We at “The Monty Heat Treat News” are rather proud of this Bodycote “LinkedIn” posting but the best is yet to come in the form of a detailed report about this facility.
This is how Centek Group, a manufacturer and captive heat treater describes themselves; “Founded in 2001, Centek Group specializes in the development of engineering solutions for casing running environments. Our focus has always been to reduce risk and rig time. We design and manufacture a range of revolutionary centralizers which provide unprecedented stand-off: giving optimum pipe centralization, aiding pipe rotation and easing the string to total depth without issue. https://www.To a layman such as myself this means the company designs, manufactures and supplies centralizers, a product used when drilling for oil or gas. This is done in two manufacturing locations, the first in Newton Abbot, Devon UK, the second in Oklahoma City, OK, USA. “The Monty Heat Treat News” team was able to get a half day tour of the location in the UK and this is what we can report.
This location has always been a firm believer in keeping the entire manufacturing process in house and this includes heat treatment. In approximately 2014 the decision was made to update the entire heat treatment department and the end result was an Ipsen 2 row gas fired “pusher” style furnace, using endothermic atmosphere provided by a single retort Ipsen generator.
In overall concept this would be considered a fairly typical “U” shaped pusher design with loading and unloading in the same area, high heat, oil quench, wash, temper and a feature we always like to see-an automated “tray flipper” to provide longer life to the cast base trays. The entire system is controlled by an up to date PLC system with datalogging, with atmosphere controlled by oxygen probes.
What is rather unusual though is the cleanliness of the entire operation, not a breath of smoke or a hint of quench oil to be found in the entire department. Originally this was a family run, employee owned company and while this is no longer the case the family “feeling” and pride lives on.
While this entire project is very much a family affair we have to mention that the fellow in charge of the heat treatment department, Mr. Phil Hayes is a lifelong heat treater who takes his job seriously and he perhaps more than anybody else is responsible for the fact that the department runs so smoothly. Vacuum & Atmosphere Services provides help as required.
While we have not personally seen the location in Oklahoma City, USA our understanding is that it is largely a mirror image of the UK facility although the furnace was provided by AFC-Holcroft, a US manufacturer.
These photos will give you a very clear view of the entire facility. Our thanks go out to the entire Centek Group who were so incredibly hospitable during our visit.
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Caption. Left to Right; Gord Montgomery (The Monty), Piotr Kur, Phil Hayes, Slawomir Klonowski, Nick Houghton (VAS), Tom Cole, Rainer Amor, Kevin Dainty
Gord Montgomery, Nick Houghon, Phil Hayes, Jon Lawson
“The Monty Heat Treat News” has been updating the heat treatment industry on the effect of the global automotive heat treatment industry slowdown due to the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage. A report from CNBC states that overall revenue will drop by $210 Billion USD in 2021, a portion of which represents heat treatment services.- The semiconductor chip shortage is now expected to cost the global automotive industry $210 billion in revenue in 2021, according to consulting firm AlixPartners.
- The new forecast is nearly double the $110 billion projected in May, according to consulting firm AlixPartners.
- AlixPartners is now forecasting that 7.7 million units of production will be lost in 2021, up from 3.9 million in its May forecast.
“With no end in sight, the semiconductor chip shortage is now expected to cost the global automotive industry $210 billion in revenue in 2021, according to consulting firm AlixPartners. The forecast is almost double it previous projection of $110 billion in May. The New York-based firm released an initial forecast of $60.6 billion in late January when the parts problem started causing automakers to cut production at plants.
“Of course, everyone had hoped that the chip crisis would have abated more by now, but unfortunate events such as the COVID-19 lockdowns in Malaysia and continued problems elsewhere have exacerbated things,” said Mark Wakefield, global co-leader of the automotive and industrial practice at AlixPartners, in a statement.
AlixPartners is now forecasting that 7.7 million units of production will be lost in 2021, up from 3.9 million in its May forecast. The biggest hit to production occurred in the second quarter, according to Dan Hearsch, a managing director in the automotive and industrial practice at AlixPartners.
“The second quarter of this year is still the worst of chip shortage so far in terms of lost vehicles,” he said in an email to CNBC. “But what’s changed is that the auto industry globally simply hasn’t recovered as quickly as we thought when we did our forecast back in May due to unforeseen things since then like the rise of the delta variant and the Covid breakouts in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries.”
