Thomas G. Gasbarre has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of Gasbarre Products, Inc. He has held the position since 1990 when his father, George Gasbarre, the founder of the company, retired. During his tenure as CEO, Tom has done an exceptional job of steering the company in a forward direction and completed a series of key acquisitions that earned Gasbarre Products a worldwide reputation. Tom will remain as Chief Financial Officer until his planned retirement at the end of 2020.

With that being said, Gasbarre is pleased to announce that Tom’s son, Alex Gasbarre, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and is now leading the development and execution of the company’s short- and long-term strategies.

Alex has been working at Gasbarre for the last 14 years and in that time has had many roles. His most recent role, as President of Press & Technologies and Chief Operating Officer, has given Alex the opportunity to hone his skills relating to strategic planning, information technology, marketing, human resources and international sales. Having worked around every nuance of the family business his entire career, Alex is well-suited for his new role.  

Gasbarre is also pleased to announce that Heath Jenkins has been promoted, and will succeed Alex as President, Press & Automation, and Manufacturing Technologies. Heath has been with Gasbarre for more than three years, and has proven himself a leader with a strong ability to develop an organization. In his prior role as Vice President, Sales & Marketing for Gasbarre Press Division, Heath has brought great attention to the Gasbarre name and has done a stellar job of promoting sales growth and customer satisfaction for the organization.

Says Tom Gasbarre, of the management changes within the organization, “The next generation of leaders at Gasbarre has proven themselves to be very capable, dedicated, and committed to carrying on the 46-year tradition of the company. I believe these changes will position Gasbarre Products, Inc. for continued success for many years to come.”

About Gasbarre Products, Inc. Gasbarre, headquartered in DuBois, PA, was founded in 1973 to design, manufacture, and service a complete line of powder compaction and sizing presses for the powder metallurgy industry. Since that time, Gasbarre has earned a worldwide reputation as a full service supplier to the powder metallurgy, and thermal processing industries. With over 200 employees, Gasbarre stands alone in the ability to offer equipment and services for all applications related to powder compaction, thermal processing, and manufacturing technologies. 

Shortly before Christmas we posted this rumor about Italy’s largest furnace builder CIEFFE Industrial furnaces (our original story is below). The long and short of it is that yes this rumor proved to be correct and we will have more details about this and CIEFFE in the near future. In the meantime we leave you with this photo of the CIEFFE team and HK18 in Cologne, Germany October of 2018.

December 2018; CIEFFE Industrial Furnaces, Italy; We have run across a very interesting rumor about Italian furnace builder http://www.cieffe.it/en/ Rumor has it that the company has just landed a multi million dollar order from an international manufacturer for one of their facilities in China. The rumour goes on to say that the order includes multiple sealed quench furnaces (Batch IQ furnaces for our North American readers), tempers, washer and ancillary equipment. The rumor goes on to say that this is a fully automated line and that a local partner near Shanghai will be co operating on the project. While this remains a rumour we have little reason to doubt that it is true. CIEFFE is the largest new furnace builder in Italy and one of the larger ones in Europe and is a company which has gone through a number of changes at the management level in the past couple of years. However obviously customers feel comfortable that any issues have been resolved. We`re hoping to confirm this rumour in the very near future.

Al Gunow. Spending time with some of the people at furnace manufacturer ECM a couple of weeks ago lead to the topic of Al Gunow and where is he now-we will explain. Al (Sandy) was a long time heat treat manufacturers rep in Michigan, mainly selling for Solar Manufacturing but also repping for ECM when the company first came to North America over 20 years ago. Al was instrumental in selling vacuum carburizing systems to Ford all those years ago which you could argue lead to ECM becoming such a well known name in North American heat treating circles. Al was so successful that he retired from repping a number of years back and while he still lives in Michigan he spends a great deal of time in his favorite spot-Colorado. 

Proving yet again that many people get into the heat treating industry because of family connections we should add that Al’s brother Bob Gunow owns and runs commercial heat treater Vac Met in Warren, Michigan. 

“ORANGE, CA, Feb. 19, 2019 – Aerospace workers at Thermal-Vac Technology in Orange are ushering in the next generation of American space travel and preparing to launch NASA astronauts on missions to deep space through the world’s only exploration-class space systems: NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, Orion spacecraft and the Exploration Ground Systems that launch these vehicles. Steve Driscol, CEO of Thermal-Vac said, “Our team is honored to be part of the American efforts to continue being leaders in space exploration. It is a vital part our humanity that we invest in and support these projects to ensure their success now and for years into the future.” Aerospace workers at Thermal-Vac Technology are partnering with NASA and aerospace leaders to return Americans to the Moon and send astronauts to Mars in the early 2030s. Based in Orange, CA, Thermal-Vac Technology is Southern California’s premier brazing, heat-treating, and finishing facility offering first-class services to a wide customer base, including some of the most demanding in the industry. For over three decades they have been sought out by customers who require the most innovative solutions for challenging project needs, effectively helping to secure a position as a leader in the industry.”  

Photo 1 – Eight astronauts from multiple missions to the moon and ISS pose with Congresswoman Kendra Horn (D-OK), Chair, House Space Subcommittee during a reception for SLS-Orion suppliers.

Photo 2 – Senator Ted Cruz (R- TX), Chair, Senate Space Subcommittee with Heather Falcone,  Administrative Director of Thermal-Vac Technology after he spoke to suppliers about the commitment to fund deep space exploration in years to come through bipartisan legislation.

Kleve, GERMANY (February 19, 2019) – On Tuesday at an Ipsen Germany Company meeting, the new Group CEO Geoffrey Somary spoke to the full company. He used the opportunity to thank the out-going Ipsen Germany CEO Marc Angenendt, who also spoke to the team, thanking them for all their past contributions and wishing all a great success for the future. Somary then introduced to the Company the Ipsen Germany Leadership Team, including:

“We were not able to adapt the Company’s internal structures as fast as needed to accommodate the rapid growth of the last year,” Somary said to the assembled team of several hundred employees. Under the guidance of Somary, the new leadership team has started with the reorganization initiatives that will include a limited number of employee separations. Somary pointed to the solid order backlog at Ipsen Germany and further explained the needed steps to assure that both customer promises are always kept and quality leadership remains at the forefront of all planned actions.These changes planned in Germany will have no impact on the other global legal entities of Ipsen in Japan, India, China or the USA. As the global leader in heat treatment systems with more than 70 years in business, Ipsen systems are used in thousands of mission-critical applications worldwide, from satellite components to medical devices and the most exacting automotive transmission gears.

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. Choosing Ipsen means choosing a partner in success.

From furnace manufacturer Diablo Furnaces in Machesney Park, Illinois we have this photo which shows some of the 10 furnaces the company currently has on the floor. Diablo is a relatively new furnace builder but one which seems to be doing well these days.

This press release tells us how vacuum furnace manufacturer ALD based in Hanau, Germany is expanding. When we visited the company back in 2015 we were told that they were almost out of room-obviously that was the case. By the way ALD in North America (we are talking about the furnace manufacturing side of things-not the commercial heat treat side) is going through some real changes in their sales network. When everything is settled we will give you an update.

“ALD Vacuum Technologies is to expand its plant site in Hanau, Germany, with a new office building featuring 2,500 m2 of office space and a 2,000 m2 technical centre. The move into the new buildings has been planned for the end of 2019, with ALD recently reporting that it has been granted a building permit for the planned construction. In early 2016, ALD moved to the Fraunhofer Science Park in Hanau, where it now employs five-hundred. The expansion is expected to create space for an additional one-hundred employees, significantly reducing the space requirements for the ALD workforce.

Markus Holz, ALD CEO, stated, “Currently we have to move closer together and even create interim solutions in order to find a place for all employees. We are therefore very much looking forward to moving into the new buildings this year.” The ALD Research and Development Centre, previously located in one of ALD’s assembly halls, will be located in the new technical centre, especially equipped for the development of future-orientated systems. Development engineers will work in the new offices annexed directly onto the hall, with their direct proximity to the engineering staff expected to reduce development times, including machine construction, commissioning and test runs.”

“WATERLOO, IA – February 18, 2019 – Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT), a recognized leader in heat treat services and metallurgical solutions, announced today the promotion of William “Bill” Cowell to Vice President of Operations. He will now oversee operations for all AHT facilities. Cowell has been at AHT since 1999 and has held a number of operational roles. Most recently, he oversaw the MidPort facility located in Waterloo, Iowa. His responsibilities have now been extended to also include the Burton Ave. plant in Waterloo; the Monroe, Michigan location; and the Cullman, Alabama location. AHT President Mike Woods commented, “Bill has been a vital part of our team for nearly 20 years. His understanding of our heat treat processes, his leadership and his operational knowledge is unparalleled. In his new role, he will help take AHT to the next level through his strategic direction and will be a great resource for our other AHT facilities.”

“Wirco would like to welcome Mr. Marco Möser to our team. Marco is the Vice President of our Foundry Division. He has spent the last 24 years in the heat resistant casting business. His lists of accomplishments are numerous. He has managed global sales efforts for several well-known foundries, managed foundry operations in four different countries, and built highly effective teams in all corners of the world. Mr. Möser has been tasked to build upon the multimillion dollar investment Wirco has recently completed in their Champaign, IL based foundry operations.”

Titeflex Aerospace in New Hampshire recently updated their in house heat treat department. The company provides components to the aerospace industry in an effort to make sure they have the most up to date equipment they purchased a new Ipsen vacuum furnace and sold their older furnace to a commercial heat treater in Upstate, NY.

“Wirco would also like to announce the promotion of Mr. Aaron Fisher to Vice President of our Fabrication Division. Aaron has been with Wirco for 19 years. His primary focus has been on the operational side of Wirco, holding nearly every position in our operation. He was instrumental in the acquisition and transition of Alloy Engineering and Casting Co, Salloy, and Hyper Alloys. He has overseen the growth in our Wirco Avilla Campus, bringing us to over 130,000 sq ft of manufacturing space in three separate facilities.”

It is a complete co-incidence that after the above two mentions about Wirco that we have this item which has a Wirco connection; “Bob Rodewald, the last of the long-time partners in the Stahl Engineering Company rep agency, has passed away in Noblesville, Indiana at the age of 91. Bob joined the Stahl group in the 1960’s when Hevi-Duty Electric, for whom he had been selling, was acquired by Lindberg, which had been represented by Stahl in Indianapolis since being founded by Ralph Stahl in 1942.  Bob was a degreed Electrical Engineer whose brother often joked that he could not change the batteries in a two-cell flashlight.  But what he lacked in mechanical ability, he made up for in ingenuity when it came to heat treating furnaces.  Over the next several decades the Stahl territory became filled with cleverly-conceived furnace equipment that resulted from the efforts of Ralph, Bob, Carl Weber, Gene Burkhammer, and Lee Isaacson. Bob’s ingenuity ran beyond furnace design and application. He was also an entrepreneur who was the ‘R’ in WIRCO, born when he partnered with Joe Wright and Isaacson to start a commercial heat treating shop.  He also helped to start a large temporary employment agency before they were a mainstream idea. In later years Bob continued to be active in the heat treating world and had an amazing recall.  He could remember seemingly every detail on furnaces that he sold from the 1960’s to the present, and remained an important resource on equipment still in service.  Jim Senne and I consider him the godfather of MetalPro Resources, as we both learned much from Bob when we were customers of his, and then when we became business partners with him. Bob was known by his customers and friends for his enthusiasm, a big laugh, and a quick wit, and we will miss him.”

Recently we visited ECM in France and during the same trip visited GRUPO TTN, the largest commercial heat treater in Italy. Our hosts in Italy were a local manufacturers rep firm by the name of SILCO SRA located in Rivalta. The firm has been around for many years and amongst the companies they sell for is ECM for which they cover Italy. This photo shows the company, from left to right we have; Dennis Beauchesne, ECM USA, Mariangela Marchioretto, Massimo Leocata, Alberto Rosso (whose parents founded the company), Maria Masotti, Maria Bovino, Luke Salomoni and Perre Bertoni, ECM.

