Top Heat Treatment News Items for the Week of October 14th
The “Top 3” most popular news items for the week starting October 4th included these 3. Results are based upon visits to “The Monty Heat Treat News” and social media-it should come as no surprise that news about last week’s “Furnaces North America” exhibition dominated the news and that a shooting in the heat treat industry also proved to be very well read.
“Shooting at a USA Commercial Heat Treat Shop”; From “Hometown Life” we have this tragic story about a shooting in a commercial heat treat shop in Michigan; “FARMINGTON HILLS — A workplace dispute boiled over into violence Tuesday morning, Farmington Hills police said, with one person hospitalized after a shooting in a factory parking lot. Police were still at the scene of a shooting at Specialty Steel Treating Inc., 31610 Eight Mile Road, Tuesday afternoon where one man suffered critical injuries. Police did not say whether the person responsible for the shooting had been arrested. Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King said a weapon has been seized and the involved parties have been identified. “At this time, there is no danger to the public,” King said in a release. “I want to commend the speed and efficiency of our officers’ response, in containing and stabilizing this dangerous scene and ensuring the safety of our community.”
The preliminary investigation revealed that the incident resulted from an ongoing workplace dispute between two employees, police said. Officers were dispatched to Specialty Steel Treating at about 8:05 a.m. after receiving a 911 call from a man who said he had shot someone in the parking lot. Officers interviewed several individuals involved in the incident, police said, including the subject who admitted to being involved in a shooting. A second individual was also identified after arriving at a local hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. That person is receiving medical treatment for his wound and was listed in critical but stable condition. Specialty Steel Treating performs “precision steel heat treatment” for aerospace, automotive, industrial bearing, heavy equipment and tool and die uses, the company’s website said. The company has two plants in Fraser, one in Farmington Hills and another in East Granby, Connecticut.”
“Furnaces North America (FNA)-The Conclusion”; With the “Furnaces North America” (FNA) show now concluded we have reached the end of major heat treat exhibitions for 2024 which for many industry suppliers brings a sigh of relief. FNA was a top-notch show and the general consensus by visitors and exhibitors was that it was well worthwhile and “The Monty Heat Treat News “would certainly concur, however there was a certain element of uncertainty amongst visitors and exhibitors due to prevailing business conditions. At the HK24 Heat Treat exhibition in Germany this past week it was very clear that most German commercial heat treaters were down 20-40% depending upon their market segment with captive heat treaters following suit. We did not expect to see the same industry drop in North America, however it quickly became apparent at the show that while North America is not seeing the same declines as the German market, the industry on “this side of the pond” is slowing also. Speaking with suppliers, in-house and commercial heat treaters it is obvious that the heat treatment industry is “stagnant” at best with little change up or down. You can never predict the future but for what it is worth “The Monty” team expects that the North American heat treat industry will experience some slow down but not a dramatic one (but don’t bet the bank on it).
“Agricultural Firm Invests in Heat Treatment Department”; Located in Perry, Iowa, USA, Osmundson Mfg., is a fifth generation supplier of “ground engaging wear parts”, parts destined entirely for the agricultural industry. The firm recently made a major investment in their in-house heat treating department by buying 7 mesh belt heat treat lines from McLaughlin Furnace Group of Avilla, Indiana, USA. The furnaces are each 48″ wide X 40′ long, direct fired, 1650F with a water quench. About Osmundson Mfg; Osmundson Mfg., is a 5th generation supplier of “ground engaging wear products” formed over 120 years ago by the grandfather of the current President and CEO of the company Ms. Heather Bruce. With 75 employees the company is very proud of the fact that that everything they produce is 100% made in the USA.