(Editors Note: This press release comes from “Mr. Dave Farmery”, President of vacuum furnace builder and commercial heat treater “Vac Aero”. Dave is justifiably very proud of this recent order from “Boeing”).
“Boeing is committing $7 million CAD to VAC AERO International Inc. through the CP8A Poseidon Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) program. This investment supports the purchase of two advanced vacuum furnaces for Boeing’s Tube, Duct and Reservoir Center in Algona, Washington—strengthening heat‑treat capability for critical tube and duct assemblies across multiple Boeing aircraft programs.
Our relationship with Boeing dates back to 1965, beginning with the original 737 program. Today, every Boeing aircraft includes landing‑gear components heat treated at our Oakville facility using vacuum furnaces manufactured in our Burlington facility. With more than 50,000 landing‑gear units processed to date, this work supports thousands of safe takeoffs and landings daily worldwide, enabled by Canadian manufacturing excellence, precision, and reliability. We are proud of the trust placed in us by Héroux-Devtek, Collins Aerospace, and Safran Landing Systems.
This CP‑8A Poseidon–linked ITB investment directly supports Canada’s Defence Procurement Strategy by anchoring advanced manufacturing, highly skilled jobs, and critical expertise in Canada. It strengthens allied supply chains, supports NATO interoperability, and reinforces Canada’s role within trusted transatlantic defence frameworks, including the European Union’s SAFE program while enabling partner like Boeing to meet defence readiness and sustainment objectives.
This investment represents far more than new equipment. It reflects enduring partnerships, proven capability, and confidence in Canadian advanced manufacturing. Most importantly, it reflects the dedication and expertise of the Vac Aero team, whose commitment makes achievements like this possible.
We are proud to support the CP‑8A Poseidon program and to continue contributing to Canada’s leadership in global aerospace and defence.”
(Editors Note; Bodycote is the world’s largest commercial heat treater and this new facility will strengthen their already strong position in the Mexican heat treatment market).
“Bodycote, the world’s leading provider of heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services, today announced plans to open a new facility in Apodaca, in the Monterrey metropolitan area, expanding its capacity to support customers across Mexico and the southern United States.
The expansion will help customers reduce logistics complexity, strengthen supply-chain resilience, and support localization and near-shoring strategies, while maintaining access to Bodycote’s global technical expertise and consistent quality standards.
The new site will complement Bodycote’s existing operations in Mexico, which include locations in Silao, San Luis Potosí and Guaymas, strengthening the company’s regional network and providing customers with greater flexibility and choice
Scheduled to open in 2026, the facility will increase local processing capacity and improve regional support as manufacturing activity in Mexico continues to grow. It will serve customers in the automotive, general industrial, and medical sectors, supporting both new programs and existing operations.
Operations will use modern, high-efficiency technologies and standardized operating practices to deliver consistent process quality, improved operating efficiency, and optimized energy performance.
The site will offer a range of precision heat treatment capabilities, including case hardening and nitriding technologies such as carburizing, carbonitriding, and nitrocarburising processes. These treatments enhance surface hardness, wear resistance, and fatigue performance while maintaining core strength in critical automotive and industrial components.
Bodycote is engaging with customers early to support future capacity planning and qualification activities, with site tours planned for Q2 2026. The facility is expected to begin operations in 2026, with capacity ramping in phases as customer demand grows. Further announcements will follow as the project progresses toward operational readiness.”
Due to the “Good Friday” Easter Holiday the offices of “The Monty Heat Treat News” will be closed on Friday April 3/2026. Regular news updates will resume Monday, April 6th/2026.
Today we are excited to be speaking with Mr. Ryan Mclaughlin, General Manager of furnace builder “McLaughlin Furnace Group” of Avilla, Indiana, USA. Ryan it was back in December, 2023 that we last had a chance for an in-depth discussion, to refresh your memory that interview can be found at “Ben Tackett, Ryan McLaughlin-The Interview”. I always enjoy these “follow up” interviews as they give us a chance to see what has changed.
