A special report from Heat Treat Today publisher, Doug Glenn.
Mr. Chad Spore, John Deere, speaking on “OEM Perspective on the ThermProcess Industry”
Chad Spore, materials engineering supervisor for John Deere, addressed the assembled guests of the International ThermProcess Summit, in Buckhead, Georgia, on the first day of the event, Tuesday, July 31, 2018. The presentation, which included encouragements to other manufacturers with in-house heat treating as well as industry suppliers to continue to innovate, was received with great interest by the nearly 100 attendees at this 2nd biennial event.
Omar Nashashibi, The Franklin Partnership, spoke on “Trump’s Washington: The New Normal?”
The attendees also enjoyed an excellent presentation from Omar Nashashibi. Mr. Nashashibi, as a-politically as possible, presented an excellent perspective on the first years of the Trump Administration. Whether you like Trump or not, Mr. Nashashibi made it clear that Trump was doing something that no other president has done in quite some time — he’s fulfilling all of his campaign promises to one degree or another. It was a balanced presentation with many positives and negatives.
Dr. Amber Selking, Selking Performance Group will be speaking on “Driving Consistent Performance Excellence”
The two-day event concludes today with keynote speaker and event emcee, Dr. Amber Selking of the Selking Performance Group, giving a presentation on “Driving Consistent Performance Excellence.”
A Special Report from Heat Treat Today Publisher, Doug Glenn
Nearly 100 top level heat treat and finishing professionals have gathered in Atlanta to discuss future trends in the heat treating industry. The event kicked off last night with an opening reception at the Intercontinental Hotel in Buckhead, Georgia (see photographs at the bottom of this post). Representatives from Mexico, Europe, and the United States are present to hear what an excellent panel of speakers has to say about the future of heat treat as well as share ideas with each other. (Listen to Heat Treat Radio’s interview with heat treat consultant Thomas Wingens as he discusses future MegaTrends in the heat treat industry. Click here.)
Of note in today’s sessions is an opening keynote address by Dr. Irene Petrick from Intel Corporation on “Factories of the Future: What Does the Future Workforce Look Like?” Based on anecdotes from the attendees, the recruitment of skilled help is becoming a significant issue.
Dr. Irene Petrick, Intel Corporation, speaking on Factories of the Future: What Does the Future Workforce Look Like?The “tape rule” test has eliminated more potential employees than a drug test!
And not only recruitment but retaining good workers. Since heat treating is not considered a cutting-edge industry, it is difficult to recruit and retain. Passing a drug test is one obstacle, but one high-ranking executive suggested that there is an even more significant hurdle for new employees to pass, what he referred to as the “tape rule” test — being able to read and accurately add measurements from a tape rule. Doesn’t seem like a monumental test to pass, but according to this source, it has eliminated more candidates from employment than the drug test. There’s something to be said for listening in 3rd- and 4th-grade math class when the concept of common denominators is taught.
Another industry consultant commented on the increased demand for experienced and knowledgeable individuals to advise when it comes to owning and operating heat treat equipment. The need for hands-on training as well process education is widespread as a vast amount of knowledge is leaving the industry through retirement. Fortunately, for this consultant, business is very good due to this fact. More companies are needing his services.
To help locate a qualified heat treat consultant, Heat Treat Today has launched a new Heat Treat Consultants resource. The “official” launch will be in a few weeks, but you can get a sneak peak by clicking here.
Todd Grimm, T.A. Grimm & Associates speaking on Trends in Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing will also be one of the topics covered today by Todd Grimm of T.A. Grimm & Associates. As one of the more disruptive manufacturing technologies in the last decade, additive manufacturing is a topic often covered within the webpages of Heat Treat Today. For a glimpse at some of the articles published in the recent past, click here.
For a complete list of ITPS presentations, click here.
A Special Message from Heat Treat Today publisher, Doug Glenn.
There are heat treat trade shows; then there is ITPS — the International ThermProcess Summit — being held this year, for only the second time in the USA, in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Buckhead. This event is the premiere event for forward-thinking heat treat executives whether they be from manufacturers with in-house heat treat, from a contract heat treat shop, or from a supplier to the heat treat industry. This event is not so much an equipment and process event as it is a strategic planning event for high-level heat treat department heads or C-suite dwellers.
It would be good to register today and get to Atlanta ASAP if you have not done so already. Click here to register or go to www.itps-ifcs.com. Or you can just show up on-site. I’m sure they’ll let you in!
High-level, strategic planning is what this mostly-conference-with-some-table-top-exhibit event is all about.
