Gasbarre was founded in 1973 to design, manufacture and service a complete line of powder compaction and sizing presses for the powder-metallurgy industry.

Across nearly every industry and region of the world, OEMs and end users are looking for ways to improve their heat-treat equipment and processes. They are facing increasingly stringent NOx emissions regulations while also being challenged to be more eco-friendly by reducing fuel usage and lowering their carbon footprint.

Victor Oreskovich, owner of JTL Integrated Machine Ltd. (JTL) and Trenergy Inc., announced the acquisition of Can-Eng Furnaces International Ltd. Niagara Falls, Ontario-based Can-Eng has been designing and manufacturing thermal-processing equipment for ferrous and nonferrous metals since 1964. The acquisition expands Oreskovich’s family of companies to further enhance and leverage each group’s ability to include customized engineered solutions. With the addition of Can-Eng, the combined resources will increase to over 250 associates, operating at four separate locations, consisting of more than 300,000 square feet of available floor space with modern manufacturing capabilities. The acquisition will position Can-Eng for strategic growth and development activity in thermal-processing and heat-treatment markets previously not explored.

Gasbarre Thermal Processing Systems opened a 7,700-square-foot technical center in Livonia, Mich. The Livonia technical center will house engineering, sales and service personnel. Gasbarre is currently in the process of installing atmosphere and vacuum processing equipment to support product development, customer trials and demonstrations. With locations in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Michigan, the addition of the technical center allows Gasbarre to have qualified personnel to support the large customer base in the Midwest region.

Thermcraft started doing business in January 1971 from a small warehouse space in downtown Winston-Salem, N.C. From that small startup operation, Thermcraft has progressively grown into an international manufacturer of thermal-processing equipment. The company offers industrial and laboratory furnaces, ovens, high-temperature heating elements, insulation and replacement parts. Thermcraft now resides in a 70,000-square-foot manufacturing and office space located just a few miles from its original location in Winston-Salem, where it all began 50 years ago.

Employees at Onex Inc., an industrial furnace manufacturer in Erie, Pa., always looked forward to hearing about the company’s latest developments, both immediate and long-term, at weekly meetings.

Ipsen, to ensure it properly addresses the market needs of current and future customers, is establishing Technology Excellence Centers in Germany and the United States while further strengthening its offerings. The company’s equipment manufacturing business will be driven by an Atmosphere Technology Excellence Center in Kleve, Germany, and a Vacuum Technology Excellence Center near Rockford, Ill. This focus into one field of technology will enable faster-paced innovation and quicker response times.

AFC-Holcroft will move its European satellite office, which is currently located in Delémont, Switzerland, to Swiebodzin, Poland. The move was necessitated by the pending retirement of Marc Ruetsch, the current director of European operations, who announced he is stepping down in mid-2020. The new director of European operations, Marek Kedzierzynski, will be based out of Poland, and all activity related to AFC-Holcroft’s business in Europe will continue seamlessly from this new location.

Nitrex, a global provider of fully integrated heat-treating solutions and technologies, acquired G-M Enterprises, a manufacturer of vacuum furnaces. The acquisition is in line with Nitrex’s strategy to further expand its heat-treatment solutions while strengthening its products portfolio. For the past 30 years, Corona, Calif.-based G-M Enterprises has earned a reputation as a leading technological supplier of vacuum furnaces for customers in the aerospace, power-generation, energy, MIM and commercial heat-treating industries. According to Montreal-based Nitrex, the acquisition represents a great fit because both companies share the same goal of providing technologies that improve customer workflow and efficiency while maximizing the life span and quality of engineered parts and components.

Gasbarre Products Inc. (Gasbarre) announced that all manufacturing for its Thermal Processing Systems business unit will take place in its 50,000-square-foot facility in St. Marys, Pa., at the end of 2019. In 2011, Gasbarre acquired the J.L. Becker brand of industrial furnace equipment. Over the last eight years, Gasbarre has run parallel manufacturing facilities in Michigan and Pennsylvania for its furnace equipment. Consolidating the manufacturing of its common product lines allows for the most efficient use of its floor space, equipment and manufacturing processes. The company plans to invest in an additional 12,000 square feet of manufacturing space with additional office and conference-room capacity in St. Marys.