We received a press release this morning about how a Korean manufacturer of furnaces, Onejoon Thermal Solutions was buying a German furnace builder by the name of Eisenmann Thermal Solutions. The press release went on to say that the dal would be concluded January 15^th and that Eisenmann Thermal Solutions has 200 employees in two locations in Germany. The press release caught our attention as we flatter ourselves that we know the Germany market fairly well but we have never heard of Eisenmann Thermal Solutions before-some investigating was in order. Turns out that yes this all true and it sounds like Eisenmann builds some pretty high end furnaces but few of their products are destined for the “real heat treatment industry”. Our very basic research tells us the company is more involved with kilns and furnaces for producing carbon fibres as opposed to vacuum furnaces, sealed quench furnaces or mesh belt lines.

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Solar Atmospheres of Western Pennsylvania is proud to announce their recent Gulfstream approval for material process specifications GAMPS 5101 and 5102. Specification GAMPS 5101 relates to the heat treatment of low alloy steels, and GAMPS 5102 is associated with the annealing and precipitation hardening of PH stainless steel. Compliance to these two specifications are fundamental to ensure that flight-critical raw materials and parts are heat treated and tested properly.

“This prime approval not only gives our current customer base permission to use our location for thermal processing of Gulfstream components, it also gives them the ability to run larger loads of 40,000 – 60,000 lbs. at a time, due to our large furnace sizes,” stated Michael Johnson, Sales Manager. “The larger loads reduce the number of certifications, furnace charts, and mechanical testing documentation that is typically required post heat treating.”

For additional information about Solar Atmospheres, contact Mike Johnson at 1-855-934-3284 or [email protected], and visit us at www.solaratm.com.

We are going to start off in Europe for our Monday Morning Briefing-Eindhoven, Netherlands to be exact. The photo you see below was taken at commercial heat treater Hauck in Eindhoven and entered production just a couple of months ago. It has an all metal hot zone and working dimensions of 1.2 X 1.2 X 2 meters (roughly 4′ X 4′ X 6″). According to Hauck it is the largest all metal vacuum furnace is any of their plants and is the largest in the Benelux countries. Hauck is the second largest commercial heat treater in Europe with 27 locations https://themonty.com/largest-european-commercial-heat-treaters-february-2019/

Volvo Drivetrain, Hagerstown, Maryland, USA installs pusher furnace. Back in 2019 we had this press release about McLaughlin Furnace Group receiving an order from a truck component manufacturer. We can now say that the end customer is Volvo Drivetrain in Maryland;  “McLaughlin Furnace Group based in Fort Wayne, Indiana is pleased to announce that they have received an order from a major truck component manufacturer for a two row, gas fired pusher furnace. The president and owner of the company Mr. Jeff McLaughlin had this to say about the order “We are very pleased that such a substantial manufacturer should have so much confidence in our ability to provide a state of the art system on time and on budget. This is a real milestone for our company and reinforces the fact that McLaughlin Furnace Group has grown to be one of the largest and most diversified in the North American furnace manufacturing industry.”

ECM Technologies Promotes Vincent Esteve to ECM USA Business Development Manager; “Vincent Esteve’s primary functions will include overseeing business sales and marketing development in North, Central and South America with a focus on further expanding the ECM brand into innovative markets, such as: 3D additive manufacturing, vacuum induction melting, vapor phase aluminizing, brazing and other vacuum furnace applications now offered from ECM Technologies. This also includes rapid thermal process and annealing furnaces and R&D laboratory equipment. He will develop and execute comprehensive strategic sales and marketing plans for established business markets, including but not limited to: automotive, aerospace, nuclear, and energy. The new ECM Technologies’ Robotics division will also be a key product offering introduced to all territories. Mr. Esteve joined ECM Technologies in January 2013 as an Area Sales Manager in charge of India, Southern Europe and Latin America. In April 2016, he transferred to ECM USA, Inc. in Kenosha, Wisconsin with a focus to expand ECM into the North and Latin America heat treat markets. ECM Technologies is an innovative low pressure vacuum furnace manufacturer with headquarters in Grenoble, France. With subsidiaries and ventures around the world, ECM’s global presence is well known in the automotive, aerospace, nuclear, energy, electronic, induction and 3D additive industries. With such a versatile product line, ECM’s products are ideal for heat treatment processes ranging from rapid thermal processing (RTP) with the JIPELEC™ JetFirst furnace to low pressure vacuum carburizing (LPC) with the ICBP® 1299 DUO (dual chamber vacuum furnace). For more information, visit us online at www.ecm-usa.com or www.ecm-furnaces.com.”

