The foundation is now in place at Solar Atmospheres of Western PA for the installation of a state-of-the-art titanium drop bottom water quench furnace. Engineered for precision and performance, this new furnace is rated for a maximum operating temperature of 1850°F ±10°F and is designed to process titanium bar and forging loads of up to 7,500 pounds.
Measuring 14 feet long by 54 inches wide by 48 inches high, workloads will be rapidly transferred into a 7,000-gallon, recirculated water quench tank within seconds—ensuring consistent metallurgical results for demanding aerospace and industrial applications.
This investment marks a significant step forward, opening the door to expanded titanium solution treating capabilities and reinforcing Solar Atmospheres’ commitment to innovation and customer-driven thermal processing solutions.
For additional information about Solar Atmospheres, contact Mike Johnson at 855-934-3284 x2223, email at [email protected], and visit us at solaratm.com.
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“We are pleased to announce that Tom Hart has been promoted to Director of Sales for North America at SECO/WARWICK, USA.
With over two decades of experience serving the precision manufacturing and heat treatment technology sectors — underscored by his leadership in industry groups, including the American Gear and Manufacturing Association (Vice-Chair Materials and Metallurgy Committee, Member of the Aerospace Committee and Planning Committee), Gear Research Institute (Aerospace Bloc), ASM International and the Material Treating Institute — Tom brings deep technical expertise and market insight. His work spans heat treatment systems for aerospace, automotive, medical, tool & die, industrial, energy, and commercial sectors.
Tom’s promotion comes at a pivotal time, as SECO/WARWICK consolidates its U.S. operations, combining vacuum, atmosphere and aluminum heat treatment to streamline service and strengthen its market presence. His leadership will be instrumental in this next chapter.
“Tom has earned this position based on his proven success as a product engineer, developing meaningful client relationships and pairing them with the best technical solutions for their heat treating needs,” says Piotr Zawistowski, Managing Director of SECO/WARWICK, USA. “We are excited about the future of SECO/WARWICK Corp with Tom at the helm of our North American sales team.””
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Earlier this year furnace manufacturer “ECM” issued a “press release” about an order the company had received from gear supplier “SEW-Eurodrive” for a low-pressure carburizing (LPC) system. As a follow-up to that story we have this article from “SEW-Eurodrive” about why they invested in this technology and why they are very satisfied with the investment.
“How SEW-EURODRIVE Is Elevating Heat Treatment Technology; At SEW-EURODRIVE, innovation is built into everything we do, from engineering to production. It’s how we continuously advance our processes and technologies to ensure our customers receive the highest level of quality, performance, and reliability. A recent advancement at our Lyman, South Carolina, facility showcases this commitment with the integration of low-pressure carburizing (LPC) with vacuum furnace technology for in-process heat treatment.
Chris Rollins, Heat Treat Supervisor at SEW-EURODRIVE, leads a critical step in our manufacturing process. Traditionally, SEW-EURODRIVE has relied on a large atmosphere furnace to process loads up to 3,000 pounds. While effective, these systems posed challenges such as part distortion, surface finish inconsistencies, and the need for downstream processes like shot blasting.
Recognizing the need for enhanced precision and repeatability, our team transitioned to LPC using a vacuum furnace. This change brings several clear advantages: minimized part distortion, significantly improved surface finish, and most importantly, a higher level of process consistency. We’ve observed case depth variation within a tenth of a millimeter from load to load, an extraordinary leap forward in quality assurance. One of the defining features of SEW-EURODRIVE’s new system is its ability to process smaller batch sizes efficiently. Because SEW-EURODRIVE has always considered heat treating as an in-process operation, we required a system that could keep pace with our production flow. Our new vacuum furnace now allows us to process one pallet at a time, in sync with how parts arrive from the previous operation. This improves turnaround times and ensures downstream departments receive exactly what they need when they need it.
The system’s nitrogen gas quench, eliminating oil-based quenching, greatly reduces fire risk and environmental hazards. In a vacuum environment, there’s no smoke or ignition risk, allowing the equipment to be safely integrated into our existing facility. That’s not just a safety win—it’s a major cost-saving advantage!
Automation also plays a critical role. The system is designed for operator safety and efficiency, keeping personnel safely distanced from active machinery while benefiting from its quiet, clean operation.
When selecting a technology partner, we chose ECM Technologies for their combined expertise in both furnace technology and automation, a rare and innovative combination in the heat treatment world. This dual competency ensures a fully integrated system tailored to our production needs. Additionally, ECM’s long-standing partnerships with other SEW-EURODRIVE facilities in France and China provided confidence in their capabilities and global support.
This system also incorporates our own MOVITRANS® wireless power transfer technology, a robust, contactless energy transmission solution we’ve relied on in-house for over 20 years. MOVITRANS delivers power magnetically through an air gap, enabling seamless energy transfer to mobile systems like automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and transfer carts without physical connectors
In this application, MOVITRANS, paired with infrared communication, allows the external loader to operate completely cable-free. This eliminates wear-prone components such as cable tracks, significantly reduces maintenance, and improves overall system reliability. It’s a perfect example of how we apply SEW-EURODRIVE innovations not only for our customers, but also to enhance our own manufacturing performance and efficiency.
Conclusion; SEW-EURODRIVE’s investment in advanced heat treatment is more than just a technology upgrade—it’s a deliberate, forward-thinking decision to ensure we deliver the highest-quality products with the consistency and reliability our customers expect. Every innovation we implement, from a vacuum furnace to wireless power transfer, is driven by one purpose: to create lasting value through smarter, more efficient, and more dependable manufacturing.
