Cherry Valley, ILLINOIS (October 20, 2021) – During the Metal Treating Institute’s Fall Meeting, Ipsen along with several other vested organizations presented donations to support the MTI Educational Foundation, which provides scholarships for the next generation of heat treating industry professionals.
“Education is crucial to bridging the workforce gap in our niche industry,” said Ipsen USA President and CEO Patrick McKenna. “Investing in the future of heat treating is important not only to Ipsen, but to our customers who will rely on our expert support for decades to come.” The MTI Educational Foundation has granted 37 scholarships totaling $186,000 since 2017. This year they raised $45,000 at the Fall Meeting. One of the main goals of the foundation is to support education related to the advancement of the heat-treating profession and the adjacent industries it serves.
“The MTI Foundation is playing a key role in attracting the next generation of heat treaters by awarding scholarships and following up with the young people during their educational journey,” said MTI Educational Foundation Chair Buster Crossley. “As every industry is challenged to find labor, the Foundation is using its resources to connect graduates with career opportunities.” Scholarship recipients are students pursuing careers in engineering, metallurgy and industrial sciences.
“The scholarship helped me gain valuable connections and experience in heat treating that led to job opportunities while still enrolled at Penn State,” said past recipient Thomas Pease. “I believe the future of the industry is bright. I look forward to being part of the growth of the industry and am extremely thankful to be one of the recipients of this award.” During this three-day gathering, attendees also participated in sessions on various topics including labor market conditions and supply chain challenges.
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Each year, at their Fall Meeting, MTI recognizes the supplier within their membership who has exemplified the highest levels of support and service to MTI members and the Institute with their expertise, service and commitment to the mission and objectives of the Metal Treating Institute.
ATP has played an instrumental role in delivering their expertise as a supplier serving MTI members and heat treating industry. MTI Awards Chair, Jamie Jones stated at the Fall Meeting, “MTI has been able to serve the heat treating industry at the highest levels due to the support of suppliers members like Aerospace Testing & Pyrometry. The award was well deserved.”
The Metal Treating Institute, established in 1933, is an international non-profit trade association for the heat treating industry based in Hendersonville, TN with members in 40 states and 6 countries.”
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“The Monty Heat Treat News” has been lead to believe that a major North American auto parts supplier has just ordered a brand new vacuum nitrider from a German furnace manufacturer. The unit would be a big one with working dimensions of roughly 48″ X 48″ X 72″ (1200mm X 1200mm X 1800mm). The story goes on to say that delivery would be roughly 8 months, although deliveries these days can be “flexible” because of supply chain issues which is affecting every single manufacturer in the world these days. Again continuing on with this story, this would be the first of several units if things work out as they should. Vacuum nitriding by the way is a technology which is seeing significant growth in North America these days. We will keep you updated.
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It is with regret that we mention the passing of Mr. bob Friedl, founder of commercial heat treater Advanced Heat Treating in St. Marys, PA, USA.
Bob grew up in St. Marys and was a 1968 Graduate of St. Marys Area High School. He was also a 1970 graduate of the Educational Institute of Pittsburgh. He was a member of St. Mary Church of Swartwel, a Mission of St. Rapheal Church, in Eldred. An avid outdoorsman, Bob was a member of numerous local sportsmen’s and outdoor clubs including QDMA, NWTF and the NRA.
Bob had retired in 1996 as the owner of Advanced Heat Treating in St. Marys, PA a business he had proudly built from the ground up. In addition to his wife Christine at home, Bob is survived by his children Denise E. Friedl of Pittsburgh, Robert M. Friedl of Freeport, PA, Benjamin Jovenitti and his wife Renee of Johnsonburg, Lance Jovenitti and his wife Stephanie of Rockton and Thomas Jovenitti and his wife Kelly of Allison Park, PA and 6 grandchildren. He is also survived by brothers Wayne Friedl of St. Marys and Dennis Friedl and his wife Julie of St. Marys and several nieces and nephews.
He is predeceased by his parents.
A Mass of Christian Burial for Robert L. “Bob” Friedl will be conducted at Holy Rosary Church, Johnsonburg on Wednesday October 20, 2021 at 11 AM with Fr. David Wilson, Pastor of Holy Rosary Church and Fr. Tom Brown, Pastor of St. Rapheal Parish concelebrating. Interment will be in Holy Rosary Cemetery and will be private. Friends will be received at the Anthony F Ferragine Funeral Home and Cremation Services Chapel 401 Chestnut Street Johnsonburg, PA Tuesday from 6 to 8 PM. Due to the ongoing concerns over the COVID-19 virus, the family requests that anyone attending the viewing or funeral please wear a mask. Share your condolences at www.ferraginefuneralhome.com”
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The Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA) economic reports always make for fascinating reading as a summary about manufacturing (and consequently heat treating) in North America.
