Commercial heat treater Nitrex who consistently makes our list of the 50 Largest Commercial Heat Treaters in North America has appointed Mr. Mark Stein as Regional Sales Manager;
 
“With over 40 years of experience in the heat treat industry, Mark Stein joins us with extensive expertise in sales, operations, and metallurgy, along with a true passion for building lasting client relationships. His commitment to fostering these connections will be instrumental in driving growth within our Heat Treating Services division. https://hubs.la/Q02YVh2p0“
 

Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.

View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/

Those in the know in the global heat treat industry will know Mr. Andy Chen, formerly owner of furnace builder Powermax in Taiwan. Andy (a long time heat treat furnace rep in Asia) started furnace builder Powermax a number of years ago and partly through a partnership with AFC-Holcroft of the USA built it into a very substantial company before selling to a Chinese furnace builder a few years back.
 
Since that time Powermax has continued to grow and has been very successful in a number of areas, in particular Turkey. According to this press release Powermax just landed an order for a batch IQ furnace from Norm Forging in Turkey. If the name “Norm” is familiar to you it is most likely because “The Monty” recently announced that their sister company Norm Fasteners would be setting up a new facility in the US which would include anywhere up to 3 mesh belt furnace lines. 
 
And Andy Chen? Our good friend Andy is doing well in Taiwan these days and continues to be extremely active in the heat treatment industry.
 
“Norm Forging;  We are happy to share that we have commissioned our Powermax 1,500 kg chamber type furnace, which will allow us to carry out the heat treatment processes after the hot forging process in-house.
 
With this process, which will prevent tooth deformations, especially in large bolt heat treatments, we will have the opportunity to minimize long delivery times. Thanks to all our colleagues who contributed to the commissioning of the new heat treatment furnace…”
 
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
 
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/

Solar Atmospheres of Western Pennsylvania is proud to announce that it has been awarded Pratt & Whitney, PWA 11, “Heat Treatments” approval. This significant milestone positions the Western PA facility as a top choice for customers requiring thermal processing that meets Pratt & Whitney’s rigorous standards. The facility is now certified to perform heat treatments for P&W’s Suffix 17, “Precipitation Harden,” and Suffix 22, “Austenitize, Quench, and Temper.”

Justin Hoffman, Quality Manager at Solar Atmospheres of Western PA, shared his enthusiasm: “Hermitage is thrilled to join other Solar locations in achieving Pratt & Whitney approvals for heat treating non-rotor parts. With our specialized furnaces and unique capabilities, we are prepared to process parts immediately for precipitation hardening, austenitizing, quenching, and tempering. Looking ahead, we anticipate expanding our approved capabilities and remain committed to supporting Pratt & Whitney with unparalleled customer service and heat-treating expertise.”

This accomplishment reinforces Solar Atmospheres’ dedication to excellence and its ability to meet the evolving demands of the aerospace industry.

For additional information about Solar Atmospheres, contact Mike Johnson at 855-934-3284 x2223, email at [email protected], and visit us at solaratm.com.  

Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.

View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/

Induction heat treating supplier Inductotherm has made some changes in the top ranks of their management team-read on for the details.
 
Inductotherm Group is proud to announce the appointment of Mick Nallen and Satyen Prabhu as Co‐Leaders, effective July 1, 2024. This strategic move is part of our ongoing commitment to fostering innovative leadership and ensuring the continued success of our company. Mick Nallen, a veteran of the industry with 32 years at Inductotherm Group, has a proven track record of driving operational excellence and strategic growth in North America and the Asia Pacific region. “The fundamentals of our organization still hold true today. We are entrepreneurial at heart. We are responsive. But, most important, we are customer‐driven,” says Mr. Nallen.
 
Satyen Prabhu, a seasoned industry veteran with 37 years at Inductotherm Group, brings vast experience in fostering the exchange of best practices and induction technologies across Group companies, significantly bolstering our global organizational strength. Mr. Prabhu emphasized, “To effectively serve our customers, Inductotherm Group maintains a global yet locally responsive presence, leveraging manufacturing facilities in multiple countries alongside local sales and service teams to deliver swift and reliable support.” “We are extremely pleased to have Mick Nallen and Satyen Prabhu take on the roles of Co‐Leaders,” said Virginia Rowan Smith, Chairman of Inductotherm Group.
 
