AK Steel

Cleveland-Cliffs Acquires AK Steel, Integrating Steel & Iron Ore Production

/ AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT, AUTOMOTIVE HEAT TREAT NEWS, FEATURED NEWS

AK Steel, a leading producer of flat-rolled carbon, stainless, and electrical steel products was recently acquired by Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., an iron ore company, with a definitive merger agreement to position the new company to create a vertically integrated producer of value-added iron ore and steel products.

Lourenco Goncalves, chairman of the board, president, and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs

Under the terms of the merger, Cleveland-Cliffs will acquire all of AK Steel’s common stock, and expand their capabilities across the entire manufacturing process, from mining to pelletizing to the development and production of finished high-value steel products, including next-generation advanced high strength steels for automotive and other industries.

“By combining the best-in-class quality of AK Steel’s assets and its enviable product mix with Cliffs’ debt profile and proven management team, we are creating a premier North American company, self-sufficient in iron ore pellets and geared toward high value-added steel products,” said Lourenco Goncalves, chairman of the board, president, and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, who will lead the expanded organization. He added that the new company “is well-positioned to serve both the blast furnace and electric arc furnace segments.”

Roger K. Newport, CEO of AK Steel

“The combination of Cliffs’ iron ore pellet capabilities and our innovative, high-quality steel product development and production is strategically compelling,” said Roger K. Newport, CEO of AK Steel. “Together, we expect to be able to take advantage of growth opportunities faster and more fully than either company could on its own. With AK Steel’s 120-year heritage, which began in Ohio, and expertise in steelmaking, AK Steel and Cliffs make an excellent combination, which we expect will facilitate a smooth integration process.”

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A Baker’s Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

A Baker’s Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.

Personnel and Company Chatter

  • James Herald has been appointed the president and CEO of EVRAZ North America, Chicago. He will replace Conrad Winkler, who is leaving the group to pursue other opportunities. Herald joins EVRAZ from AXIP Energy, where he served as CEO. He has more than 35 years of experience in the oil and gas and energy pipe industries.
  • Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT) recently announced the addition of three new sales and metallurgy employees: Tim Zemaitis, Shane Seevell, and Katie Herron. Zemaitis, regional sales manager for AHT’s Michigan facility, joins the team with over 30 years of experience in heat treatment, metallurgy, and engineering. Seevell, regional sales manager in the corporate office located in Iowa, brings over 15 years of sales experience plus past heat treat experience working at AHT; and Herron, materials engineer & quality specialist in Alabama, rounds out the growing AHT team. Herron is a recent materials engineering graduate from the University of Alabama – Birmingham.
  • Meggitt, which specializes in high-performance components and subsystems for the aerospace, defense, and selected energy markets, has opened its newly expanded aerospace services and support center of excellence in Miami, Florida.
  • Virginia-based aluminum extruder Service Center Metals has been acquired by The Riverstone Group through its investment entity SCM Industries, LLC in Richmond.
  • L&T Technology Services, a leading global pure-play engineering services company has been selected as a strategic partner by United Technologies Corporation (UTC) for Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of UTC. Collins Aerospace comprises of the former UTC Aerospace Systems, Rockwell Collins, and BE Aerospace, and is one of the leading providers of intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industries.

Equipment Chatter

  • A 2000°F (1093°C), gas-fired heavy-duty furnace from Grieve (No. 1042), is currently being used for heat treating at a customer’s facility. In addition, the No. 1047, a 350°F (177°C), bench oven, has been purchased from Grieve for curing plugs on the ends of cords at the customer’s facility.
  • A factory with multiple lines of (fixed) heat treating ovens recently purchased a temperature data logging solution from CAS DataLoggers for the purpose of automatically monitoring the oven temperatures with precise accuracy while also handling data transmission and enabling remote access.
  • A manufacturer of electronic components purchased a Blue M inert gas batch oven, with a temperature range of 59°F (15°C) above ambient to 1099°F (593°C), from Thermal Product Solutions.
  • A manufacturer in the oil and gas industry recently received a shipment of an electrically heated four-zone conveyor oven from Wisconsin Oven Corporation. Each chamber in this oven has a maximum temperature rating of 752°F (400°C). The oven has a guaranteed oven temperature uniformity of ±10.8°F at 590°F (±6°C at 310°C)) for a minimum of 6 minutes per heating chamber. In addition, Wisconsin Oven Corporation announced the shipment of an indirect natural gas-fired batch oven to a leading manufacturer in the aerospace industry. The batch oven will be used to cure composite materials and has a maximum oven operating temperature of 500°F.

