In 2025 Japanese auto parts supplier “Nippon Piston Ring Company Ltd.”, announced that they would be closing their Grand Haven, MI, USA facility “NPR of America Inc.” The closure is proceeding and the company announced that they would start auctioning the equipment off early February, 2026. Included in the auction are several sintering furnaces, (4) Gasbarre Pre-Sintering Furnaces and (2) Sun Furnace Sintering Furnaces (it would appear that “Sun Furnace” is a Japanese furnace builder-first time we have ever run across the name).
Based upon the lethargic pace of used furnace sales these days we would be surprised if the furnaces go for any more than scrap value but you never know.
“NPR of America Incorporated, the U.S. subsidiary of Japan-based Nippon Piston Ring Company Limited, is closing its Grand Haven Township plant, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification posted to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity website. The plant will officially close in 2027, but most of the layoffs will happen by the end of 2025. NPR manufactures internal combustion engine parts. The company’s Grand Haven facility is one of two manufacturing plants in the U.S., the other located in Kentucky.”
“The AICHELIN Group has appointed Robert Sokoliński as Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Nitrex Metal Sp. z o.o. (NTS) in Poland, a company of the AICHELIN Group since 2025, effective as of 1 January 2026. In his new role, Sokoliński is responsible for the overall management of the company as well as its strategic and operational development within the AICHELIN Group.
“With Robert Sokoliński, we bring in a leader with extensive operational experience and a deep understanding of industrial processes. He knows NITREX and its organization very well and is therefore ideally suited to further develop the company within the AICHELIN Group,” says Christian Grosspointner, CEO of the AICHELIN Group.
Robert Sokoliński has more than 20 years of international experience in manufacturing, quality management, and operational leadership. Since joining NITREX as Plant Manager in 2023, he has played a key role in strengthening operational performance and implementing strategic initiatives.
Prior to this, Sokoliński held various senior management positions in the automotive industry over many years. At TI Automotive, he held positions as Manufacturing Engineering Director Poland, Production Director, and Quality Manager. Further professional positions included Magneti Marelli Suspension Systems and Valeo Wiper Systems.
About Nitrex Metal Sp. z o.o.; Nitrex Metal Sp. z o.o., a company of the AICHELIN Group, is a specialist in the heat treatment industry, focusing on solutions for the thermochemical surface treatment of metal components. The company operates a site in Sosnowiec, Poland.
Recently we had a press release from “Grammer Vacuum Technologies” about a recent addition to the firm-Mr. Luke Glendening;
“JANUARY 15, 2026; Luke Glendening Joins Grammer Vacuum Technologies, Inc. “Grammer Vacuum Technologies” of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA has been around for many years as a manufacturer’s representative to the heat treatment industry and also as a growing supplier of Molybdenum products. Recently the company announced that they has hired Luke Glendening to assist in all aspects of the company while concentrating on Molybdenum products, fixtures and grids. Ben Grammer had this to say; “Luke has been helping us on a part time basis for some time now and due to increased business volumes, it was a perfect time to add Luke on a full time basis. While he will be involved in all aspects of the business I am especially excited about Luke helping us grow our “moly” business” which for some time now has been expanding at a very rapid rate.”
As a follow up to the original press release we have these photos of Luke and Ben Grammer assembling a custom made “moly” fixture. Luke says each fixture is custom designed for customers and hand assembled. We are though rather uncertain as to why they are wearing “Star Wars” helmets while they do it. https://gvtinc.com/products?col=Fixtures+and+Grids, [email protected]
Cherry Valley, ILLINOIS (January 28, 2026) – Ipsen USA entered 2026 by securing the largest equipment order in company history from a long-standing aerospace manufacturer. The multi-system order reflects decades of trust and Ipsen’s proven ability to deliver mission-critical thermal processing solutions at scale.
“Large, repeat orders like this are earned over time,” said Ipsen Global CEO Geoffrey Somary. “They reflect consistent equipment quality, responsive service, and deep process expertise, which are especially critical for customers operating in highly regulated, high-stakes manufacturing environments.”