“Their combined experience and forward‐thinking approach are perfectly aligned with our mission to deliver innovative induction technologies and exceptional value to our customers. We are confident that their leadership will drive our company to new heights.” As Co‐Leaders, Mr. Nallen, and Mr. Prabhu will carry on our founder’s legacy of emphasizing the importance of responsive customer service delivered by a reliable company which can react quickly without compromising good decision making. They will work closely to develop and implement strategies that enhance our product offerings, expand our global teams’ local presence, and reinforce our commitment to excellence in the thermal processing industry.
 
Their leadership will ensure that Inductotherm Group continues to thrive and evolve in a rapidly changing market. Inductotherm Group offers advanced technology for the engineering, manufacturing and service of thermal processing equipment used in the melting, heating, heat treating, forging, galvanizing, coating, cutting and welding of metals. Bringing together 40 companies with 38 manufacturing facilities located in 21 countries, Inductotherm Group delivers innovative products throughout the world. Customers rely on Inductotherm, Inductoheat, Thermatool, Radyne, Consarc and other trusted brands in the Inductotherm Group to provide outstanding equipment and services.
Bodycote, the world’s Largest Commercial Heat Treater has just posted financial results for the 4 months ending October 2024. As reported in this summary by “Market Watch” the company saw a small revenue gain in the past few months. All the details can be found at https://www.bodycote.com/. 
 
We hunted through our file folders to find an appropriate photo to go with this story and we found this one taken in 2021. It shows the Bodycote facility in Darby, UK which is located inside of a Rolls Royce facility-impressive to say the least. 
 
“Bodycote posted a slight increase in revenue, citing mixed end markets, but said it remained confident in its full-year outlook.
 
The London-listed provider of heat-treatment and thermal-processing services said Tuesday that for the four months through October, group revenue grew 0.2% organically, excluding surcharges.
 
Its aerospace and energy focused businesses delivered strong growth, while conditions remained soft in industrial markets and automotive, Bodycote said. Aerospace and energy posted revenue increases of 6.3% and 12%, respectively, while revenue in industrial markets fell by 11%. Automotive revenue rose by 0.5%, Bodycote said.
 
“Our end-market environment remains mixed, with the challenging conditions in automotive and industrial markets expected to continue into early 2025,” the company said.
 
Despite the backdrop, the resilience of the specialist technologies businesses and cost control gives confidence in delivering good progress in operating margin. In 2023, the company’s operating margin was 15.9%. For 2024, operating profit is expected to be in line with a company-compiled market consensus of 127.9 million pounds ($162.1 million), Bodycote said.”
 
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
 
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
Every week “The Monty” looks back on the previous week to see which Heat Treatment News Items excited our readers the most-this is based upon social media views, visits to “The Monty Heat Treat News” and readers thoughts and comments. For the week starting November 11, 2024 these were our top stories;
 
November 11/2024; “The Monty” Rumor Proves Correct! From time to time “The Monty Heat Treat News” publishes rumors about the heat treatment industry-not to “blow our own horn” but generally these rumors prove to be correct, this one is no exception.
 
Earlier this year we spoke about “HIPPING” (hot isostatic pressing), how it was a growing technology in the global heat treatment industry and in particular about a rumor that a commercial heat treater in Western Europe was investing in a very large system.
 
Well surprise, surprise the rumor is true and the company is none other than the second largest commercial heat treater in Europe, Aalberts Surface Technologies. Our understanding is that the new system will be going into a facility in the Netherlands, more details to follow.
 
MARCH 2024; New Hot Isostatic Press Order? For many years Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) occupied a fairly small but stable portion of the heat treatment market-when we think of the process, we think of castings for the aerospace industry. “Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) is a proven process for heat treatment, consolidation of powder, densification of products – such as castings, sintered materials, and ceramic parts – or for diffusion bonding applications. While HIP has been around for decades, we are seeing new applications in high-performance parts.”  A more detailed description can be found at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_isostatic_pressing
 
While the market for HIP remained relatively unchanged for many years, this slowly starting changing a few years back and it now represents a very fast growing segment of the heat treat market with a number of very large installations over the past 5 years-this brings us to today’s “rumor” about a new large installation.
 