Last week it was announced that “Nitrex” had acquired vacuum furnace manufacturer G-M Enterprises in a very interesting and bold move (this was a January 10^th news item for us). What was not included in that press release were any details about the parent company of Nitrex, “Novacap” which makes for interesting reading. Here is a condensed version about Novacap; “Montreal Jan. 9, 2020. Nitrex, which is backed by Novacap has acquired Corona, California based G-M Enterprises, a provider of vacuum furnaces. No financial terms were disclosed. Nitrex is a provider of fully integrated heat treating solutions and technologies. ABOUT NOVACAP; Founded in 1981, Novacap is a leading Canadian private equity firm with $3.6 Billion of assets under management. Its distinct investment approach, based on deep operational expertise and an active partnership with entrepreneurs, has helped accelerate growth and create long term value for its numerous portfolio companies. Over the last 38 years, Novacap has invested in more than 90 companies and completed more than 130 add on acquisitions.”

We mentioned John Carroll a few months back after he left commercial heat treater Metals Technology in Carol Stream, IL, USA. John just resurfaced at Arnold Magnetic Technologies in Illinois where he has the title of General Manager. In his new position John will continue to be involved in heat treatment. Where are they now-Dave Stanton. Dave started his heat treating career as a metallurgist at Iwis Drive Systems, followed by a stint at Rexnord, some time as heat treat rep and most recently he was with IBC Coatings in Lebanon, Indiana. It would appear that he just let the industry to take a position as Production Manager at Silicis Technologies also in Indiana.

Mike Kasprzyk of Inex is retiring. Mike worked for General Motors in the US for many years before starting a company in Upstate New York by the name of Inex who manufacturer radiant tubes of composite of silicon & silicon carbide material for the heat treatment industry. Mike has had an incredible 59 year working career but is now leaving the company in the competent hands of long time employee Mike Rumfola. Silicon carbide radiant tubes have been around for quite some time and suppliers claim they have some real benefits over typical alloy tubes-which we would agree with. However having said that they have never taken over the market and continue to own quite a small portion of the radiant tube market.

In the “interesting rumor” department we have one from the Canadian heat treat market. If you recall commercial heat treater Bluewater Thermal closed down their location in Kitchener, Ontario just a few months ago and all of the equipment was auctioned off (all the details are in our archives). Rumor has it that the two mesh belt lines and two of the batch IQ furnaces were bought by an individual who is planning on keeping them in place and continuing to operate this facility as a commercial heat treat operation. We are inclined to think this rumor is probably true and we will keep you posted. Since we are talking about the Canadian heat treat market we should mention Rajiv Mehta who has spent many years in the industry. Rajiv worked at captive heat treater Standard Aero in Saskatoon, Canada (Standard is now part of Timken Bearings) before moving to Bodycote in Newmarket, Ontario which was followed by a move to Bodycote in Burlington, Ontario. Rajiv just parted ways with the company and we have been lead to believe that he is back at Standard Machine which perhaps completes the circle.

To round things out for today we are reaching into our archives to show you this interesting photo. What you see is the pit carburizing heat treat department of one of the largest commercial heat treaters in Germany, Hanomag in Hannover, Germany. This department represents only a tiny portion of the location as a whole. This photo was taken back in 2013.

Now this is quite the news! It has been well known for some time that vacuum furnace manufacturer “G-M Enterprises” in California, USA has been on the market but we at “The Monty” never would have guessed that the buyer would be our good friends at Nitrex. We are surprised and impressed that Nitrex would take this large step. More later.

Montreal, Canada – On January 8, 2020, Nitrex, a lead provider of fully integrated heat-treating solutions and technologies globally, acquired G-M Enterprises, a strong player in the vacuum furnaces market, headquartered in Corona, California.