The historic order follows a strong year for Ipsen, driven by sustained demand across commercial aviation, space launch, defense, medical technology, advanced manufacturing, and energy markets.
In 2025, Ipsen recorded a 45% year-over-year increase in new equipment units sold and achieved the second-highest level of new equipment proposals in company history, reflecting strong demand heading into 2026.
Most new equipment buyers were repeat customers expanding their furnace fleets, citing consistent quality, reliable service, parts availability, and familiarity with Ipsen systems. New customers increasingly sought to bring heat-treatment processes in-house to improve quality control, reduce costs, and shorten delivery timelines, selecting Ipsen for its process knowledge, proven reliability, and long-term support capabilities.
Ipsen’s Quality at Speed initiative guided investments across manufacturing, service, and customer support throughout 2025. Production capacity increased at the Souderton, Pennsylvania, facility through investments in CNC machine tools while maintaining high quality standards. Aftermarket demand also grew significantly, with hot zone and retrofit orders increasing 26% and calibration services rising 48% year over year.
In parallel, Ipsen continued expanding its Service HUB program while investing in advanced training and certification for field service engineers to strengthen technical expertise, response times, and customer support across North America.
Momentum from 2025 has already carried into the new year. In addition to the record-setting order awarded in January, Ipsen continues testing its next-generation furnace operating system, with a targeted launch planned for later in 2026.
(Editors Note; Consarc offers very specialized vacuum furnaces and their offerings would typically not be seen in a commercial heat treat as an example).
“Consarc Corporation, an Inductotherm Group company specializing in custom vacuum and controlled-atmosphere furnaces, has broken ground on a major expansion of its Rancocas, New Jersey, USA, manufacturing facility.
The approximately 3,400 m2 expansion will nearly double the company’s overall manufacturing footprint and includes additional space for heavy fabrication, equipment assembly, testing, and additional offices to support new staff.
Construction of the expanded facility is scheduled for completion in early 2027. Once finished, Consarc anticipates that the increased space will allow the company to immediately scale manufacturing operations in response to what it has referred to as an ‘unprecedented backlog’ of work.
Consarc customers primarily produce advanced materials for the Additive Manufacturing, aerospace, power generation, medical, and nuclear industries, sectors that are projecting historically high demand through the remainder of the decade. In addition, the company’s latest technologies support rare-earth magnet production and the reduction of critical rare-earth elements.
“This expansion reflects the strong momentum of our business, driven by growing demand in the US and across our global customer base,” stated Jai Narayan, Consarc President. “By enhancing our manufacturing capabilities, we are positioning Consarc to build more efficiently, innovate faster, and support the next phase of long-term growth. It’s an exciting milestone for our entire organization.”
Below we have this press release from Applied Thermal Technologies in Warsaw, IN. Applied Thermal ranks 42 on our list of the largest commercial heat treats in North America. (Largest Commercial Heat Treats In North America 2025)
Applied Thermal Technologies, in Warsaw, IN, is proud to announce that it has achieved its fourth consecutive Nadcap Merit Accreditation at the 24-month level, the maximum amount of time granted between audits. This distinction is awarded only to companies that consistently demonstrate exceptional compliance, process control, no major NCRs, and continuous improvement during Nadcap audits.
A 24-month accreditation represents the highest level of confidence Nadcap can place in a heat treating organization and is a direct result of outstanding audit performance. Earning this recognition for the fourth consecutive time underscores Applied Thermal Technologies’ long-standing commitment to quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction.
“This achievement reflects a true total team effort,” said Stevan Bradican (Plant Manager). “From operations and quality to engineering and leadership, every member of our team plays a role in maintaining the standards our customers and Nadcap expect.”
Applied Thermal Technologies Inc. is a metal processing company specializing in bright vacuum heat treating and brazing of stainless steel and exotic alloys. Capabilities also include precipitation hardening, stress relieving and annealing bar stock in air, up to 13 feet long.
