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Rio Tinto plans to provide responsibly sourced aluminum to the BMW Group’s vehicle production plant in Spartanburg, S.C., for use in body components starting in 2024. Low-carbon primary aluminum from Rio Tinto’s hydro-powered operations in Canada, combined with recycled content, could generate a reduction of up to 70% in CO₂ emissions compared to BMW Group’s benchmark for aluminum. The two companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see technical experts working together on how to embed low-carbon solutions into BMW Group’s supply chain while ensuring the highest standards of vehicle quality are maintained.

Delta H manufactured and supplied twin convection furnace systems to Winston Heat Treating of Dayton, Ohio. The SCAHT-HD series furnaces replaced older tempering systems that were extremely difficult to qualify to Class 5 (+/-25°F). The furnaces had to be heavy duty for rugged daily use in a commercial heat-treating facility. Another challenging design aspect was the ability to heat rapidly but cool just as fast without damage to interior metal. A load heat treated at 1000°F (538°C) could be quickly followed by the next at 300°F (149°C). The result is that the Delta H furnaces can heat and cool in a fraction of the time of the previous systems.  

Nucor Corp. announced that the company’s Towers & Structures business unit will build a new transmission tower production plant in Decatur, Ala. The facility will be located adjacent to the Nucor Steel Decatur sheet steel mill and will be the first of two new tower production plants the company plans to build. The project is expected to create 200 full-time jobs.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced that that Samkee Corp., a South Korean automotive supplier, plans to invest $128 million to open its first U.S. factory in Alabama through a project that will create 170 jobs in Tuskegee. Samkee is poised to begin construction on the new manufacturing facility in the Tuskegee Commerce Park. The company will serve as a Tier 1 supplier to Hyundai Motor Co. Founded in 1978, Samkee specializes in high-pressure die-cast aluminum components, including parts for engines, transmissions and electric vehicles. Parts production at the advanced casting facility in Macon County is expected to begin during 2024.

SECO/WARWICK received an order from an international organization in the field of industrial automation for a heat-treatment system. The company aims to establish a captive hardening plant within its machine park. The comprehensive technological line for hardening applications will consist of two vacuum furnaces, one atmosphere furnace and a washer. The furnaces will be used for hardening and vacuum carburizing the elements used in motor reducer production. These parts are used in the production process for automation applications in industries such as automotive, aviation and printing. The vacuum furnaces on order have compact dimensions that meet the customer’s requirements for hardening and carburizing parts, specifically gears, pinions and shafts.

Bodycote, the world’s largest provider of thermal-processing services, announced that its near-term science-based emissions target has been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). SBTi is an independent global body enabling businesses to set and validate emissions reduction targets in line with the latest climate science and strict criteria. The initiative is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and one of the We Mean Business Coalition commitments.

Voestalpine High Performance Metals del Perú installed a Nitrex system for nitriding and nitrocarburizing a wide range of components made from high-performance steels. This new addition strengthens the company’s position as a provider of high-tech thermal processes on par with highly industrialized countries and expands its capabilities to meet the needs of industries such as mining, metal, energy and others. The pit-type furnace is designed to process workloads measuring 23.5 inches (600 mm) in diameter x 47.25 inches (1,200 mm) high weighing up to 1,700 pounds (800 kg). Process technologies include Nitreg controlled nitriding, Nitreg-C controlled nitrocarburizing and ONC post-oxidation.

Solar Manufacturing built, shipped and installed a vacuum furnace for a commercial heat-treating and brazing facility in eastern Pennsylvania. The Mentor has stainless steel chamber, a work zone measuring 12 inches x 12 inches x 18 inches and a maximum operating temperature of 2400°F (1315°C) with a workload capacity of 250 pounds. The furnace includes a VHS 6-inch diffusion pump for vacuum performance in the 10^-6 torr range, a high-performance 7.5-HP fan motor for internal gas quenching up to 2 bar and the SolarVac fully automated and programmable controls package with a Eurotherm digital recorder.

United States Steel Corp. will supply General Motors (GM) with its advanced and sustainable steel solution verdeX steel. According to U.S. Steel, verdeX steel is manufactured with up to 75% fewer emissions compared to traditional blast furnace production, is made with up to 90% recycled content and is endlessly recyclable without degradation. U.S. Steel’s verdeX steel will be manufactured at Big River Steel, a LEED Certified facility that also meets the ResponsibleSteel Standard site certification, along with a new advanced technology mill under construction in Osceola, Ark. The steel produced at the Big River Steel facility will begin shipping to GM manufacturing facilities starting this year.

Solar Atmospheres of Western PA announced the approval of a critical Boeing specification for the oil quenching of alloy steels in accordance with Boeing’s specification BAC 5617.