Our understanding is that a Western European commercial heat treater will be investing in a system from Quintus, a Swedish company and one of the larger players in this highly specialized arena. The rumor we are hearing is that the system will be a QIH 286 model, one of the larger presses that Quintus offers and that it is an investment of well over $20 million USD. The photo attached shows a typical Quintus QIH 286 press.”
 
EVOLUTION & FUTURE OF FURNACE CONTROLS; Bob Fincken Talks About The Evolution & Future Of Furnace Controls; Today we have Bob Fincken, Vice President of Sales for Super Systems Inc. (SSi) and Carlos Torres discussing furnace control technology. Discover insights into how furnace control technology has evolved and what the future holds for this essential field.
 
USA Commercial Heat Treater Expands; Expanite Inc. is relocating to a new and larger facility in Twinsburg, Ohio and bringing in new furnaces to meet the growing demand for advanced surface hardening and heat treatment solutions across a wide range of industries. The new advanced furnaces – with chamber sizes up to 24x24x36” – are supplied and installed by Seco/Warwick. The new equipment will allow Expanite to process larger and more complex components while maintaining the unique hardening quality, widely accepted for improving product performance on stainless steel. The increased capacity and capabilities will further enhance the lead times and flexibility that Expanite is known for. This strategic expansion not only boosts Expanite’s ability to serve a growing number of industries such as pumps, valves, food & beverage processing equipment, medical devices and automotive, but also aligns with the company’s commitment to sustainability by offering greener alternatives to traditional technologies.
 
“Our investment is all about meeting the growing demands from our North American customers,” says Thomas Sandholdt, CEO of Expanite. “We’re now able to handle much larger volumes while maintaining the fast lead times and flexibility that our customers expect from Expanite.” Expanite is bringing Patented Technology for Hardening of Titanium to North America Expanite Inc. is now not only offering its well-known SuperExpanite processes for stainless steel but also its patented ExpaniteHard-Ti process — an advanced surface hardening solution designed for hardening of titanium parts.
 
Previously ExpaniteHard-Ti was only available from Expanite’s headquarters in Denmark. The ExpaniteHard-Ti process significantly improves wear and galling resistance, extending life and expanding the possible applications of titanium components. “Our expanded capabilities mean we can now offer our full range of Expanite technologies, including the processes for titanium, right here in the U.S.”, added Claus Løndal, Country Manager, North America “This allows us to serve a wide range of customers while reducing lead times and costs”. Expanding Heat Treatment Capabilities Besides the proprietary Expanite processes, standard vacuum heat treatment processes are offered from Expanite.”
 
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
 
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
This week we are proud to present the 2024 list of the “15 Largest Captive Heat Treats-North America” as compiled by “The Monty Heat Treat News“. We will have the final 5 largest this Thursday.
 
In 2022 “The Monty Heat Treat News” published a heat treatment industry exclusive, a list of the “10 Largest Single Location Captive Heat Treats” in North America. Since that time changes have occurred and in 2023 we published our list of the “11 Largest Single Location Captive Heat Treats in North America” We are now pleased to offer our 2024 list which has expanded to the “15 Largest Single Location Captive Heat Treats in North America”.
Number 15-Borg Warner, Ithica, New York. Auto parts supplier Borg Warner operates a facility in Upstate New York which has a “campus” type feel to it because of its sprawling nature and beautiful landscaping. The heat treatment department is impressive by any standards and consists of a wide variety of different styles of furnaces including batch and continuous.
 
Number 14-GE Gas Turbine, Greenville, South Carolina. GE makes our list of the 15 largest single location captives for the first time this year. This very substantial facility provides gas turbines and has a very substantial heat treat/brazing department consisting of 16 horizontal vacuum furnaces. Interestingly enough because of the “cell” manufacturing concept the furnaces are not in a central heat treat department, rather spread throughout the sprawling facility.
 
Number 13 Amsted Rail – BRENCO Bearings, Petersburg, Virginia. A newcomer to our list of the 10 largest single location captive heat treaters is a bearing company, BRENCO Bearings a division of Amstead Rail, located in Petersburg, Virginia. Amsted Rail’s Brenco® Bearings was founded in 1949 to manufacture bronze journal bearings for railroad freight cars. In 1959, Brenco received conditional AAR approval for the product it is known for today throughout the worldwide railroad industry,the tapered roller bearing-in short the company makes bearings for the railroad industry. The company has locations around the world, at least two of which have in house heat treatment departments. While the heat treatment department in Petersburg is not as large as it once one it still includes multiple pit carburizing furnaces and rotary hearth units.
 