Through the first part of this year the economy was booming at a most impressive rate. The consumer was enjoying the opportunity to resume their previous patterns and there was activity in almost every sector. At the same time there was that old adage – “be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” All that expansion resulted in a surge in inflation the likes of which had not been seen in over two decades. The “real” rate has jumped to over 5.0% and the “core” rate has been over 3.0%. This inflation rise has created concern among consumers and investors but there has yet to be a dramatic reaction from the Federal Reserve. Therefore, the questions are how long does this inflation surge last and how bad does it get before calming down?
There are many sectors puzzling over the path of inflation, but none seems to have been as sensitive as manufacturing as most of those commodity hikes have been felt here. Throughout the year the Fed has insisted the inflation rate is transitory. They assume the pace will slow and the rates will fall back to levels more familiar and the reason they make this assertion is that much of the inflation has been created by commodity prices. It has been obvious that these prices have been soaring all year – lumber was at an all[1]time high in mid-summer, steel has been up dramatically and so was copper and aluminum. These hikes corresponded with similar spikes in the price of oil. The good news is that these price hikes were a response to a demand-driven shortage as opposed to a “real” shortage.
Now that assumption has been challenged as we are now in the midst of a real energy crisis. The 500% hike in natural gas prices in Europe have cascaded through the US and the world in general. The per barrel price is now above $80 and could head higher. The shortage that creates the most difficulty is the one where there is simply not enough capacity to meet the need. A demand-driven shortage means that suppliers and producers have been taken somewhat by surprise by the demand and are struggling to keep pace. The point is that they can catch up with that demand and will.
The Fed assumed that once suppliers geared up the prices would start to fall and indeed that was the case with lumber and lately with steel as well. There is no expectation that prices will tumble back to those abnormally low levels in 2020 but they will likely be back to 2019 levels by the end of the year. The Fed has asserted consistently that this is transitory and by that they mean this is driven by demand shortages and when the suppliers catch up the end of the inflation threat will be near. If the recovery had been proceeding as it seemed to be through the early part of the summer the expectations regarding the supplier recovery would be clearer than they are now. That recovery has been thrown into question by the return of the virus threat.
This will extend that shortage situation and will leave prices high. On the other hand, the demand could utterly collapse as it did in 2020 and inflation would grind to a halt as nobody would be in a position to buy anything. Not since 2020 has there been this level of uncertainty and confusion. The Federal Reserve has not yet suggested they intend to do anything substantial to address inflation (such as hike interest rates). They have started to reduce their support for the economy – a tapering of their activity in the bond market. This will not have much of an impact on inflation at this point. The other motivators for inflation have been wage hikes and a surplus of money in the system. Thus far the wage hikes have not pushed inflation much. There has been consistent wage inflation in areas where skilled workers are in short supply but generally the workforce has not been in a position to leverage.
The money supply issue has been a concern as it was estimated there was close to $5 trillion in excess savings around the world earlier this year. That amount has declined by over half as people spent during the summer but it is still an overhang. The presence of excess cash and cheap access to loans means that people and businesses can ignore inflated prices to some degree. At the end of the day all people want to know is how high inflated prices will go and how long with that inflation last. A concise answer is near impossible to give but the best estimates hold that inflation that was supposed to reach its peak this year may keep surging into the remainder of the year and into 2022.
Opening Index Analysis IHEA’s Executive Economic Summary New Automobile & Light Truck Sales New Automobile & Light Truck Sales The frustration is shared by both the automobile producers and the potential buyers. Millions of vehicles are clogging up parking lots all over the country as they wait for the computer chips needed to complete the manufacturing process. Dozens of auto assembly plants have been idled waiting for the parts and assemblies that have been in short supply for months and there is not much change on the horizon. Demand for these vehicles remains high as consumers have the money and are now worried about future inflation but the supply chain crisis limits everybody. When does this all end and what impact will that have on sales?