Covey talks about taking time to “sharpen the saw” — this event is a saw-sharpening moment. You might run into some other like-minded people in organizations that would be advantageous for you to know — customers, competitors, vendors.
The event is organized by the Industrial Heating Equipment Association (www.ihea.org), and they are responsible for the high-level talks. Take a look at some of the excellent presentations.
Dr. Irene Petrick, Intel Corp., speaking on Factories of the Future: What Does the Future Workforce Look Like?
Mr. Chad Spore, John Deere, speaking on \”OEM Perspective on the ThermProcess Industry\”
Todd Grimm, T.A. Grimm & Associates speaking on Trends in Additive Manufacturing
Susanne Lauda, AGCO, speaking on \”OEM Manufacturing Perspective\”
Mike Brown, The Brainzooming(tm) Group speaking on \”Transitioning Your Business to the Next Generation\”
Dr. Amber Selking, Selking Performance Group, speaking on \”Driving Consistent Performance Excellence\”
These are just six of the more than 20 speakers who will be presenting at this event — ALL worth hearing.
It’s time to invest in some strategic planning time with your top executives. If you haven’t done so already, consider taking time to make a visit to Buckhead.
We begins this month’s economic report with a special request: Please register and attend the International ThermProcess Summit (ITPS) in Atlanta next week, July 30-August 1. This event, sponsored by IHEA, is meant for high-level executives in the heat treating industry including manufacturers with in-house heat treat as well as industry suppliers and contract heat treaters. Click here for more information. Thank you. Now on to our report…
Transportation was up strongly in June. Source: IHEA Monthly Economic Report
This month’s Industrial Heating Equipment Association (www.ihea.org) economic summary report shows sustained growth in nearly all sectors. The report, issued monthly to key executives whose companies are members of IHEA, summarizes approximately 12 indicators determined to be important to the thermal processing market. These indices include metal prices, housing starts, durable goods orders, purchasing managers index, credit managers index, a transportation index, new car & light truck sales, as well as others. The 12-13 page report, provided to IHEA by The Armada Group, IHEA’s exclusive economic advisor, provides not just a summary of the index movements, but an in depth explanation of the factors affecting each index. The report has been a valuable tool for key executives in IHEA member companies.
Steel consumption was up significantly in June. Source: IHEA Economic Survey
This month’s report showed an increase in the transportation index, steel consumption, and housing starts. Flat this month were factory orders, durable goods, and capital expenditures, as well as the PMI and industrial capacity utilization. Tariffs, or the threat of tariffs, continue to loom large over the direction of the economy. It is speculated that steel consumption is up strongly due to preemptive purchases, purchases made by many manufactures in advance of what they consider will be significant tariff price hikes.
For a complete copy of the monthly report, please email Anne Goyer.
Special Message from Heat Treat TodayPublisher, Doug Glenn
Finding and retaining young talent is one of the most difficult challenges for nearly all manufacturers with in-house heat treat operations. It is also a major challenge for commercial heat treat shops and heat treat equipment and component suppliers. Beyond the initial difficulty of finding someone who can pass a drug test (!), there is the more persistent problem of finding and retaining good engineering and business minds.
When you do find that talent, it’s important to recognize it and reward it.
To help you recognize and reward the young talent in your organization — or, if you’re a supplier to the industry, in your customer’s organization — Heat Treat Todayis officially opening nominations for 40 Under 40 the Class of 2018. This inaugural class will be comprised of 40 individuals UNDER THE AGE OF 40 who are significant contributors to the heat treat industry. We’ll give them widespread exposure through our website, our social media platforms, and through a special print edition later this year.
Nominations open today (7/9/18) and close on August 15th.
It is super quick and easy to nominate someone. Simply click on the “Nominate Now!” button to the right. Each nomination should take no more than 5 minutes to complete and it will be sincerely appreciated. If you’d like to read more about 40 Under 40, click on the 40 Under 40 logo above and you’ll be taken to a page with more details.
Don’t miss this great opportunity to recognize the young heat treat talent in your organization. Nominate someone today!
If you have any questions, please contact me directly by email (click here).
The economic report issued monthly to IHEA member company key executives showed what economists are calling a “transition” month with 5 indices showing an upward trend and 6 showing a downward trend. Among those moving upward: metal prices, capacity utilization, PMI, credit managers index, and the transportation index. Those heading south: auto/light truck sales, new home starts, steel consumption, capital expenditures, durable goods shipments, and factory orders.
This monthly report, which averages 12 pages every month, provides not only useful trending data but also in-depth analysis of each index. IHEA’s proprietary economist provides the analysis with special emphasis on how these movements affect the heat treat and thermal processing industries.
