It’s that time of year once again.

July, as always, brings our annual Buyers Guide – the foremost information resource the industry has to offer.

And, this year, the ensuing months welcome two big heat-treat events: one is a newcomer to the field; the other is North America’s largest heat-treat-only conference and exhibition.

Buyers Guide

Not much has changed since our 25th anniversary edition in 2015. Our goal – to help readers make better purchasing decisions by compiling the industry’s leading manufacturers in one issue – remains the same. Our dual directories – Manufacturers and Product – still provide a simple way for you, the reader, to find the products you need and get in touch with the manufacturers you need to contact.

The Manufacturers Directory provides an alphabetical listing of companies that manufacture and sell thermal-processing equipment. Each company listing includes full contact information. Our comprehensive Product Directory is where you can find the products you need and the companies that provide them. The section is broken down into four main categories for convenience: Furnaces, Ovens & Kilns; Components, Supplies & Materials; Refractories & Insulation; and Controls, Instrumentation & Test Equipment.

You can begin your product search at our Product Index page, which lists every product and service in the directory by page number. This index is color-coded so that the product categories correspond with the color of the tabs at the top of each page. The process is simple: find the product you want, go to the page where it’s listed and see a list of companies that offer that product for sale. You can then go back to our Manufacturers Directory to find a particular company’s contact information.

Remember how I said “not much has changed?” Well, the one thing about our Buyers Guide that is new in 2016 is the newly remodeled online Buyers Guide (www.industrialheating.com/buyersguide), which offers advanced features to make your online search easier than ever before. You can search our website by company, product or keyword to find exactly what you’re looking for quickly and efficiently. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you can browse the product categories. You can also search for companies by state.

ITPS Americas

Organized by the Industrial Heating Equipment Association in cooperation with Industrial Heating, this first-time event – Aug. 10-12 in Chicago – has been developed specifically for executives from OEMs and industry suppliers to discuss relevant topics affecting the heat-treat industry. A tie-in with Thermprocess, it offers a platform for information exchange as well as meetings between industry specialists.

Learn more about ITPS Americas on page 20 or at www.ihea.org.

FNA 2016

The Metal Treating Institute, in partnership with Industrial Heating, will host this biannual event Oct. 3-5 in Nashville, Tenn. FNA is considered 2016’s largest heat-treat-only conference and expo, and it provides equipment manufacturers and customers an opportunity to gather together to learn about the latest trends in technology. This year’s show features more than 160 exhibitors and 35 technical sessions covering a range of topics. Learn more at www.furnacesnorthamerica.com.