Number 12 Dana Corp., Queretaro, Mexico. Number 9 on our list is yet another large auto parts maker, Dana Corporation, Queretaro, Mexico. While Dana has numerous facilities around the globe that include heat treating the largest is an enormous complex in the Mexican city of Queretaro with several large, separate in house heat treating departments. There are 3 separate facilities here, Dana Forja which has a heat treating department doing annealing in continuous furnaces, Dana Cardanes which has 7 batch IQ furnaces, roughly 40 induction lines and 11 tempers and Dana, ENCO which has 2 AFC-Holcroft UBQ furnaces along with 4 pusher furnaces (as of 2020).
 
Number 11 Stellantis, Kokomo, Indiana. In 1956 Chrysler invested in a transmission facility in Kokomo, Indiana, a facility which now covers 3.1 million square feet (please note that there are several facilities in Kokomo, our interest is in the transmission facility). For many years now this plant which originally was called Chrysler, and subsequently FCA Kokomo before being renamed Stellantis had what was probably the largest captive heat treat in North America. At one time it included 7-Three row Holcroft Pusher Furnaces, 6-Lindberg 36 X 72 X 36 Batch IQ furnaces, 3-Holcroft single row pushers, 2- Surface rotary furnaces, 2-Seco Rotary Furnaces, 4-ECM vacuum nitriding furnaces, 30-tempering furnaces and several ECM vacuum carburizing systems. While the heat treat department is smaller than it once was it is still one of the larger in house heat treat departments in North America.
 
Number 10 American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings (AAM), Silao, Mexico. In 2012 auto parts supplier American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) formally opened a new location in the city of Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico. The Silao facility was AAM’s second manufacturing facility in Mexico, joining the Guanajuato Manufacturing Complex. The opening of these facilities marked a real change in the firms philosophy as previous to this most manufacturing was in the USA including a large facility in Buffalo, New York which featured 5 single row pusher lines. Each AAM facility (including Poland) has a varied mix of heat treating equipment which includes pusher furnaces, batch IQ’s and Induction to name a few. Each of the AAM heat treating departments is very impressive, mainly because they are relatively new and obviously no expense was spared. AAAM globally can be considered one of the larger captive heat treaters in existence.
 
Number 9 ZF Transmission, Grey Court, South Carolina. ZF is a German company which ranks amongst the largest suppliers of automotive transmission components in the world. The location in Grey Court, SC opened in 2012 and became a hub for ZF’s work in large-scale transmission production, including eight- and nine-speed automatic transmissions. ZF is another company which made the decision to go with vacuum carburizing and the end result is that this facility has two ALD “Modultherm” systems in place with a total of 16 carburizing cells and 2 Pusher lines for annealing supplied by Ipsen.
 
Number 8 John Deere Waterloo, Iowa. As one of the world’s largest manufacturers of agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains used in heavy equipment, and lawn care equipment we are sure the company needs no introduction. Their location in Waterloo, Iowa is substantial with a total of 31 furnaces (we will qualify this statement slightly by saying that 10 of these furnaces are dual chamber which we are counting as two furnaces each). The equipment comes from a variety of furnace suppliers including Surface Combustion as can be seen in this photo.
 
Number 7 Dana Toluca, Mexico. The Dana facility in Toluca, Mexico is one of three Dana facilities in North America which makes our list. This plant produces transmission components and has one of the largest batch IQ installations in North America. This facility is approximately 16 years old and has a total of 24 batch IQ furnaces, each with working dimensions of 36″ X 48″ X 36″-this makes them the third largest in North America in terms of number of IQ’s, behind Allison Transmission in Indianpolis and auto parts supplier Linamar. All of the furnaces rely on an endothermic atmosphere with some of the furnaces incorporating press quenching. For a number of reasons Toluca has always gone the route of batch furnaces as opposed to continuous, most probably because of tighter control and more flexibility. It is no surprise that the plant has CQI-9 certification which the company takes very seriously, currently they are in the midst of updating all of their furnace control and datalogging systems.
 
Number 6 Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma is one of the largest US Air Force bases in the USA-to give you a perspective on the size with, 9,000 employees it is the largest single location employer in the state. This site at last count had 27 vacuum furnaces in various configurations which includes horizontal, bottom loading and oil quenching.
 