These advancements reflect our broader commitment to delivering more than just components—we deliver complete drive solutions. By integrating cutting-edge technology with application-specific expertise, we help our customers solve real-world challenges, improve performance, and gain a competitive edge in their industries.
Our commitment to innovation, safety, and performance isn’t confined to the shop floor; it’s embedded in our promise to deliver precision-engineered solutions that keep the world moving. At SEW-EURODRIVE, we invest in progress so our customers can count on excellence.”
In the German heat treat market few are not familiar with Mr. Georg Cluse because of his ever present enthusiasm and his commanding physical presence. For many years he has worked with industry suppliers such as “Ipsen”, “SECO/WARWICK”and most recently with “Avion Europa”. We lost touch with Georg after he parted ways with “Avion” however it is no surprise to us that he is back in the heat treat industry, this time working with well known furnace manufacturer “KGO” of Germany. We have no doubt but that he will do a good job for the company.
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Before we get to our list here are a few points we need to add;
Total commercial heat treat sales for 2025 are expected to be approximately $3 Billion USD
There are approximately 530 commercial heat treat plants in North America
Why 50+2? Kind of an accident the way it turned out. The numbers were so close for the past several entries on our list that it didn’t seem fair to leave anybody out. Hence 50+2.
Rankings are based upon anticipated sales for the calendar year of 2025. This would include heat treat sales and also other complimentary processes such as shotblasting, coatings and black oxide.
Roughly 8 commercial heat treaters in North America have closed in the past 10 months
All sales figures are in USD
We are always asked where the information for our rankings comes from, a very fair question. The largest on our list, “Bodycote” is a publicly traded company and sales figure are freely available, this is also the case with the second largest on our list “Aalberts Surface Technologies”. “Solar Atmospheres”, #3 on our list, is very open and freely gave us their sales figures. Most of the other companies on this list did share sales figures with us on the basis that they not be repeated, a very reasonable request. Further verification came from knowing the number of locations, the physical size of each, number of employees and the processes each offers.
The vast bulk of companies on this list are privately held which means exact sales figures can be difficult to find. So, while we are quite proud of our efforts and consider this list to be the most accurate available anywhere, we do not for a second claim that it is 100% correct.
Over the years some readers have pointed out that our rankings are not always in line with “MTI” figures (Metal Treating Institute is the largest organization of commercial heat treaters in North America and they rank their members in each geographic region). While there are several reasons for this, the main was is that not all commercial heat treaters belong to MTI.
We see a number of changes from our 2024. For instance, the third largest commercial heat treater on our list in 2024 was family owned “Paulo”. It was announced at the end of 2024 that the firm would be acquired by “Aalberts Surface Technologies”, a transaction which just occured. For that reason, we have removed Paulo from our list. Another company on our list in 2024 was “Thermal Vac Technologies” of Orange, CA, USA this company was also acquired by another firm and has been removed from our list.
Very unfortunately “American Steel Treating” of Perrysburg, Ohio, USA has been removed from our list after announcing they were closing April 1 of this year.
We appreciate all the help and guidance everybody provided us with and we welcome your thoughts and comments.
#52 Vacu Braze, Quakertown, PA
A new entry on our list of “The 50 Largest North American Commercial Heat Treaters” is “Vacu Braze”of Quakertown, PA. The company offers “high end” heat treating for industries such as medical, aerospace and defense and operates out of a modern 40,000 square foot facility. The firm was founded by Mr. Ralph Puerta and interestingly enough his son Doug is President of another company on our list, Stack Metallurgicalin Portland, Oregon.
#51 Akron Steel Treating, Akron, Ohio
“Facts and Figures on AST – 82 Years in Business – 20 Years NADCAP Accredited – 38 Employees – 65,000 SqFt Facility – Heat Treating in Salt, Controlled Atmosphere, Air and Vacuum.
“Akron Steel Treating” was founded in 1943 by an Italian immigrant, Prosper P. Powell, in his home’s detached garage. Operating in the secrecy of soaped windows and late-night deliveries, with overflow work conducted in the family’s kitchen oven, Powell assisted the US Army in remedying issues with the heat treating of carbine firing pins for the war effort. Once WWII came to a close Prosper asked the US government when they wanted the furnaces back, the answer was “they are yours now” and thus one of the oldest commercial heat treaters in the USA was born. 82 years later, AST is in its third generation of family ownership and operation. AST has been NADCAP accredited for 20 years and provides world class quality batch heat treating services out of air, controlled atmosphere, molten salt and vacuum.”
A new entry this year on our list of “The 50 Largest Commercial Heat Treaters in North America” is “Ohio Metallurgical Service, Inc.”, of Elyria, Ohio. Founded way back in 1947 the company has always been privately owned-as far as we know by the Gaydosh family with John Gaydosh the longstanding President. The firm is “Nadcap” accredited and offers a variety of processes including carburizing, vacuum hardening and induction hardening.
#49 Lone Star Heat Treating, Houston, Texas
Founded in 1945 “Lone Star Heat Treating” is one of the older commercial heat treats in the USA. As far as we know the company has always been owned and run by the Van Dorfy family, the current President is Mike Van Dorfy, Jr. Like all heat treaters in Texas, Lone Star’s business is based upon the oil and gas industries although the company has diversified to some extent over the years. Lone Star offers induction hardening, atmosphere carburizing, deep hole drilling and vertical heat treating.
#48 Engineered Heat Treat-Subsidiary of BMT Aerospace
In 2024 we added “Engineered Heat Treat”of Madison Heights, Michigan to our list of “The 50 Largest Commercial Heat Treaters in North America”. “Founded in 1959, Engineered Heat Treat, LLC provides a variety of heat treat services to the Aircraft, Agriculture, Automotive, Earth-moving equipment, High Performance Racing, Military, and Tooling Industries. As a Nadcap & AS9100 approved company, Engineered Heat Treat’s foundation for quality is coupled with rigorous controls in place for maximum customer confidence and satisfaction.”
