Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry. Catch up on these 21 news items, including Bodycote’s addition of large-scale HIP and vacuum heat treatment capacity, the formation of Aichelin Americas under a unified organization, Shanthi Gears’ Nadcap merit status in Heat Treating and NDT, and more!
Equipment
1. SECO/WARWICK will supply a China-based manufacturer of gas turbine and aircraft engine components with a Vector vacuum furnace for heat treating high-temperature alloy turbine blades, marking the companies’ second Vector furnace order in recent months. The system’s high-vacuum environment, tight temperature uniformity, and high-pressure gas cooling will support clean, repeatable processing of components used in demanding aerospace and energy applications.
2. The University of Minnesota Duluth will lead a nearly $3 million federally funded project with Metcovery II LLC and the National Laboratory of the Rockies to develop an induction smelting process that produces pig iron from low-cost, low-grade ores. The technology is designed to remove impurities and enable continuous smelting, potentially broadening the domestic ore sources available for DRI-based steelmaking while increasing productivity.
3. Hyundai Steel has launched a $5.8 billion EAF-based integrated steel mill project in Louisiana that HYUNDAI-POSCO Louisiana Steel LLC, a joint venture with POSCO, Hyundai Motor Company, and Kia Corporation, will operate. Targeted for commercial production in 2029, the facility will combine on-site DRI production with EAF steelmaking to supply 2.7 million metric tons of steel annually, strengthening the domestic supply of automotive steel while reducing emissions compared with conventional blast furnace production.
4. Solcoa Industries is planning a 500-ton-per-year rare earth metalmaking facility in Nevada that will use vacuum induction heating as part of its metallization process. The new capacity will convert refined rare earth materials into metals used in high-performance magnets for automotive, defense, energy, and other manufacturing applications.
5. AKG Group, a manufacturer of heat exchangers and cooling systems has ordered two controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB) furnace lines from sellacan Industrieofen GmbH to add aluminum brazing capacity for heat exchangers serving automotive, heavy equipment, energy, rail, and other industrial applications.
6. Mesabi Metallics plans to invest $18 billion to integrate its Minnesota iron ore operations with a new Iowa steelmaking complex using hot direct-reduced iron (DRI) and electric arc furnace (EAF) technology. The integrated operation will establish a domestic supply chain for steel serving the automotive, defense, shipbuilding, energy, infrastructure, appliance, and other manufacturing sectors.
7. Bodycote is adding a large-scale hot isostatic pressing (HIP) vessel and expanding vacuum heat treatment capacity at two Ohio facilities to support aerospace and defense manufacturing. The company expects the new HIP system in London, Ohio, to begin operating in early October.
8. SECO/WARWICK will supply a British foundry technology center with a large-scale Vector vacuum furnace to increase its annealing capacity for oversized titanium castings. The additional system will support clean, uniform heat treatment of large components for the aerospace, energy, and heavy industry sectors while relieving existing equipment at the facility.
9. U.S. Steel has completed a $350 million blast furnace reline at its Gary Works operation in Indiana, returning more than 2 million tons of annual hot metal production capability to service. The project replaced the furnace’s refractory lining and restored critical systems supporting high-temperature ironmaking operations and long-term steel production.
10. Heatmasters has opened a new service center in Sines, Portugal, with João Ribeiro among the contacts supporting the company’s expanded presence in the Iberian Peninsula. The location will provide on-site heat treatment, including preheating and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT), as well as equipment sales and rentals to support industrial greenfield, maintenance, and repair projects across Portugal and the wider region.
11. Hyundai Steel has completed a modernization of its continuous annealing and galvanizing line, integrating induction heating, rapid cooling, and thermal process controls to increase production of ultra-high-strength Gen3 steel for automotive applications.
12. SECO/WARWICK will supply an Indian aviation manufacturer with a turnkey VertiQuench heat treatment line for solution heat treatment, quenching, and artificial aging of large aluminum aircraft components. The AMS2750H- and AMS2770-compliant system will support the manufacturer’s production of aircraft skins and structures with rapid quenching and temperature uniformity of ±3°C (±5.4°F).
Company & Personnel
13. Mason Wells has acquired The Cleveland Electric Laboratories (CEL), an Ohio-based manufacturer of thermocouple products for high-temperature manufacturing, with CEL’s management team and other investors retaining ownership stakes. The acquisition is intended to support CEL’s continued growth and investment in temperature-measurement products serving aerospace and defense, power generation, and industrial applications.
14. Hubbard-Hall has promoted Marcos Scuccuglia from director of Operations to vice president of Operations. In his expanded role, Scuccuglia will lead operations across Hubbard-Hall locations to strengthen performance and support the company’s continued growth.
15. Bluewater Thermal Solutions has named Ryan Cantwell regional sales manager, bringing his heat treating industry experience in sales, customer relationship management, and business development to the role. Cantwell will support customer growth, identify new business opportunities, and expand partnerships across the company’s North American heat treating and brazing markets.
16. Aichelin Americas has brought AFC-Holcroft, GM Enterprises, and Nitrex together under a unified organization led by President and CEO Marty Poljan, while retaining the individual brands and their areas of expertise.
17. Pratt & Whitney has named Jill Albertelli president effective January 1, 2027, succeeding Shane Eddy, who will retire and remain as a special advisor through March 2027. Albertelli, currently president of Military Engines, brings more than 30 years of experience across operations, supply chain, quality, and MRO as the aerospace engine manufacturer continues addressing production, sustainment, and aftermarket demands.
18. Michael K. Klauck retired from CAN-ENG Furnaces International on September 30, 2026, after 26 years with the company, including 14 years as president, and 40 years in the steel, heat treatment, and industrial furnace industries. Company owner Victor Oreskovich succeeds Klauck as president, providing leadership continuity as CAN-ENG navigates ongoing global challenges in the industrial furnace sector.
19. WIRCO Inc. acquired selected manufacturing assets from Alcon Industries Inc., including melting furnaces, casting machines, fabrication equipment, and more than 1,000 active tools. The acquisition increases WIRCO’s fabrication, centrifugal casting, and static casting capacity to support customers requiring high-temperature heat treatment tooling and high-alloy components.
Kudos
20. Shanthi Gears Limited has achieved Nadcap certification with Merit Status in both Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and Heat Treating (HT).
21. Nasmyth Bulwell has successfully renewed its Nadcap Heat Treatment accreditation with Merit, reflecting the site’s continued commitment to high standards of quality, process control and manufacturing excellence.