Automakers across the globe, including Ford Motor and General Motors, had warned of massive earnings cuts this year due to the chip shortage. But some, if not much, of those losses have been offset by resilient consumer demand and higher profits from record vehicle prices. AlixPartners expects the parts problem to continue into at least the second quarter of next year, according to Hearsch. He said it will “probably be a bit longer” until vehicle inventory levels noticeably improve, citing other supply issues with labor, transportation and other materials.”
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This past week part of “The Monty Heat Treat News” Team has been honored to be able to spend some time with Vacuum & Atmosphere Services of Birmingham, UK (VAS for short). The firm is the largest in the UK when it comes to servicing the thermal heat treatment industry and appears to know virtually every single company involved in the industry. https://www.vacat.co.uk/
Founded in 2000 the management team consists of 3 directors who have spent their entire working lives in the industry; Mike Long, Nick Houghton and Ian Scott. The company has over 35 employees who are able to provide pretty well anything when it comes to vacuum and atmosphere heat treating, service, installation, repair, spare parts-VAS even has a substantial offering of rebuilt equipment.
While the focus is on service, repair and install VAS also has new offerings which include datalogging, control systems and new furnaces through their long term relationship with Ipsen, Well worth mentioning also is the fact that the company has an interest in two other companies in the UK both dedicated to selling and servicing vacuum pumps, Vacuum Pump Services Ltd and VPSN Ltd.
Pre COVD sales were in excess of 5.4 million British pounds (roughly $7.5 million USD) and while the company like most others suffered a setback Mike Long was rather proud to say that they are now almost back at pre COVID levels. We had the chance to ask Mike how the pandemic had affected the company and he had this very interesting comment; “we were extremely fortunate that just prior to the onset of COVID, we hired a full time Quality, Health & Safety Director, a fellow by the name of Andy Nisbet. Andy’s experience in health and safety proved to be an enormous asset to us when navigating the new health and safety regulations and improving quality throughout the business”.
And what does the future hold? VAS is very much a family business, a business which includes Mike’s two sons Aaron and James who both work full time in the business. With their strong growth pattern, close family ties and an agreed succession plan in place, we expect the company to continue to grow and prosper in the future.
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Just a couple of weeks ago we mentioned how Euclid Heat Treat in Euclid, Ohio, USA was celebrating their 75th year in business. Now we are pleased to mention that Donohoo, Steel Treating in Bettendorf, Iowa, USA is also celebrating their 75th year in business.
“Chris Zubroski, president of Donohoo Steel Treating, often uses the phrase “back in the day” when talking about the Bettendorf company that is celebrating its 75th anniversary this fall.
It’s a testament to the company’s long history in the commercial heat treating business as technology continues to shape an industry that affects all aspects of our lives.
During an interview, Zubroski points to the blades on a pair of the familiar orange-handled scissors found in many homes to talk about the heat-treating industry.
“These have been heat-treated, to keep them from wearing, and to keep a sharp edge,” he said. “Everything from your automobile and bicycle to your garden tools has had some form of heat treating. People don’t realize how much material is heat-treated in their everyday life.”
Customers bring semi-finished parts to Donohoo to process them through industrial furnaces. The parts are heated and then quenched in oil, water or air.
Zubroski has worked at the plant for close to half of its 75 years, starting right after high school doing maintenance on equipment. He worked his way up to operations manager before buying the business from the third generation of the Donohoo family just over seven years ago.
Completion of construction of the Donohoo plant in 1946 on what was then called Zimmerman Road (now 33rd Street) was met with some fanfare locally. A caption under a photo of the plant in January 1947 in The Davenport Daily Times spoke of a busy schedule during its first year. The Donohoo plant was reported then to be the largest steel-treating plant within a 200-mile radius of Davenport.
Officers of the company at its formation in 1946 were William M. Donohoo, president and treasurer; Gus W. Donohoo, vice president; and Anne Donohoo, secretary. Early stories about the company spoke of William Donohoo’s 40-plus years in the heat-treating industry.
William M. Donohoo remained president until 1959; Gus W. Donohoo (son of William M. Donohoo) was president from 1959-1973; and William H. Donohoo (son of Gus W. Donohoo) was president from 1973 to 2014, marking three generations of family ownership.