EHT was owned and run by the Pilibosian family until it was acquired by BMT Aerospace of Belgium in 2022, although members of the Pilibosian family are still very active in the company. While the company offers a number of different processes the firm is particularly strong in the aerospace industry. EHT operates out of a 55,000 square foot facility with approximately 50 employees.
#47 Lark Heat Treating
“Lark Heat Treating”was founded in 1978 by brother’s Frank and Gene Clark with the guidance and inspiration of their father, Wade Clark, whose heat treating career started in 1936. Now owned and operated by Frank and Gene, Lark Heat Treating is one of the top commercial heat treaters in the southern United States. Lark operates out of a 55,000 square foot facility and can be classified as a “full service provider” in that they offer most commercially available processes, carburizing, nitriding, vacuum hardening, induction and a few others.
During a tour of the plant in 2024 what “The Monty” found was a commercial heat treater who has been growing and investing substantially in just the past few years. For all the details as well as future plans please follow this link; https://themonty.com/the-monty-visits-top-50-heat-treater-in-texas/?no_cache=1707835733 In this photo you see Matt Clark of Lark Heat Treating and Gord Montgomery.
#46 Winston Heat Treating Inc., Dayton, Ohio
In 1959 “Winston Heat Treating Inc.”, was formed to service the local tool & die market. Since then the company has always focused on moving forward with new technologies and in the 1970’s the firm became a real pioneer in vacuum hear treating which resulted in Winston becoming one of the first to achieve both ISO and NADCAP status. Like so many on this list this is a family owned business with David Reger acting as President. We have watched Winston grow and invest and it is a fine example of a modern commercial heat treater.
#45 Southwest Metal Treating Corp., Fort Worth, Texas
“Southwest Metal Treating Corp., (SWMT)” is a family owned commercial heat treater in business for over 40 years run by Mr. Ryan Fussell. The company is full service in that it offers most heat treating processes including but not limited to; vacuum heat treating, carburizing, nitro carburizing, flame hardening, normalizing, stress relieving and Plasma Nitriding. The company operates out of a 50,000 square foot facility located on 7 acres.
#44 Voestalpine AG
“Voestalpine AG”is an Austrian steel-based technology and capital goods group based in Linz, Austria. With over 30 locations around the world offering heat treating the company would rank as one of the larger commercial heat treaters in the world. While their heat treating operations in North America are relatively modest compared with their global footprint they do operate two very impressive facilities in North America, one in Canada and one in Mexico with additional capacity in Texas. Their heat treat operations are both captive heat treating of their own products and commercial heat treating. This photo shows their Canadian facility.
#43 Peters Heat Treating
Located in Meadville, PA, USA family owned “Peters Heat Treating” has thrived over the years, so much so that the company now has 2 locations and roughly 85 employees. “Peters” can be considered a “one stop shop” in that there are few if any processes that the company doesn’t offer. We are pleased to see them on our list of the “50 Largest Commercial Heat Treaters in North America”.
#42 Applied Thermal Technologies
“Applied Thermal Technologies” in Warsaw, Indiana, USA is almost entirely a “vacuum” shop. This is a company which has come a long way since its founding in 1992 by Micky Bradican (current owner) and two former partners. The company now has a total of 3 buildings in one location and services a number of industries although medical and aerospace feature very prominently.
#41 Phoenix Heat Treating, Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix Heat Treating, Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Heat Treating has been family owned and operated since 1963. With 75 employees operating 24/7, Phoenix Heat Treating primarily services the Aerospace and Defense markets, but Energy and Semiconductor are close behind. Not to mention general manufacturing, tool & die, and firearms. Phoenix Heat Treating is proud of its paperless quality system and merit Nadcap status. On a practical note, Phoenix Heat Treating has over 14,000 unique part number processes saved and operates 60+ thermal units. Of course, Phoenix Heat Treating performs conventional heat treating process in IQs and Vacuums, but it is the more unique processes that make Phoenix Heat Treating stand out. Processes such as, boiling water aluminum solution treating, high temperature thermal oxidations, aluminum up-hill quenching, aluminum thermal cycling, mar-quench, austempering, and titanium solutions. Phoenix Heat Treating is the diamond in the desert focused on becoming the most customer centric heat treater in the county.
#40 Specialty Heat Treating, Houston, Texas
“Specialty Heat Treat, Inc.” is a family owned commercial heat treater founded in 1993 by Tom Moore in Houston, TX. SHT operates a 100,000 square foot facility on 9 acres and has grown to 42 furnaces up to 25’ in length. Like all heat treaters in Texas the company’s fortunes are closely tied to the oil and gas industries. In 2024 Gord and Dale Montgomery of “The Monty Heat Treat News” had the opportunity to tour this facility at the invitation of Sam Moore, President-the story can be found here; https://themonty.com/heat-treating-in-texas-is-different-specialty-heat-treat/
#39 Pacific Metallurgical, Kent, Washington
The US Northwest is not a substantial area for commercial heat treating but there are several companies in the area that stand out and “Pacific Metallurgical”in Kent, Washington is one. Founded in 1968 the firm covers many of the bases when it comes to processes offered-carburizing, gas nitriding, stress relieving, press quenching, neutral hardening and a substantial vacuum hardening department consisting of 3 GM 48x48x90 furnaces as well as two Ipsen 924s. The main focus of the company is the aerospace industry.
