Bodycote deploys on-site hydrogen generation system to reduce heat treatment costs, cut emissions and strengthen supply resilience
Installation of Hgen equipment at the Rancho Dominguez plant in the U.S. supports commercial and environmental objective
Durable and compact Hgen module to produce hydrogen and oxygen from electricity and water
On-site industrial gas generation reduces dependence on third-party hydrogen supply chains and associated road transport impacts
Installation creates a pathway to lower cost of hydrogen and reduced emissions, advancing broader decarbonization objectives
Rancho Dominguez, CA [March 26, 2026]: Bodycote, the world’s leading provider of advanced heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services, has deployed an on-site hydrogen generation system from Hgen at its Rancho Dominguez facility in California, U.S. The new system will deliver a cleaner, more resilient, and lower-cost hydrogen supply while contributing to sustainability and decarbonization objectives.
Hydrogen is an essential industrial gas used in Bodycote’s precision heat treatment and surface coating technologies, treating metal and metal-alloy components for the aerospace, defense, automotive and energy sectors. This installation provides a lower-cost, lower-emissions solution.
The new system at Rancho Dominguez generates hydrogen at the point of use from electricity and water, eliminating impacts associated with bulk hydrogen transportation, distribution, and vendor handling and reducing associated emissions by more than 90%. It will also help drive down the cost of hydrogen.
Bodycote partnered with industrial gas innovator Hgen to deploy the hydrogen generation system at the plant. The Hgen module footprint is 20 times smaller than alternatives that produce the same gas volume, reducing system cost and space requirements. Its modular, expandable design allows production capacity to scale with process demand, supporting efficient resource use at Bodycote’s California site while strengthening long-term supply security.
The containerized module was supplied pre-assembled, minimizing custom integration, and installation took less than two weeks.
“On-site gas generation avoids the need for expensive gas compression, transport, and storage,” says Molly Yang, Chief Executive Officer at Hgen. “The high efficiency of Hgen’s technology allows Bodycote to reduce gas costs while advancing its sustainability goals.”
Success at Rancho Dominguez is expected to pave the way for broader deployment of distributed hydrogen generation across additional sites, reinforcing Bodycote’s long-term energy transition strategy and sustainability commitments.”
One of the things that makes this list so interesting is that it is constantly in a state of “flux”-each year brings changes. For example family owned “Paulo” was for years ranked in the second or third spot, with their acquisition by “Aalberts Surface Technologies” they disappeared from our list. “American Steel Treating” in Perrysburg, Ohio was a staple on our list for years, unfortunately this facility closed a year ago.
Our 2026 list will reflect a changing industry with at least one new addition, “Tohken Thermo Mexicana de SA de CV”in Aguascalientes, Mexico. “Tohken Thermo” will be included on our list this year not because they suddenly saw an enormous spike in sales but because (much to our chagrin) we were not aware of how large the company was until “Tohken Thermo” approached us directly with detailed information about the company.
“Tohken Thermo Mexico” is part of “Tohken Thermo”, the largest heat treating group in Japan. Like many of the Japanese commercial heat treat locations in North America it is entirely dedicated to Japanese auto component facilities.
This is how “Tohken Thermo Mexico” describes this location and their processes; “The Heat Treatment service we offer is the best in the world, the type of services we offer are nitriding furnaces as well as the carbonitriding, quenching and tempering type. We also have the necessary technology to provide any type of thermal treatment they require, as well as the necessary experience to respond at all times to the needs of our most demanding customers”.
We won’t keep you in suspense, this location has over 250 employees with annual sales of approximately $17 million USD which will guarantee them a spot on our upcoming list of “52 Largest North American Commercial Heat Treaters 2026.
“SECO/WARWICK Secures Repeat Order from Major Thai Aerospace Manufacturer”
“A producer of engine blades for aircraft has chosen SECO/WARWICK` as the supplier of a single-chamber Vector vacuum furnace for the second time. SECO/WARWICK’s modern technology will support the production of components for global aviation giants.
This is the second collaboration between the two companies in Thailand. This partner already owns an identical SECO/WARWICK vacuum furnace that supports the production of titanium, high-temperature steel and nickel alloy aircraft engine blades. Proven technology and a reliable partner meet again to respond to the growing needs of the aviation market in Southeast Asia.
“Thailand is becoming an increasingly important point on the global map of the aviation industry. Investments in advanced metal heat treatment technologies signal that the region is developing dynamically and focusing on quality. SECO/WARWICK, as a proven supplier of vacuum technologies, plays a significant role in this process. The solution ordered replicates the proven technology that the client already possesses. The new device will increase production capacity and relieve the existing furnace. The purchase of a twin furnace is the best recognition for us – confirmation of the quality, durability and stability of our devices,” said Maciej Korecki, Vice President of the Vacuum Furnace Segment of the SECO/WARWICK Group.”