Just three years after the plant opened, the company announced a major expansion that would double its capacity and workforce.
“Rapid expansion has made additional room imperative, officers point out,” it was reported in a story in the Sept. 2, 1949, Daily Times article.
Zubroski said it is likely the manufacturing boom after World War II fueled the need for heat-treating materials for companies producing machinery, such as John Deere, Caterpillar, and International Harvester.
“All of these companies were in this area and they needed heat treating,” he said.
But just months after the Donohoo expansion was announced, a devastating flash fire destroyed most of the plant.
The top headline on the front page of the March 18, 1950, Daily Times told the story: “FIRE WRECKS STEEL TREATING PLANT”. Only a paint shed was saved, and the two employees in the plant at the time escaped without injuries.
While the fire still smoldered, William Donohoo announced plans to build again on the same site as soon as it was possible. Less than a year later, with the Korean War underway, the rebuilt plant was at near-capacity production, “busy with defense orders from industrial plants within a 500-mile radius,” according to The Daily Times.
In the ensuing years, the plant has undergone a number of expansions, Zubroski said, as the workflow and technology have changed the face of the business.
“Even going back in my time, the manual labor involved was back-breaking work,” he said. “Now we have hoists and cranes and fork trucks to make it easier.” Electronic controllers and programmable machinery have also changed the business.
Full-time staff at the plant is usually around 20, with operations going 24 hours a day, six days a week, he said.
And while Donohoo Steel Treating has seen many changes over its 75 years, one unwavering principle remains: a commitment to quality and customer service.
“At Donohoo Steel Treating, it is our solemn belief that the most direct path to growth and prosperity is through the quality of our work and the quality of relationships with our customers. We are committed to following this simple philosophy in order to achieve a superior quality standard,” reads the company’s Quality Policy.
Zubroski is proud of the quality and quick turnaround that Donohoo provides its customers.
“Our company success for 75 years would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of our employees past and present,” he said.”
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Bearing manufacturer, Schaeffler Group is known as one of the largest captive heat treaters in the world with heat treat locations almost literally around the world. Back in 2018 the company announced that they were making a major investment in their Joplin, MO facility-that investment is now complete. The investment includes press quenching, carburizing furnaces and forging capabilities. A building that towers above the campus of a large Joplin manufacturer at the junction of Interstate 44 and Range Line Road is drawing attention.
“A lot of people have been asking, ‘What’s the new building out there by the interstate?’” said Matt Thompson, manager of the Schaeffler Group USA Inc. plant at 3900 S. Range Line Road. “It’s quite a building. We had to make a very tall structure for new forging equipment that’s going in there, bringing more capabilities back in-house and more production back to the U.S.”
At about 38 feet tall with square footage that nearly equals a half-acre, it is one of two buildings that have been enlarged for the plant’s heat-forging operations. It is part of a $56 million expansion project. Nearly three years ago, in late 2018, Schaeffler announced that Joplin had been selected from among its 73 worldwide plants to be the site of the expansion for its ball bearing manufacturing operations. According to Cynthia Norris, vice president of communications for the company, Schaeffler had identified four primary areas of investment to optimize the Joplin factory: forging capability; expanded heat treatment technology; improved efficiency throughput; and modernization of the factory building and support systems.
In addition to the new heat treatment expansion, the project has involved installing a carburizing furnace, a quench press line for fixture hardening, a large forge and additional forging lines. At the time the project was announced, company officials spoke to the Joplin City Council about their plans.
“This investment allows us to offer our customers even better service through faster delivery and shorter lead times,” David Thompson, president of the company’s North America operations, said then. “Equally important, our investment is a tribute to the incredible work ethic of the Joplin community, which has created a great place for Schaeffler to grow its business.”
It’s been a growing business in Joplin for 50 years. Formerly the FAG Bearings Corp., the plant was opened in 1970 to produce pump bearings for the automotive industry. In 1974, it started production of ball bearings for industrial uses. In 2008, the automotive production was moved to other plants operated by the company and the Joplin plant launched production of bearings for wind turbines. Six years later, the company added tapered roller bearings for railroad gearboxes to its operations. More than 1,117 finished parts for industrial products are manufactured there now by approximately 290 employees.