Number 5 Linamar, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. In our fifth position we find a Canadian company, auto parts supplier Linamar. Linamar is a global company with many locations around the world doing heat treating however their largest heat treat department is in Guelph, Ontario. Roughly 25 years ago the firm made the decision to bring heat treating in house while at the same time deciding that going forward they would concentrate on batch processing as opposed to continuous. This plant now has twenty five 36” X 48” X 36” batch IQ furnaces in place combined with five vacuum nitriders and a rotary hearth furnace.
 
Number 4 Allison Transmission, Speedway, Indiana. In our third position we find the Allison Transmission Campus in Speedway, Indiana. This facility is the world’s largest manufacturer of fully automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. Their very extensive in house heat treating department boasts the largest number of 36” X 48” X 36” batch IQ furnaces under one roof in North America-26 to be exact, just ahead of auto parts supplier Linamar in Guelph, Ontario, Canada who has 25 furnaces of the same size. In total the heat treat department at Allison includes this equipment;

· (26) IQ Furnaces -36”x48”x36”

· (36) Temper Furnaces

· (6) Pit Nitride Furnaces

· (2) Rotary Furnaces

· (12) Induction hardeners

Number 3 Dana Fairfield Manufacturing, Lafayette, Indiana. Our 2023 list prompted a number of large manufacturers with substantial heat treatment departments to reach out to “The Monty” to see how they ranked on our list-one that reached out was Dana Fairfield Manufacturing in Lafayette, Indiana, USA https://www.fairfieldmfg.com/fairfield-experience-for-gears-and-drive-systems/ a supplier of custom gears and drive systems.

The heat treat department of this facility covers over 65,000 square feet (6,000 square meters) and in it we find 9 pusher lines, 2 nitriding systems, 2 large annealers, several pit carburizing systems, multiple batch IQ lines and a very substantial induction hardening footprint. Incidentally while this is a very impressive heat treat facility it represents only a fraction of the over 700 heat treating systems which Dana operates around the globe.

Number 2 GKN Driveline, Newton, North Carolina. In our second position we find another automotive parts supplier, GKN in Newton, NC. While not one of the first to invest in vacuum carburizing systems they certainly jumped on the bandwagon after vacuum carburizing proved it’s value. The company now has 39 LPC cells provided by ECM with 20 bar nitrogen quenching.

Number 1 Ford Motor Company Sharonville Transmission Facility. We are quite comfortable in suggesting that the Ford Sharonville, Ohio Transmission facility is the single largest captive heat treat facility in North America. Ford was one of the first automotive companies to embrace vacuum carburizing and the end result is that this plant now has 64 ECM LPC cells with 20 bar nitrogen gas quench systems.

It is worth noting that this facility has almost 2.5 million cubic feet under roof with almost 2,000 employees; “The Ford Motor Company Sharonville Transmission plant is a transmission manufacturing facility located in Sharonville, Ohio, United States. Established in 1958, Sharonville has long been the backup site for overflowing work at the Ford Motor Company Livonia Transmission plant. It is also where the Ford Crown Victoria’s transmission was once assembled for over three decades. With the Crown Victoria now discontinued, the Sharonville transmission plant currently overseas production of the 64140 6-speed automatic transmission – also known as the Torqshift – destined for the Ford Super Duty line of heavy duty trucks. Sharonville is where the Ford/GM 10R80 10-speed transmission is assembled. The facility also manufacturers individual gears for the 6R80, 6R140, 6F35, 6F50/55, 8F57 transmissions. These gears are then shipped to other Ford manufacturing plants like the Ford Motor Company Van Dyke Transmission plant and the Ford Motor Company Livonia Transmission plant

Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.

View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/

 
 
“As part of its commitment to environmental leadership, Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI), the parent company based in Austria, has implemented a Nitrex nitriding system at its facility in Romania. This installation, aligning with the company’s corporate values and best practices, marks a significant advancement in HAI’s initiative to modernize operations and advance the sustainability of aluminum profile production.
 
HAI Romania, a subsidiary of Hammerer Aluminium Industries, has been a key player within Romania’s aluminum industry since its establishment in 2007. Acquired from Hydro in 2019, the Chișineu-Criș facility, located in western Romania near the Hungarian border, houses two extrusion presses. Specializing in the production of high-quality aluminum profiles and systems, this facility is strategically positioned to provide easy access to both Western and Eastern European markets, facilitating the production and distribution of a wide range of extrusions for industries such as automotive, construction, and packaging.
 
