Ask The Heat Treat Doctor® ha regresado para ofrecer consejos sabios a los lectores de Heat Treat Today y responder sus preguntas sobre tratamiento térmico, soldadura fuerte (brazing), sinterizado y otros tipos de tratamientos térmicos, así como preguntas sobre metalurgia, equipos y problemas relacionados con los procesos. En esta entrega de Technical Tuesday, Dan Herring explora lineamientos prácticos para lograr un tratamiento térmico correcto desde la primera vez, todas las veces, en la primera parte de una serie inspirada en el trabajo de Jon L. Dossett. Presenta siete claves para el éxito en el tratamiento térmico y las dos preguntas que los ingenieros de diseño deben responder sobre lo que un componente debe soportar en servicio y cómo se fabricará. Después examina los errores de especificación más comunes, entre ellos requisitos poco realistas de dureza, profundidad de capa y tolerancias, y muestra cómo el contenido de carbono, el tamaño de sección, el efecto de la masa y las tolerancias comercialmente alcanzables determinan si un acero puede endurecerse conforme a la especificación.
Este artículo informativo se publicó por primera vez en Heat Treat Today’sSeptember 2026 People of Heat Treat print edition.
Si tiene comentarios o preguntas sobre este artículo, háganoslo saber en: editor@heattreattoday.com.
En nuestro trabajo diario, la mayoría enfrentamos el desafío de cumplir con las demandas de producción mientras manejamos plazos de procesamiento ajustados en un panorama de materiales y manufactura en constante cambio. El tratamiento térmico puede definirse como la aplicación controlada de tiempo, temperatura y atmósfera para producir un cambio predecible en la estructura interna (es decir, la microestructura) de un material, dando como resultado las propiedades metalúrgicas, mecánicas, físicas y otras propiedades que deseamos. Sin embargo, existe una definición alterna e igualmente importante del tratamiento térmico: “hacer bien el trabajo desde la primera vez, todas las veces”.
En esta breve serie, examinaremos lineamientos prácticos para ayudar a hacer realidad ese objetivo. Conozcamos más.
7 claves para el éxito en el tratamiento térmico
Para alcanzar este objetivo, debemos ser capaces de cumplir con siete consideraciones clave del tratamiento térmico para asegurar tanto nuestro éxito como nuestra supervivencia (Herring 2014a, 2014b, 2015):
Saber, desde el punto de vista metalúrgico, lo que se desea lograr.
Ser capaz de predecir el resultado de una operación de tratamiento térmico.
Incorporar repetibilidad en el proceso.
Obtener el máximo provecho del equipo disponible y utilizar equipos de tratamiento térmico de última generación siempre que sea posible.
Ser conscientes de cómo los cambios en nuestras operaciones de manufactura influyen en el resultado de un proceso de tratamiento térmico determinado o de una serie de procesos.
No comprometer la calidad.
Conocer nuestros costos y comprender nuestra rentabilidad.
Desafíos que Enfrentan los Ingenieros de Hoy
En el diseño de cualquier componente de ingeniería, es necesario comprender plenamente y abordar dos preguntas clave que los ingenieros de diseño que trabajan con metalurgistas suelen estar mejor capacitados para responder (Herring 2014a, 2015, 2017):
¿Qué debe soportar el componente durante el servicio (es decir, ¿cuáles son los requisitos del producto?) Para responder esta pregunta, considere lo siguiente: ¿Cuáles son las exigencias de la aplicación y cuál es la vida útil del diseño? ¿Deberá el componente proporcionar un servicio de primera calidad o existe una vida útil de diseño adecuada (es decir, ¿otros factores pondrán fin a su servicio mucho antes de que se agote su vida útil?) ¿Qué cargas, lubricantes, temperaturas y contaminantes están involucrados? ¿Qué otros aspectos de servicio y desempeño específicos del producto también deben considerarse en el proceso de selección?
¿Cómo se fabricará el componente (es decir, ¿cuáles son los requisitos del proceso?) Considere lo siguiente: ¿Cómo se generará su forma básica y cómo se tratará térmicamente si es que se realizará un tratamiento térmico? ¿Será importante introducir propiedades mecánicas específicas? De ser así, ¿cómo? (es decir, ¿mediante tratamiento térmico o por medios mecánicos? ¿Es importante la geometría o los acabados superficiales? ¿Se utilizarán recubrimientos especiales? ¿Es importante el control dimensional (incluida la estabilidad a temperatura)? ¿Qué otros aspectos de procesamiento del producto deben considerarse?
Cómo Alcanzamos Nuestros Objetivos
Los especialistas experimentados en tratamiento térmico suelen señalar los errores más comunes cometidos por los ingenieros de diseño y/o sus clientes, es decir, la selección de materiales, la definición y comprensión de las limitaciones de los procesos de tratamiento térmico solicitados y la especificación de resultados realistas del tratamiento térmico. Estos incluyen, por ejemplo, la dureza deseada, la profundidad de capa y las tolerancias dimensionales. Estos problemas generalmente se deben a no reconocer las diferencias en la composición química y la forma del material (por ejemplo, material trabajado o pulvimetalurgia, piezas fundidas, piezas forjadas). El ingeniero de diseño también debe comprender los métodos de procesamiento en planta utilizados para producir el material. Con frecuencia, las tolerancias para las propiedades especificadas del tratamiento térmico son demasiado exigentes, demasiado ambiguas o restrictivas desde un punto de vista práctico. A continuación, se presentan algunos lineamientos metalúrgicos básicos que, desde un punto de vista práctico, pueden ayudar a evitar estos problemas (Herring 2014a, 2015; Dossett 2007, 2026).
Selección del acero
Tabla A. Contenido de carbono vs. Dureza para Diferentes Niveles de Martensita (Dossett 2007)
Los problemas al especificar el grado de acero adecuado para una aplicación particular generalmente implican elegir un grado de acero que no puede endurecerse conforme a la especificación y/o especificar un intervalo de dureza superficial o del núcleo demasiado restrictivo. Por ejemplo, la Tabla A proporciona una guía sobre la dureza superficial máxima que se puede alcanzar mediante tratamientos de endurecimiento por inducción o por flama. La dureza máxima que puede obtenerse depende del contenido de carbono del acero utilizado.
Si el material seleccionado es 4140H con un intervalo de carbono de 0.37-0.44%, esperaríamos que la superficie fuera aproximadamente 99.9% martensita después del temple. Por lo tanto, la dureza esperada en condición de temple estaría en el intervalo de 54-58 HRC para todas las coladas de este acero. Sin embargo, la capacidad de alcanzar esta dureza depende de la severidad del temple, el medio de temple utilizado, el diseño del tanque de temple y la eliminación adecuada de la descarburización superficial que pudiera estar presente en el propio acero trabajado.
Tabla B. Dureza superficial máxima en función del tamaño de sección (Chandlar 1995)Tabla C. Efecto de la masa sobre la dureza superficial máxima: acero 4140 (0.40%C) templado en aceite (Bethlehem Steel Company 1949)
Por el contrario, en el caso del tratamiento térmico en horno, la dureza superficial máxima alcanzable depende tanto del contenido de carbono del acero como de su templabilidad. El tamaño máximo de sección (Tabla B) y el efecto de la masa (Tabla C) se muestran para varios grados de acero templados en aceite. El intervalo comercialmente aceptado para la dureza superficial después del revenido es de ± 2.5 puntos HRC o ± 20 puntos BHN (Tabla D).
Tabla D. Tolerancias de especificación en plano comercialmente deseadas para materiales correctamente especificados
El próximo mes revisaremos la templabilidad del acero y cómo determinar el intervalo esperado de dureza del núcleo.
Esta serie surgió gracias a Jon L. Dossett, quien ha otorgado su autorización y contiene información valiosa aportada por él. La distinguida carrera de Jon incluye participación en el tratamiento térmico comercial, una extensa carrera docente en ASM y su trabajo como editor de varios volúmenes de la serie ASM Handbook.
Referencias
Bethlehem Steel Company. 1949. Modern Steels and Their Properties. Handbook 268. Bethlehem, PA: Bethlehem Steel Company.
Chandlar, Harry, ed. 1995. Heat Treater’s Guide: Practices and Procedures for Irons and Steels. Materials Park, OH: ASM International.
Dossett, Jon. 2007. “Make Sure Your Specified Heat Treatment Is Achievable.” Heat Treating Progress (March/April).
Dossett, Jon. 2025. Private conversation.
Herring, Daniel H. 2014a. Atmosphere Heat Treatment. Vol. 1. Troy, MI: BNP Media Group II.