ECM USA is pleased to announce the appointment of Marco Möser to Senior Sales Engineer for the Western U.S., reinforcing our dedication to meet increasing demand for advanced vacuum furnace technology across the United States. With more than 25 years of experience in the heat treatment industry, Marco brings extensive expertise in supporting OEMs on large-scale automotive programs (ex. 8/9/10-speed transmission programs). His strong technical expertise and analytical approach position him to play a key role in advancing ECM USA’s sales strategy and enhancing customer success.
Prior to joining ECM USA, Marco held senior leadership roles, including Sales Director and Vice President, for specialized alloy fixturing and foundry organizations across Europe and the Americas. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a consistent ability to drive sales growth, optimize performance, and strengthen team collaboration.
Marco’s professional background includes multiple executive-level positions, as well as, completion of an Executive Development Program at The Wharton School in Philadelphia, further underscoring his leadership capabilities and strategic insight.
Solar Atmospheres is pleased to announce the installation and full commissioning of a new 10-bar vacuum furnace at its Fontana, California facility, further expanding the company’s high-pressure vacuum heat treating capabilities in the western United States.
The furnace, manufactured by sister company Solar Manufacturing, is a state-of-the-art horizontal vacuum system featuring a 48” wide x 48” high x 96” deep hot zone and a maximum load capacity of 12,000 pounds. Equipped with an advanced vacuum pumping package capable of achieving an ultimate vacuum level of 1×10⁻⁶ Torr, the system is ideally suited for processing titanium and other high-performance alloys that require exceptionally clean, tightly controlled vacuum environments.
“This investment gives our customers another regional solution for high-pressure quenching of large components and heavy workloads,” said Derek Dennis, President of Solar Atmospheres California. “It also allows us to drive greater efficiency and cost competitiveness through increased capacity and economies of scale. This addition reflects our continued commitment to innovation, quality, and delivering measurable value to our customers.”
The new furnace strengthens Solar Atmospheres’ ability to support aerospace, defense, medical, and power generation markets with advanced vacuum heat treating technology and reliable turnaround performance.
For more information about vacuum heat treating services at Solar Atmospheres, visit solaratm.com, or contact Frank Trujillo at 866-559-5994 ext. 1333, or [email protected].
“Metlab Heat Treat” inWyndmoor, PA, USA at the time had the largest commercially available pit carburizing furnaces in North America and because of this they drew customers from as far away as Mexico and Canada. For some reason this capacity has never been replaced and to this day “The Monty” still fields inquiries from gear manufacturers from all over North America looking for a carburizing source for large gears and shafts.
Our most recent inquiry came from a manufacturer looking for a commercially available heat-treating source in the Chicago area who could carburize parts12′ long X 38″ diameter with a weight of roughly 14,000 pounds. Our search turned up several possibilities in the area but none had the combination of length and diameter required;
“Hi-Hard Rolls”, Harvey, IL , parts up to 37″ diameter X 150″ long.
“General Surface Hardening”, Chicago, IL. Large pit carburizing furnace.
“Overton Gear” , Chicago, IL. Up to 80″ diameter X 100″ deep, 20,000 pounds
At the end of the day the customer went with commercial heat treater “Worldwide Heat Treat”, in Houston, Texas who as far as we can tell has the largest commercially available pit carburizing furnaces in North America with several pit furnaces, the largest having working dimensions of 100″ diameter X 144″ deep and capable of 60,000 pound loads.
It’s interesting that there is such a difference between North America and Europe when it comes to large component carburizing capabilities. We at “The Monty” put this down to the fact that pit furnaces are far more common in Europe than North America and also the presence of so many ‘windmill” manufacturers in Europe which require enormous gears. This has encouraged commercial heat treaters to install furnaces capable of handling these components.
Whether their is enough large gear heat treating requirements in North America to justify the enormous expense of installing a pit furnace capable of handling 100,000 pound parts is debatable but when some North American gear suppliers are forced to source their heat treating requirements to Europe it certainly suggests there is a business case to be made for this investment.
One of the world’s best known aircraft manufacturers recently placed an order for multiple vacuum furnaces. This multi-million-dollar order has been placed with a North American vacuum furnace builder with delivery expected towards the end of 2026. There will be a formal announcement at an upcoming press conference April 2 and “The Monty Heat Treat News” will be in attendance to provide all the details.
