The year is coming to a close and with it our 75th anniversary. We hope you enjoyed looking back through some of the historical pages of Industrial Heating as much as we did. The cover retrospective this month is the final draw from the IH time capsule.


The year is coming to a close and with it our 75th anniversary. We hope you enjoyed looking back through some of the historical pages ofIndustrial Heatingas much as we did. The cover retrospective this month is the final draw from the IH time capsule.

The end of the year also provides us with a natural time of reflection on the past year. Inevitably, some of the reflections are good and some are not. That’s when the promise of the new year is so encouraging. The old may reflect mistakes made, but the new is an opportunity to learn from those mistakes and do things better. It is not healthy to dwell in the past, but it is good to learn from history so that we are not destined to repeat mistakes that were made. This allows us to work through the process of continuous improvement.

Continuous improvement brings to mind my ISO 9001 certification days. I’m sure many of you can relate. Life is a bit like the requirements of ISO – a series of Preventive Actions help us to avoid Corrective Actions as we strive for Continuous Improvement. Hopefully 2006 brought a healthy measure of continuous improvement to your business.

Last month’s “State of the Industry” editorial indicated that your business’ orders are continuously improving. As our poll questions turned from looking backward to forward, most of you felt 2007 would bring more improvement in your business conditions. This is a good thing, but as you are busier, sometimes you have less time to keep up with what is going on in the industry. That’s whereIndustrial Heatingcomes in. We can be your eyes and ears, looking and listening for the news and information to keep you current.

Are you aware thatIndustrial Heatinge-mails a news brief every weekday? For theIH Daily, we search for the single most pertinent business news item of interest to the thermal-processing community. In addition, we e-mail ourIH MagEzineto registered e-mail subscribers twice a month. The MagEzine offers several relevant industry-wide news stories, and it updates you on calendar items of interest. Additionally, we preview or review several items of interest in the upcoming or current issue ofIndustrial Heatingmagazine. You can subscribe to either or both of these e-mailed updates by clicking the brown “eNews” link on the right side of our homepage atwww.industrialheating.com.

In addition to keeping you updated on the latest industry news, our editorial staff is always searching for products and pertinent literature. Our July Buyer’s Guide and online Buyer’s Guide help you find the equipment you may need to keep growing and improving. Our monthly technical articles are intended to inform you of new technologies and educate you as to how you may use or benefit from new or existing technology.

We are always interested in hearing from you as well. If there is some way that we may be able to respond to an industry need that we are not currently meeting, please e-mail your feedback to me.

While our 75th anniversary was a great opportunity to reflect on where we have been, our mission and objectives keep us looking forward to what is yet to come. The end of a year is a great time for all of us to do the same personally and professionally. It has been a great year in 2006, but 2007 promises to be even better.

AtIndustrial Heatingour wish for you is for a wonderful holiday season with family and friends and a new year filled with continuous improvement.