Herring, Daniel H. 2014b. “Industry 4.0 and the 7 Key Considerations in Heat Treating.” Industrial Heating (September).
Herring, Daniel H. 2015. Atmosphere Heat Treatment. Vol. 2. Troy, MI: BNP Media Group II.
Herring, Daniel H. 2017. “The Relevance of Metallurgy in Engineering and Manufacturing.” Industrial Heating (November).
Acerca del Autor
Dan Herring “The Heat Treat Doctor®” The HERRING GROUP, Inc.
Dan Herring lleva más de 50 años en la industria y ha adquirido una vasta experiencia en áreas que incluyen ciencia de materiales, ingeniería, metalurgia, investigación de nuevos productos y muchas otras. Es autor de seis libros y de más de 700 artículos técnicos.
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.
The Alameda, California-based rare earth metal producer announced $75 million in financing to build and commission Solcoa One, its first commercial-scale plant. The financing includes $45 million in equity led by Bain Capital Ventures and $30 million in debt and equipment financing anchored by J.P. Morgan. The facility is scheduled to begin operations in July 2027.
Solcoa One is designed to produce 500 tons per year of neodymium-praseodymium (NdPr) and samarium metal. Solcoa currently produces more than 10 tons per year of magnet-grade metal at its Alameda operation and manufactures its modular reactors in-house.
Artem Iurkovskyi Co-Founder and CTO Solcoa Industries
Solcoa says its process uses halide-free chemistries as an alternative to conventional molten-salt electrolysis. The company plans to use the new financing to scale production, expand reactor manufacturing in Alameda, and add engineering and research personnel.
At its planned capacity, Solcoa One is expected to produce enough NdPr metal annually to supply magnets for up to 1 million electric vehicles, according to the company.
Press release is available in its original form here.
AKG Group, a manufacturer of heat exchangers and cooling systems has ordered two controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB) furnace lines to add aluminum brazing capacity for heat exchangers serving automotive, heavy equipment, energy, rail, and other industrial applications.
AKG Group operates manufacturing facilities in the United States and Mexico as part of its global production network. The company placed the order with sellacan Industrieofen GmbH, a German manufacturer of industrial furnace systems for heat treatment and brazing. The new furnace lines will be installed at AKG production sites in Brazil and China, joining sellacan CAB systems already operating at the company’s facilities in India, Mexico, and Germany.
Each CAB tower furnace system includes degreasing, drying, and preheating oven; preparation and cooling chamber; CAB brazing chamber; final air cooling; and a telescopic/sliding loading table. The systems are designed to process aluminum heat exchangers, with the ability to accommodate different core types for development work and series production.
Temperature control across as many as 10 heating zones and a controlled atmosphere provide repeatable brazing conditions. An automatic brazing rack circulation system supports the handling of different exchanger batches.
The systems also incorporate an integrated vacuum/purge process that removes residual air from inside heat exchangers and replaces it with a nitrogen atmosphere before brazing. The process reduces oxygen within components before they enter the brazing furnace and is intended for heat exchangers with complex or difficult-to-access internal channel geometries.
AKG produces heat exchangers and cooling systems for applications including passenger cars, buses, trains, agricultural and construction equipment, generators, power electronics, wind turbines, and aviation cooling systems.
Press release is available in its original form here.
Women are taking on increasingly influential technical, operational, and leadership roles across the heat treat industry. Learn about the importance of building community and connection through Women in Heat Treat and preview the learning, leadership, and networking opportunities coming to Cleveland this November.
This community-focused feature was first released inHeat Treat Today’sSeptember 2026 People of Heat Treat print edition.
Women Are Here. But How Many?
How many women are actually working in heat treating? It is a surprisingly difficult question to answer.
The only industry-level data point we have found comes from a 2005 EEO Aggregate Report. At that time, women represented 14.8% of the commercial heat treating workforce. That number is more than 20 years old, and it doesn’t tell us how today’s workforce breaks down across commercial heat treaters, captive operations, suppliers, engineers, operators, and leadership.
So, is the number higher today? Lower? We don’t really know.
What we do know is that women are here. We are increasingly seeing women step into technical, operational, leadership, and decision-making roles throughout the industry. These women are bringing technical expertise, discipline, and a passion for their work to wherever their boots land every day.
That matters because heat treating has long been a field defined by a certain kind of culture: practical, technical, problem-solving, action oriented. If you’re here to do good work, you’re welcome.
But being welcome and feeling fully at home are not necessarily the same thing.
Making Space to Just Be
It isn’t controversial to acknowledge that heat treating has traditionally been a male-dominated industry. There are norms that don’t need to be spoken because the people who have been in the room for generations already understand them.
For women entering that room, some of those norms can be more noticeable. For women who have been in the industry for many years, those norms may still stand out as unwritten rules to navigate.
Sometimes it is wondering whether the way you speak in a meeting will be received differently than it would from one of your male colleagues. Sometimes it is second-guessing what to wear to an industry event. Sometimes it is walking into a social setting and realizing that the conversation, atmosphere, or expectations don’t quite resonate with you.
Women shouldn’t have to become less themselves to be taken seriously as professionals. Nor should any woman have to spend valuable energy wondering whether she is presenting herself in the “right” way when what matters most is the knowledge, experience, judgment, and value she brings to the room.
The answer lies in making room for women to bring their whole professional selves to the industry, even in spaces where doing so may not come naturally.
An Invitation
Creating that space where the women of this industry can bring their strengths with confidence is one reason we’re excited about Women in Heat Treat. For two and a half days in Cleveland, women from across the industry will have the opportunity to learn from experienced professionals, build technical expertise, explore the technologies shaping the future of heat treating, and have candid conversations about leadership and professional growth.
The most important part may be simpler than any of that: standing side-by-side in a room full of women who understand the work. From the challenges you’re trying to solve, to navigating a career decision you’re facing now, to simply being introduced to interesting people you want to know — and who want to know you — this space is designed for you.
Professional growth doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens through technical learning, mentorship, relationships, and conversations that continue long after a formal session ends. As a team made up largely of women ourselves, we’re especially excited to create more of those connections.
A Community Worth Building
There have been commendable efforts over the years to create more opportunities for women to be recognized, heard, and taken seriously in heat treating. Women in Heat Treat builds on that momentum by creating something very simple, but very intentional: a place for women in this industry to gather as professionals, learn from one another, and simply be in the room together.
So, if you’re a woman working in heat treating — whether you’re building technical expertise today, operating equipment, engineering processes, managing a team, making strategic decisions, or preparing for the next stage of your career — consider this your invitation.
Come learn. Come contribute. Come meet the women who are shaping where this industry goes next.
Katie Rucker Co-Owner, Strategic Insights & Foresight Partner MacKenzie Corp & Next Gen Collaborative
Katie will encourage attendees through her presentation, “The Other Side of Your Comfort Zone.” The other side of your comfort zone isn’t just about doing something scary. Sometimes it’s about giving yourself permission to imagine something you haven’t seen modeled before. You are in for a treat!
Susan Lanz Educator & Writer
“What’s Your 100 Miles?” That’s the question Sue will explore. We live in a culture that celebrates breakthrough moments and overnight success. But real transformation rarely happens in a single leap. It is built through small, courageous decisions — often made when no one is watching, and there is no guarantee of success.
Sneak Peek of Some of the Sessions
Live Recorded Panel Discussion
A live podcast filming devoted to the unique challenges and opportunities of being a woman leader in heat treating. Women on this panel include metallurgy and engineering decision-makers and OEM leaders.
The panel will be hosted by leading industry voice and founder/president of Falcone Consulting, Heather Falcone. Heather is the host of Heat Treat Radio, a podcast by Heat Treat Today, where the recording of the panel will be broadcast and made available to a wider audience.
Breakout Session: Claiming Technical Authority at the Standards Table
Women in quality, engineering, and operations are often responsible for turning dense technical requirements into work the shop floor can execute and records an auditor can follow. This session will examine common requirements, including AMS2750 for pyrometry and other major material processing specifications, Nadcap audit criteria, and ASTM testing methods. Andrew Bassett and Sarah Lombardo will also discuss how AMEC, ASTM committees, and the Nadcap Heat Treating Task Group influence industry requirements. Attendees will strengthen their ability to interpret revisions, manage flow downs, resolve conflicts, and lead specification compliance with confidence.
