Commercial heat treater Braddock Metallurgical in the US South East is according to that impeccable source “The Monty” rated as one of the largest in North America in terms of annual sales (to find out where they rank https://themonty.com/largest-commercial-heat-treaters-in-north-america-october-2018/) Their name comes up today because the company recently moved their Atlanta, Georgia location into a new and larger facility while at the same time expanding their batch IQ and vacuum departments. These photos give you a feel for the new location.
Roughly 2 years ago, Cold Heading Company closed their Lee Road, Cleveland facility and since that time the equipment (including their large heat treating department) has been sitting idle collecting dust. Tomorrow Thursday, December 6 everything goes to auction and this includes the heat treat department. This consists of an AFC 1500 pounds/hour mesh belt line, an AFC 2500 pounds/hour cast link belt line, an AFC 4,000 pounds/hour mesh belt line and 2 AFC Endo generators-all mid 1990’s vintage and all seeming complete and in reasonable or good condition. Now if we were betting people at “The Monty” this is what we expect will happen; the 1500 and 2500 pound lines will be sold to a scrap dealer, the endo generators will also be scrapped or go for almost nothing and the largest line, the 4,000 pound/hour line we would guess will either be sold or removed from the auction. AFC, the largest atmosphere furnace builder in North America is known as a premium supplier of continuous lines and generators but the reality is that very few people these days want continuous lines smaller than about 3,000 pounds per hour, cast link belt lines have little appeal these days and newer multi retort generators have largely replaced the older style units such as these. We actually hope we are wrong on these predictions as we hate to see top quality, good equipment scrapped but experience tells us this is what we can expect.
And speaking of auctions we also have word about this one coming up January 28th, 2019. A lighting manufacturer by the name of Ledvance is closing a large facility in New Hampshire, USA and all of the equipment is being sold by an auction company by the name of Branford Group, a company which we have some experience with and have a high opinion of. The furnaces include a number of fairly new CM and Harper Hydrogen sintering furnaces all of which were worth over $1 ½ million USD when purchased new in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Very specialized furnaces but for the right buyer probably a super deal. All the details can be found if you click on the link below. This photo shows a typical Harper furnace although not one of the ones in the auction.
http://www.thebranfordgroup.com/dnn3/Auction/LEDV0119.aspx
“Richard Joseph Chalet, 73, passed away in Hobe Sound, Florida surrounded by family on December 1, 2018 after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Marianne, his daughter Christine Georgeadis, son-in-law Stavros and grandson Ethan of Palm Beach Gardens. He is also survived by many more loved ones including his sister Elaine Sheeran and husband James of Plymouth, MA, his nieces Elizabeth Murray (Christopher), Caroline McDermod (Matthew), Catherine Cairns and three great-nieces and two great-nephews, all from the Boston area. He is preceded in death by his sister Patricia Cairns (Richard) of Hanover, MA. Richard leaves behind his beloved dogs, Charlie, Joey and Sammie. Born in Boston, MA on January 30, 1945 to the late Nathan and Dora Chalet (DeRosa), Richard, to all that knew him, was a good-natured and caring husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.
Richard grew up in Weymouth, MA and married Marianne (Connelly), his high school sweetheart in 1965. They had their daughter Christine a year later. Their love story spanned over 50 years with Marianne being the Yin to his Yang. Leaving the comfort of family in the Boston area, they left for Cleveland, OH in 1969 to embark on a new life and new business opportunities. It was in Cleveland that Richard founded Alcon Industries, Inc. with close friend Tom Waldin in 1977. Alcon has since become America’s leading producer of heat and corrosion resistant alloy castings and fabrications. Although he “retired” to Florida in 1992 his devotion to his company and his employees continued until his passing. Richard and Marianne spent many years traveling the world, enjoying great food and wine with their close friends Tom and his wife Epp Waldin. Richard enjoyed golfing with his buddies and his weekly poker games. He loved watching action movies and was a lifelong fan of the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox. Richard’s love of dogs began while growing up in Weymouth, where he rescued Scamper Dog from the local pound. This was a constant theme in his life as his wife Marianne brought home many special needs dogs for “temporary fostering” but they always ended up staying since Richard could never say no. Their love of animals always resulted in a houseful of rescued dogs. Most of all, Richard loved spending time with his family and was especially proud of his grandson Ethan.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (pancan.org) or an animal rescue site of your choice. A Funeral Mass will be held on Monday, December 10th at 11:00am at St. Christopher’s Catholic Church, 12001 SE Federal Hwy, Hobe Sound, FL. Burial will follow at Riverside Memorial Park, 19351 SE County Line Rd., Tequesta, FL. The family will greet friends from 4-8pm at Taylor & Modeen Funeral Home, 250 Center Street, Jupiter, FL on Sunday, December 9th.”
