October 20-22 of this year sees the “New” HK 2020 in Cologne Germany. This is the largest and best attended heat treating event in Europe this year and in our opinion it is very worthwhile attending. If you scroll down to the end of this summary you will find a testimonial about the event from our friend, Mr. Harald Berger, Marketing, Communications Team, Aichelin Group.

“So far the HK is the largest meeting of the materials technology industry in Europe, with a special focus of the congress on heat treatment topics. This year, the AWT is giving the event a new, fresh profile: the scientific congress will be expanded thematically and invited expert lectures on contemporary materials science trends will be presented. Additionally, also a conference with a special focus on industrial practice in the hardening shop will be established.

We kindly ask you to register for presentations, of course also on the “classic” topics of the congress such as heat treatment processes and plant engineering, by 15 March 2020 at https://www.hk-awt.de/vortragsanmeldungen/. If you would like to submit a presentation for the practitioners’ conference, please make a corresponding note on your abstract. 

 Additional news on HK 2020:

Don’t miss the opportunity to find out more about the trends in research and practice, make new contacts and see the latest products at the trade exhibition! For booking exhibition stands, please contact Mrs. Müller at +49 421 3972850, [email protected].

 “The HK is still an important event for the Aichelin-Group and its subsidiaries. It offers manufacturers and operators a forum for the exchange of opinions and further training. Opportunity is given to scientists, engineers and technicians from the fields of heat treatment and materials technology to obtain information of a high level about the latest trends and to look into related disciplines as well. The new structure of the event brings the congress, practical presentations and trade fair even more closely together. Our customers visit the congress and take advantage of detailed discussion in the exhibition taking place next door.” (Harald Berger, Marketing-Communication-Team, Aichelin Group)”

First up, Pat, I appreciate you taking the time to speak with us. I always like to start with some background information. Last time we spoke, you told us about the foundation you earned while learning the trade and going back to graduate school. You started at Ipsen in the mid-90s, and then transitioned into commercial heat treating and brazing as a business owner for 15 years, and then returned to Ipsen in 2015...

Going from a position where you were buying furnaces to one where you are selling furnaces must have made for a very interesting experience. Did it change your perception of industry suppliers and the challenges they face?

“Having experience in both sides of the business has been very helpful Gord. I find myself using both perspectives throughout the day.

Furnace builders are experts in designing, building, and servicing the equipment. Heat treaters, whether captive or commercial, are experts at operating the furnaces. I have heard others explain the difference as “one designs and builds the race car, the other is the race car driver.”

I have enjoyed both sides of the business, and each has its own unique set of challenges.”

What have some of those life and career changes taught you as you developed into your present role as CEO of quite possibly the largest furnace builder in North America?

“One thing I’ve learned is that someone in this industry – like most industries – needs to take responsibility for their own career. A company should certainly provide advancement opportunities for their employees, but it is up to each of us to decide what we want to do and then put in the work and sacrifice necessary to achieve our goals. If we don’t know what we want to do in our careers how should the companies we work for be expected to know?

I am fortunate to have worked at great companies along the way that held up their end of the bargain and I feel the heat-treating industry has no shortage of opportunities for people willing to put in the hard work.”

Please tell us about Ipsen as a global supplier and where Ipsen USA fits in. What are the main markets for your furnaces?

“Ipsen is one of the few truly global manufacturers of vacuum and atmosphere heat treating furnaces. We have manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Germany, India, China and Japan.

Ipsen USA is the largest of the Ipsen Group in terms of sales, and the largest market we serve is aerospace & defense – whether directly, or indirectly through commercial heat treaters.”

Let’s focus on your products now. Why is so much of your business based on aftermarket parts and services?

“Ipsen USA has an installed base of about 2,500 units, and globally the installed base is over 10,000. That alone represents a very large aftermarket opportunity, but in addition we often provide aftermarket parts and services for equipment built by other suppliers. Our aftermarket products and services have grown to almost 50% of Ipsen USA’s annual revenue.”

All of the industries you serve involve critical components, but none more so than aerospace & defense with their Nadcap requirements. How do you address the standards necessary for the aerospace industry?

“We work to stay ahead of the requirements coming down the pike by listening to customers, attending periodic technical meetings such as AMEC, and participating in industry associations such as MTI.”

I have seen a number of Ipsen press releases and news items talking about your increased field presence in the US recently. My first thought is that this is very commendable, and my second thought is that Ipsen is bucking the trend as many companies are going the opposite direction-reducing field presence as a way to control costs. What is the driver behind this? Has it been successful?