Breakout Session: Programming for Advanced Manufacturing
Programming and digital fluency can expand the paths available to women in manufacturing, from process engineering and automation to research, operations leadership, and entrepreneurship. Zachary Menard will explore the skills required to design, run, and improve advanced manufacturing systems. Drawing on research and development work and the experience of launching a new company, he will discuss emerging tools, workforce readiness, and the connection between technical knowledge and reliable production. Attendees will gain a clearer view of what is available now, where the field is heading, and how women can prepare themselves, mentor others, and help shape the next generation of manufacturing technology.
Breakout Session: The Ins and Outs of Process Change
Women in engineering, quality, and operations frequently carry responsibility for coordinating process changes across technical teams, production, customers, and suppliers. Our speaker will walk through the questions that help leaders evaluate a change before implementation, including technical risk, validation, customer approval, specification requirements, documentation, and communication. The session will also address how women can build credibility when raising concerns and keep the right voices involved throughout the decision. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for moving improvements from idea to controlled execution while protecting product performance and customer confidence.
Speaker TBD
Breakout Session: Future-Proofing Heat Treat: Digital Tools That Strengthen People and Performance
Digital transformation is changing the way heat treaters operate, but technology alone isn’t the solution. Explore how modern digital systems are reducing administrative burden, simplifying workforce training, preserving institutional knowledge, improving compliance, and helping organizations adapt more quickly to changing customer and industry requirements. Matthew will discuss practical strategies for implementing technology that supports people, drives consistency, and prepares companies for the future.
In North American manufacturing, trust is built differently across cultures — but trust remains essential to quality partnerships. What are the differences in professional expectations from Mexico-based professionals and U.S. Why do technically strong projects sometimes fail? Where do misunderstandings originate? How can purchasing, quality, and operations improve collaboration? Attendees will leave with practical insights for navigating cultural differences, strengthening communication, and building more effective working relationships.
Women working in operations, quality, and technology have an important opportunity to shape how AI enters manufacturing. Our speaker will examine practical applications for AI in process monitoring, data analysis, traceability, exception management, and operational decision-making. The session will explore the data discipline, cybersecurity, governance, and human oversight required to introduce these tools responsibly. Attendees will leave with a grounded framework for evaluating AI, asking informed questions, and determining where it can improve consistency and performance. The conversation will also encourage women to take an active role in the technology decisions influencing the future of their organizations.
Speaker TBD
Breakout Session: The Power of the Seat You’re In
Women often carry leadership responsibility before authority and title catch up. Our speaker will explore how women can build influence, earn trust, make sound decisions, and create momentum from wherever they sit in an organization. Through practical examples, they will discuss communicating with confidence, developing others, advocating for ideas, and staying grounded when the path forward is unclear. Attendees will be encouraged to recognize the leadership opportunities already within reach and consider how their experience, judgment, and perspective can strengthen the teams around them. They will leave with practical ways to contribute, grow, and lead with purpose in the work directly in front of them.
W.H. Kay Company is celebrating 90 years in the heat treating industry. Third-generation owner, Michael Kay, joins publisher, Doug Glenn, on this episode of Heat TreatRadio to look back at nine decades of family ownership, the company’s evolution from a manufacturer’s representative to a major source for used heat treat equipment, and the relationships and persistence that have kept the business moving since 1936.
For a closer look at W.H. Kay’s nine decades in the industry and the business philosophy behind its longevity, read Heat TreatToday’s company profile, “W.H. Kay Marks 90 Years by Staying in the Flow.”
Below, you can watch the video, listen to the podcast by clicking on the audio play button, or read an edited transcript.
The following transcript has been edited for your reading enjoyment.
90 Years of W.H. Kay (00:30)
Doug Glenn: Welcome to another episode of Heat TreatRadio. I’m here with Mike Kay from W.H. Kay Company celebrating their 90th anniversary. I just want to say you look pretty good for 90.
Michael Kay: Thank you very much. That’s called clean living.
Doug Glenn, publisher of Heat TreatToday (left), sat down with Michael Kay, president of W.H. Kay (right) | Image Credit: Heat TreatToday
Doug Glenn: It is. I just want to run down a variety of different questions and get a sense of the company and go from there. So, 90 years means the company started in what year?
Michael Kay: 1936.
Doug Glenn: 1936. Historically, just to give those of us who are not history buffs, 1936 was kind of in the midst of the Great Depression.
Michael Kay: Or right before World War II, which kind of ramped up production of industries, so it was good timing.
Doug Glenn: Do you think that was part of it?
Michael Kay: I’m sure it didn’t hurt them in the first year or two, getting established.
Doug Glenn: Who actually founded the company?
Michael Kay: W.H. Kay is William Henry Kay. That’s my grandfather. He passed away in 1972 of heart failure. Back then, there were no stents or anything like that. He went to Yale. I don’t know what he was doing out east, but Eclipse Combustion at the time gave him the Cleveland territory, so he moved his family to Cleveland.
Doug Glenn: Where was he moving from?
Michael Kay: I believe from Connecticut. He got married, and I had a child at that point, which was my uncle. He took the Eclipse line, and at that time they were selling both heat treat furnaces and burners. In the older heat treat shops you’ll still stub your toe on an Eclipse furnace, a pit temper, or a box furnace. Then they primarily got out of the furnace business around the 1960s.
Doug Glenn: Very interesting. Your grandfather probably would have been a contemporary and friends with Cam Perks, right?
Michael Kay: For sure. There’s a sales meeting picture of them on our wall here from around 1948.
Doug Glenn: Cam was the father of Doug and Lock Perks. Of course, during our growing years, our industry years, they were running Eclipse at that time in Rockford.
Michael Kay: Correct, in the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s.
Doug Glenn: Right. I find the connections really interesting. It was your grandfather that started it in 1936. He moved to Cleveland, and Eclipse gave him the Cleveland territory. That’s when the company was established, The W.H. Kay Company?
Michael Kay: In 1936, correct. All he had was an office. He might have started out of his house. I’m not even sure of that. But he moved to a little office, with no warehouse or anything.
Doug Glenn: And he was just basically working with Eclipse.
Michael Kay: Yes, as the manufacturer’s rep. Back then, you’d get an order, write it up by hand, and put it in the mail.
Doug Glenn: Can you imagine? A week later, the company would find out they had sold something.
Michael Kay: That’s right. We still have invoices from the ’30s.
Doug Glenn: Is that right?
Michael Kay: Yes, an entire heat treat furnace for $700.
Doug Glenn: Wow. $700 for a heat treat furnace. That’s amazing. How long did your grandfather work by himself, or did he grow relatively quickly after that?
Michael Kay: I think he worked by himself until my Uncle Bill came into the business in, I’d say, the late ’50s. So, it was 20 years by himself. Then my father started in the late ’50s. They took it over in the late ’50s, early ’60s.
Doug Glenn: Your grandfather basically ran it for 20 years, and then your uncle and your dad, Frank, started. I’ve met your dad. I’ve never met your uncle.
Michael Kay: I worked with him for 10 years before he passed away in ’95, unfortunately.
Doug Glenn: At the time that your uncle and your dad got involved, was it still primarily just a rep firm?
Michael Kay with a furnace from Surface Combustion | Image Credit: W.H. Kay Company
Michael Kay: They kept Eclipse, and then they repped for a couple more companies, like Upton Furnace in Detroit and Surface Combustion. They repped Surface for 10–12 years, maybe longer, in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Then they eventually started repping for SBS, the oil cooler guys.
Doug Glenn:Jeff Smith.
Michael Kay: Right, Jeff Smith.
Doug Glenn: His son George still owns the company.
Michael Kay: I think they’re in Florida.
Doug Glenn: Correct; they moved down to Florida.
Michael Kay: So, it was all around process heating. You had to be careful. You couldn’t represent companies that competed against one another.
Doug Glenn: Still happens to this day, where the reps need to be careful.
Michael Kay: That’s right.
Doug Glenn: Do you consider yourself now to be a rep firm?
Michael Kay: Yes, we’re still repping. Honeywell bought Maxon and Eclipse. They call us a distributor, but we still design burner systems. I think if you’re just taking orders, you’re kind of in trouble. You have to be proactive.
Doug Glenn: Be able to provide other services.
Michael Kay: You have to apply the product.
Doug Glenn: Are you repping any furnace manufacturers?
Michael Kay: We represent an oven manufacturer, JPW Oven Design out of PA, up to 1400 degrees, which covers most tempering and aluminum. I think we kind of found a niche of aluminum heat treat, so we’ve sold a bunch of those.
Doug Glenn: I know them, north of Williamsport.
Michael Kay: Now they’ve expanded towards Williamsport with a bigger facility.
Doug Glenn: So at the time your dad and uncle took over, though, it was still pretty much just Eclipse.