We were chatting the other day and you mentioned how “McLaughlin” just received an order for a pit nitriding system along with several other inquiries which you are optimistic will turn into orders. What can you share with us about the order and can you give us your thoughts on why gas nitriding inquiries appear to be ramping up these days?A: I can’t share all the specifics, but I can say that the order is for a gas-fired pit nitriding furnace that includes a McLaughlin dissociator/incinerator system. This is a dual-function unit that produces dissociated ammonia while also handling exhaust incineration in a single integrated system. We have installed quite a few of these systems and have had great customer feedback. As for the increase in nitriding demand, I believe it’s driven by a continuous push across industries for improved part performance and extended life. Additionally, our recent increase in inquiries is largely due to our ability to offer shorter lead times and our flexibility in customizing equipment to meet specific customer requirements.
Historically has nitriding been a “core competency” at McLaughlin or is this a market that you are growing into as market demand grows?A: Nitriding has been part of our capabilities in the past, but I would say it’s an area we are now actively strengthening. Our goal is to add nitriding furnaces as a core product line that we are known for. We are investing time, resources, and engineering focus into this market because we see strong long-term demand and opportunity.
At the “FNA” show in Indianapolis you introduced a brand new product for the company, a “TRU-CRYOTHERM” about which you were very excited. Perhaps you could tell us what this product is and what market niche it fills?
A: The TRU-CRYOTHERM is a dual-process system that combines a cryogenic freezer with elevated temperature capabilities, operating across a wide range from -300°F to 1200°F. This versatility allows customers to perform both deep cryogenic treatment and thermal processing within a single unit.We offer fully customizable sizes and configurations, including direct gas-fired designs. The product fills a gap in the market where there are limited solutions offering this combined capability. Our approach focuses on delivering industrial-grade, robust equipment that meets demanding production environments while providing long-term reliability.
Has it been a successful product line for you? Perhaps another way of phrasing this question is how many units have you sold and how many do you predict for 2026
A: Yes, it has been a successful launch for us. To date, we have sold five TRU-CRYOTHERM units. Looking ahead, we are targeting to double that number in 2026 as awareness grows and more customers recognize the value of this technology and the McLaughlin’s quality.
Out of all of the product lines you offer which one would you say has proven to be the most successful? Let me put is another way-is there anything you offer where you feel absolutely, 100% confident that it is the best offering in the industry bar none?
A: Without question, our TRU-MIX generator stands out as a best-in-class product. Over the past year, we have achieved record sales for this system, which validates its performance and reliability.These units have transformed customer operations by providing consistent, high-quality atmosphere control—something that is critical in heat treating. Many customers struggle with gas consistency, but once a TRU-MIX generator is installed, that concern is essentially eliminated. It allows them to focus on other aspects of their operation.
McLaughlin Furnace Group since day 1 has been extremely successful in a particular style of furnace, a style which many in the industry probably don’t associate with the company-carbottom furnaces. I am sure our readers would like to know why you excel at this product, how many you have built over the years and what is the largest you have built?
A: Car bottom furnaces align extremely well with our core strengths heavy fabrication, pulse-fired combustion systems, and custom engineering.Over the years, we have built more than 15 car bottom furnaces. We have built car bottoms ranging from over 50 feet long and 25 feet wide to much smaller units. Beyond size, our real strength lies in custom engineering solutions that significantly improve process efficiency and cycle times for our customers.
The most popular style of furnace in North America by a very wide margin is the tried and true batch IQ furnace (sealed quench for our European readers). It is also the hardest market for new (or newer) furnace builders to break into as there are a couple of long entrenched suppliers in the industry. You broke into this market 3 or 4 years ago-are you continuing to make in roads into this arena?
A: Absolutely. We are currently building multiple units and continuing to expand our presence in this market. Our TRU-CARB IQ furnace is designed to be one of the most innovative and consistent systems available. We’ve focused heavily on performance, repeatability, and ease of operation and maintenance, which is helping us gain traction even in a competitive market.
