One of our most popular stories of the year was entitled;“Why Are So Many Heat Treat Shops in North American Closing Down”?The story prompted so many thoughts and comments that the team at “The Monty” felt is well worthwhile to elaborate on the reasons why commercial heat treat shops appear to be closing at an increasing pace and to add a few more reasons as suggested by our readers.
We pointed out a number of causes for these closures but at the end of the day there is no single overarching reason, looking at closures over the past couple of years suggests a mix of economic, operational, and market factors. Here are a number of the main ones;
1) Consolidation Through Acquisitions; Many closures stem from larger companies buying smaller ones and then shutting down redundant facilities to streamline operations. For example, Thermal Process Holdings acquired Certified Heat Treating in Springfield, Ohio, and closed the plant, moving equipment and work to other sites within their network. This pattern reflects broader industry consolidation, where bigger players absorb smaller shops to reduce overlap and boost efficiency.
2) Tariffs and Rising Costs; Trade tariffs, particularly on imported materials or equipment, have increased operational expenses, making it harder for some shops to remain profitable. This has been cited as a contributing factor in multiple closures. (An example of a shop closing because of increased tariffs would be AMAC Industries of Cleveland, Ohio).
3) Shift to In-House Heat Treating by Manufacturers; Some manufacturers are bringing heat treatment processes in-house to cut costs and improve control, reducing demand for external commercial services. This trend has led to lower volumes for independent shops, forcing some to close.
4) Overcapacity and Market Uncertainty; The commercial heat treat sector has excess capacity relative to demand, exacerbated by slowdowns in key industries like automotive. Economic uncertainty in these sectors has prompted adjustments, including closures to right-size the market.
5) Outdated Technology and Lack of Investment; Shops relying on older equipment or processes struggle to compete with modern, efficient alternatives. Without upgrades, they face higher maintenance costs and reduced competitiveness, leading to unprofitability-witness the departure of small batch IQ furnaces and pusher lines both of which were once mainstays of the heat treatment market.
6) Poor Management or Retirement; In some cases, closures are due to mismanagement (including stupidity and incompetence as we have mentioned in the past) and retirement. An example of retirement would be Katy Heat Treat in Texas which shut down in mid-2025 as its long-time owners sought a change.
7) Low Profit Margins; Overall profitability issues, driven by the above factors, make it unsustainable for marginal operations to continue. Even with a stable market, shops without strong niches or efficiencies are vulnerable.
Not all heat treat segments are equally affected—some areas like aerospace or specialized services are expanding.
Watch for continuing coverage from “The Monty” about changes and trends in the commercial heat treatment market.
Recently we posted an article entitled “Will ‘Boronizing’ Providers Need a New Source for ‘Boron Powder’?” In response Mr.Ralph Hunger, CEO of “BorTec USA LLC” very kindly sent us this update.
BorTec was the original source of the boronizing powder previously distributed by Avion Manufacturing. We have since taken over these activities directly and established BorTec USA LLC, with a production and distribution site in Tennessee. From this location, we manufacture boronizing media “Made in USA” for the North American market. Beyond boronizing powders and pastes, BorTec USA also provides commercial boronizing services for applications in pumps, valves, oil & gas, and agricultural equipment, and manufactures boronized OCTG tubing for demanding energy-sector environments.
By way of introduction, BorTec is an internationally recognized specialist in boriding and boronizing technologies, with decades of experience developing advanced surface-hardening solutions for highly demanding applications. The company is known for its deep process expertise, high-quality boronizing materials, and close collaboration with customers to extend component life and performance. With BorTec USA LLC, we are pleased to combine proven European know-how with local U.S. production, service, and technical support.”
SBS Corporation, a global provider of high-performance thermal processing and industrial cooling technologies, announced today that it has received a significant order for its Vac Air vacuum furnace cooling system from a prominent U.S. manufacturer specializing in hypersonic platforms.
The order represents a major milestone for SBS Corporation as the company continues to expand its footprint in advanced aerospace, defense, and high-temperature materials processing markets.