The acquisition is in line with Nitrex’ strategy to further expand its integrated heat treatment solutions offer to customers while strengthening its products portfolio. For the past 30 years, G-M Enterprises has earned the reputation as a leading technological supplier of vacuum furnaces solving challenges for customers in the aerospace, power generation, energy, MIM sintering, and commercial heat-treating industries. The acquisition represents a great fit with Nitrex, as both share the same goal of providing technologies that improve customer workflow and efficiency while maximizing the life span and quality of engineered parts and components.

“This acquisition will allow Nitrex to bolster its turnkey solutions business by bringing a new, innovative and broader mix of heat treatment systems to our customers,” said Jean-Francois Cloutier, Nitrex CEO.

“G-M Enterprises is a strong performer in the vacuum furnaces market. The company has an outstanding growth opportunity and under Nitrex, we will build on that potential even further, using our global customer base and service footprint. We also look forward to welcoming the entire G-M Enterprises’ team into the Nitrex family,” continued Jean-Francois Cloutier.

“At G-M Enterprises, we are always looking for new ways to provide customers with the best services and product offerings. Joining forces with Nitrex and becoming part of its family of companies will ensure we keep pace with our customers’ evolving needs and expectations,” says Suresh Jhawar, G-M Enterprises President. “What this means for the future of G-M Enterprises is an opportunity to enhance our products and services, expand our international presence further by leveraging the resources, expertise, and capital of Nitrex. These advancements will deliver more value to our customers for years to come,” added Suresh Jhawar.

ABOUT NITREX:

Nitrex (www.nitrex.com; www.group-upc.com) is the lead provider of fully integrated heat-treating solutions and technologies globally. The company was founded in 1984 in Montreal, Canada and operates three business units – Nitrex Turnkey System (NTS) a leader of turnkey nitriding and nitrocarburizing systems; Heat Treating Services (HTS) a worldwide network of commercial heat-treating service centers; and UPC, a leading provider of controls upgrade and automation solutions for heat treating and combustion. Nitrex serves its customers globally from 14 locations across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Italy, France, China, Japan and through a global network of representatives and licensees.

Pictured in the photo from left to right are: Mrs. Veena Jhawar, G-M Enterprises COO; Mr. Jean-François Cloutier, Nitrex CEO; Mr. Suresh Jhawar, G-M Enterprises President

Furnace builder REMIX in Swiebidzin, Poland has started the final phase of production of a UBQ Sealed Quench furnace line licensed by AFC-Holcroft. Remix is one of the larger furnace builders in Poland and for many years has been an AFC-Holcroft (Wixom, Michigan, USA) licensee building furnaces for the European market. The first two photos below show the Sealed Quench (batch IQ for our North American readers) line under construction. When completed the line is going to a major commercial heat treater in Europe. In related news we see that Marek Kedzierzynski who for a number of years was associated with REMIX is now working with AFC-Holcroft promoting their products in Europe. Marek can be seen in one of the photos below along with Gord Montgomery during a visit a couple of years ago.

Ipsen announces the completion of its 2019 Corporate Academy class. Seven graduates will step into their full-time roles as Field Service Engineers (FSEs) after several months of training and a comprehensive exam. The program is part of a strategic initiative to continue growing service capacity across the globe. Ipsen employs the largest and most skilled aftermarket team in the business. With local FSEs, customers have better access to on-site inspections, evaluations, repairs, installation and support for their heat-treating and auxiliary equipment.

“Since the launch of the Corporate Academy, we have differentiated ourselves from the competition to establish Ipsen as the clear market leader in service,” said Ipsen Service Manager John Worley. The next class begins in January 2020 with another starting in April 2020. Ipsen plans to add ten more trained technicians to the field this year. During this five-month training, participants are taught core values, culture and fundamental job skills through classroom presentations, hands-on troubleshooting experience, and on-the-job field training. Graduates of the 2019 class were grateful for the unique learning opportunity.

“The Ipsen Corporate Academy was a very engaging experience,” said one graduate. “Ipsen has given us a great platform to head out into the field.”