#38 Modern Heat Treat, Richland Hills, Texas
“Modern Heat Treat”The company was founded in July of 2009 by Brad Luce and Rudy Saucedo (unfortunately Brad passed away in 2019 at a very young age, Rudy is now President and owner). What started as a relatively small operation featuring several batch IQ furnaces has grown into a very substantial company which includes numerous batch IQ furnaces, vacuum furnaces, induction equipment, flame hardening, deep freeze and straitening capabilities.
#37 Texas Heat Treating
Everything is bigger in Texas and that includes heat treating. “Texas Heat Treating” is one of several commercial heat treaters in the state to make our list and like most of the others the focus is on servicing the oil and gas industries. CEO C.H. “Buddy” Crossley started Texas Heat Treating in 1977 as a small company in a 6,000 square foot shop. Today, the company has expanded to two large facilities, the first in Round Rock, Texas, and the newest plant in Fort Worth, Texas. It is run by Buster Crossley and features batch heat treating equipment including IQ’s, pit furnaces, vacuum furnaces and nitriding systems.
#36 Byron Products, Fairfield, Ohio
Founded in 1982 by Mark Byron in a 1 car garage, “Byron Products”has grown into a very significant player in the US Midwest commercial heat-treating region. The NADCAP approved company offers brazing, heat treating, welding and coatings all with a strong emphasis on the aerospace industry. Byron excels in the heat treating of stainless steel and high temperature aerospace alloys. The company operates out of a facility in Fairfield, Ohio.
#35 Accurate Steel Treating, Southgate, CA
For our 35th largest North American commercial heat treater we move to California to look at “Accurate Steel Treating”who bill themselves as “The Fastest Growing Aerospace Heat Treating Company in the West”. “Accurate Steel Treating was founded in 1962 on a strong commitment to quality and customer service. In 1989, Accurate Steel Treating was acquired by a new management team and embarked on a carefully planned expansion program. During the next 25 years, new processes and equipment were added to keep pace with growing demand including high-pressure gas quench vacuum heat-treating, precision carburizing, and ion nitriding. In 2012, management decided, along with encouragement from several key customers, to enter the Aerospace market to be better diversified and capitalize on the many opportunities developing in this sector.
Today, Accurate Steel Treating continues to be the fastest growing commercial aerospace heat treat service provider in the western US. We are AQS AC7004 certified and accredited by Nadcap for a wide range of thermal processes and support services, including vacuum & atmosphere hardening, gas carburizing, ion & gas nitriding, stress relieving, annealing, aging, pre & post cleaning, oil, salt, water & polymer quench mediums, titanium processing, straightening and metallurgical evaluations. The transformation to a full service Aerospace Heat Treat provider accelerated in 2014 when we achieved our first Nadcap accreditation, we have since accomplished many milestones that we are proud of. Accurate is a privately held company with Mr. Chris Hall, President.”
#34 FPM Heat Treating
Founded in 1979 “FPM Heat Treating”has two locations in the US Midwest, Elk Grove Village, IL and Cherry Valley IL. FPM has the capability to offer most heat treating processes including Through hardening, Carburizing, Carbonitriding, FNC and Nitriding, from a variety of furnaces including batch IQ furnaces, mesh belt, vacuum and salt bath. The company has NADCAP approval along with CQI-9.
#33 Tube Bending Technology
This is the first time “Tube Bending Technology”has made our list of the “50 Largest North American Commercial Heat Treaters” and it did it through two acquisitions in 2024. The California based company is a manufacturer and fabricator of tubing and ducting assemblies who has always sent a great deal of heat treating out to local providers of brazing and heat treating services. The firm made the decision that it wanted all parts of the manufacturing process to be under their direct control and the end result was that it acquired two local heat treaters, “Thermal Vac” in Orange, CA and “Scarrott Metallurgical” in Los Angeles, CA.
#32 Sun Steel Treating
“Sun Steel Treating”in Michigan is best known as one of the largest commercial plasma nitriding firms in North America; “Since 1958, Sun Steel Treating has specialized in providing our customers exceptional quality, expertise, and timeliness. Whether it’s hardening alloys, carbon steels, tool steels or high speed specialty steels, our engineers know the precise metallurgical processes to apply. In 1981, Sun Steel Treating pioneered the use of plasma Nitriding as a viable surface hardening treatment.” Sun Steel is privately owned by Mr. Jim McGuirk and operates out of large facility close to Detroit, Michigan. The company concentrates on two areas, vacuum heat treating and Plasma Nitriding.
#31 Metex Heat Treating, Mississauga, Canada
“Metex Heat Treating”While there are few heat treat processes the company doesn’t offer, Metex is best known for their mesh belt heat treating of fasteners. Metex operates several continuous furnaces including 3 of the largest in Canada-each with a capacity of 6,000 pounds per hour meaning they can process over 300,000 pounds per day. In 2024 the company acquired another Canadian commercial heat treater Exactatherm also in Mississauga which expanded the number of heat treat processes the company offers.
“Metex Heat Treating Ltd. In 1983, Metex Heat Treating Ltd. was founded by Mr. Surjit Bawa to serve the heat-treating needs of the manufacturing industry in the Greater Toronto, Canada Area. Since that time Metex has grown into the largest commercial heat treater in Canada and the company services customers as far as Montreal, Cleveland and Michigan. We specialize in Continuous and Batch Neutral Hardening, Carburizing, and Carbonitriding. We also have 10 state of the art induction hardening systems.
#30 Pinson Valley Heat Treating, Alabama
Pinson Valley is owned and run by the Hendry family and is now in its third generation. Founded in 1970 the company has a very unique mix of capabilities including vacuum heat treating, atmosphere and some very interesting and unique tip up style furnaces.