CapEx and five other indices moved down in May according to IHEA\’s Monthly Economic Report.
PMI Index showed signs of recovering in May. This and four other indicies moved upward.
For a full copy of the report, contact Anne Goyer by email (click here), Executive Vice President of the Industrial Heating Equipment Association (www.ihea.org).
Steel consumption, somewhat counter-intuitively, took a significant jump in April despite rising prices.
The rising price of steel along with three other negative moving indices were the only four downward-moving indices in May according to the authoritative monthly report issued by North America’s leading thermal processing equipment manufacturing association, the Industrial Heating Equipment Association (www.ihea.org).
Another negative indicator was the metal price index which reports on aluminum (up slightly), copper (steady), nickel (up slightly), and gold (steady). Given the anticipated and now-imposed steel and aluminum tariffs, it is uncertain what will happen to aluminum and steel prices although the report suggests that steel consumption was up not so much due to demand, but in anticipation of future shortages resulting from tariffs.
The PMI saw its fourth straight monthly decline.
Positive indices included industrial capacity utilization, new home starts, capital expenditures, and durable goods shipments.
Each month, the report details the movements and rationale behind 11-14 metal industry-specific indices. The full report is available to IHEA member companies.
To inquire about the full report, please contact Anne Goyer, Executive Director of IHEA by clicking here.
We have two years under our belt and what a blast we’re having helping manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments, especially those in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors, stay up-to-date on the latest heat treating technology, tips, tricks, and news. As we celebrate this 2nd anniversary, it is appropriate to express our sincere thanks to a number of people.
First, thank you to the following companies for having faith in Heat Treat Today to carry their marketing message to the heat treat marketplace:
There are several industry veterans who have helped us procure content that appeals to and serves our in-house heat treating audience. I’d like to express a special thanks to:
Dr. Valery Rudnev of Inductoheat, Inc., has provided his considerable wealth of knowledge on induction heating.
My long-time friend and industry colleague, Alan Charky, of VacAero and now Mainly Sunny Marketing Communications, has been instrumental in a variety of ways when it comes to content curation and has been nothing but generous.
Jeb Blair, from PRAXIS Communications in the Philadelphia area has been a big help with website analytics and SEO.
Jim Oakes of Super Systems Inc. and Peter Sherwin of Eurotherm also lent valuable input and encouragement early in the process. A big “thank you” goes to these two gentlemen as well.
I am also thankful to one other unnamed company who has been very supportive and patient as we’ve built Heat Treat Today. They’ve done so in large part quite sacrificially. I am sincerely indebted to this company and especially to the top management team there for their moral and selfless support.
I’d also like to thank the Heat Treat Today team:
Mary Glenn, also known as the lovely and gracious Mrs. Glenn (my wife), who has served in multiple roles during the last two years — editor and audience development among them. Thank you, Mary, for your invaluable support!
Brandon Glenn, who is not my son even though he looks very much like he could be. Brandon has been responsible for all the website development and e-newsletter designs, and it is he who makes sure all the correct ads are running on the website each month. (For the record, he’s my brother’s son!)
Laura Miller joined our team a year ago as a contributing editor and has very quickly become a cornerstone of our efforts. Laura is the one who provides the daily content. She’s doing a wonderful job. Thank you, Laura.
Jonathan Condon, a very talented young man who attended the same Presbyterian church and does a great job with our Heat Treat Radiopodcasts. Jonathan is finishing up college and finds time to produce our podcasts very proficiently.
Jonathan’s mother, Kelly Condon, recently joined the team helping with billing and other administrative work. (not pictured)
Mary Glenn
Brandon Glenn
Laura Miller
Jonathan Condon
Doug Glenn, Publisher
Heat Treat Today would not be possible without all of the above advertisers, industry veterans, and team members. A big 2nd anniversary “thank you” to all. And it should not go without saying that all of us at Heat Treat Today are thankful to God for his blessings as we’ve navigated these first two years. Anything good we’ve done is really His fault!! Any mistakes: our fault!
Two years ago there was no Heat Treat Today. Two years ago there was no Heat Treat Radio. Two years ago, there was no Heat Treat Shop. Who knows what the years ahead will bring? Lord willing, we’ll continue to grow in our usefulness to the industry, and more and more in-house heat treaters will find the content and manner of delivery of that content helpful. The fact is, we have a LOT of ideas that we’re currently working on. Keep your eyes on Heat Treat Today. There should be more good stuff coming in the future.