“We are honored to support one of the nation’s most forward-leaning developers of hypersonic systems,” said George Smith, CEOof SBS Corporation. “The Vac Air is engineered to deliver exceptional thermal stability, operational reliability, and precise control—capabilities that are essential for processing the high-performance materials used in next-generation flight technologies.”
The system builds on SBS’s industry leading support of critical manufacturing workflows, including thermal treatment and component conditioning for extreme-environment applications.
This contract underscores SBS Corporation’s commitment to advancing U.S. industrial capability and supplying critical infrastructure for strategic manufacturing programs.
The system is scheduled for delivery in Q1 2026.
December 4th“The Monty Heat Treat News” reported on an ongoing auction in the western USA featuring an unused “Ipsen Titan” Debind/Sinter System”-the original story can be found further down. As far as we are aware the furnace sold for $45,000 USD at auction-now here is the really interesting part of the story. Very shortly after the auction concluded the furnace appeared for sale on “E-Bay” with an eye watering asking price of $385,000 USD-somebody is trying to hit a home run with this furnace!
(Editors Note; We have since learned that over the years Ipsen has built in total 37 debind and sinter vacuum furnaces of which 28 fell into the Titan DS family of products. However only 3 have had working dimensions of 12″ X 12″ X 24″, most of the others have had working dimensions of 36″x36″x48″).
We will keep you updated on this story.
“DECEMBER 4th 2025; Last week an Ipsen“Titan” Vacuum Debind/Sinter furnace was included in an auction taking place on the USA West Coast. While the Ipsen “Titan” vacuum furnace has proven to be extremely popular with heat treaters around the world, this is a very unusual version of the unit-so unusual in fact that our understanding is that only 3 have ever been built.
It is a Model DS 121224 which proved to be a vacuum debind/sinter system with working dimensions of 12″ X 12″ X 24″, built in 2023 with a surge tank, water cooling system and numerous spare parts. It would appear that it was originally sold to an end user in Washington who scrapped the entire project, meaning this system was probably never used or even installed.
While the auction is ongoing, it has as of 11:30 AM, November 4th received numerous bids with the current highest being $45,000 USD, this for a furnace which new would have had a sale price of approximately $500,000 USD.
It will be interesting to see what the final “buy” price is, while it is a beauty of a furnace it will be of interest to only a small % of manufacturers in the world”.
We are very proud to welcome our newest advertiser, “Riedhammer”of Germany, the world’s leading Kiln Plant Manufacturer Design, and a firm heavily involved in the construction of systems for the production of lithium-ion battery powder materials. Their ad can be found on this page and an example of their work can be found in this photo.
(AI Overview; CAB furnaces, or Controlled Atmosphere Brazing furnaces, are industrial systems that join aluminum components like radiators and condensers using a non-corrosive flux in a pure nitrogen environment, providing precise heating for high-quality, oxide-free bonds, essential for automotive, aerospace, and HVAC parts. These continuous or semi-continuous systems involve degreasing, fluxing, drying, and brazing stages, offering cost-effectiveness and high throughput for mass production, differing from vacuum brazing by using flux for certain alloys.)
“SECO/WARWICK – a global expert in controlled atmosphere brazing technology – will deliver two EV/CAB lines for a long-standing Chinese Partner. One of the installations will be launched in China, and the other in Mexico. These are further orders confirming a strong, long-term technological partnership.
The story began 15 years ago, when the existing equipment was first used for the production of heat exchangers for trucks, passenger cars, and new energy technologies. The Partner has dominated the heat exchanger sector for years, being the first private company in the industry to be listed on the Chinese stock exchange.
The CAB furnaces on order were designed to meet the stringent requirements of the automotive industry for the production of components for commercial vehicles and to ensure long-lasting and reliable operation in demanding industrial conditions.
Both lines are modern aluminum brazing solutions dedicated to the production of key cooling system components for electromobility and classic automotive applications. The line with a belt width of 1900 mm, destined for the Chinese location, was designed for battery cooling plate production, while the 1800 mm wide line, which will go to Mexico, will be dedicated to the production of automotive heat exchangers.