#29 Thermetco, Quebec, Canada
Founded in 1982 “Thermetco”is a privately held company with 3 locations in Quebec; the main plant in Châteauguay (near Montreal), a smaller heat treat facility in Granby, Quebec and a third NDT location in Montreal. In terms of processes offered there are few that the company doesn’t offer in that they have vacuum hardening (3 furnaces at the main location with one have a diffusion pump), 4 batch IQ units offering carburizing and neutral hardening, salt processing, stress relieving, and annealing to name a few all operating 24/7. The company is Nadcap certified and in the summer of 2025, they will be an approved supplier to aerospace company “Safran Landing Gear Systems”.
During a recent visit by “The Monty” what caught our eye was a brand-new robot designed for racking parts for an automotive customer. The system will come on line in the coming weeks and the reason for it is the usual-an inability to find and keep operators willing to rack loads. The 150 employees spread out over the 3 plants service a wide variety of industries including automotive (15% of total sales), aerospace and “general industry which includes a wider variety of gears. This diversity is probably why the company is reporting that business in 2025 is quite good for them.
#28 ALD Thermal Treatment Inc.
“ALD Thermal Treatment Inc.”is part of “ALD” in Germany and it’s commercial heat treating operations include two facilities in North America; ALD Thermal Treatment, Inc., in Port Huron, MI, and its sister plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, a state-of-the-art facility in Saxony, Germany, and a location in Suzhou China. All of the plants focus on Low Pressure Carburizing (LPC) and High-Pressure Gas Quenching (HPGQ). For the purposes of this report, we only considered the US and Mexico plants. Originally, they were 100% automotive related however over the years they have diversified to some extent. Both North American facilities are extremely impressive to visit.
#27 Q-Tech, Heat Treat LLC., DFW, Texas
“Q–Tech Heat Treat LLC.” located in Dallas, Texas was founded in 1972 by R.D. Fussell and sons in a 1,000 sq foot building with 2 furnaces. “We have grown to our current size of 100,000 sq feet and over 40 furnaces. Our main focus is on customer needs, and servicing them on a personal level. We have been ISO 9001:2015 approved since 2003.” Q–Tech remains a family owned business to this day with Sean Fussell as President which marks the third generation. It is interesting to note that the Fussell family is one of the largest names in the commercial heat treat industry in Texas, as an example Ryan Fussell is the owner of “Southwest Metal Treating” which also makes our list.
#26 Century Sun Metal Treating, Traverse City, Michigan
You would not expect to find one of the largest commercial heat treaters in North America in Northern Michigan, however such is the case with “Century Sun Metal Treating”which for over 30 years have been offering heat treating services in Traverse City, Michigan. Century Sun has a great deal of vacuum and plasma nitriding capacity which they use to service a wide variety of industries. In 2021 the company was acquired by Hillcrest Investment Partners, LLC, a private investment group.
#25 Continental Heat Treating Santa Fe
Nadcap approved “Continental Heat Treating”is an aerospace approved heat treating company located in Santa Fe Springs, California. Established in 1957 in Downey, CA the company moved to their current location in Santa Fe Springs in 1969 where it has grown and prospered under the leadership of Mr. Jim Stull.
#24 East Carolina Metal Treating & Virginia Metal Treating
Family owned “East Carolina Metal Treating” was founded in 1976 and over the years has grown into two locations; a 45,000 square foot facility just outside of Raleigh, NC and a second location (Virginia Metal Treating) in a 20,000 square foot building in Lynchburg, VA. ECMT offers a full range of heat-treating services including Vacuum, Batch IQ, Nitriding/FNC, Induction, Cryogenics, Salt bath hardening with austempering and marquenching, Stress Relieving, Age Hardening, as well as Black Oxide.
#23 Kittyhawk
“Kittyhawk” was a new entry for us on our 2023 list at which point “The Monty” ranked them at #32. However March 7, 2024 it was announced that Kittyhawk, Inc. backed by their parent company Dallas-based private equity firm Trive Capital had acquired Stack HIP, LLC (“Stack HIP”) from Stack Metallurgical Group. This acquisition increased their sales to over $20 million USD and “The Monty” is putting the company in the 23 spot for 2025.
“Founded in 1981, Kittyhawk is a leading provider of Hot Isostatic Pressing (“HIP”) services on the West Coast from its locations in Garden Grove, CA and Canby, OR. The Company is trusted by many of the largest aerospace, defense, and space OEMs to increase the performance and safety of their most iconic platforms. HIP is an integral service that improves the strength and metallurgical properties of casted and additively manufactured parts. Kittyhawk specializes in servicing parts for high-temperature, high-pressure, and high cost of failure applications such as rocket and jet engine componentry.”
#22 Rex Heat Treat
“Rex Heat Treat”is a family owned-and-operated business that entered business in 1938 in Pennsylvania making it one of the oldest commercial heat treats in North America. The company has two locations in PA offering a total of 30 heat treating processes which covers industries as diverse as Mining and Drilling, Energy, Aerospace and Defense, and Transportation. The company claims to have the world’s largest vertical vacuum oil quenching furnace.
#21 Vac Aero, International, Burlington, Canada
“Vac Aero International” is the largest commercial heat treater in Canada and makes our list in the 21st position this year. The firm has several locations in Canada offering commercial heat treating, coatings and new vacuum furnaces. Its commercial heat-treating division is almost entirely aerospace related with a strong empasis on processing landing gear which means the company is NADCAP accredited. Under relatively new management we are seeing substantial growth in both their heat-treating division and in their furnace manufacturing division-expect to hear more about the company in the near future.
