IHI Corp. of Japan entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares in VTN Beteiligungsgesellschaft, a heat-treatment service provider based in Germany. IHI Machinery and Furnace Co. Ltd. (IMS), IHI’s 100% subsidiary company, is a vacuum-furnace supplier and a leader in vacuum carburizing technology with a patent for carburizing with acetylene gas. The acquisition of VTN, which operates five heat-treat plants in Germany, is a step for global expansion of IHI/IMS vacuum heat-treatment technology through the European market. VTN’s process engineering complements the heat-treatment machinery design and engineering experience at IHI/IMS.