Advances in technology have changed the Heat Treatment industry so it should come as no surprise that technology changes have also had a dramatic effect on Heat Treat Industry Advertising.
The days of print advertising in magazines such as “Industrial Heating” are largely behind us and physical mailings through the postal system are but a distant and fading memory.
These older advertising formats were replaced by on-line banner ads and digital magazines and while these advertising options remain very popular we are seeing a new trend in advertising-“in your face” marketing for lack of a better term.
“The Monty Heat Treat News” has seen a dramatic increase in interest for direct, e-mail advertising campaigns-either in the form of “single message” e mails or as part of an e mail message featuring both news items and one or two ads.
The attraction for advertisers is obvious; a lower cost as compared to “print ads” combined with the fact that their message is not getting drowned out by a number of other ads at the same time.
Is there a sales pitch here? Well yes there is as “The Monty” has been offering direct e mail campaigns and “weekly updates” for many years now. However our motives are not entirely altruistic-we genuinely find it interesting how technology keeps changing everything in our lives even including advertising.
Weekly Update Ads; $500 USD
E-Mail Blast to 12,500 Subscribers; $1,750 USD
Ask Jordan Jordan Montgomery for more details [email protected] Phone; 647 200-2000
This week we will have a brand new name on our list of the “15 Largest Captive Heat Treats-North America”–“Dauch Corporation”. You can certainly be forgiven if the name doesn’t ring a bell-previously the company was known as “American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM)” according to this press release;
“DETROIT, Jan. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) today announced that on January 23, 2026, the Company changed its name to Dauch Corporation (“Dauch”) by filing an amendment to its Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amendment”) with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware (the “Name Change”). The Name Change and the Amendment became effective at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on January 26, 2026.”
Where will “Dauch Corp.” be ranked on our list of the “15 Largest Captive Heat Treats-North America”? We will tell you later this week in the meantime we leave you with this summary of the “Dauch” facility in Silao, Mexico;
“Dauch Corporation” (Formerly Axle & Manufacturing Holdings), Silao, Mexico.In 2012 auto parts supplier American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) formally opened a new plant in the city of Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico. Since that time this facility has grown to encompass roughly 10 different plants, 7 of which offer heat treatment. This posed an issue for “The Monty” in terms of ranking-does this qualify as a single location heat treat? At the end of the day, we decided that as this is one complex it will for our purposes be considered a single location. The amount of heat treating in this complex is staggering, 6 pusher furnaces (2 single row, 2 two row and 2 four row), almost 20 batch IQ units, 36″ X 48″ X 36″, several normalizing lines, two mesh belt carburizing lines and multiple tempering units, washers and endo generators. For sheer throughput in terms of pounds per hour this has to be one of the largest captive heat treats in North America.
“Founded in 1981, “Volunteer Sintered Products” (VSP) is a global provider of custom-engineered powdered metal (PM). Since starting in Lafayette, TN, VSP continuous pursuit of new technologies and capabilities has led to a growing global footprint. VSP has grown its manufacturing operations throughout the Eastern part of the United States and continues to expand in and outside of the country.”
The company has started 2026 off on a very positive note by adding a brand-new mesh belt sintering furnace provided by“Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems”of St Mary’s, PA, USA. The furnace was recently delivered and is expected to enter production shortly. While “Gasbarre” offers a number of different styles of thermal processing systems, we would suggest that when it comes to sintering furnaces there are very few firms in the world that can claim the same level of experience.
The hot topic of conversation amongst many in North America is the record amount of snow and cold temperatures most of the continent is suffering through these days. This photo was taken a few minutes ago in front of the offices of “The Monty Heat Treat News”. In it you can see Gord Montgomery in our parking lot-to put this in perspective Gord is 6′ 1″ tall.
Applied Thermal Technologies, in Warsaw, IN, is proud to announce that it has achieved its fourth consecutive Nadcap Merit Accreditation at the 24-month level, the maximum amount of time granted between audits. This distinction is awarded only to companies that consistently demonstrate exceptional compliance, process control, no major NCRs, and continuous improvement during Nadcap audits.