Following several months of nothing but relatively good news, this month’s IHEA Executive Economic Summary Report shows some numbers dipping. As Chris Kuehl, the economist behind the report, states in his monthly in-depth analysis, “This month there is good news in bad data and some bad news in the good data. It is not always about whether an index is climbing this month or not. Sometimes it is the overall trend line and how it compares to what it might have been some months ago.”
Auto and light truck sales continue to be strong.
Every month, Dr. Kuehl, through IHEA, provides not only raw data that is of specific interest to the heat treating industry, but he also provides insightful analysis of what the numbers mean and why readers should care.
Dr. Chris Kuehl, economic analyst for IHEA, prepares the monthly IHEA Economic Trends Index.
The April report showed an increase in roughly half of the index numbers, including a surprisingly strong automobile and light truck sales index which, according to Kuehl, “continues to shock analysts as there is an assumption that the market is already saturated. It seems not to be the case as the consumer still has a desire for new wheels and if the current hike in gas prices accelerates there may soon be a new desire for those fuel sippers.”
Steel consumption continues to be weak.
Along with auto and truck sales, some of the other indices that also continued to climb were industrial capacity utilization, capital expenditures, and durable goods shipments.
Falling indices included the purchasing managers index, new home starts, and steel consumption.
Anne Goyer, Executive Director of IHEA
For a look at the complete report, contact Anne Goyer, Executive Director of the Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA).
This is the third and final special report from the triennial mega-meeting hosted by the Metal Treating Institute (MTI) and the Industrial Heating Equipment Association (IHEA) and the pressing question that needs to be answered is: “Where do manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments find good training and troubleshooting resources?”
This three-day event with over 91 heat treat industry supplier companies represented and approximately 200 attendees addresses the “brain drain” topic we reported on in Monday’s special report (click here to read Monday’s post).
Pete Hushek, 2018 President of MTI, talks about heat treat training for manufacturers with in-house heat treat operations
Both organizations are offering training courses, both live and web-based, for manufacturers with in-house heat treat. Some of the specific courses are mentioned below. In addition to offering training, both organizations also offer memberships to these same companies.
For membership information, click on the appropriate links below:
For the Industrial Heating Equipment Association, click here.
For training, consider the following:
IHEA Training Opportunities
If you’re looking for comprehensive, face-to-face combustion training, consider attending IHEA’s Combustion Seminar. The next combustion seminar is scheduled for early October and a link to register will be up on the website (www.ihea.org) in the near future. You can also purchase a video recording of a recent Combustion Seminar by clicking here. The cost is $960 (less for IHEA members). The course includes the following (plus more):
chemistry and efficiency of combustion
types of industrial burners available and how they are applied for efficient operation
supply and control of the fuel and air for these systems including piping design and valve selection
flame safety requirements of combustion systems
process and ratio controls with exposure to micro-processor equipment
furnace pressure controls for operation and efficiency improvements
preheated combustion air and furnace recuperators
NOX and other emissions: what causes them and how to minimize them
infrared process heating overview and applications
IHEA also offers an Induction Webinar and a Safety Webinar for training your employees how to safely operate and work around heat treating equipment. The next iteration of these face-to-face seminars are scheduled for early October. Check back to IHEA’s website for exact details.
IHEA also offers a very comprehensive online training course which covers many of the fundamentals of heat treating. More information at https://www.ihea.org/events/event_list.asp.
MTI Training Opportunities
The MTI offers equally good training in its Online Academy (click here for more information). The course offering is broad and very professionally presented. The Online Academy comes at a very affordable price of $1,400-$2,800 per year for up to 10 “seats”.
The Academy for Heat Treaters has both technical and managerial content. With over 175 hours of training, there is a wide array of heat treat topics to help management and line personnel understand the technical aspects of heat treating as well as “think” like a heat treater.
Since its inception, the MTI Academy has held over 25,000 classes all across the world. It satisfies minimum training requirements for Nadcap, ISO, and most other certification bodies.
Sample MTI Certificate of Completion available for completing certain MTI Academy training courses.
Within the Academy, students can earn four different certificates:
Courses can be purchased individually or through the Academy Annual Corporate Subscription Program which provides unlimited use of all 175+ hours of training for a heat treat plant.
There’s More
The above listing of courses is not all that can be said about the offering from either organization. More can be found at each organization’s website or by contacting me directly with any questions. Click here to send me an email.
With the need for training being real, both of these organizations have well-developed educational and training programs that are worth pursuing.
See the first two Special Reports by Heat TreatTodaypublisher Doug Glenn here:
