Bluewater Thermal CEO Steps Down and More Heat Treat News
For the week starting Monday, December 2, 2024 we have these news stories about the global heat treatment industry;
Bluewater Thermal CEO Steps Down. Mr. Eric Mannix worked with North American commercial heat treater, Bluewater Thermal for a number of years before being appointed CEO of the firm in November of 2023. Eric very recently parted ways with the company and is now CFO of R.M. Young Company in Traverse City, Michigan. Bluewater Thermal is ranked as one of the “50 Largest North American Commercial Heat Treaters” by “The Monty Heat Treat News”.
Heat Exchanger Manufacturer Installs New Vacuum Furnace. “SWEP” is a global supplier of brazed plate heat exchangers and prefabricated energy transfer stations for HVAC and industrial applications. The firm has manufacturing facilities around the world including a location in Oklahoma, USA where the company recently installed a new vacuum brazing furnace supplied by Italian vacuum furnace builder “TAV”.
Ohio Heat Treater-Ongoing Restructuring Efforts. “HI Tec-Metal Group Inc.”, (HTG) has always been a very well known name in the US commercial heat treating industry especially in the Ohio area. As part of their ongoing restructuring efforts the firm is making some changes. “Effective November 1, 2024, all heat treating processes utilizing endothermic gas located at 28910 Lakeland Blvd, Wickliffe, Ohio will be temporarily suspended until further notice”. This will effect, carburizing, normalizing, carbonitriding, atmosphere hardening, neutral hardening, carbon restoration and atmosphere annealing.
Bodycote, Greenville, SC Now Nadcap Accredited. Commercial heat treat giant Bodycote recently completed an expansion of their Greenville, SC facility which includes “Hot Isostatic Pressing”. According to this press release the facility is now Nadcap accredited. “Bodycote’s Greenville facility has achieved Nadcap accreditation for the new HIP (Hot Isostatic Pressing) expansion and is now taking orders. As a centre of excellence for thermal processing, Greenville offers a range of solutions for the aerospace industry, with HIP now added to its impressive range of services.“
Rubig Group Managment Changes. Based in Wels, Austria, we think of Rubig as a supplier of plasma nitriding systems and a commercial heat treater although we know the company is also involved in other areas. As you can see in this press release from the company the beginning of 2025 will see new leadership; “At the end of 2024, Bernd Rübig and Christian Dipolt will jointly take over the management of the “Rubig Group” following the retirement of Harald Plöckinger. With over a decade of experience in RUBIG’s technological and strategic development, Christian Dipolt brings expertise and vision to his new role. We thank Harald Plöckinger for his dedicated and thoughtful leadership, which has contributed significantly to RUBIG’s success.”
UK Vacuum Supplier Has Excellent October. In the UK, “Vacuum and Atmosphere Services Ltd.” is one of the largest suppliers to the vacuum heat treatment industry for new furnaces, rebuilds, installs and hot zones. According to this it looks like VAS had a really top notch October. This photo shows part of the VAS team when “The Monty” visited a couple of years back.“Vacuum and Atmosphere Services Ltd., are thrilled to announce that we’ve received five reline orders this month (October) – a fantastic testament to the trust our clients place in us for their high-quality furnace reline needs! Of these orders, four feature our bespoke heating set design, engineered for easy and quick changeovers and also include an additional layer of insulation protection. This tailored design enhances operational efficiency, reduces downtime, and extends the life of your equipment. At VAS, quality control is at the heart of everything we do. Our detailed documentation and rigorous processes ensure thorough oversight and quality in every project. This attention to detail enables us to deliver reliable and consistent results that our clients can depend on. https://vacat.co.uk/five-reline-orders-in-october/”
Mr. Steve Metz-A Change in Direction. Steve Metz is a really knowledgeable fellow who has spent his entire working life with companies such as “Applied Process” and subsequently “Aalberts Surface Technologies” after Aalberts acquired Applied Process some time back. Based upon his 33 years in the industry and our personal acquaintance with Steve we can say this is an individual who really knows his stuff. It appears that after all these years in the industry he is branching out on his own; I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Principal – Chief Cook and Bottle Washer at Fractional Metallurgy Consulting!” While this photo goes back a few years it shows Steve at Applied Process in Oshkosh, WI.
Furnace Builder Promotes Mechanical Engineering Manager. Furnace builder AFC-Holcroft (part of the Aichelin Group of Austria) has just promoted Mr. Lee Childress to the position of Mechanical Engineering Manager-a position he will start at the beginning of the new year.