Kudos Chatter

  • Onex, Inc., recently received the 2018 Pinnacle Award from Vesuvius. Only two contractor installer distributors were presented this award in 2018.
  • AK Steel has accepted an award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) High-Performance Computing for Materials (HPC4Mtls) Program. Researchers from AK Steel plan to work in collaboration with DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop microstructure-based transformation models to predict austenite stability in high strength steels in a project titled “Thermo-Mechanical Forming Process Development to Produce Tailored Strength Automotive Structural Components.”
  • Specitubes has received Nadcap accreditation for demonstrating its ongoing commitment to quality by satisfying customer requirements and industry specifications. The scope of this accreditation covers the heat-treating of seamless precision metallic tubes made in Samer (northern France) of Nickel and Cobalt Alloys, Austenitic Stainless Steels and Titanium Alloys. Typical applications include hydraulic and pneumatic ducting systems for aircraft.
  • thyssenkrupp has announced plans to build the world’s most advanced forging line in Homburg/Saarland, a new facility to produce forged front axles for trucks.  This production expansion represents the biggest single investment ever made at thyssenkrupp’s Homburg site.

Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com

 

 

Onex is proud to receive the 2018 Pinnacle Award from Vesuvius. Only two contractor installer distributors were presented this award.

A Baker’s Dozen Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current Read More »

10 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

10 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

Heat Treat Today offers News Chatter, a feature highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.

Personnel and Company Chatter

  • Julien Noel has been named Vice President / General Manager of the Buehler worldwide division. ITW Test and Measurement Group President, Yahya Gharagozlou, made the announcement. Buehler is an ITW Company which manufactures scientific equipment and consumables for materials analysis.
  • A fourth vacuum aluminum brazing (VAB) furnace has been purchased by California Brazing, a Newark, California, heat treating company in order to expand the capability to service the aerospace sector.
  • Solar Atmospheres recently awarded the title of CEO Emeritus to Roger A. Jones, FASM. The honorary title was conferred by the company and announces his semi-retirement as Solar Atmospheres’ CEO, the culmination of 45 years of leadership and service to the vacuum heat treating industry.
  • A refractories supplier’s recently established partnership will result in the full-service distribution of the company’s products and services throughout several European countries. The Plibrico Company and Pli Group Europe GmbH, a highly experienced refractory distributor contractor based in Vienna, Austria, have entered into a new value-added distribution partnership will cover Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria.
  • The world’s largest aerospace company, the Boeing Company recently acquired Embraer SA, the commercial aircraft arm of a Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, in a new $4.75 billion joint venture.

Equipment Chatter

  • Seven Gruenberg Glassware drying ovens were recently shipped to a university in the U.S. Midwest by Thermal Product Solutions, a manufacturer of thermal-processing equipment based in New Columbia, Pennsylvania.
  • A furnace equipment company based in Erie, Pennsylvania, recently designed and manufactured a front-loading forge furnace for a leading North American forging company. The furnace built by Onex, Inc., is one of the largest of its kind in North America with workspace dimensions measuring 26ft (W) x 20ft (D) x 14ft (H).
  • A heat treating services provider in the U.S. Northwest recently purchased a Meg-HIP hot isostatic press for heat treating and metal processing. Västerås, Sweden-based, Quintus Technologies installed the system at Stack Metallurgical Group in Albany, Oregon.

Kudos Chatter

  • Thermal-Vac Technology, Inc. has been awarded a 2018 Top Workplaces honor by The Orange County Register. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by research partner. The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.
  • AK Steel recently announced that it has accepted an award of up to $1.2 million from U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Advanced Manufacturing Office program to investigate novel low-density steels in the laboratory, which could ultimately be used in automotive structural applications. The three-year project will be conducted in collaboration with DOE, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Materials Science and Technology Division, and the Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center in the Department of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.  The objective of the project is to conduct alloy design, laboratory validation, and testing of low-density steels that are alternatives to currently available advanced high strength steels and other lightweight metals.

Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com.

10 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current Read More »

10 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

/ FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES

10 Quick Heat Treat News Items to Keep You Current

You don't want to miss out on the latest news from your fellow heat treaters, suppliers, or specialists! That's whereHeat Treat Today's News Chatter feature can come in handy, highlighting representative moves, transactions, and kudos from around the industry.

Personnel and Company Chatter

  • Edwards Vacuum, a leading manufacturer of vacuum and abatement solutions which offers heat treating, recently broke ground on a new 75,000 square foot Technology Innovation Center in Hillsboro, Oregon, to serve as the U.K.-based company's North American semiconductor headquarters.
  • A joint project between global steel producer The SMS Group and Arkansas Northeastern College will result in the opening of the Arkansas Steelmaking Academy (ASA), to be housed in the College's Center for Allied Technology, which is slated to open in August 2018 with ASA offerings to begin in 2019.
  • Mariya Trickett, who serves as senior vice president of Human Resources for Dana Corporation was recently honored as one of the Top 15 Business Women by the Ohio Diversity Council, recognizing outstanding women in leadership who are respected, successful leaders within their organization.

Equipment Chatter

  • A Tier 1 automotive supplier recently purchased batch ovens custom engineered for aging aluminum structural components. Epcon Industrial Systems manufactures indirect gas-fired aluminum aging oven systems for the automotive and aerospace parts manufacturers and supplied the units.
  • Lindberg/MPH announced the recent shipment of an electrically heated rod overbend atmosphere box furnace to the aerospace industry. The box furnace has a maximum temperature rating of 2000°F and work chamber dimensions of 24" wide x 36" deep x 24ʺ high and will perform a heat treatment on parts within the work chamber under a reducing atmosphere generated from a nitrogen methanol panel.
  • A Midwest U.S. titanium manufacturer and fabricator recently received shipment of a large horizontal front loading vacuum furnace designed for processing titanium alloys for the aerospace, medical, and other industries. Fully compliant to aerospace specification AMS2750E, the furnace, supplied by Solar Manufacturing, includes a molybdenum shielded hot zone and heating elements, with a work zone size of 54" (1.37m) wide x 54" (1.37m) high x 144" (3.66m) deep and a weight capacity of 7,500 pounds (3,400 kg), and is capable of precise temperature control up to 2400° F (1316° C).
  • A special universal air flow oven from Grieve Corporation, the No. 1043, a 500°F (260°C), has been delivered to a customer to be used to post-cure hose lengths. Workspace dimensions measure 12” W x 30” D x 12” H.

Kudos Chatter

  • Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc. was named the 2018 Powertrain Supplier of the Year at the FCA US LLC Supplier of the Year awards at MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit last month. Hitchiner was one of 16 companies recognized by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles at the annual awards for quality and excellence.
  • AK Steel Research and Innovation employees Yu-Wei Wang, Feng Zhu, Wei Wu, Panagiotis Makrygiannis, and Chao Pu were recognized with the Team Award by the Auto/Steel Partnership for their innovation and collaboration in developing pre-competitive solutions enabling steel execution in future vehicles. The award selections were based on project work completed in 2017 and were unanimously chosen by the Auto/Steel Partnership’s Joint Policy Council. Through the Auto/Steel Partnership, automakers and steel companies collaborate to drive improvements through projects focused on new steels, manufacturing processes and design challenges, including steel lightweighting solutions.
  • Advanced Heat Treat Corp. (AHT) announce that all four of its facilities (both Waterloo, Iowa locations, Monroe, MI, and Cullman, AL ) have recently gone through the International Automotive Task Force (IATF) 16949 automotive transition audit and have become IATF 16949 certified. IATF 16949 is the automotive Quality Management System developed by the “Big Three” automotive companies. It was recently updated from ISO/TS 16949 due to a change in the ISO 9001 Standard.

Heat Treat Today is pleased to join in the announcements of growth and achievement throughout the industry by highlighting them here on our News Chatter page. Please send any information you feel may be of interest to manufacturers with in-house heat treat departments especially in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy sectors to the editor at editor@heattreattoday.com.

 

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