“Our Field Service Engineers have a high ‘paid service utilization rate’, which is to say they are busy generating significant revenue. I have never considered reducing FSE headcount as a cost cutting measure. On the contrary, I want to hire as many experienced Field Service Engineers as I can find.”

Speaking of increasing your field presence, I have to ask you about people. Many in the industry moan and groan about a lack of experience. How do we change that? I am not talking about “pie in the sky” ideas to get more people in heat-treating in 20 years…how do we get more skilled people in the industry in 2022?

“You will have more experienced people in 2022 by first retaining the staff you have then investing aggressively in the development of newcomers. We have developed the Ipsen Academy training program (sessions held in 2019 and 2020) to fast-track new Field Service Engineers who have little or no experience in our industry. The year-long Academy represents a significant investment including two full-time trainers and is already proving itself a success. We have held similar Academy sessions for mechanical, electrical, and software engineers in the past as well.”

What do you see as the next logical step in the evolution of vacuum furnace design? Do you see any requirements that would encourage you to design furnaces with substantially higher quenching pressures? Is there much demand for larger size furnaces? Higher temperatures?

“We will always serve both the “standard” and “special” markets. I think it is most logical to let the customer guide our product development efforts. If a customer has a need that aligns with our technology and capabilities, we will take it on (no matter the size, temperature, performance, etc.) as long as it makes financial sense to do so. Many times these “one of a kind specials” actually end up as multiple repeat orders for us in future years.”

Are there any new products Ipsen will be bringing to the market in the near–to–medium future, which you could tell us about or even hint at?

“As mentioned above, we are continuously driven to innovate by our customers and enjoy working on the challenges they present to us on a daily basis. We look forward to sharing press releases on these exciting and interesting projects with you and your readership when able to do so.”

Pat, I thank you for your time today.

Patrick McKenna Biography: Patrick McKenna is President and CEO of Ipsen USA, a global manufacturer of thermal processing equipment for the aerospace & defense, automotive, energy, and medical industries. Having originally worked at Ipsen USA in the mid-1990’s, Patrick returned to an Executive role in 2015 as Vice President of Sales and subsequently promoted to President and CEO in 2017. Prior to joining the Ipsen Executive Team, McKenna most recently served as Co-Founder and Vice President of Nevada Heat Treating and California Brazing (acquired by Trive Capital Partners in 2018). McKenna served on the Metal Treating Institute Board of Trustees for 10 years, holding various board positions, including President in 2016. McKenna has received several awards from MTI, including the President’s Award (2014) and the Heat Treater of the Year/Master Craftsman award (2011). McKenna holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master’s degree in manufacturing engineering from Northwestern University, where he still volunteers in the Northwestern Mentorship Program.

“St. Mary’s, PA:  Abbott Furnace Company is proud to announce that a diversified global automotive supplier, focused on metal forming, aluminum casting, fluid systems and flexible assemblies to help automakers meet their lightweight requirements, has placed an order with Abbott Furnace Company for a continuous belt stainless steel brazing furnace to be installed in Mexico in the 2nd quarter of 2020. Abbott Furnace will design, manufacture and install the five (5) zone electrically heated industrial furnace that is rated for 2,150° F and includes a 30” wide belt, silicon carbide muffle and will feature Abbott Furnace’s Varicool convective cooling system. 

Abbott Furnace is an industrial furnace manufacturer with 35 years of experience designing and producing some of the industry’s most reliable and high performing industrial continuous process furnaces.  Abbott is a leading producer of industrial sintering furnaces, annealing furnaces, tempering furnaces, brazing furnaces, heat treat furnaces, steam treat furnaces, industrial ovens, CAB furnaces, High-Temperature Furnaces and other specialty furnace products. Abbott Furnace is a privately owned company located in St. Marys, Pennsylvania.  Abbott furnaces are proudly manufactured in the USA.

This is the week for the ASM “Heat Treat Mexico 2020” in Queretaro, Mexico-the exact dates are March 3-5. We at “The Monty” will be attending and taking the opportunity to visit some of the largest in house and commercial heat treaters in the country. This will include captive heat treater “Kerns Liebers”, commercial heat treaters “ETSA” and “CRIO”, auto parts maker “Dana” and a number of others to boot. Over the course of the week we will have photos and write ups about each. For the time being we leave you with these photos of heat treating in one of the fastest growing heat treat markets in the world-Mexico.