Michael Kay: Manufacturer’s rep and several furnace manufacturers. Upton with salt.
Doug Glenn: Yes, salt baths.
Michael Kay: And Surface’s IQs. We competed against Lindberg, who was manufacturing IQs and other similar equipment.
Michael Kay: That’s correct. They’re still around, I think, in the Detroit area.
Doug Glenn:Ken Minoletti, I assume he’s still working with Kolene now.
Michael Kay: I think so. I’ve seen Dennis McCardle at the shows.
Doug Glenn: Good people and good company. It was your grandfather, then your uncle, and your dad joined in, let’s say, late ’50s-ish. Did anybody else join before you joined, or were you basically the next heir apparent?
Michael Kay: I think they had a sales rep for a time, a retired guy they took on just to help. But pretty much, that was only for two or three years.
From Manufacturer’s Rep to Used Equipment (10:06)
Michael Kay: Eclipse phased out of furnaces. They still had customers that wanted these furnaces. They took the prints and had furnaces built, and they needed a warehouse, so they built a place to actually build furnaces for a time.
Doug Glenn: When you say “they”, you’re talking about your family.
Michael Kay: Right. My father and uncle. This is in the ’60s. They would redo a print and do a pit draw, a standard pit temper. Then they would have someone fab it in a shop. So, they built a little shop, and then, just in the course of sales, you’d sell a new one and the customer would say, “What am I going to do with the old one?” So, we’d take it in on trade, and that’s how we got our toes in the water on used equipment.
We would get the equipment in, sell the customer something new, and then take the trade. That’s how they got into it in the ’60s.
Doug Glenn: That’s kind of interesting. When Eclipse stopped making furnaces, you still had customers that wanted furnaces, so your family actually started building a few new ones based on the designs of the Eclipse one.
Michael Kay: Yes, just with existing customers. They weren’t marketing it. They weren’t going to be a new furnace maker. But if a customer had 12 Eclipse and he wanted 15, you could easily build it.
Doug Glenn: Then he would have used equipment that he wanted to get rid of, which was a service you could provide.
Michael Kay: Right.
Doug Glenn: So that’s how you got into it.
Michael Kay: Then they stopped making new ones.
Doug Glenn: When did they stop that?
Michael Kay: I’d say in the ’60s.
Doug Glenn: So primarily the ’60s is when the company basically evolved to what it is now. It’s mostly used equipment.
Michael Kay: We got more into the used equipment in the ’80s. In the ’70s, we had to be careful because we repped Surface. So, we didn’t want to sell used to nix a sale on a new one. It was always kind of on the back burner.
Doug Glenn: I wanted to ask you about your relationship currently with a lot of new equipment manufacturers. I could see there could be potential synergies there with them. I could also see where they could what you guys are doing and why you are helping them. I’m assuming if you need to rebuild or if your customers need to rebuild, obviously they’re going to be potentially going back to those manufacturers and asking for parts. How is your relationship with those equipment manufacturers?
Michael Kay: Yeah, in the course of 40 years, I’ve never seen a used take over a new account. If people are buying new, they’re buying new. If they’re buying used, they’re buying used. Generally. Now, Surface used to be a little nervous when we had IQs here, but when Midland-Ross bought Surface, they got rid of all the reps anyhow. Back in ’77 or something like that.
Doug Glenn: In the ’70s, I believe.
Michael Kay: Right. In general, it goes along with new sales. If a customer calls and says, ” I need an oven, like tomorrow,” I could quote him a new one in 16 weeks, or we could have a used one in 4 days.
Doug Glenn: Yeah, exactly.
Michael Kay: It helps the customer out, and then we’ll lease it to the customer. We might sell him a new one, buy the used one back, the one we rented him. It helps get the customer what they need. It’s more of a service than a detriment to the new manufacturers. That’s what we found.
Doug Glenn: Currently, do you have any established or closer relationship with any one furnace company than another?
Michael Kay: Only JPW, The Oven Guys.
Doug Glenn: We don’t hear much of them in the higher temperature heat treating. Although 1400 degrees, that’s relatively high. Like you said, aluminum.
Michael Kay: We’ve done some big ovens. When I say big, I mean 12 x 20 x 12 tempering furnaces.
A variety of equipment at the W.H. Kay facility | Image Credit: Heat TreatToday
Doug Glenn: I want to jump back to the founders for a little bit. Is there anything that you can recall, or any interesting stories about either your grandfather or your father when he was doing business?
Michael Kay: They were all kind of straight shooters. They had funny customers who would call. We had a couple of heat treaters that would just show up, look on our shelves, and they’d find some valve. “You know, I’ve been looking for this.” Then they’d say, “Just bill us for it.” There were those kinds of guys.
Doug Glenn: Back in the day, you had a Cleveland territory for Eclipse, and so I’m guessing most of your business was relatively regional, like in the Midwest?
Michael Kay: The Northern Ohio area. It went through Toledo all the way to Youngstown and Warren. Youngstown and Warren were big into steel.
Doug Glenn: Absolutely.
Michael Kay: And automotive as well. So down through Mansfield.
Doug Glenn: What about today?
Michael Kay: It’s about the same.
Doug Glenn: What about your used equipment?
Michael Kay: Used equipment can go anywhere.
Doug Glenn: I thought you were all over the country, or maybe even out of the country, for used equipment.
Michael Kay: Out of the country. We’ve shipped stuff to Mexico occasionally. I think the furthest one we’ve ever shipped was to Korea. Not North Korea, South Korea. And I think we shipped stuff somewhere to Europe. We shipped a vacuum furnace to Ireland like 8 years ago.
Doug Glenn: But the bulk of the equipment is going to be North America. Canada, U.S., Mexico.
Michael Kay: That’s correct.
Doug Glenn: Are there any other historical milestones that you can think of?
Michael Kay: In the last 15 years, when Honeywell bought Eclipse, that kind of changed things. We’ve always been a rep for Eclipse since 1936, and still rep Eclipse, which is amazing. 90 years with one company.
Doug Glenn: Exactly. I was going to say, I think you’re probably the only one.
Michael Kay: We’re the oldest rep, for sure. And then what changed things was that we would compete with Maxon. So, then Honeywell bought Maxon first. And then four or five years later, round numbers, I don’t remember, then they bought Eclipse too, so now we sell both.
Doug Glenn: Interesting. So that was a milestone, a pretty significant change for this organization.
Michael Kay: That was a milestone. And then the other one was when we moved into this building, which was in 2000. My father and uncle built a 5,500-square-foot office warehouse, which had a crappy dock. It was not the right size, so trucks would pull up and we’d have to ramp them up, ramp them down, in the snow. We had wooden ramps.
Doug Glenn: Accident waiting to happen.
Michael Kay: Yes. And this old lift truck didn’t start half the time. Then we moved here in 2000, and we still call this the new building, which is kind of funny, 26 years later.
Doug Glenn: 26 years, and it’s still the new building. And we took a quick walk through this building, which is in Solon, Ohio, in the Cleveland area. How many pieces of used equipment do you have?
Michael Kay: I’d say a couple hundred, give or take.
Doug Glenn: Primarily made up of what type of equipment?
Michael Kay: Mostly ovens, some vacuum, some internal quench, and a lot of pit furnaces.
Doug Glenn: A lot of pit, okay.
Michael Kay: Tempering, those types of processes. We do get into kilns occasionally. Belt furnaces and ovens.
Doug Glenn: When I hear “ovens,” I think lower temperature. Is that what’s primarily out there? Although we also saw a pusher.
Michael Kay: We have a pusher furnace, which is mostly for gears that fed a quench press. They’re running at 1600 degrees.
Doug Glenn: You also have some IQs out there and some generators.
Michael Kay: Yes, Endo generators.
Doug Glenn: All different types of equipment, which are listed on your website for those who want to find out.
A Family Business Through the Generations (23:31)
Doug Glenn: The company’s been in the Kay family since the beginning, right?
Michael Kay: Right.
Doug Glenn: Family-owned business. How’s that been?
Michael Kay: It’s been good. Working with my father and uncle was fine.
Doug Glenn: No problems?
Michael Kay and Doug Glenn showing what an old sales catalog looks like | Image Credit: Heat TreatToday
Michael Kay: When I started in ’85, this is what I was given. It weighs about 15 pounds. You would haul that catalog out and make sales calls.
Doug Glenn: I remember seeing these on shelves in furnace companies.
Michael Kay: This is all the Eclipse burner information.
Doug Glenn: Wow. So, this is how you sold back in the day.
Michael Kay: Back in the ’80s. Before faxing.
Doug Glenn: Before fax, exactly right. That was a big deal when the fax came out.