I have run across a couple of very large projects “McLaughlin” has been involved with over the years either completed or partly completed. Are you able to share any details about these projects?
A: While we’ve discussed several new equipment projects already, I also want to highlight our rebuild and retrofit capabilities. This is an area where we bring a unique perspective.We help customers upgrade and modernize their existing equipment rather than replacing it entirely. In many cases, we’ve been able to significantly improve performance and extend equipment life while saving customers substantial capital investment.
Back in 2023 I asked you and Ben to make a prediction about the heat treating market in 2024. At the time Ryan you said you didn’t have time to think about a recession and that your were predicting a great 2024. Ben concurred with that statement. So did you prove to be correct about a very good 2024.
Yes, it did. We saw continued growth in 2024 and 2025, and overall, it has been a very strong period for us and for the industry.
Last question Ryan, what can we expect to see from “McLaughlin” in 2026? New technologies? Acquisitions perhaps? Growth into oversea markets?
You can expect continued growth and expansion across several key areas. We will be increasing our presence in nitriding, cryogenic systems, and car bottom furnaces. In addition, we are expanding our service and support footprint across the United States.Overall, 2026 will be focused on scaling our capabilities, strengthening our product lines, and continuing to deliver high-quality, customized solutions to our customers.
On a regular basis “The Monty Heat Treat News” likes to mention well known individuals in the heat treatment industry who have made changes in their careers, moved on from the industry or retired.
“Jeff Mays” has spent his entire working career in the heat treatment industry, with most of his career spent as a heat treatment engineer with bearing manufacturer SKF in Hanover, PA, USA. In this position he made many decisions effecting the course of heat treating at SKF, decisions which in some cases influenced heat treating across the entire bearing world.
Jeff was responsible for one of the largest single heat treatment investments “The Monty” has seen over the years, the installation of two state of the art, automated roller hearth furnace lines with salt quenching at the SKF facility in Hanover, PA.
This was a very ambitious project and one which proved to be very successful with the lines running to this day.
“Gord Montgomery” of “The Monty” had the privilege of running across Jeff just yesterday at “SKF” in Hanover and while Jeff is retired he makes a point of helping out the team at “SKF” on a regular basis.
In this photo we see Jeff on the left, with Mr. “Nathan Keister”, Heat Treat Manager of the Hanover, SKF facility on the right. Jeff and Nathan are seen standing in front of the roller hearth, salt quench line which Jeff was responsible for installing.
Global auto parts supplier “Linamar” has always been known as one of the largest in-house heat treaters in North America as rated by “The Monty” “15 Largest Captive Heat Treats-North America”.
With their global reach they are also a very substantial in-house heat treater around the globe and this just became larger with a recent acquisition of two facilities in Germany.
The bare outline of these acquisitions can be found in this press release below but the real story for heat treaters can be found in our exclusive story further down. This story comes from a visit “The Monty” made to these facilities and spells out in depth the heat treating capabilities these firms add to “Linamar’s” heat treating capabilities.
“Linamar Acquires Two German Manufacturing Facilities from Winning; Linamar has agreed to buy two German manufacturing plants from Winning BLW, expanding its global footprint.
The Canadian autoparts maker said Friday that it is acquiring the two facilities in Remscheid and Penzberg as the company looks to expands its product portfolio and manufacturing capabilities.
BLW. Linamar said the acquisition is immediately accretive and expects the new additions to add about 200 million Canadian dollars ($144.3 million) in annualized revenue.
Through these acquisitions, Linamar said it is significantly expanding its forging expertise to include warm forging, expanding its offering of precision gears to include precision bevel and helical gears, as well as small to medium-sized drivetrain and transmission components.
The company said that both facilities already serve customers that Linamar has existing business with, while also introducing new customers.”
ORIGINAL ARTICLE (OCTOBER 2023) Lets start with some basic background; “The Winning BLW Group develops, produces and sells drive and synchronization elements for the automotive industry at 3 locations in Germany. With more than 72 years of experience in the field of precision forming, the company is an innovative and competent partner to the national and international automotive industry as well as its suppliers Home – Winning BLW GmbH”.