#20 Flame Metals Processing Corp., Rogers, MN
Privately owned “Flame Metals Processing Corp.” (Dennis Stevermer) was founded in 1985 and operates out of a 102,000 square foot facility with over 100 employees working 7 days a week in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. Focus is on the General Industrial Markets-Off Highway, Construction, Marine, Outdoor Recreational, Agricultural, Mining and Wind Energy. With eleven integral quench furnaces (9000 lb. max capacity) and two pit furnaces (25,000 lb. capacity), the company is best known for its ability to process large critical components. Additional capabilities include continuous processing, vacuum, salt bath nitriding, neutral salt, induction, aluminum and car bottom.”
#19 Pressure Technologies Inc.
“Pressure Technology Inc. (PTI)“. Do companies doing strictly Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) deserve to be on our list of the largest commercial heat treaters in North America? In our opinion yes as “Hiping” is clearly a form of heat treating (although not one that most people think of). “Pressure Technology is a leading provider of high quality hot isostatic pressing (HIP) to the aerospace, medical, ceramics, electronics, precision casting, powder metallurgy, additive manufacturing and a variety of other industries.”
The firm is owned by the “Bowles” family and has 3 locations in the USA; Philadelphia, Cleveland and Alachua Florida with a total of 13 vessels.
#18 Industrial Steel Treating, Jackson, Michigan
“Industrial Steel Treating Company” (IST) began operations in Jackson, Michigan in 1943, initially servicing the growing tool and die industry in mid-Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.This is one of the largest single location heat treaters in the US operating out of an enormous 350,000 square foot facility and is owned and run by the “Levy” Family. “Two separate, across-the-street facilities house production, prototype samples and warehouse-inventory management capabilities. IST offers gas nitriding, carbonitriding, induction hardening and several other processes. The firm is now fourth generation which few commercial heat treaters can boast of”.
#17 Thermal Process Holdings
“THERMAL PROCESS HOLDINGS”in the US Midwest consists of several different locations united under one banner over the past few years. The website is rather out of date in that it does not mention Rockford Heat Treaters acquired several years ago and also mentions Diamond Heat Treat in the Chicago area which is either closed down now or will shortly be. Ownership is a venture capital firm in the US Northeast.
#16 Hansen Balk Steel Treating Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan
We are going to rely on “Hansen Balk”to summarize the company, we will add that the company is privately owned and is one of the largest vacuum heat treaters in North America. “Since 1955, Hansen/Balk in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA has built a reputation as a state-of-the-art provider of steel heat-treating services. Our 85,000-square-foot facility features a full cohort of best-in-class batch vacuum and batch atmosphere furnaces, capable of processing orders of all sizes. We offer a variety of services, but are best known for the breadth and depth of our vacuum heat-treating capabilities-including high-pressure quenching up to 15 Bar-as well as unique services such as cryogenic treating, flame hardening and induction heat-treating services. We adhere to the most technologically advanced heat-treating methods with modern equipment to ensure your parts meet the required specifications-from hardness tolerance to surface finishes. We also bring customers a deep well of metallurgical knowledge, formed over six decades of work on millions of parts.”
#15 Specialty Steel Treating
Specialty Steel Treating, founded 1956, has been performing precision heat treating for more than 60 years. The privately held company has 4 locations in the US, three in the Detroit, Michigan area and one in Connecticut. While Specialty is located in the auto capital of the world it has broadened its customer base over the years and now has a very strong presence in the aerospace and bearing industries. https://www.sst.net/
#14 Heat Treating Services
Based in Pontiac, Michigan HTS is a privately owned commercial heat treater founded in 1978. Being in Michigan the company is heavily involved in the auto industry and the Hynes family have done a tremendous job of guiding the company through the ups and downs of the last few years. HTS has 4 plants in Michigan and serves the ferrous metal industries with thermal process and clean capabilities, which exceed sixty-four (64) million pounds per month. In total HTS had over 200,000 square feet under roof and 250 employees. On a side note, Jeff Hynes of used furnace business “Furnaces, Ovens & Baths” is a cousin of the owners proving the heat treat industry is a very close one.Heat Treating Services | Home (htsmi.com)
#13 Nitrex
Nitrex consists of three divisions, Nitrex Turnkey Systems, United Process Controls and Heat-Treating Services-our focus is on their heat-treating services in North America. The firm has 4 locations in North America; Franklin, Indiana, Aurora, Illinois, Mason, Michigan and Querétaro, Mexico. While Nitrex is best known for their nitriding services their heat treat facilities offer most processes including LPC. Recently the company installed what is believed to be the largest pit nitreder in North America, a picture of which can be seen here. https://www.nitrex.com/en/
#12 Stack Metallurgical
In the US Northwest privately owned Stack Metallurgical is the largest commercial heat treater by a large margin; Stack Metallurgical Group consists of three sites strategically located throughout the Pacific Northwest. Stack specializes in advanced heat treating, aluminum anodizing and painting, and hot isostatic press (HIP) services. With a rich history dating back to 1946, Stack has become a trusted partner to demanding clients in industries such as aerospace, power generation, precision cutlery, oil and gas, and general industrial. Stack has been privately held by the Ederer family since 1974. Over the last 46 years, the business has grown and expanded into new markets. About Us – Stack Metallurgical Group
#11 Dowa Thermotech
Globally Japan based Dowa Thermotech is one of the largest commercial heat treaters in the world so it is no surprise that it also ranks as one of the largest in North America. Their facilities in San Luis Potosi, Mexico and Bowling Green, Ohio are both dedicated to servicing the Japanese automakers which means that they largely “fly under the radar” and don’t usually appear on lists of commercial heat treaters. The company almost exclusively uses furnace built in Japan and their focus is very narrow-the automotive industry. Locations (Overseas) | DOWA Thermotech Co., Ltd.
