Northern Heat Treat-A Profile
For years now “The Monty Heat Treat News” has worked on an occasional basis with a very interesting commercial heat treat in Northern Ontario, Canada by the name of “Northern Heat Treat”. The firm was recently “profiled” in a publication by the name of “Canadian Fabricating & Welding”-we found the article interesting enough that we are reprinting it;
“Northern Heat Treat has a rich history rooted in multiple generations. The company’s origins trace back to Erie, Pa., when George Sidun launched a company called Quality Heat Treat in 1960. “My great-grandfather developed a passion for metallurgy and heat treating as a young man, and he started this company as a way to push the boundaries of innovation,” said Danny Sidun, production manager, Northern Heat Treat, Capreol, Ont. Sidun’s grandfather and great-grandfather worked together focusing on high-volume mesh belts, hot forging, work for the railroad sector, and other industrial sectors in the U.S. This early foundation helped the company grow to where it is today.
“Innovation was a core focus from the start,” said Sidun. “We have always committed to continuous advancements in heat-treating techniques.” In 1986, the company relocated to Canada with a new name, Northern Heat Treat. It focused on the heat treatment of exploration drill rods used in diamond drilling.
Pioneering Innovation in Heat Treatment
At the time, drill rods were traditionally plated or hard chromed, but the company pioneered an induction and through-hardening process, which eventually became the industry standard. “Today, almost every drill rod that’s produced uses the heat-treating process we invented, which is kind of amazing for me, as we can see our impact on such a big market,” said Sidun. “It was a lot of R&D work because it had never been attempted before. It took the company around 10 to 15 years to continuously innovate the process.”
When the company first started the process, they had the drill rods thrown by hand into an induction scanner before being processed and straightened. Eventually, the company incorporated robotics and automated systems that sped up the process to help the shop keep up with the high-volume demand that its customers expected. The new heat-treating process for drill rods helps them to last longer and provide improved wear resistance. It also allows for the drills to be used in deeper holes.“It’s been a game-changer, not only for us but for the industry as a whole,” said Sidun. “And we still do drill rods at very high volumes for some great Canadian manufacturers. Our biggest advantage is our experience, which has been handed down through four generations. I’ve had some of the most experienced teachers to lead me through my career thus far.” Sidun noted that one challenge the shop has encountered is a scarcity of heat treating knowledge. Northern Heat Treat has been successful because of its long-standing experience along with its commitment to innovation and product improvements.
“Our core heat-treating processes are tried, tested, and continually improved,” said Sidun. “That’s given us a huge advantage in this industry.” When it comes to the practicality of heat-treating processes, some customers are not always aware of all options available to them. A part is often designed with a specific heat-treating process in mind, but that process may be hard to find or very expensive.
“We find there is a gap between feasibility and affordability, and we’ve done extensive research to ensure we can offer recommendations to our customer,” said Sidun. For example, an agriculture customer required the heat treatment of pins by the thousands. Northern Heat Treat initially wanted to apply a case to them by induction hardening but instead designed a carbonitriding process that is faster and yields a better-quality product than induction hardening.
“The carbonitriding will put a case around the entire pin, and we were able to do it much cheaper than induction hardening, which is a big point too,” said Sidun. “That was a challenge we worked through, but with some attention to detail on the geometry of the pins and how they would react to the furnace. It was a very good process for this project.”
Strategic Growth and Infrastructure Investment
Today, the company has expanded beyond mining into industries like agriculture, forestry, automotive, and oil and gas to provide stability against market fluctuations. In 2018, Northern Heat Treat moved into a new facility situated on a CN rail line, allowing for greater capacity and expansion opportunities.
With a focus on high-volume production, the shop has added four automated drill rod cells with robotic handling and can process 20 pieces every nine minutes using these systems.
“We were previously renting a facility in Coniston, Ont., but we decided that it was important for our expansion to purchase our own property,” said Sidun. “We have 9 acres of land available to us along with access to 12 CN rail tracks that come right into the building. It was a big move, but it allows us ample opportunity for growth.” The main building is currently being used for the shop’s drill rod segment. It includes three stress-relieving furnaces, including one of the largest in the region that reaches temperatures up to 2,000 degrees F and accommodates parts up to 22 ft. long. The company also does all annealing and normalizing in this building.
With a focus on high-volume production, the shop has added four automated drill rod cells with robotic handling and can process 20 pieces every nine minutes using these systems. “We are geared for high volume,” said Sidun. “Currently, we are steady at two shifts. We have room to expand into a third shift if we need to.” The second building is focused on heat treating with furnaces and includes six temper furnaces, all of which work off of one fairly large-batch IQ. The shop can do varying processes from oil quenching and tempering to carbonitriding. It also invested and expanded into coatings with a new paint shop and shot blaster on one end of the building.
Diversification for Market Stability
All of these investments have allowed the company to expand beyond mining into industries like agriculture, forestry, automotive, and oil and gas to stabilize against market fluctuations. “With the market volatility, our goal is to diversify into as many industries as we can handle and where we are confident in our processes,” said Sidun. “We are spread amongst a range of industries, which is good for us as a heat treater because most industries are so up and down.”
For example, the automotive sector has been especially tumultuous in recent years and has caused many heat treaters to go out of business. Sidun said that this is either due to a lack of proper succession planning or a lack of work opportunities, both of which have been top of mind for the shop. This has led to a shuffling of the heat treating sector and opened some doors for Northern Heat Treat.
With a team of 17 skilled employees, including a new generation of passionate heat treaters, the shop continues to refine and expand its services. “We’re going to continue to diversify into other industries because we have vast experience to apply to new areas of growth,” said Sidun. “We are looking to implement a high-volume furnace department to better serve different industries. I’m excited to see what the future holds for us. But it’s important for us to continue to be dedicated to our exploration rod processes, which is where we got our start. We see a pretty bright future here, especially with our facility now and the team we have now.”
Today, Northern Heat Treat remains committed to innovation, automation, and industry diversification.”
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