALD affiliates. Our Quality System, automation controls, Research & Development Team, in-house Laboratory, and other internal processes are robust and second to none. We are IATF 16949, AS9100, and ISO 9001 Certified, and we are also ISO 27001 and ISO 14001 compliant. We are currently seeking NADCAP certification and look forward to servicing the Aerospace Community with the highest degree of quality and precision available in the market today. Our processes minimize the distortion of precision manufactured components, such as the gears and thin walled parts found in major automotive (trucks and off-road vehicles), energy and aerospace applications. Often, our customers can reduce or totally eliminate post heat treat processing resulting in total part cost optimization.” www.ald.com

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ALD Vacuum Technologies is hosting a wide range of online seminars. In this series, you will learn the ins and outs of ALD’s cutting edge technology in Low Pressure Carburizing (LPC), High Pressure Gas Quench (HPGQ), and Low Pressure Carbonitriding (LPCN). Don’t worry if you can’t make the first session on February 23rd! The series is ongoing and you can join the remaining sessions.

Here is the registration link for our upcoming webinar series.  Upon registration, you will receive a confirmation e-mail and access link from [email protected] to the LPC seminar series 2022.

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Franklin, Indiana, USA, February, 16, 2022 / Nitrex’s heat treating facility in Franklin, Indiana, has been granted its Nadcap reaccreditation. The Nitrex Heat Treating Services (HTS) facility in Franklin, Indiana, received the Nadcap (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program) accreditation for the following processes: heat treating for multiple alloy families, stress relieving, carburizing, nitriding, vacuum heat treating, hardness and metallography.

“This central US location and the Nitrex expertise will be used to expand our aerospace focus and business in the US,” says Mark K. Hemsath, vice president of Sales at Nitrex Heat Treating Services, Americas. The Nadcap is known as the highest level of quality certification when it comes to heat treating. It is not only valuable in the aerospace sector, but it also shows a trusted level of expertise in the defense and precision industries.

“Nitrex is global leader in gas nitriding and this accreditation not only shows our commitment to offer the best quality to our customers, but also our expertise in alternative processes,” remarks Mr. Hemsath. Currently, Nadcap has approved the operations of the Nitrex HTS facilities in Franklin, Indiana, and in Queretaro, Mexico.

Why Nadcap?

As the highest level of international aerospace approval, a Nadcap accreditation (https://p-r-i.org/nadcap/) is considered to be the hardest one to obtain. This industry-managed program has the most stringent requirements to ensure that those using special processes and heat treating parts for the aerospace industry adhere to consistent, high-quality standards. Focusing on maintaining global quality standards not only helps ensure the safety of everyone using these products, but it also helps companies continually improve and refine heat treatment processes to provide customers with the best product quality possible.

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The largest furnace builder in Turkey, Sistem Teknik of Istanbul has just announced that their new facility in Bulgaria is now in operation as you can see in the press release below. We had the chance to visit Sistem Teknik a few years ago and what you see in this photo is fairly typical of what the company produces, in this case an automated furnace line with press quenching.

“We are excited to announce that our new factory in Bulgaria is now under operation with a team of 16 experienced engineers and technicians. We produce melting and heat treatment furnaces at Sistem Teknik, Bulgaria and we are aiming to complete 1 furnace/month. By expanding our production line through borders, we aspire to continue delivering our technology to all parts of the world at full speed and strength.”

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Solar Atmospheres of Western PA received delivery of their Vacuum Oil Quench (VOQ) furnace from Solar Manufacturing last week. This 36” x 36″ x 48” furnace will be fully installed, tested and operational in early April. See the largest component, a 40,000 pound vestibule / oil quench tank, being transferred and inverted into its pit. This will be the first vacuum oil quench furnace to employ work thermocouples in the actual load! More to come on this unique furnace . . .

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SECO/WARWICK will deliver a compact Vector® vacuum furnace with a 400x400x600mm heating chamber to Michelin. It will be indispensable for the gas hardening process used in the manufacture of tools for premium tires.

“With a relatively low expenditure, the compact Vector vacuum furnace makes it possible to become independent from third parties. It also provides better control over the quality of heat-treated components and reduces the risk of delays which, as a result of lack of deliveries, slow down or obstruct manufacturing processes (tire manufacturing in this case). This is a very reasonable approach with a proven furnace design utilizing a round heating chamber, ergonomic pumping system and a powerful cooling system based on a blower that ensures the maximum hardening pressure up to 15 bar abs” said Maciej Korecki, Vice-President, Vacuum Furnace Segment, SECO/WARWICK Group.

The Vector vacuum furnace enables highly efficient hardening processes thanks to the use of high pressure and cooling gas. Vector® vacuum furnaces can be used for the majority of standard hardening, tempering, annealing, solution heat treating and brazing processes. However, a device can always be adapted to the specific requirements of the customer and thus to the particular industry. The device is available in several sizes, so its output perfectly fits the customer’s needs. The Vector range is characterized by low consumption of energy and heating chamber performance as well as clean and quick processing. This flagship SECO/WARWICK product is already in operation in more than 70 countries worldwide, working for industries such as aviation, automotive or defense.

Michelin is the largest in Europe, and one of the largest global tire manufacturers. Its headquarters is located in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme), France. The company manufactures tires mostly intended for passenger vehicles, trucks, agricultural machinery, and motorcycles as well as bicycle tubes and tires, and aircraft and space shuttle tires. Michelin has 56 production plants in 17 countries as well as 3 technology centers in France, Japan, and the United States. The Polish Michelin plant employs 4126 people and is the largest Michelin plant around the world in terms of the number of employees, and ranks third in terms of production capacity.

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