#10 ThermTech
We would consider, ThermTech in Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA to be the dominant commercial heat treater in their area; “ThermTech in Waukesha, Wisconsin is a privately held commercial heat-treating company that offers a wide range of services to a diverse and discerning set of customers. It was founded in 1982 by Charles Wiberg and remains a family owned business under the guidance of Mary Springer and her brother Steve Wiberg. We would consider ThermTech to be a full service shop in that it offers most commercially available heat treat processes. Metal Heat Treating and Metal Finishing – ThermTech
#9 Ajax Metal Processing
“Ajax Metal Processing” makes our list of the 50 (+2) Largest North American Heat Treaters for the first time ever, mainly because they do not fit the typical model of a commercial heat treater. Based in Detroit, Michigan it is supposedly the largest North American provider of raw material wire, heat treating (annealing), plating, locking and sealing services. They process over 300 million pounds of material per year and have numerous Can Eng mesh belt furnaces. By any standard this is a very large commercial heat treater even if they differ from many of the others on our list.
#8 Parker Trutec
“Parker Trutec” is a North American subsidiary of Japan based Nihon Parkerizing, a very substantial player in the global heat treat industry. In North America Parker has 4 heat treat locations in Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mexico. The Springfield, Ohio facility is fairly typical of the plants and has this equipment;
Salt Bath Nitriding Furnaces (FNC) processing our Isonite process to AMS 2755 (High Cyanide Salt).
Salt Bath Nitriding Furnaces (FNC) processing our Isonite QPQ process to AMS 2753 (Low Cyanide Salt).
Salt Bath Nitriding Furnaces (FNC) processing our Isonite LiFe process.
Gas Ferritic Carburizing Furnaces (FNC) processing to AMS 2757.
Batch Carburizing with Dowa, Surface Combustion and AFC-Holcroft Furnaces.
Established in 1981, “Advanced Heat Treat Corp.” (AHT) is headquartered in Waterloo, Iowa and has 4 locations in Alabama, Iowa and Michigan. It offers over 20 surface treatments such as UltraGlow® Ion & Gas Nitriding, UltraOx®, Nitrocarburizing, Induction Hardening, Carburizing, Quench & Temper and more.What makes Advanced such a fascinating company is that it is the creation of Mr. Gary Sharp who started off with the idea that there was a place in the North American heat treating industry for Plasma (Ion) nitriding). Gary started off with a small investment and has never looked back-a very impressive achievement. To this day they remain the largest commercial plasma nitriding firm by quite a margin. In this photo we see Gary on the right, Gord Montgomery in the middle and Mike Woods, President on the left.
#6 Braddock Metallurgical
In 6th position we have a family-owned business, “Braddock Metallurgical”which was founded in 1953 by William Braddock. The company has eight production facilities mainly in the US Southeast; however they also have plants in NJ and Puerto Rico. Certainly, in the growing US Southeast region Braddock is the dominant commercial heat treater. The company is a full-service heat treater in that they offer virtually every process available. We are quite confident in saying that they are the third largest family-owned commercial heat treater in North America.
#5 Bluewater Thermal Solutions
“Bluewater Thermal Solutions” operates 9 different heat treat and brazing facilities around the USA. The company offers different heat-treating processes throughout their facilities depending upon the geographic area. For instance, the Ridgway, PA location (located in the heard of the powdered metal industry) offers different processes than say the facility in Houston, Texas. Bluewater is very strong in brazing and also in the boronizing process. The company is owned by private venture firm Aterian Partners in New York.
#4 Woodworth Inc.
The fourth largest North American commercial heat treater on our list, “Woodworth Inc.” is a privately owned company which operates 4 facilities in two countries and specializes in large volume automotive work. “Woodworth Inc. provides a wide range of heat treatment services through our four facilities. We are currently located in Pontiac, Homer, and Flint, Michigan, as well as Puebla, Mexico. The company operates 40 large furnaces in North America. Woodworth Inc. has installed capacity to run 16 million + rotors per year. (2.2 million Lbs / Day).” Woodworth is similar to many heat treaters on our list in that they are almost exclusively dedicated to the automotive industry, albeit on a very large scale.
#3 Solar Atmospheres
With recent changes to our “Top 50” listings “Solar Atmospheres” now becomes the largest privately owned commercial heat treaters in North America. “Solar Atmospheres” has 6 locations around the USA offering commercial heat treating (mainly vacuum) and two other locations related to vacuum furnace manufacturing which go under the name “Solar Manufacturing”(we should point out that Solar Manufacturing is one of the largest vacuum furnace builders in North America).
Total sales for the company in 2024 were $127,534,000.00 USD for all locations. Total number of employees 398 which equates to an extremely impressive sales per employee of $320,438.00. The companies are owned by William and Myrtle Jones.
#2 Aalberts Surface Technologies
Based in the Netherlands “Aalberts Surface Technologies”is one of only two companies on our list which has a substantial global prescence being very strong in both Europe and North America. Since the company entered the North American market a number of years ago, they have seen spectacular growth largely through acquisitions such as Premier Thermal, Applied Process, Alfe and several others. December 27, 2024 it was announced that Aalberts was acquiring Paulo, the largest privately held commercial heat treater in North America (at that time).
This posed a bit of a question in our rankings; do we include this acquisition in our rankings as it is not 100% concluded? At the end of the day, we decided yes, which means we have removed Paulo from our rankings (in 2024 we ranked the company the 3rd largest in North America). In 2024 Paulo had sales of approximately $105 million USD, this total added to the firm’s existing sales solidly put them into second place in our rankings.