“The level of training is well above and beyond any company I have worked for,” said another graduate. Ipsen is recruiting candidates with mechanical and electrical experience or education who want to improve their skills in vacuum furnace technology, design, installation, service, and troubleshooting. These positions may require relocation, as well as domestic and occasional international travel. For more information on joining the Corporate Academy, visit www.ipsenusa.com/about-us/ipsen-careers/ipsen-corporate-academy.

About Ipsen Ipsen USA designs and manufactures industrial vacuum and atmosphere heat-treating systems, supervisory controls systems and predictive maintenance software platforms for many industries, including Aerospace, Automotive, Commercial Heat Treating, Energy and Medical. With production locations in America, Europe and Asia, and representation in 34 countries, Ipsen is committed to providing 360° support for customers worldwide.

One of our news items of yesterday (January 8 which can be found further down this page) concerned a fire at Akebono Brake Corporation in Glasgow, Kentucky, USA. In the news item we mentioned how Akebono was one of the first companies to process brake rotors using a gas Ferritic nitrocarburizing process. Several readers corrected us on this and we should have known better. As far as we know the first company to mass produce brake rotors using a gas FNC process was Woodworth Heat Treating, a US commercial heat treater with several locations in the US and Mexico.
http://www.woodworthheattreating.com/index.html Woodworth processes the parts in mammoth “Tip Up” style furnaces as can be seen in these photos. By the way we have always ranked Woodworth as one of the largest commercial heat treaters in North America
https://themonty.com/largest-commercial-heat-treats/

Akebono Brake Corporation, North American subsidiary of Akebono Brake Industry Co., Ltd., of Japan suffered a fire in their heat treatment department at their Glasgow, Kentucky, USA facility yesterday, January 7^th at 8:30 AM. The fire started in a furnace and spread up through the ducting to the roof with the end result that two people were taken to the hospital with some injuries. Both individuals should be fine and it appears the fire started in a heat treat furnace and spread to the furnace ducting  (I believe we have heard this story before).  Akebono claims to have been the first brake manufacturer in the world to adopt the FNC (Ferritic Nitro Carburizing) process back in 2012, a process which has now become the norm in brake components. The FNC treatment is applied to resolve roughness (judder) concerns caused by corrosion build-up on rotor braking surface. The company has been in the news recently for the fact that they are closing several plants around the world-details below.

“Hundreds of employees of Elizabethtown’s Akebono plant are breath­ing a sigh of relief after it was announced the brake company’s Ring Road operation was spared. Akebono is closing two other U.S. plants as part of its business turn­around plan. Elizabethtown em­ploy­ees were told the plant would remain open at two Wednesday meetings, The News-Enterprise has learned. The U.S. plants clo­s­ing by March 2021 be­cause of “the reduction of sales” are in Clarksville, Ten­ne­s­see, and Columbia, South Carolina, according to a 12-page company document. The company announ­ced in July it would close or sell six factories worldwide, eliminating about 3,000 jobs. One report estimates the clo­s­ures amount to 30 percent of Akebono’s workforce. The restructuring is part of a plan to rid the company of much of its debt. In the announcement Wednesday, Akebono officials said they reached a deal with 37 creditors to eliminate $518 million in debt. Other locations to shut down, according to the document, are in Japan, France, Slovakia and Germany. “It’s good news for us,” said Rick Games, president and chief op­er­ating officer of the Eliza­bethtown-Hardin County Industrial Foundation. “From my standpoint, the city’s standpoint and the industrial foundation, we’re pleased.” All international closings are expected to be completed by March 2022. According to the doc­u­ments, Akebono will “con­duct exhaustive mea­sures to improve productivity, rationalize operation of plants, and reduce selling, general and administrative expense” in its remaining U.S. plants in Elizabethtown and Glasgow. A portion of Akebono’s corporate headquarters is on Ring Road by the plant.”

From India we have this photo of a new furnace installation at captive heat treater at Kalyani Technoforge Ltd., in Pune. What you are looking at are two double chamber sealed quench furnaces (batch IQ furnaces for our North American readers) recently installed. They were built by  Aichelin Unitherm in India (a division of Aichelin in Austria) and each has a capacity of 1500 Kgs. They will be used for gas carburizing of gears.