As you would expect the firm’s heat treating requirements are substantial and for its most recent facility in Penzberg, Germany the company turned to one of the largest commercial heat treaters in the country “Hanomag” for assistance in their heat treating needs Hanomag: Home (haertecenter.de) (to find out the relative size of Hanomag we would suggest this ranking as provided by “The Monty Heat Treat News” Largest European Commercial Heat Treaters | The Monty).
The end result is that “Hanomag” is in the final stages of setting up a “state of the art” heat treat facility in the new Winning BLW facility in Penzberg, Germany. When this location is in full production in 2024 it will have over 300 employees producing components for the heavy truck industry. Next year the company will require 6,600 tons of product per year to be heat treated and to do this Hanomag has set up a very impressive in house heat treat department which when completed will include 7 Aichelin Sealed Quench furnaces (batch IQ for our North American readers), each with a capacity of 2,000 kg, an Ipsen Sealed quench furnace with similar dimensions, an Ipsen rotary hearth furnace, ancillary equipment and annealing capacity which is yet to come.
The heat treat department will be staffed by roughly 25 individuals all of whom will be Hanomag employees. Currently the furnaces are just entering production with full production expected in 2024. The Aichelin sealed quench line is completely automated and can be considered a “lights out operation”. All furnaces are gas fired with atmosphere provided by 3 endothermic generators, atmosphere is controlled by oxygen probes with portable 3 gas analyzers and regular shim stock checks providing backup.
While this location’s heat treating needs are being provided by Hanomag, Winnings’ Munich location handles their own in house heat treating which includes nitriding and vacuum hardening. A number of the largest commercial heat treaters in the world have targeted in house heat treating departments as a natural progression for their businesses but it is still not a common occurrence. This is one of the best examples we have seen and while this project is in it’s initial stages it would at this point in time appear to be a “win/win” situation for both companies. These photos tell the rest of the story.
“Vacu-Braze” has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, so much so that 2025 represented the first year the firm made our list as one of the largest in North America.
It would appear that this growth continues as the company has surpassed previous growth spurts with substantial investments in an expansion of the facility along with several very impressive investments in new equipment.
We will be providing you, our readers with an updated company profile next week along with a summary of the new investments in the coming weeks. We leave you with these two photos taken Monday March 30.
“The Monty Heat Treat News” has been trumpeting a new trend in the global heat treatment industry-increased defense spending around the world is leading to massive new investments in new thermal processing equipment. Further down you can see at least three examples in previous posts by “The Monty”, today we have a European example of a defense contractor investing in new Batch IQ (Sealed Quench) furnaces.
A major European defense contractor has commissioned a production line consisting of two, chamber (batch IQ) furnaces for case hardening. The lines come from “AICHELIN GmbH, Austria”, and are complimented with an integrated washing system. The furnaces feature recuperated gas burners with endothermic generators.
The links below feature several examples of other defense firms in Canada, the USA and Europe who have invested in more heat treating capacity as a direct example of increased defense spending-we expect there will be more.
For some time now “The Monty Heat Treat News”has been aware of a smaller heat treat furnace builder in Michigan, USA being for sale. The prospectus has this to say about the company;
“Established over 25 years ago, this company specializes in engineering, manufacturing, installing, and servicing industrial heat-treat furnaces and equipment. It produces very stable revenue and cash flow and has never been greatly affected by economic changes. Clients are mostly nationwide and come from a variety of industries, including auto, aviation, and commercial. The company has a management team in place, and the owner, who is the primary manager, is willing to stay on for an extended time past transition. The company is located in Washtenaw County, Michigan, USA and has annual revenue of $7,858,000, Net cash flow of $1,965,000 and an asking price of $8.5 Million USD.”