Michael Kay: Fax was huge to get an order. Fax the order in.
Doug Glenn: Now you don’t see it, except unless you’re in a medical office, for security.
Michael Kay: That saved at least a week.
Doug Glenn: You could fax the order to the manufacturer instead of mailing it.
Michael Kay: And then they’d fax the acknowledgement back. Back in the day, you’d mail it in, and then you’d get an acknowledgement a month later that they got it. How did they get anything done back then?
Doug Glenn: So as far as transitions, obviously you mentioned your grandfather passed away, so passing it on to the next generation was not a problem. You guys all got along fairly well.
Michael Kay: Yeah, we got along. My brother-in-law came in 25 years ago.
Doug Glenn: Talking about Roger Hird.
Michael Kay: Roger, right. And then we hired another sales rep who’s still here.
Doug Glenn: That’s good. You’re into the third generation. Do you have succession plans or sales plans?
Doug Glenn: Let’s talk a bit about your dad, because we were talking about him when we walked in. You don’t need a succession plan, at least for another 30 years, right? Because your dad’s still going at it. Tell us a bit about him.
Michael Kay: Right. He just turned 93. And he comes to the office three days a week. It keeps him active.
Doug Glenn: That gives you another 30 years before you have to worry about it.
Michael Kay: Exactly.
Doug Glenn: That’s crazy.
The Business of Used Heat Treat Equipment (28:16)
Doug Glenn: Would you be comfortable laying out what the ballpark percentage is between used equipment sales versus burner sales versus burner design?
Michael Kay: It’s probably 50/50. It gets more active some days, some months than others. We’ve had ovens and furnaces here for 15 years. It’s always a chess match at what’s selling and what’s not. If we put something in the corner, for sure it’ll sell, because then I’ve got to move nine furnaces to get it out. It’s always an active chess match.
Doug Glenn: You’re saying the oldest furnace that you’ve got here has been here 15 years, waiting for an owner.
Michael Kay: Right.
Doug Glenn: It must be a bit of a challenge knowing what to buy and what not to buy just based on what you think is going to be resellable.
Michael Kay: Right. I’d say it’s more of a question of what the condition is. We kind of go on the theory of good equipment. If you have something that you’re not exactly familiar with, like, for example, a blaster, if it looks nice, then we might buy that with a couple of furnaces.
Doug Glenn: Even though it’s not a thermal piece.
Michael Kay: Yeah, we don’t know much about blasters. But we know people.
Doug Glenn: You’re talking about like shot peen type stuff?
Michael Kay: Shot peeners, something like that. So, we might buy that if it’s nice, because we know people who know blasters. And then a lot of heat treaters use blasters anyhow.
Doug Glenn: Yes, for deburring.
Michael Kay: Right. So, it’s more the condition of the piece. You try and get different size ovens and not load up on little lab equipment.
Doug Glenn: I noticed you didn’t have much on the desktop or tabletop.
Michael Kay: We do. They’re on the other side, though. You couldn’t see them. We have probably 30 or 40 of that type of equipment. But we could have 300 of them. They’re kind of a dime a dozen. Most people throw them in the dumpster anyhow.
Doug Glenn: I’m curious how you go about finding the equipment. Do you have to proactively go out, or do you find most people are asking you to buy equipment?
Michael Kay: We used to buy equipment at auctions. Now, since it’s on the internet, it’s tougher to buy at an auction. It’s mostly with existing customers that have equipment they don’t need anymore that reach out asking what equipment we have that they can trade with. We got a call the other day, a customer we sold a furnace to seven years ago. He’s done with it, so he asked if we buy it back. That is helpful for our customers, to know that we’re around.
Doug Glenn: You’re not obliged to do that, right? But I assume with established customers you would try, just to keep them happy.
Michael Kay: As long as they didn’t blow it up. Which happens.
Doug Glenn: “We’ve got this furnace. We’d like to return it to you, and we’ve got it in three pieces now.”
Michael Kay: Exactly.
Doug Glenn: That would make it a bit rough.
Michael Kay: But mostly from established people we know. Now, there are people that call in and say they have an oven that they don’t want.
Doug Glenn: Are the people that you’re doing business with predominantly manufacturers who want to do their own heat treat, or are they commercial heat treaters?
Michael Kay: I’d say they’re both. I would say commercial heat treaters are a big part. We know most of them, being around for 90 years and all. They know us; we know them. But there are guys getting into it, just starting out. They need a tempering furnace to stress relieve welds, or they’re doing aluminum aging type of processes. So, I would say it’s both.
Doug Glenn: Tell me a bit more. I am seeing a bit of an uptick in the aluminum world as well. What are you comfortable saying about that? Because you mentioned that you’re doing more in that area.
Michael Kay: Since we’ve done ovens, we have customers who request aging, because that’s more of a longer process, so you see more aging ovens. And since we have partnered with JPW Oven, they build drop bottom furnaces, horizontal quench, and aging ovens. If we don’t have a used unit, then we say, “Well, we can sell you a new one,” because it’s hard to find a used drop bottom on the market. So, we found a little niche. We have sold five or six of them in the last four years.
Doug Glenn: Any sense of why that market is picking up at all?
Michael Kay: I think it’s perhaps that they’re trying to make products lighter, like vehicles. They’re trying to make them more fuel efficient as well. There are also composite components that need to be cured out. We do a lot of that.
Doug Glenn: You’re just talking about composite materials.
Michael Kay: Plastic composites, resins, and curing. It must be a Class A, solvent-rated product. All sorts of different processes use some sort of heat. It’s amazing. From Frito-Lay to Alcoa.
Doug Glenn: I’m curious what percentage of your equipment is going into metals or ceramics, as opposed to the lower temperature?
Michael Kay: That’s hard to say. All the new stuff we sell is going into low temperature ovens. But we sold a couple of car bottoms this year that are doing 1500 to 1600 degree annealing.
Doug Glenn: What’s the one or two pieces of equipment out there you’d really like to get rid of? Maybe there’s more than two.
Michael Kay: The electric car bottom would be nice to sell.
Doug Glenn: Tell me about it a little bit.
Michael Kay: Well, it’s a 1400-degree electric car bottom that kind of comes up like this.
Doug Glenn: Oh, long ways.
Michael Kay: Long ways. Like you’re trapping a squirrel. It’s designed for tempering stainless steel 30-foot-long bars. It’s a pretty good sized car bottom, but most people want gas-fired car bottoms.
Doug Glenn: And this is electric.
Michael Kay: This is electric. You could convert it, but that would be…
Doug Glenn: That’d be an expense. You might as well buy a new one.
Michael Kay: Yeah. The pieces of equipment that take up a lot of floor space, we want to keep moving in our warehouse.
Doug Glenn: I think it’s an interesting business, because you want to turn your inventory, just like most.
Stories & Lessons Learned (36:47)
Doug Glenn: Do you have any memorable customers, projects, or situations?
Michael Kay: Eclipse always tried to sell against the North American Tempest burner. So, we finally came out with a ThermJet back in, I’d say, the late ’80s, early ’90s.
Doug Glenn: I remember them advertising it. I think it was the early ’90s.
Michael Kay: It’s still a great burner. But we were the first ones to sell the burner on a big roller hearth in Mansfield.
Doug Glenn: Is that right?
Michael Kay: And literally there were 56 burners, and it was my job, and we had no idea whether they were going to work or not. On the startup, amazingly we had two or three engineers from Eclipse making sure it was right, and they all lit up the first time. And they work, like, amazingly well.
Doug Glenn: No kidding. Well, that’s sweet when that goes well.
Michael Kay: Yeah. That was a little nerve-wracking though.
Doug Glenn: Those types of experiences are fun though.
Great successes or moments when you thought things were going to fall apart in the history of the company?
Michael Kay: That was one of them.
Doug Glenn: Whether or not these burners would work?
Michael Kay: Right. That was a big job back in the ’90s. Because you had the valves, you know, it was a big job.
Doug Glenn: Whole gas trains and whatnot.
Michael Kay: And this was their main furnace.
Doug Glenn: Well, that one went well.
Michael Kay: Yeah, that was good.
Doug Glenn: I assume you had difficult times just business-wise at some point in time, right? Were the 2008 to 2010 years rough times?
Michael Kay: Well, Detroit wasn’t that great in the ’80s, you know?
Doug Glenn: Right. I remember, because you and I are roughly the same age, getting out of college didn’t feel like a great job market.
Michael Kay: Right. It wasn’t good at all. So, this one job in particular, we bought some furnaces from this guy in Indiana. I think it was either an auction or something. We bought four furnaces, and the riggers in Indiana loaded them up, and the furnaces never showed up.