We have two items from the UK to round things out for this out for the beginning of this week, the first about a captive operation TWI;  “TWI is pleased to announce the opening of a new, state-of-the-art vacuum furnace facility to be used in supporting members with their development and pre-production requirements. The new furnace enhances TWI’s commitment to support its members in solving their industrial challenges. The new furnace facility will offer a range of thermal processes, including vacuum brazing and heat treatment, with capability for operation with argon, nitrogen and also a partial pressure of hydrogen. To enable us to support our members’ manufacturing and quality requirements, the furnace is run in accordance with the requirements of AMS 2750E standard and full quality documentation is available in support of process development.”

Qualtech Manufacturing in Denver, Colorado, USA a captive and commercial heat treater recently shut down their heat treat department and sold off all of the equipment. Certainly Colorado is not a “hotbed” of manufacturing and this marks the second heat treater to close up in the state, after Metal Treating & Research chose not to rebuild after a fire a couple of years back. Metal Powder Products Company (MPP) announced last September that they would be moving their MIM (Metal Injection Molding) operations to Noblesville, IN. Well the company provided this update; “The relocation to Noblesville is starting to reach its conclusion. The final molding machines have arrived and the final sintering furnace will arrive soon. Production quantities are now shipping and we are very excited about the future!”

In Brazil fastener manufacturer FRIEDBERG , Brazil has been trying to unload this 2200 pound per hour continuous line for a couple of years now. It actually appears to be a real nice looking furnace but there is little demand for more furnace capacity in Brazil these days and it is unlikely that anybody would seriously consider moving the line outside of the continent. German fastener manufacturer KAMAX recently moved a used continuous line from a plant in the Czech Republic to their new facility in Mexico but that is very unusual and we really questioned the logic of that.

And to round things out we have this photo from Woodward in Rockford, Illinois, USA. Woodward manufacturers fuel pumps for the aerospace industry and this facility along with their in house heat treating department is one of the finest we have ever seen-we can’t say enough good things about the facility. However having said that we were not allowed to take photos of the inside of the plant and we feel it better not to mention the furnaces the company has. In this photo we see Ryan Moriarty (Woodward), Eduard Lassel and Roland Weeske of Graphite Materials and Thomas Hedlund (Woodward).

From heat treat industry expert Thomas Wingens (whose profile can be viewed at the bottom of this page) we have this summary of the 10 largest commercial heat treaters in Europe based on annual sales volume. To this list we have added some comments of our own.

“Thomas Wingens is the President of WINGENS LLC International Industry Consultancy in Pittsburgh, PA and Stuttgart, Germany. He has a graduated engineering degree (Dipl.Ing.) in material science from the University of Applied Science in Dortmund/Germany and holds a MBA from the University of Economy and Management in Stuttgart/Germany. Mr. Wingens started his professional career in 1987 as metallurgist and heat treater in the Thyssen Specialty Steel mill in Germany and has worked in Management and Executive positions with leading companies in the metal and heat treat industry, such as Bodycote, Ipsen, Tenova Group, Seco/Warwick, VTN (IHI Group) and executed research projects with ThyssenKrupp Germany, Volvo Corporate Research Sweden and Böhler Voestalpine Steel Austria.

He is a member of ASM (American Society of Materials), AIST (American Iron and Steel Technology) in the US and their equivalent societies in Germany  (VDI Germany Engineering Society, VDEH – German Society of Iron and Steel, AWT – German heat treat society). In August 2016 he got elected as board member to the North American Heat Treat Society (HTS). Mr. Wingens has published several papers and held presentations at international conferences on general heat treating, nitriding and vacuum furnace processes. He lives with his wife Andrea and their two children In Sewickley, PA (Pittsburgh). Thomas can be reached at [email protected]