Recent on line reports have an offer being made by a buyer with the vendor accepting. Based upon the description above, this can be one of only two firms in Michigan-we expect that “The Monty” will be reporting in the medium term on the identity of both the buyer and seller.
“TAV Vacuum Furnaces” has just promoted “Mr. Marco Baretti” to the position of Sales & Strategic Marketing Director. “Mr. Baretti” has been with the firm for over 12 years in a variety of positions-most recently as Sales Area Manager.
In related news the company recently shipped a new 10 bar quenching furnace with working dimensions of 36″ X 36″ X 48″ to a commercial heat treater based in the USA.
For more about “TAV”, one of the world’s largest vacuum furnace builders we would suggest this exclusive article from “The Monty Heat Treat News”;
March 10th, 2025 “The Monty Heat Treat News” had a story about vacuum furnace builder “TAV” landing an order for their “1,001st New Vacuum Furnace”–we learned this very interesting fact during a visit to the firm’s headquarters in Bergamo, Italy (close to Milano, Italy).
During a very interesting visit hosted by Mr. Guido Locatelli (General Manager), Mr. Marco Baretti, (Area Manager) and Mr. Jan Massholder (Managing Director, Furnacare) we learned a number of very interesting facts about the company;
This privately held firm was established in 1984 and remains a privately owned venture. The years have been very kind to “TAV” with the result being that as of 2025 the company has 107 employees with a further 50 at “TAV Engineering” (more on “TAV” Engineering later). The end result? Sales of almost $60 million USD in 2024.
The reasons for this success are many and varied, however in our opinion a large factor is the company’s laser like focus on one technology and one only-vacuum furnaces. The company has never ventured into the “atmosphere” market and as far as we can tell they have no plans to do so.
This focus on vacuum has certainly not stopped the company from entering the “LPC” (low pressure carburizing) arena as we inspected a brand new “LPC” system with 20 bar quenching that “TAV” has in their R & D department,-the “LPC” system can be clearly seen in the one photo in this article.
In the capabilities arena we can say that the company produces both horizontal and bottom loading vacuum furnaces capable of up to 2500C with vacuum levels down to 10-8 Torr (speaking of bottom loading vacuum furnaces you can see a prime example in these photos, a bottom load furnace almost ready to ship to an aerospace customer in India). In addition, “TAV” can make vessels capable of up to 100 bar pressure. On a side note, the firm keeps most of their supply chain local which greatly speeds up delivery time. This includes a local firm being acquired by “TAV”which for years has produced all the chambers required.
“Hot Zone Construction”
Earlier we suggested that part of the success of the company is due to the fact that they focus all of their energy on vacuum technology only-while this true there is another reason “Guido” told us was a factor in their success. “TAV” has always worked very closely with their customers on process development, in other words they help their customers come up with the correct process for their particular parts. This is reflected in the fact that the “R & D” department (shown in some of these pictures) has 4 furnaces entirely dedicated to helping their customers achieve the correct metallurgical results, these systems can also help customers with short term production.
While the Bergamo, Italy location services South America, Europe, Scandanavia and Aisa, North American Sales & Service is handled by the “Furnacare” division of the company located in Spartanburg, SC, USA. This facility was established in 2015 and over the years it has been responsible for selling and installing 75 furnaces in the US-as a matter of fact the US has been the largest market for “TAV” the past 4 years running. As an example of this out of the 11 or so furnaces we saw on the assembly floor, roughly half are destined for the US market. As mentioned earlier Mr. Jan Massholder is the Managing Director of this facility.
We thank the entire “TAV” team for their time and hospitality.
Gord Montgomery, Guido Locatelli, General Manager, Marco Baretti, Sales Manager, Jan Massholder, Managing Director Furnacare
LPC System, Marco Baretti, Gord Montgomery, Guido Locatelli
Gord Montgomery, Jan Massholder, Marco Baretti, Guido Locatelli
For some time now “The Monty Heat Treat News” has been aware of a smaller heat treat furnace builder in Michigan, USA being for sale. The prospectus has this to say about the company;