Doug Glenn: You bought them, but they never got here?
Michael Kay: Right. And we tracked it down, and these guys were like gypsies, and they took our furnaces right to the scrapyard and scrapped them. So, it was like, “Who are these guys?”
Doug Glenn: Did you ever find them?
Michael Kay: No. Never found them. The police in Indiana knew about them, and they were like, “You don’t want to chase these guys.” So, I’m like, “Fair enough.” Our bad.
Doug Glenn: But how would you know? I mean…
Michael Kay: They were at the auction, giving out cards. But you didn’t know. That was one job in 40 years. It’s unusual for someone to take your furnaces and just scrap them.
Doug Glenn: They’re not exactly easy to move around or hide.
Michael Kay: No, they were something, those guys.
Getting in the Flow (40:58)
Doug Glenn: You guys have been in business for 90 years, and I’m kind of curious if there’s something in your mind at least that says, “You know, the reason this company is successful is because we’re committed to X or Y or Z.” I’m curious what that thing might be. And also, we were talking earlier about difficult times and how you get through the difficult times. Any comments on either of those, getting through, or how it is you’ve lasted 90 years, which is no small task?
Michael Kay: Well, just going out with my uncle and father: sales are all about getting in the flow. That means making an effort to be proactive. You just can’t wait for orders to come in. When you’re proactive, you also have to listen a lot, because what you initially get called in for, they might not be looking for that at all.
Doug Glenn: They may think that’s what they want.
Michael Kay: Right. We’ll get inquiries about a furnace that a guy’s interested in. We’ll go out and he’s like, “It’s a 1600-degree furnace, but…” I said, “Well, when you get right down to it, what temperature are you running? 900 degrees. Well, then this is the wrong furnace.” So, recommending and being able to find solutions for people has been key. Also, you have to appear well in any company. In other words, you could be talking to the guy on the floor who’s covered in oil, or the CEO of Alcoa, and anyone in between. So, you’ve got to appear well in anyone’s company.
Doug Glenn: When you say appear well, you mean make a good impression?
Michael Kay: Yes, just be comfortable and not dismiss people. You’ve got to find out who’s really making the decision. It might not be the president at all.
Doug Glenn: And you just kind of assume anybody you talk to is going to be involved in the decision.
Michael Kay: It might be the guy covered in oil who’s really wanting the solution, so you’ve got to know what you’re doing there. And it’s establishing a rapport. That’s the most important thing. If you know what they need, then you can quote what’s going to help them out, as opposed to quoting something that’s not going to work for them.
Doug Glenn: When you said get in the flow, it made me think about something I believe relatively strongly, and that is you’ve got to be out with the customers. Now, you would think that wasn’t the case here, because I’ve known you for 30-plus years and I’ve never been here. But in spite of that little piece of evidence that suggests otherwise, I assume that you personally have spent a good bit of time out and about. Are you still getting out and seeing them?
Michael Kay: You have to. Go see a furnace you sold two years ago. See how it’s running. People appreciate that. And you might stop there and do that, and then you will find something else. “Well, you know, that furnace over there, I’m not using.”
Doug Glenn: You would’ve never known it if you weren’t there.
Michael Kay: Exactly. Or they mention something, like, “My neighbor was looking for an oven.” “Who’s that?” Well, that turns out to be they’re setting up a whole heat treat operation. You never know. But you won’t know unless you’re in and out and about.
My father used to say you can waste a lot of time coming into the office every day. You can always make yourself busy.
Doug Glenn: There you go. Good point. Need to be out with the customers.
Michael Kay: You need to. It’s pretty interesting because we still have outside sales. A lot of people don’t anymore. The number of people has been reduced.
Doug Glenn: You have outside sales. Tell me about this now. You had mentioned the one gentleman who’s doing mostly phone work.
Michael Kay: Roger and I are outside sales.
Doug Glenn: I tend to be a big believer in that. Are you finding it more difficult these days to get into places, or is it still doable for you?
Michael Kay: It’s still doable. I mean, I think the number of salespeople that show up is one-tenth of what it was.
Doug Glenn: Way down.
Michael Kay: Way down. So, in some cases they’re like, “I haven’t seen a sales guy in six months.” So that way you have an advantage by getting out. In my opinion.
Doug Glenn: I think so. There’s a lot to be said about it. I think the whole email and text thing has also made it more difficult. Did you know Kelvin Spain? He was the president over there, general manager of Radyne, which is an Inductotherm company, and he passed away years ago. But I remember sitting with him at lunch, and it was probably during that ’08 to ’10 era when the economy was really down, and we were talking with him, and he was always such a positive, optimistic person. And I made some mention about how it seemed like people were finding it very difficult these days. And he just said, “No. You just need to work harder. That’s all. You just need to get out there and keep doing the fundamentals,” which is basically getting out and seeing people and whatnot.
Michael Kay: Yeah.
Doug Glenn: It’s difficult, but sometimes you just need to do it.
Michael Kay: Some things never change.
Doug Glenn: Meaning what? I was going to tell you what I thought that meant, but I’m curious what you mean.
Michael Kay: Well, you know who the good sales guys are. You create your own good luck. Why does this guy always get lucky with a sale? Because he’s in the flow. Sooner or later, you’re going to stub your toe on something good.
Doug Glenn: I forget who said it. I’m thinking Abraham Lincoln, but I don’t know. He says, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”
Michael Kay: Exactly right. I think you do create your own good luck, for sure, in some respects.
Doug Glenn: Do you have a lot of interaction with AI here?
Michael Kay: I think AI is going to help people find us and our products. I haven’t tapped into that yet, but I think of AI as, what are the products that are going to come out of it? Drone technology, you see that. We have a couple of ovens going to people building drones. Because they’re all composite. They have to be light to fly.
Doug Glenn: Lightweight and strong.
Michael Kay: So yes, it’s probably going to diminish some aspects, but it’s going to create other industries too. Like anything.
Doug Glenn: Pretty optimistic about it, not too worried about it?
Michael Kay: Not too worried about it. It seems like no matter what year it is, process heating is going to come into play in whatever, computer chips, drone manufacturing, or aerospace. It’s not going away.
Doug Glenn: Another industry legend like yourself, who you would know if I mentioned his name, has said, “Nobody really wants to heat treat. Nobody really wants to thermal process.” If they could build whatever they’re building without doing it, they would.
Michael Kay: Oh, 100%. They would.
Doug Glenn: Some people think that with AI, we’re going to find ways to build products and eliminate unnecessary processes, like heat treating. I don’t know. We’ll see.
Michael Kay: I don’t think so.
Doug Glenn: We’ll see.
Michael Kay: 3D printing is interesting. You see some of these parts being made, but I think they still have to stress relieve them.
Doug Glenn: At this point, they do need to stress relieve, and I don’t know how it would work.
Michael Kay: It’s always going to be something.
Doug Glenn: So, you guys have been around 90 years. You’re kind of like the granddads of the industry, right? Because you’ve had a lot of experience. Any sage advice that you’d give to companies who are out there trying to be successful?
Michael Kay: I like the one that you can create your own good luck. You keep at it and get in the flow. Get out of the office. That’s what we’ve been doing. Well, I’ve been doing it for 41 years. Maybe not when I started. I had to haul this massive catalog around.
Doug Glenn: Right. Well, that’s why you’re in such good shape.
Michael Kay: I remember he’s like, “Just go out and make some sales calls.” I’m like, “With what?”
Doug Glenn: “What is that?”
Michael Kay: So that’s so funny.
Doug Glenn: Just a little bit of diligence is what keeps…
Michael Kay: Diligence, yeah. Exactly right.
Doug Glenn: Keep after it. So, next 90 years for you guys?
Michael Kay: Someone’ll be selling furnaces. Whether it’s us, I think I’ve got another 10 years probably. That’s my goal.
Doug Glenn: Well, you got inspired by your dad. I think I’m saying you’ve got 30 years.
Michael Kay: He’s the exception. But you never know. It’s nice to have an office to come to.
Doug Glenn: Yeah, it is. Purpose in life.
Michael Kay: Right. Whether you do anything or not. My father comes in; he’s 93. He comes three days a week, and then he plays bridge the other two.
Doug Glenn: Is that right?
Michael Kay: It keeps him occupied. You need to be pretty smart to play bridge.
Doug Glenn: You need to keep your mind and your body going.
Michael Kay: Keep your mind sharp.
Doug Glenn: And he’s in good physical shape?
Michael Kay: He’s pretty good.