Today “The Monty Heat Treat News” digs deep in our “Heat Treat Podcast” archives to find one of our most popular discussions. In this episode our host “Carlos Torres” speaks with “Mr. Trevor Jones”, President of one of the largest vacuum furnace builders in North America “Solar Manufacturing”.
Job Title: Vice President of Sales
Location: Remote-based, with enterprise-wide responsibility for revenue performance across all BWTS operations, including the Houston, TX facility and six (6) additional industrial facilities in PA, MI, IN, and IL.
Role Overview
The Vice President of Sales is the senior commercial executive accountable for revenue growth, margin discipline, and forecast accuracy across BWTS. This role owns the end-to-end sales function—strategy, execution, pipeline management, and talent development—ensuring the business delivers consistent, predictable performance aligned with private equity growth objectives.
The VP of Sales partners closely with the CEO, executive leadership, and operations to translate market opportunity into executable sales plans, scalable processes, and measurable results. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring direct involvement in strategic accounts and critical deals while building a disciplined, repeatable sales engine.
Core Responsibilities
Revenue & Growth Accountability
Own company-wide revenue performance, including new business, existing account growth, pricing discipline, and margin protection.
Develop and execute annual and multi-year sales plans aligned with EBITDA targets and investment thesis.
Drive consistent pipeline generation and conversion to ensure forecast accuracy and revenue predictability.
Identify and pursue strategic growth opportunities, including new markets, customer segments, and service expansion.
Sales Strategy & Execution
Establish clear sales strategy by facility, market, and customer segment, aligned with operational capacity and capital priorities.
Lead and close complex, high-value opportunities and serve as executive sponsor for key accounts.
Ensure pricing, quoting, and commercial terms align with profitability targets and operational constraints.
Monitor competitive dynamics and market trends to proactively adjust strategy.
Process, Forecasting & Controls
Own CRM discipline, pipeline governance, and standardized sales reporting across the organization.
Deliver accurate forecasts with clear upside/downside risk visibility.
Implement and enforce consistent sales processes to support scalability and diligence-readiness.
Partner with finance to support budgeting, variance analysis, and performance tracking.
Leadership & Organizational Development
Build, lead, and hold accountable a performance-driven sales organization.
Set clear KPIs, expectations, and compensation alignment tied to revenue, margin, and cash outcomes.
Coach and develop sales talent while identifying gaps and succession needs.
With the Executive Team, work to drive cross-functional alignment between sales, operations, quality, and technical teams to ensure execution.
Executive & Board Engagement
Serve as the primary commercial voice in executive leadership discussions.
Present clear, data-driven updates on revenue performance, pipeline health, and market conditions.
Support private equity stakeholders with transparency, rigor, and credibility in reporting and planning.
Represent BWTS with customers, partners, and industry stakeholders at the executive level.
Qualifications & Experience
Proven success leading sales growth in industrial manufacturing or technical services environments.
Demonstrated ability to build predictable revenue engines in multi-site or multi-region businesses.
Strong track record closing complex, long-cycle, high-value deals.
Experience operating in PE-backed or similarly performance-driven environments strongly preferred.
“Retech, a SECO/WARWICK Group company, has announced the sale of two customized Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM) casting systems to a long-standing overseas partner supporting power generation turbine manufacturing.
The two systems, engineered to support equiaxed (EQ) and directionally solidified (DS) casting processes, will be used in the production of high-performance, nickel-based alloy turbine components. These casting technologies are critical for achieving the structural integrity, thermal resistance, and performance consistency required in modern power generation turbines operating under extreme conditions.
Both VIM systems are based on Retech’s proven core designs but incorporate customer-specific modifications, underscoring the company’s commitment to delivering fully customized solutions rather than off-the-shelf equipment. In this case, Retech engineered tailored feeder configurations to align with the customer’s established production practices, enabling efficient, repeatable casting while maintaining precise thermal and atmospheric control throughout the process.
“Customization is central to how we approach every project,” said Earl Good, Retech President. “These systems were designed to build on prior installations while incorporating specific changes requested by the customer to support their current and future production goals.”
The order represents a continuation of a decades-long relationship between Retech and the customer, dating back to the 1980s. Several legacy Retech furnaces installed at the facility remain in active operation today, a testament to the durability, serviceability, and long-term value of Retech equipment. The customer has indicated plans to further expand capacity in the coming years, including additional system purchases and the replacement of older furnaces.
With a global installed base and deep expertise in vacuum melting, casting, and refining technologies, Retech continues to support critical industries, including power generation, aerospace, and advanced materials, by delivering reliable, high-precision solutions tailored to each customer’s application.”