The best estimates are that supply chains will start to turn towards normal no earlier than second quarter of next year. The vehicle dealers have pre-sold millions so the first allocations will be snapped up quickly. The expectation is that when the parts do show up and production resumes there will be a quick surplus situation until the consumer has time to react and start buying again. The average age of a vehicle in the US is now well over twelve years and that is the highest level seen in history. There is pent up demand and once the vehicles are available there will be plenty of eager buyers unless the inflation issues build to the point that people lack the cash to pay for vehicles when the average price is over $41,000
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In Miamisburg, Ohio, USA we see that a company by the name of Precision Impacts will be adding heat aluminum heat treat capacity; “Precision Impacts, a subsidiary of Gayston Corp., will add a new production line to its Miamisburg operations and add 41 new jobs. The company, an aluminum fabrication, finishing and assembly manufacturer, specializes in aluminum products for a variety of industries including the Department of Defense, Medical Devices, Industrial Gases and Sporting Goods. JobsOhio provided a $250,000 grant to support the company’s expansion at 721 Richard St., where it has 180,000-square-foot facility on approximately 11 acres. “This expansion required a substantial investment in equipment, infrastructure and building systems,” Andrew Sheldrick, Precision Impacts chief operating officer, said in a statement. “The support from JobsOhio allows us to move quickly to expand our production to accommodate this new contract and keep that work in Ohio.”
The $1.7 million expansion will allow Precision Impacts to produce a seamless aluminum cylinder that customers can use at home to fill balloons with helium. The cylinder will be fully manufactured in Miamisburg to include fabrication, heat treatment, machining, assembly, testing, filling, finishing and packaging. The product will ship ready for the retail shelf and it will be sold at large retail outlets across the country.”
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Earlier this year powdered metal specialists SSI Sintered Specialties announced they had ordered a new vacuum furnace from Elnik, our understanding is that the furnace has now been installed. “With the recent investment in an ELNIK high temperature refractory metal-lined vacuum furnace, SSI Sintered Specialties has announced its commitment to aggressive expansion into new powder metallurgy processes. The vacuum furnace, slated for installation in September 2021, will join a growing fleet of new equipment in SSI’s technology center in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Along with providing customers advanced powder metallurgy processing, this investment positions SSI to immediately target the addition of metal 3D printing to its portfolio and the expansion of its current metal injection molding (MIM) operations. This furnace allows SSI to develop sintering profiles for both technologies, plus its press and sinter processes.
“Adding this sophisticated vacuum furnace to our technology center showcases our commitment to being a customer-centric organization,” said Paul Hauck, Chief Operating Officer at SSI Sintered Specialties. “Investments like this allow us to better serve our customers by helping them solve complex application challenges with the development of new materials and processes.”
Through advanced processes and alloy development, SSI targets the diversification of both its technology portfolio and the markets it serves. SSI will focus on providing high volume powder metallurgy, MIM and metal 3D printing production to the following markets: aerospace, automotive, defense, electronics, industrial, medical, and sports equipment.
Along with processing large powder metal parts, prototypes and pre-production runs, SSI will implement an advanced feedstock material that enables the production of large-sized MIM parts that are greater than 200g. The addition of the vacuum furnace also allows SSI to expand its alloy and material development interests beyond unique variations of stainless-steel alloys, including processing metal-matrix composites and reactive materials such as titanium alloys.
To be at the forefront of the development of new sintering technologies, SSI has proactively added industry-leading talent to support its growing customer base and market diversification. SSI is eager to continue investing in new production capabilities and talented engineering experts as future technology is announced. SSI is actively filling capacity for its advanced press and sinter powder metallurgy, metal injection molding and metal 3D printing processes.
About SSI Sintered Specialties; SSI Sintered Specialties, headquartered in Janesville, Wisconsin, is a diverse engineering company and international supplier of high-performance products through in-house material development and advanced powder metallurgy processes. Our talented team of over 400 technical experts enable our global customer base to lead their industries with new technology that promotes a sustainable future. In our commitment to innovation, we are aggressively pioneering advanced press and sinter powder metallurgy, metal injection molding and metal 3D printing processes to unlock the full potential for material and product development.”
Based in Switzerland, David Howard of furnace manufacturer Codere is providing this update on how 2021 has been for the company.
2021 has been a positive year for Codere and we have received orders for our System 250 over three continents from industries which include tooling, hydraulic, commercial heat treatment shops, defense, precious metal and aerospace. Codere has also seen a pick-up in activity since the beginning of this year and has completed new sales in Japan, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic, Croatia and Brazil. We have sold our first fully automatic systems in Japan and Brazil and you can see a demonstration video on this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdqpdV8Rd1A
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Since 1999 “The Monty” has been publishing annually a list of the largest commercial heat treaters in North America based upon annual sales. This year readers will see we became much more ambitious and expanded the list to the 50 largest. The full list can be found by clicking the link below. We are always interested in hearing your comments so please reach out to us!
www.50-largest-north-american-commercial-heat-treats-2021.com
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