Doug Glenn: For 93?
Michael Kay: He still drives.
Doug Glenn: That’s good.
Michael Kay: But yeah, he’s in pretty good shape. Oh, one other thing.
Michael Kay: When I first started it was always, “When is Eclipse going to can us?” So, it was always explained to me, just make yourself hard to get rid of. If you’re selling, it’s hard to get rid of someone who’s always selling.
Doug Glenn: It’s like the guy on the basketball team. It’s hard to get rid of your top scorer. You can have a guy that’s really good at assists, and he’s probably going to go before the guy that’s putting the ball in.
Michael Kay: They can yell at you but then send in an order. So, make yourself less expendable.
Doug Glenn: Less expendable. Fair enough. Very good.
About the Guest
Michael Kay President and Owner W.H. Kay Company
Michael J. Kay is President and third-generation owner of The W.H. Kay Company, a Cleveland-area company that has served the industrial heat treating and process heating industry since 1936. A graduate of Furman University, Michael earned degrees in business and U.S. history in 1984 and began his career the following year selling Eclipse burner systems and heat treating furnaces. He now brings more than 40 years of experience in industrial thermal processing to the business.
Under Michael’s leadership, W.H. Kay continues the work begun by his grandfather, William Henry Kay, providing combustion systems, heat treating furnaces, industrial ovens, controls, and practical process heating solutions to manufacturers and commercial heat treaters. The company also buys, sells, and trades used heat treating equipment, maintaining an extensive inventory of furnaces, ovens, atmosphere generators, vacuum furnaces, and related equipment at its Solon, Ohio, facility. W.H. Kay’s relationship with Eclipse dates back to the company’s founding and today includes combustion technologies from Eclipse, Maxon, and Kromschroder.
For more information: Contact Michael Kay at sales@whkay.com.
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.
The company will invest $15 billion to build the Iowa complex, in addition to approximately $3 billion being spent to complete its iron ore mine and pellet operation in Nashwauk, Minnesota, which will supply iron ore and direct-reduction-grade pellets to the new steelmaking facility.
Mesabi Metallics’ Minnesota mine will produce Patriot Pellet, the company’s DR-grade iron ore pellet engineered for EAF steelmaking. More than 1,500 construction workers and over 200 full-time employees are currently working at the mine, with 350 full-time positions expected once the fully operational.
At the Iowa complex, DRI technology will remove oxygen from the Minnesota iron ore at temperatures below its melting point to create solid metallic iron. The DRI will then be fed into electric arc furnaces while still hot, reducing the energy required to melt the material and improving the efficiency and productivity of the steelmaking process.
The facility’s EAFs will use a mixture of hot iron produced by the plant’s DRI process and scrap steel. According to the company, the DRI-EAF configuration will reduce energy use and emissions compared with traditional blast furnace steelmaking.
Construction of the Iowa complex is expected to create more than 6,000 jobs. Once operational, the facility is expected to employ at least 1,750 full-time workers. Mesabi Metallics estimates the project will generate $95 billion in total economic output during construction and the first 10 years of full operations.
Press release is available in its original form here.
In this Technical Tuesday installment,Heat Treat Today founder and publisher Doug Glenn sat down with Steelhead Technologies CEO Jeff Halonen to discuss the company’s recent acquisitions of Visual Shop and Bluestreak. Learn what the acquisitions mean for current users, including support and migration timelines, and how Steelhead plans to bring decades of heat treat-specific expertise into its ERP platform.
Heat Treat Today founder and publisher Doug Glenn spoke with Steelhead Technologies CEO Jeffrey Halonen about the acquisitions and what commercial heat treaters can expect in the coming years.
The Companies and Their Software
Steelhead Technologies provides an all-in-one AI-powered ERP platform designed for job shops and manufacturing operations, connecting production management with quality, specification compliance and tracking, scheduling, accounting, CRM, reporting, and other business functions.
Halonen called Visual Shop one of the first commercially available systems built specifically for the heat treat market. Visual Shop has served process-oriented job shops for more than 30 years. Approximately 150 enterprises currently use Visual Shop, about half of which are commercial heat treaters. The ERP system was developed for metal finishing, heat treating, coatings, and related industries, with heat treat functionality including furnace-load tracking, specifications and certifications, process temperatures and times, order tracking, shipping, and invoicing.
Bluestreak has similarly deep roots in the industry. The QMS and MES platform was initially developed for heat treating and focuses on production workflow, integrated quality management, traceability, and compliance documentation. It has approximately 90 clients, about 60% of which are commercial heat treaters. “Bluestreak is a QMS and MES,” Halonen said. “They’re more specialized on the heat treating.”
The Acquisition Timeline
Although Steelhead acquired Visual Shop and Bluestreak within weeks of each other, Halonen said the deals developed separately, with different circumstances behind them and their timing largely coincidental. With Visual Shop, Halonen said the age and architecture of the software meant significant development would eventually require rebuilding the product. “It was just at a juncture where there’s either a tremendous amount of investment — many, many millions of dollars — to start from scratch, essentially, on a brand new product, or we could provide a structured transition over to a more modern system where there’s a definitive path,” he said.
Bluestreak, by comparison, was growing and had strong client retention. Retirement considerations for Bluestreak president and founder Todd Wenzel also played a role. Bluestreak also brings years of heat treat-specific software development, particularly around specifications, certifications, furnace compliance, and other quality requirements. “Bluestreak is on its fourth generation,” Halonen commented. “It’s been working with heat treaters for many, many years.”
Halonen acknowledged that the experience of these two software leaders in the space is important as Steelhead expands its presence in the heat treat industry. “Especially with commercial heat treating, there’s a tremendous amount of nuance,” he said. “We need to approach this with humility.”
Next Steps for Visual Shop and Bluestreak Clients
For existing clients, neither system is disappearing immediately. Visual Shop and Bluestreak are now under the Steelhead umbrella, but their existing support teams remain in place. “For Visual Shop, right now nothing changes,” Halonen said. “You have the same product, call the same exact team.”
The longer-term picture is different. Steelhead is targeting the end of 2027 for sunsetting support for Visual Shop. Many Visual Shop users have perpetual licenses, and Halonen emphasized that retiring support does not mean those users will suddenly lose access to the software. The primary change will involve continued support.
Bluestreak has a longer runway, with its timeline extending into 2028. Its existing support team also remains in place. At the same time, Steelhead intends to bring heat treat-specific functionality developed within Bluestreak into its own platform. “We’re working very closely as a single team to provide all the features that Bluestreak has developed over the years that are great for heat treaters and pulling those into Steelhead,” Halonen said.
One point is clear for users of both products: future software development will be focused on Steelhead’s technology. “All proactive R&D investment in technology is going into the Steelhead platform,” Halonen said.
Cost Considerations
For Visual Shop users considering a transition to Steelhead, price will be an important part of the decision. Halonen acknowledged that Steelhead carries a substantially higher software price.
Steelhead argues that shops should compare total operating costs rather than software prices alone, including separate accounting or business software and employee time associated with order entry, invoicing, and other administrative processes. “What we’ve found, though, is that if you look at the cost of operating your business on Visual Shop — not just the dollars you pay for Visual Shop — you actually see a cost reduction for Steelhead,” Halonen said. Whether that calculation holds true will depend on the individual operation. Heat treaters will need to weigh software costs against staffing, current processes, ancillary systems, desired functionality, and implementation requirements.
For Bluestreak users, Halonen said the pricing gap between their current system and Steelhead is smaller, although a difference remains.
Migration and Support
The acquisitions could simplify one challenge for clients who choose to migrate to Steelhead: transferring existing data. Steelhead now has access to the source code and database structures of the acquired platforms, as well as the employees familiar with them. “The data you have in Visual Shop and the data you have in Bluestreak can be mapped over in a much more efficient, and much more granular, manner than otherwise would be,” Halonen said.
The Visual Shop and Bluestreak teams — approximately eight and nine people, respectively — remain in place to support existing products and assist with integrations or migrations. Together with Steelhead’s roughly 310 existing clients, the acquisitions bring the company’s total client base to approximately 550.
Halonen said Steelhead also intends to control the pace of implementations rather than taking on migrations faster than its teams can support them. “If we’re in a position where we’re not 100% confident that it’s going to be successful for our client, we’re going to use the calendar to our advantage and make sure we’re not overscheduling or overburdening,” he said.
Where Development Goes from Here
Steelhead’s long-term strategy is to combine heat treat-specific knowledge from the acquired companies with its broader ERP platform. For Halonen, that starts with the fundamentals heat treaters rely on every day. “How can I do furnace calibrations? How can I create this certification? What’s my operator’s experience going to be?” he said, describing the questions heat treaters bring to Steelhead. “They’re absolutely correct to focus on that.”