For 20 years now “The Monty” has been printing news stories about the worldwide heat treating industry. Some of these items are posted and forgotten which is a shame-our opinion is that it is always fun to look back and see how the story continued, such is the case today. Back in September of 2016 we had a very interesting news item about Japanese heat treating giant Dowa setting up a new facility in Mexico (our original story is further down). So did their plans go as predicted? Pretty much as it turns out. Production started in July 2017 and currently the plant has 2 gas soft Nitriding systems, 2 carburizing furnaces, 3 vacuum furnaces and one TD process furnace for surface treatment of molds which is all in line with predictions made back in 2016. As we all know the Mexican heat treating market is a very healthy one and the San Luis area is growing as fast or faster than any other area of the country when it comes to heat treating.
September 2016 News Item; “DOWA Thermotech Mexico. One of the biggest of the big when it comes to commercial heat treating and furnace building is DOWA of Japan. We have written extensively about the company and their abilities over the years so we won’t dwell on it today, rather we will tell you about their newest project which is coming along nicely. In April of 2015 DOWA Thermotech Mexico S.A de C.V. was established in San Luis Potosi, Mexico with a working capital of $5 million USD and a mandate to serve the heat treating needs of auto parts makers in Mexico with a focus on Japanese companies. Construction of the plant started in September of 2015, with plant completion in August of this year with equipment being installed September of 2016. All of this with an eye on a production start up of April 2017-which seems to be right on schedule. Currently the plant has 2 vacuum annealing furnaces installed, 1 soft nitriding unit,2 gas nitriding systems and one TD process line. Future plants will see a total of 4 vacuum annealing furnaces, 6 nitriding systems, 1 TD line 3 carburizing furnaces, 4 vacuums and 2 tempers all of which will make for a very substantial heat treater. This by the way marks the first foray into the North American commercial heat treating market in North America.”
It is with regret that we mention the passing of Richard Chalet Saturday, December 1, 2018. Dick was the founder of Alcon Industries of Cleveland, Ohio, USA one of the largest suppliers of fabricated and cast high temperature furnace components in North America. Many years ago we worked with Dick at Alcon and have very found memories of him. We will provide details of his life and how he can be remembered as soon as we receive them.
Thermal Process Holdings, Inc. (“TPH”) is pleased to announce its acquisition of P & L Heat Treating (“P&L”) based in Youngstown, Ohio. P&L is a high quality provider focused in particular on tool and die work. Bill Pociask founded P&L in 1978 and serves as President. P&L represents the fourth investment (and fifth heat treating facility) in our strategy to build a leading thermal processing company focused on value-added services. Central to this strategy is identifying and bringing together leading businesses that share a focus on safety, quality, service, and advanced technology.
John Hubbard, Chairman of TPH, said: “We are delighted to partner with Bill Pociask and the P&L team. P&L is a well-run heat treating operation providing high quality service. Both Bill Pociask and P&L are excellent additions to the TPH group.”
Bill Pociask, founder and President of P&L commented: “I am excited to work with the TPH group of companies. There are many opportunities for us to help each other grow and continue to serve our customers. The future is very bright for P&L.”