It was recently announced that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles would be making an investment of nearly $400 million USD into one of their 3 Kokomo, Indiana transmission plants. The announcement caught our eye as the Kokomo, Indiana plants collectively rank amongst the largest captive heat treats in the USA (we have a listing of the 10 largest captive heat treaters in North America at https://themonty.com/articles/10-largest-north-american-captive-heat-treaters/ These plants would be part of FCA). A portion of the official announcement is further down but it gives no hint about whether heat treatment investments are involved. Now to give you an idea about the amount of heat treating at the Kokomo plants this was a list of their furnaces from a few years ago. While it has changed with some furnaces gone but with others such as ECM vacuum carburizing systems added it represents an enormous volume of heat treating with quite a cross section of equipment;

7-Three row Holcroft Pusher Furnaces

6-Lindberg 36 X 72 X36 Batch IQ furnaces

6-AFC 36 X 72 X 36 batch Austemper Furnaces

3-Holcroft single row pushers

2-Surface rotary furnaces

2-Seco Rotary Furnaces

30-tempering furnaces.

“January 2020; KOKOMO – Governor Eric Holcomb has announced a significant investment by a European automaker in its Howard County manufacturing operations. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. says Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plans to invest nearly $400 million to expand and retool Plant II of its Kokomo transmission plants for the production of a new engine. The new production is expected to require a workforce more than 1,000, which will include a combination of current FCA employees and new hires. The investment was confirmed Tuesday during the governor’s State of the State address. The IEDC says the effort will support the assembly of the GMET4 engine, marking the first time FCA has built an engine in Indiana.

“Our Indiana operations have historically been known as the largest transmission installation in the world,” Brad Clark, vice president and head of engine and transmission manufacturing for FCA North America, said in a news release. “With this potential investment, FCA has the opportunity to diversify our presence in the region. We look forward to working with the state and city of Kokomo to finalize our investment plans.”

The largest heat treating exhibition in Europe in 2020 with be the HK 2020 event to be held October 20-22 in Cologne, Germany. We at “The Monty” have been attending this event for years and in our humble opinion no other heat treatment exhibition in Europe matches this one. The exhibitors are largely European and Asian with only a smattering of North American suppliers however all of the seminars are held in both German and English. The banner ad on the right hand side of this page will give you all the details. In the meantime we leave you with photos of the ALD and SECO/WARWICK booths from the October 2019 event.

We actually mentioned this a few weeks back but this announcement adds a few more details. Bearing manufacturers rank amongst the largest in house heat treaters on the planet and their heat treating methods span pretty much every type of heat treating there is; pit furnaces, batch IQ’s, vacuum carburizing, Induction-you name it and we have seen it. These three photos from bearing manufacturer SKF show 3 different methods, an Aichelin roller hearth furnace with salt quenching, a rotary hearth furnace with press quenching and pit furnaces with oil quenching.

“Auto parts manufacturer NTN Bearing Corp. is planning a $58 million expansion of its central Indiana driveshaft facility, local officials announced. The company, which established operations in Anderson, Indiana, in 2017, will add heat treatment at the plant and create another 140 new jobs. NTN Driveshaft, which produces parts for constant velocity joints for major automakers, originally invested more than $84 million in the facility and planned for 300 jobs; the Anderson site is expected to house 500 workers by 2023, according to the Anderson Herald Bulletin. “We are pleased that NTN and the city were able to come to an agreement that will allow this important company to continue to expand and remain part of our community,” Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick said in a statement. City officials said the deal included a 75% property tax abatement for years, down from a 10-year, 100% abatement for NTN agreed to in 2015. The city council is slated to vote on the new agreement next month. Broderick said the reduced abatement would result in another $2 million in tax revenue over the life of the agreement, after which the city expects to take in some $500,000 annually.”

Hubbard Hall a supplier of heat transfer and heat treat salts is pleased to announce these promotions. Their ad can be found on the right hand side of this page.

“Hubbard-Hall Inc. Appoints Jeffrey Davis Senior Vice President of Business Development and Distribution

Waterbury, Connecticut– Hubbard-Hall Inc., the oldest independent chemical distributor in the U.S., announced the promotion of Jeffrey Davis to Senior Vice President of Business Development and Distribution effective January 1, 2020. In his new role, Davis will direct the business development and sales efforts in the Northeast, overseeing a territory from Maine to Maryland, and west to Pennsylvania.