The newly installed nitriding system replaces the traditional salt bath nitriding process, aligning with HAI’s eco-friendly directives. Unlike salt bath nitriding, which involves the use of salts that can leave environmentally challenging residues necessitating post-finishing operations and disposal, the controlled gas nitriding process used in the Nitrex NX-815 furnace model is more sustainable. With a load capacity of 3,300 lb (1,500 kg) and designed specifically for treating extrusion dies, the Nitrex system offers advanced process capabilities such as Nitreg® controlled nitriding and Nitreg®-C controlled ferritic nitrocarburizing, ensuring superior and consistent performance outcomes.
 
By adopting Nitreg® technologies, HAI Romania not only reduces its ecological footprint by eliminating hazardous waste and minimizing energy consumption but also enhances the durability and performance of aluminum extrusion dies. This approach eliminates the need for costly post-finishing operations, optimizing production efficiency and overall operational cost-effectiveness.
 
The decision to implement these advanced technologies was driven by the head office’s strategic focus on sustainability and innovation. The new system will not only improve production efficiency but also ensure that HAI Romania remains at the forefront of green manufacturing practices in the aluminum industry.
 
Marcin Stoklosa, Technical Sales Manager – EMEA region at Nitrex, shared, “HAI is setting a strong benchmark in greener manufacturing as it continues to grow. The innovative spirit of this young enterprise, combined with the seasoned experience of a traditional business, underscores HAI’s commitment to leading the way in environmentally conscious manufacturing practices. This investment not only enhances sustainability but also improves operational efficiency, ensuring products meet high standards of quality and reliability for HAI’s customers.”
 
Did you like this article? Click here to subscribe to The Monty.
 
View our recent magazines and podcasts by clicking the following link. https://themonty.com/magazine/
To quote the famous author “Charles Dickens” commercial heat treating in North America is truly “a tale of 2 cities these days”. While the vast bulk of commercial heat treaters in North America are doing OK-not great not bad there are extremes on either end, lets look at some examples, examples that we will expand upon in the very near future.
 
Down Texas way we understand that a commercial heat treater is finding business to be quite good, so good in fact that the company is planning on additional capacity as well as adding another location with a new process-more on this very shortly.
 
In the Midwest we are chasing down a rumor about a commercial heat treat firm which has supposedly closed down. While we believe this rumor to be true we are looking for more confirmation (for an example of a “Monty” rumor which proved correct look no forward than just last week; “The Monty Rumor Proves Correct”). The company in question was at one time on our list of the 50 Largest Commercial Heat Treaters in North America.
 
And lastly, we know of another average sized commercial heat treater in North America which is in the process of closing down, with some of the equipment already sold off with the rest on the used market (all of which by the way is listed under our Used Equipment Section). This closing by the way has nothing to do with business conditions, rather a change of direction by the ownership of the company.
 
So, the message is that commercial heat treating in North America is healthy but not thriving for which we should be grateful when compared to heat treating in Europe-our next news item for today.
 
In our previous news item above we suggested that the commercial heat treating market in North America is doing OK-no better than OK and no worse.
 
However, this does not hold true for Europe as we found out recently at the HK24 Heat Treat Exhibition in Cologne, Germany in October. Gord Montgomery of “The Monty Heat Treat News” spent 2 weeks visiting both commercial and captive heat treaters in Germany, Switzerland and Austria as well as attending the exhibition and the general feeling was one of “doom and gloom”. It would appear that most commercial heat treaters especially in Germany are seeing sales declines of 25-35% on average which prompts the question-why?
 
In general the sales declines go directly back to a drop in demand from the auto industry which in turn goes back to two main factors; the first being the declining interest in electric vehicles upon which many European car makers have invested heavily, and the second being the shocking price of energy in the European Union market.
 
The graph below shows the cost to industrial users of electricity in a number of markets around the world. Even a cursory glance will show that the cost of electricity to industrial users (and consequently heat treaters) in the UK, Germany, France and Italy is several times that of areas such as North America and China.
 
Given these numbers it is obvious that given current conditions the future of captive and commercial heat treating in Europe is “challenging” to say the least.