Steelhead also plans continued development of automation and AI tools, including its existing AI-assisted order entry and analytics. But Halonen said those capabilities depend on getting the underlying systems right first. “None of that works unless you have a rock solid foundation,” he said.
What Heat Treaters Should Know Going Forward
The acquisitions do not require Visual Shop or Bluestreak users to make an immediate software change, but they do establish a clearer direction for both platforms. Visual Shop is targeted for end of life at the end of 2027, while Bluestreak’s timeline extends into 2028. Existing support remains in place, while future R&D is being directed toward Steelhead.
For affected heat treaters, that creates a window to evaluate their options. Which heat treat-specific capabilities are essential? What other systems or manual processes operate alongside the current software? What data must be preserved? What will implementation require from employees? And what will each option cost when software and business processes are considered together?
Three platforms are now under one company, and the software landscape serving heat treaters has shifted. The next couple of years give shops time to determine what that shift should mean for their own operations.
This article was written by Heat Treat Today’s Editorial Team.
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.
The company has invested approximately $20 million in the new “mega HIP” vessel at its London operation. The system includes rapid and jet cooling functionality and high-pressure capability and is intended to increase capacity for high-volume aerospace applications.
Bodycote expects the new vessel to process several thousand aerospace components in a single cycle, compared with hundreds using the facility’s existing smaller vessels. The additional capacity is expected to support high-volume jet engine applications while accommodating a broader range of aerospace work.
At its Fairfield, Ohio, operation, Bodycote has disclosed approximately $12 million in investment associated with the relocation and expansion of its former Cincinnati facility. The project increased the number of vacuum furnaces at the site, providing additional capacity for higher production volumes and larger components.
The Fairfield investment also included upgrades to existing furnaces and the addition of centralized monitoring and control systems to provide greater visibility into furnace data. The facility has additional space that could accommodate capabilities including liquid penetrant inspection and tensile testing in the future.
Heidi McNary President, Global Aerospace, Defence and Energy Bodycote
“These investments demonstrate our confidence in the long-term growth of aerospace and defense in Ohio’s increasingly important role within the industry,” said Heidi McNary, president, Global Aerospace, Defence and Energy at Bodycote. “By investing in capacity and capability today, we are positioning Bodycote close to our [clients] and ensuring we can continue to support their growth as aerospace technologies and production requirements evolve.”
The Ohio investments follow other additions to Bodycote’s U.S. thermal processing network in 2026, including new vacuum heat treatment equipment in New Jersey and expanded HIP, powder metallurgy, and additive manufacturing support capabilities at facilities in Massachusetts and South Carolina.
Press release is available in its original form here.
A British foundry technology center is adding a large-scale vacuum furnace to expand its annealing capabilities for oversized titanium castings used in the aerospace and energy sectors. The system will increase capacity for large components requiring high process cleanliness and uniform temperature distribution while relieving existing heat treatment equipment at the facility.
SECO/WARWICK, a global manufacturer of industrial heat treatment equipment with operations in North America, will supply its Vector vacuum furnace with a work zone measuring 1,600 x 1,500 x 2,000 mm (63 x 59 x 79 in). The furnace is designed to accommodate oversized parts and new types of castings being developed by the client.
The system features a round heating chamber with additional heating elements installed in the door and rear wall to support temperature uniformity. It also includes gas cooling up to 6 bar and a high-vacuum system consisting of two mechanical pumps, a Roots blower, and a diffusion pump.
Grzegorz Głuchowski Sales Manager SECO/WARWICK
“The system was designed for heat treating large, demanding cast components. A key advantage of the furnace is its spacious work zone and very good temperature distribution in the heating chamber — achieved in part thanks to additional heating elements installed in the door and the rear wall of the chamber,” said Grzegorz Głuchowski, sales manager at SECO/WARWICK.
The furnace also incorporates dew point control to prevent water vapor condensation and a partial pressure system designed to limit the evaporation of alloying elements during vacuum processing. These features support process stability and help protect hot zone components from contamination.
The equipment will be used for processing large titanium castings, which require high process cleanliness because titanium can react oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen at elevated temperatures. Vacuum heat treatment helps prevent surface oxidation and material degradation during processes such as annealing.
The new system will be the second furnace supplied by SECO/WARWICK to the British company, which develops material technologies and produces castings for the aerospace, energy, and heavy industry sectors. The additional furnace will increase its production capabilities for advanced metal castings.
Press release is available in its original form here.
Jim Roberts of U.S. Ignition engages readers in a Combustion Corner column about the modes of heat transfer at play in the heat treating world — breaking down advection and thermal conduction, from how forced air movement drives heating and cooling in furnaces to how Fourier’s law governs heat flow through direct contact, setting the stage for next month’s look at convection and radiation.
This editorial was first released in Heat Treat Today’sAugust 2026 Annual Automotive Heat Treating print edition.
A furnace guy walks into a heat treat facility and asks, “tropos metadosis thermotitas?” The furnace operators stare and say, “What are you saying? It’s all Greek to me!” But many of us know what it means: What mode of transfer? And that was the question of the last article where we looked at an intro to thermodynamics. This set us up for discussions on the four modes of heat transfer, a non-stop set of interactive processes that we then refine for our use in the heat treating world.
In that earlier discussion, we explained that there are several modes involved in heat transfer. Some are so simple to describe, but there may be several modes working at the same time to target the heat transference we seek. Modes of heat transfer and the Laws of Thermodynamics differ. Think of modes as the actual physical properties of heat transfer and thermodynamics that we can see and feel. The laws are the calculations and theory that allow us to check and produce the heat that is needed or to prove how much we need.
Our first mode of heat transfer is advection. Advection is the mechanism of thermal transfer that occurs when the thermal energy is transferred or transported from one space or object via the movement and the motion of a fluid. Pure convection, in the scientific sense, is strictly the heat transfer between heated bodies by gravitational lift or natural fluid movements.
In other words, heat rises… right? We’ve all heard it, witnessed it in a campfire or elsewhere. Advection is when the transfer media, mostly hot gases, is forced mechanically to swirl around and the item we desire to heat or cool. Speaking of heat transfer, we cannot forget that the door swings both ways. We can affect heat transfer from the standpoint of cooling things down too, and at that point, we discover that the hot gases or heat exchangers with air of liquid are using advection to pull the heat out. The plunge cool function of many furnaces relies on advection to pull the heat out of the parts at a controlled rate to cause a metallurgical change. So, the same laws apply, just in reverse!
One of the easiest ways to remember this difference is that advection actually adds energy to the process. It may be in the form of a blower providing combustion air for a burner, which creates the swirl of gases that are providing the heat transfer to the parts. Or, think of a fan pulling heat from a circuit board of electrical components. Advection is actually forced convection. If you have a modern convection oven or an air fryer, it is not really a convection oven. It’s an advection oven in the scientific world, since the fans involved are adding energy to move the fluid (air/gas) around those chicken wings and fries. The concern over this kind of added energy is in part what makes Data Centers such a volatile topic.
This leads us to our second heat transfer mode, thermal conduction. Thermal conduction is the transfer of heat by direct contact of two objects where there is a differential in temperature and energy. In other words, the temperature difference between two objects is the mechanism for heat transfer. Energy wants equilibrium, so it will always try to bring an item to its temperature by maintaining contact. It can be identified as thermal diffusion in Fourier’s law for heat conduction.
Fourier’s law states that eventually, through contact, the handle on the cooking pot will match the temperature of the pot surface because it is conducting the heat into that handle via thermal conduction. These types of considerations take place during calculations for furnace design, engine components, or household items; anything with a heat differential must be accounted for in our everyday lives.
As they say in the old country: choris thermotita, den yparchei ergo. Without heat, there is no work. That’s the loose translation, but it points out that we need to have all the components for heat transfer to be working for us to do this wonderful work called heat treating. And that shouldn’t be Greek to us.
Next month we will tackle convection and radiation.
About The Author:
Jim Roberts President US Ignition
Jim Roberts president at U.S. Ignition, began his 45-year career in the burner and heat recovery industry focused on heat treating specifically in 1979. He worked for and helped start up WB Combustion in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. In 1985 he joined Eclipse Engineering in Rockford, IL, specializing in heat treating-related combustion equipment/burners. Inducted into the American Gas Association’s Hall of Flame for service in training gas company field managers, Jim is a former president of MTI and has contributed to countless seminars on fuel reduction and combustion-related practices.