#1 Bodycote
Based in the UK we have ranked “Bodycote” as the largest North American commercial heat treater and indeed the largest globally for a number of years now.
For the purposes of this report we are only looking at Bodycote’s North American sales and operations. Our understanding is that 2025 sales in North America will be approximately $445 million USD, quite similar to their 2024 sales. In total the firm has 62 plants in North America covering Mexico, USA and Canada.
These sales figures include both heat treating and “hipping” (Hot Isostatic Pressing)-it is worth noting that Bodycote is the largest commercially available “hipping” source in the world.
From commercial heat treater Stack Metallurgical in the US Northwest we have this press release. Find out how “Stack” Compares in size to other North American commercial heat treaters; “52 Largest North American Commercial Heat Treaters”.
“On June 23rd, we welcomed a brand-new McLaughlin furnace to our facility in Portland! We were honored to have Jeff McLaughlin, owner of McLaughlin Furnace Group, on-site to help commission this impressive piece of equipment.
With the installation complete in just 7 days, our team worked diligently over the next 7 days —testing, running simulated loads, and bringing up charting with the invaluable support of our partners at Super Systems Inc. Now, we’re proud to say it’s officially up and running!
With a generous working zone of 48″ W x 96″ L x 36″ H, it can handle up to 12,000 lbs and is certified for temperatures up to 1650°F.
We’re excited for the additional throughput and process capability this brings to our customers and proud of our team’s efforts in bringing it online.”
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For today, Thursday July 10, we start off with a small correction. Yesterday we had this news item;“New Sales Manager for European Furnace Builder”. In this item we mentioned that Mr. Djemel Dellouche was recently appointed as European Sales Manager for furnace builder “Codere”-this is correct. However as it turns out Mr. Nicolas Janin was appointed as International Sales Manager for Codere just a few months ago. so technically we were slightly off the mark in speculating that Mr. Dellouche had replaced David Howard, the former Sales Manager for Codere.
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“Hirschvogel Group” of Germany is known as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of forged and machined steel and aluminum components, primarily for the automotive industry-as such they have a great deal of in house heat treating capacity.
The company recently accepted a double-flow chamber furnace (heating capacity: 365 kW), a preheating furnace, an endogas generator (endomat) & comprehensive peripheral equipment. All of the equipment is being provided by “Aichelin Group” of Austria and was built in their “Bosio” facility in Slovenia.
“The new, electrically heated system has Kanthal heating elements which stands for efficiency, durability and future-proofing. The furnace handles up to 2,200 kg (roughly 5,000 pounds) per batch.”
The attached photos show the “Hirschvogel” team accepting the completed furnace line.
Earlier this year Mr. Gord Montgomery of “The Monty Heat Treat News”visited the “Bosio” facility in Slovenia and the result was this summary “Furnace Builder Shows Off Newest Facility”. Interestingly enough if you look closely at the photos in our original article you can see this furnace during final assembly along with members of the “AIchelin” team including the CEO of the company Mr. Christian Grosspointer.
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Swiss furnace builder “Codere SA” has just appointed Mr. Djemel Dellouche as Sales Manager, Europe. Codere is a long-established furnace builder which is best known throughout Europe although we have seen their systems in North America and Asia. Late in 2024 their longtime Sales Manager, Mr. David Howard left the company for a competitor also in Switzerland-we believe that Djemel was hired to take over at least some of his responsibilities.
A specialized manufacturer on the US West Coast very recently signed purchase orders for a substantial upgrade to their existing in-house heat treat department. “McLaughlin Furnace Group” of Avilla, Indiana will be providing two “Tru-Carb” gas fired batch IQ furnaces with working dimensions of 36″ X 48″ X 36″, associated tempers, washer, charge car and “TRU-MIX™” Endothermic Generator. Ryan McLaughlin of McLaughlin Furnace Group had this to say;
“Our Tru Carb furnaces offer larger load capacity, improved energy efficiency and reduced maintenance costs over older, more traditional batch IQ designs. The fact that we won this order against aggressive competition proves that we can compete and win against any other furnace builders in the world when it comes to batch IQ furnaces.”
Delivery is expected late this year. This photo shows a “Tru Carb” installation at a Bodycote(the world’s largest commercial heat treater) in Syracuse, NY, USA.
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In this application, MOVITRANS, paired with infrared communication, allows the external loader to operate completely cable-free. This eliminates wear-prone components such as cable tracks, significantly reduces maintenance, and improves overall system reliability. It’s a perfect example of how we apply SEW-EURODRIVE innovations not only for our customers, but also to enhance our own manufacturing performance and efficiency.
Since 1999 in a heat treat industry exclusive “The Monty Heat Treat News”has been publishing annually a list of the largest commercial heat treaters in North America based upon yearly sales, last year’s list can be found at “50 Largest North American Commercial Heat Treaters 2024”
“THERMAL PROCESS HOLDINGS” in the US Midwest consists of several different locations united under one banner over the past few years. The website is rather out of date in that it does not mention Rockford Heat Treaters acquired several years ago and also mentions Diamond Heat Treat in the Chicago area which is either closed down now or will shortly be. Ownership is a venture capital firm in the US Northeast. 
In 6th position we have a family-owned business, “Braddock Metallurgical”which was founded in 1953 by William Braddock. The company has eight production facilities mainly in the US Southeast; however they also have plants in NJ and Puerto Rico. Certainly, in the growing US Southeast region Braddock is the dominant commercial heat treater. The company is a full-service heat treater in that they offer virtually every process available. We are quite confident in saying that they are the third largest family-owned commercial heat treater in North America. 