“We are proud that one of the leaders in automotive thermal management consistently chooses SECO/WARWICK technology. Our CAB lines are proven, precise production tools for electromobility, which not only meets current market needs, but also fulfills future requirements regarding automation, efficiency and ecology. Recently, we celebrated the 15th furnace for the 15th anniversary of cooperation with this Partner. Now we can add two more devices to the list,” commented Piotr Skarbiński, Vice President of the Aluminum and CAB Product Segments at SECO/WARWICK.”
Founded in 1985 “Mid-South Metallurgical” of Murfreesboro, TN can be best described as a mid sized, “full service” commercial heat treater in that it offers vacuum hardening, carburizing, tempering and black oxide coating. The firm was purchased by a very competent, hardworking individual by the name of Mr. Clif Coleman roughly 20 years ago who did a very good job of modernizing and updating the facility over the years.
Very unfortunately present business conditions in the North American commercial heat-treating industry led to the decision to close down the company December 19th of this year.
Last week an Ipsen“Titan” Vacuum Sintering/Debinding furnace was included in an auction taking place on the USA West Coast. While the Ipsen “Titan” vacuum furnace has proven to be extremely popular with heat treaters around the world, this is a very unusual version of the unit-so unusual in fact that our understanding is that only 3 have ever been built.
It is a Model DS 121224 which proved to be a vacuum sinter/debind system with working dimensions of 12″ X 12″ X 24″, built in 2023 with a surge tank, water cooling system and numerous spare parts. It would appear that it was originally sold to an end user in Washington who scrapped the entire project meaning this system was probably never used or even installed.
While the auction is ongoing it has as of 11:30 AM, November 4th received numerous bids with the current highest being $45,000 USD, this for a furnace which new would have had a sale price of approximately $500,000 USD.
It will be interesting to see what the final “buy” price is, while it is a beauty of a furnace it will be of interest to only a small % of manufacturers in the world.
The link below will take you to the December 2025 Edition of “The Monty Heat Treat News” for 30 years, the most widely read publication in the global heat treatment industry. Some industry exclusive stories you will find in this edition include these;
As always the entire team at “The Monty Heat Treat News” appreciates your readership, thoughts and comments and at this point in time we would like to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas! Sincerely, Gord, Jordan, Dale and Anne.
“Another SECO/WARWICK industrial furnace will join the equipment in one of the most modern heat treatment plants in South America. The horizontal retort furnace will be used for high-temperature tempering and nitriding processes using ZeroFlow technology. The device will be integrated with the existing superior production control system in the hardening plant, which will streamline production cycles and improve internal logistics for the Partner.
This is the sixth SECO/WARWICK device for the “Isoflama Heat Treatment Plant”, which has been loyal to SECO/WARWICK technology for years.
“Isoflama was the first client to trust us in the Brazilian market. Today, Brazil is a key market for SECO/WARWICK in South America, and Isoflama is a Partner. This is the result of cooperation based on trust and results. We will deliver a customized device to this modern heat treatment plant. The furnace has increased capacity and will be integrated with the customer’s entire control system. It is an ideal solution for large matrices used in powerful factories and giga presses,” says Maciej Korecki, Vice President of the Vacuum Segment at SECO/WARWICK Group.
Customization of Standards – The Power of Adjustment; Although the device ordered is a standard solution in the SECO/WARWICK portfolio, the version for Isoflama has been customized to meet the client’s production specifics. It has been designed with increased capacity, a reinforced retort, and a working area of 900 x 900 x 1200 mm (35″x35″x47″), enabling the heat treatment of large and heavy elements. Thanks to this flexibility, the client chose SECO/WARWICK as the device supplier.”
SBS Corporation, a global provider of high-performance thermal processing and industrial cooling technologies, announced today that it has received a significant order for its Vac Air vacuum furnace cooling system from a prominent U.S. manufacturer specializing in hypersonic platforms.