Davis joined Hubbard-Hall in 1983 as a sales trainee, and has held multiple leadership positions over his career, becoming an Officer of the company in 1999. “With over 30 years of experience at Hubbard-Hall, Jeff is uniquely suited to lead an experienced sales team and drive innovation that provides greater value to our Northeast customers,” said Molly Kellogg, President/CEO of Hubbard-Hall. Davis will also head up the company’s strategic initiative for solvent cleaning in critical applications. Davis earned his MBA from the University of Rhode Island and is a Board Member of the Commercial Executives for Motor Equipment Reman Association (MERA) and a member of the Chemical Club of New England.”

“Hubbard-Hall Inc. Appoints Carter Burningham to Director of Supply Chain  Waterbury, Connecticut– Hubbard-Hall Inc., the oldest independent chemical distributor in the U.S., announced the promotion of Carter Burningham to the newly created position of Director of Supply Chain. Burningham joined the company in 2019 as a Director of Procurement.  His new role reflects the additional responsibility for customer excellence in addition to managing purchasing, vendor relations and logistics.   He will continue to report to Gerry Mastropietro, Executive Vice President/COO of Hubbard-Hall. Burningham’s prior experience working as a Procurement Manager at Henkel and Sun Products provided him with deep experience in creating sourcing strategies and managing cross functional teams.

“We decided to streamline the supply chain and include customer service under Carter’s leadership in an effort to focus on the whole customer experience,” says Molly Kellogg, President/CEO of Hubbard-Hall.  Burningham believes that our long-term strategy is leveraging digital tools to help us to understand customer needs, internal processes, and improve customer and employee engagement. Burningham earned his BA in Finance from the University of Utah, and his MBA from Westminster College with an emphasis in Supply Chain.”

We would have to call Advanced Heat Treat Corp., “The King of Plasma Nitriding in the US” based upon how much of it they do. To see who the company stacks up in size compared to other commercials in the US we would suggest this link https://themonty.com/articles/largest-north-american-commercial-heat-treats-august-2019/ “The Monty” is the only news outlet in North America to rank commercial heat treaters by size and we have been doing this for 20 years.

“WATERLOO, IA – February 25, 2020 – Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT), a recognized leader in heat treat services and metallurgical solutions, announced that it has added gas nitriding to its Nadcap® accreditation. Advanced Heat Treat Corp. has held Nadcap® accreditation for ion nitriding since 2013. President Mikel Woods commented, “We are very excited to add gas nitriding to our growing list of Nadcap® accreditations. Our Nadcap® Merit Status in both ion and now gas nitriding displays our ongoing dedication to quality and growth within the aerospace market.” Having demonstrated their ongoing commitment to quality by satisfying customer requirements and industry specifications, the Nadcap® Task Group determined that Advanced Heat Treat Corp. has earned special recognition. This means that, instead of having their next Nadcap® audit in twelve months, Advanced Heat Treat Corp. has been granted an accreditation that lasts until April 30, 2022. “Nadcap® accreditation is universally acknowledged as a significant undertaking. Validating compliance to industry standards, best practices and customer requirements, Nadcap® has long been incorporated by the aerospace industry into their risk mitigation activity. Some companies, such as Advanced Heat Treat Corp., go even further achieving Nadcap® accreditation to obtain Merit status and they should be proud of it,” commented Michael J. Hayward, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Performance Review Institute®. The Nadcap® Heat Treating accreditation was achieved at its MidPort Blvd. location in Waterloo, Iowa. The company also has locations in Cullman, Alabama; Monroe, Michigan; and another location on Burton Ave. in Waterloo, Iowa.”

Buehler, an ITW Company and a global industrial manufacturer metallographic equipment and the Wilson hardness tester line announces the 2020 Hardness Webinar Series. The first webinar in the series will be conducted in English, German and French and offered on several dates, and time zones throughout March 2020. The webinar will explore hardness test applications on surface hardened parts with Vickers and Rockwell testing.

The webinar is presented for metallurgical technicians, engineers and others who carry out hardness testing of materials as part of quality control or inspection during production of aerospace, automotive or other surface hardened parts.

The webinar will include a review of these hardness testing applications:

             Carburized Hardening Depth (CHD) parts

             CHD Relative for Induction Hardened parts

             Nitride/Plasma Hardened parts.

Registration is complimentary, sign up today and get a place in the virtual Buehler classroom. Attendees will also receive a certificate of participation right after the Webinar. If the Webinar is interesting to you but the date does not fit your schedule, simply register and you will get a recording shortly after the event. To register for the complimentary webinar click here.