The cover of every issue tells the story.Industrial Heating is "The International Journal of Thermal Technology." What exactly do we mean when we say "International?" Simply...Industrial Heating is the largest and most widely distributed monthly thermal process magazine in the world.

Industrial Heating is widely distributed in North America and Europe with circulation to South America, India and China. Additionally, we publish a Chinese language edition four times each year. Beginning in 2007, we anticipate the launch of a special distribution in India as well.

Our commitment to you is to identify key thermal process technologies from around the globe and bring them to you on a monthly basis. Our web site also connects us internationally though the vast reach of the World-Wide-Web. Our web site traffic monitor shows good activity from Germany with an additional 20% of our web activity being international.

A review of our Table of Contents reveals the international flavor of the technical content as well. Half of the Feature articles this month are US-based companies, and the other half come from companies with operations based overseas. Over the past year, an additional 10 articles were from sources outside the US. For those of you who are reading this outside the US, you are also encouraged to share your technology advancements with us by writing a technical article for IH. Contact me and I would be glad to help make that happen.

Some of the globalization of our industry involves a shift in the location of large heat treat centers. While manufacturing centers remain concentrated in the USA and Europe, heat treat centers are located more and more in China, India, and South America. Looking at the automotive industry as an example, the under-secretary for economic affairs at the Commerce Department recently indicated that the current surge in imports is strongly related to our rising industrial output. She indicated that goods that are assembled in this country have an "awful lot" of imported components that used to be made in this country. According to an analysis of Census Bureau data by the United States Business and Industry Council, imported components increased almost 20% in the 12 months ending in January of 2006. With increases in components made abroad, comes increases in heat-treat centers to harden those components requiring heat treatment.

Understanding the importance of the international thermal processing community, Industrial Heating will be participating in Thermprocess 2007 in Düsseldorf, Germany from June 12 - 16, 2007. If you are at the Trade Fair and symposium, look for our booth. The link for this show is located on our website.

I am reminded of the time when one of our clients traveled to a number of aluminum plants in several far-eastern countries. Upon returning, he let us know that regardless of where he went he always found a copy of Industrial Heating magazine. It's good to know that IH is where the thermal processing action is!IH