ABOUT THERMAL PROCESS HOLDINGS, INC.
Thermal Process Holdings was formed by Calvert Street Capital Partners and John Hubbard (former CEO of Bodycote, PLC) to pursue a buy-and-build strategy in the thermal processing industry. The team has a stated goal to build a diversified, professionally-managed thermal processing business generating over $100 million of revenue. TPH also owns and operates: Diamond Heat Treat, based in Rockford, IL; Certified Heat Treating, based in Springfield, OH; and Hudapack Metal Treating, based in Elkhorn and Franklin, Wisconsin. TPH is actively seeking other add-on acquisition opportunities.
ABOUT CALVERT STREET
Calvert Street Capital Partners is a Baltimore, Maryland-based private equity firm with a focus on investing in industrial service businesses in the lower middle-market. Since its inception in 1995, Calvert Street has partnered with skilled management teams of privately held businesses to drive profitable growth and organizational transformation. TPH builds upon Calvert Street’s experience in other high-value add industrial sectors, including testing and inspection and precision machining. For more information, please go to www.cscp.com.
November marks the 75th anniversary for Alloy Engineering Company, an industry leader in the design and manufacture of alloy equipment for high-temperature and corrosive industrial applications. The company’s equipment is used for both commercial and in-house heat treating, and for processes such as annealing, hardening, carbo-nitriding, carburizing, nitriding, tempering, brazing and sintering. Alloy has grown from a humble parts fabrication company to a middle market, multi-location supplier with customers around the world. In 1974, Alloy became the first company in Ohio to establish an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
“This is an exciting milestone, particularly in a competitive market place,” said Lou Petonovich, Chairman and CEO of Alloy. “We are happy to celebrate with our close-knit team and valued customers.” Petonovich, who joined Alloy in as a plant manager in 1979, has seen his share of ups and downs during his 39 years with the company. From a United Auto Workers strike in the 1980’s to double digit growth in the early 1990’s, Petonovich credits the team’s passion and dedication to the customer as the primary reasons for the company’s success.
“This is the strongest team we’ve had in our history. Everyone is working in sync, keeping in mind the core principles this company was founded on,” said Petonovich. Alloy has made headlines throughout its 75-year history. They’ve acquired several Ohio-based companies and opened a second location in Wellington, Ohio in 2005. Alloy was also the recipient of an award for excellence in exporting from Governor Ted Strickland in 2009.
The company made waves in 1974 when it became the first company in Ohio – and one of the first in the country – to establish an ESOP. Alloy is now one of 300 companies headquartered in Ohio that offer employee ownership, a program that provides a company’s workforce with an ownership interest. In an ESOP, companies provide their employees with stock ownership, often at no upfront cost to the employees.
Don Andrews joined Alloy as a draftsman in 1984 and currently serves as a senior project manager. He finds being part of an ESOP incredibly appealing. “When every person at the company is an owner, we all build wealth,” said Andrews. “It allows you to have a larger vision of the company outside of your own role.”
Other employees appreciate the group spirit and family-atmosphere that emerged after becoming an ESOP, noting that it’s created a positive company culture.With a new management team installed in 2014, the company is well positioned to continue its growth. Alloy continues to invest in machining capabilities and vertical integration to better serve customers.
According to Petonovich, the new team has their sights set on doubling the business over the next several years. Plans include launching new product lines that will create a distinct competitive advantage in what has become a mature industry. Additionally, the company plans to add new locations to help overcome the substantial freight expenses required to service distant geographic markets. “We will be successful when we maintain focus on our two overarching objectives: satisfied customers, and secure and satisfied employees,” added Petonovich.
About Alloy Engineering Company: The company was founded in 1943 by Paul A. Menough in the attic of his Rocky River, Ohio home. Menough’s energy, expertise and spirit of entrepreneurship gave the metal parts fabrication company its legacy. In 1947 the company moved to a manufacturing facility in Berea, Ohio and in 1957 moved to its present site on Thacker Street. With the development of new alloys in the industry, the company further expanded its skills and abilities. With a global client base, Alloy partners with clients to achieve the lowest possible cost of fabrications maintenance and operations.
Media Contacts: Liz Hersh, [email protected] or 216-236-3017; Shannon Kobus, [email protected] or 440-243-6800 ext. 137
We start off in the USA with commercial heat treater Paulo Products; Paulo is excited to announce the addition of Jack Horrigan as Quality Assurance Manager at the Cleveland Division. Jack replaces Noel Brady who is moving to a Corporate Metallurgy role. Noel will still be based at the Cleveland plant, but provide metallurgical support across Paulo, specifically for nickel based super alloys and Titanium. Jack joins Paulo with over 20 years in Quality roles primarily in the Titanium and special metals world. Jack will lead the Quality team at the Cleveland facility where thousands of critical Aerospace components are processed daily. After 8 years as Quality Assurance Manager Noel Brady is transitioning to a Metallurgy role where he will, along with the rest of the Corporate Metallurgical Engineering team, support all Paulo plants. His role will include process improvement, failure analysis, internal training, and customer support.
Advanced Heat Treat Corp based in Waterloo, Iowa and with 4 facilities in the US sent us this press release about recent promotions. AHT is one of the largest commercial heat treaters in North America and the largest when it comes to Plasma (Ion) Nitriding. “TOM HINGTGEN, KODY KOTTKE and JOEL OLTROGGE have been promoted at Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (“AHT). Hingtgen was promoted to senior project specialist. He has been with the company since 1989. Kottke and Oltrogge have both been promoted to production supervisors. Kottke has been with AHT since 2003, and Oltrogge has been with AHT since 1999.” Down in Texas there continues to be “issues” between commercial heat treater National Heat Treat and Worldwide Heat Treat both based in Texas. These issues seem to involve lots of lawyers which is always a shame. Tempel Steel recently added a roller hearth annealing furnace at their facility in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Tempel manufacturers motor laminations at several locations around the world and are darn good at what they do.
Paul Blackhard has retired from auto parts supplier TRW (now ZF) in Lebanon, TN, USA where he was involved in the heat treating department. This location had a large in house heat treating department (maybe still has some) consisting of batch IQ furnaces which was closed down a few years ago. Last we heard the furnace were still sitting there due to environmental issues. Commercial heat treater Hauk in the UK has added a couple of people.; “As part of its growth strategy, Hauck Heat Treatment has added two new Graduate Technical Sales Engineers to its team. The pair, pictured below, will support an increasingly active sales and customer communications drive across the six Hauck Heat Treatment plants in the UK. Linita Ramgi (right) graduated with a BEng in Industrial Engineering and Management at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal, after which she gained an MSc in Aerospace Engineering at Coventry University. Siraj Hussain graduated from the University of Bradford with a BEng in Chemical Engineering. Both appointments compliment a wider, ongoing workforce development and investment strategy in support of the commitment to service and belief in the Companies’ motto – “Our knowledge is Your strength”.”
Moving to Italy we see that furnace builder Meapforni has a fairly full shop with a rotary hearth, continuous and a vacuum furnace all on the floor in various stages of construction.
Italian Furnace Builder IVR wants to brag about a Sealed Quench (batch IQ) Line they just installed. This is a completely automated line and the end customer is a French manufacturer of auto parts who installed the equipment in their plant in Italy.
Coming up a company by the name of Cold Heading Company will be auctioning off all of the equipment in a facility they have in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. This location closed a couple of years back and all of the equipment has sat in place, installed and collecting dust since that time. Being a fastener manufacturer the equipment is exactly what you would expect, continuous furnace lines with loading, high heat furnaces, oil quenching, washers and tempers. To be more precise each of the three lines was built by AFC back in the 1990’s, with two being mesh belts and one a cast link. Continuous furnace lines are funny things, when the fastener guys are busy they sell quickly, when times are slow you can’t give them away. We would guess that the largest line will find a home, the two smaller ones will probably go to the scrap guys.