Matt Thompson said there is still more work to do to finish the expansion. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed some of the construction work and hampered equipment deliveries. He expects the project to be substantially complete by the end of the year. As that wraps up, the company’s efforts to attract workers has intensified. Other distribution and manufacturing operations brought to the city since 2018 have created more competition in hiring, the plant manager said. Terri Sherman, the human resources manager at the plant, said there are openings for 40 production workers created by the expansion project.
Company officials have been using all the resources they can think of to interest people in applying. They have attended job fairs, participated in community events such as this month’s Third Thursday in downtown Joplin, and even placed a huge banner on that tall building that people ask about. The company is offering a $1,500 sign-on bonus along with increased hourly wages and fringe benefits, Sherman said. One of the best recruitment methods the company has had is word-of-mouth by existing employees because of the company’s pay and benefits and its family-oriented culture. There are some workers who have recruited several members of their family to work there over the years, Sherman said.
“We wanted to share our story of the growth and expansion to encourage people to come and be a part of it,” Matt Thompson said. While the final phase of construction wraps up, “we have been doing a lot to try to draw the best we can find in the area to come and help run this new equipment.”
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Recently Solar Atmospheres of Western PA acquired a used VFS HL50 external quench vacuum furnace at an auction in the Philadelphia area. The main objective of this purchase was to retrofit this older furnace with a newer hot zone and pumping technology that will help minimize and target the condensation of detrimental binders evaporating out of MIM injection molded parts.
Solar’s maintenance team was responsible for refurbishing the furnace to its current standard. Solar Manufacturing, led by owner and CEO William Jones, designed the technology and the apparatus needed to consolidate the binders into one central location, thus minimizing the cleaning downtime the Solar staff was experiencing. This includes a completely new hot zone, a binder pumping port, and a second vacuum pump. The collaborative effort ensured both projects came together seamlessly.
By mid-October, the high production MIM sinter job will be fully transferred from current Solar vacuum furnaces to this dedicated and refurbished vacuum furnace. After multiple sintering runs, Solar will then have the data to compare the downtime of a traditional vacuum furnace versus the newly designed debind/sinter furnace. Solar looks forward to providing the MIM world with this new, critical processing information.
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Over the course of the next two weeks “The Monty Heat Treat News” will be visiting and profiling a number of in house heat treaters along with commercial heat treaters and industry suppliers. The first visit was to Krohne, UK which just last year installed the largest horizontal vacuum furnace in the country (part of the history is below). The basic background to this furnace is below, next week we will have a short video of the furnace in operation along with some very in depth details about the system. Tomorrow our visits will include the Rolls Royce/Bodycote location in Derby, UK.
“2020 Posting; Krohne UK Installs Largest Horizontal Vacuum Furnace in the UK; Captive heat treater and supplier of industrial process instrumentation Krohne has just installed the largest horizontal vacuum furnace in the UK. The furnace which was supplied by Ipsen, has working dimensions of 1200mm x 1200mm x 2400mm with an all moly hot zone and 6 bar quaenching. It was installed by Vacuum & Atmosphere Services who have just completed the installation with commissioning planned for next week. Mike Long of VAS has these comments;
We are proud to announce the delivery, install & build up of the UK’s largest horizontal vacuum furnace! VAS furnace engineers have completed the build up within 6 days & now ready for commissioning. We would like to thank all of our engineers for their hard work completing the build up & install during these challenging times. For all furnace requirements, both vacuum & atmosphere, please feel free to enquire by email at [email protected] or via telephone on +44 (0) 121 544 4385. Alternatively check out our website for all services & products provided including refurbished vacuum furnace, furnace spares & furnace servicing. https://www.vacat.co.uk/
Darren Hawes, Production Engineering Manager at Krohne has this to say; Excellent work from VAS to get the furnace installed during the Pandemic after being asked to take over full control due to travel restrictions by Ipsen. Getting the largest lorry into the factory was something to behold. Looking forward to seeing VAS fully commission the furnace and to continue working with them for years to come. Mike has ensured a very smooth process between Krohne and Ipsen from the offset.”
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Gord Montgomery (Monty Heat Treat News), Rahul Kanwar, Darren Hawes, Tom Harrison, Wayne Higham and Aaron Long (Vacuum & Atmosphere Services)