As our economy continues to strengthen and steel production increases in the U.S., several of the mills that have been idled for years are beginning to come back on line.

Registration is open for IHEA’s Fundamentals of Industrial Process Heating online learning course, which begins on April 15. The course is ideal for students who wish to further their studies at home or work in a flexible web-based, distance-learning format. It’s an affordable alternative to campus-based classes and allows students to go at their own pace.

Here are 12 tips that you will find extremely helpful when attending Thermprocess, GIFA, METEC and NEWCAST 2019 June 25-29 at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany.

How many hours per week do you work on average? How satisfied are you with certain elements of your job? What will be the biggest challenge for your company in the next 12 months?

A refractory paddle mixer delivers fast mix times while working with mixtures that include aggregates up to 0.5 inches thick.

Safety inspection cages and personal protection tunnels are designed for heightened worker safety.

Redi-Shapes precast shapes are designed to help steel and aluminum makers significantly reduce the time and labor costs required to repair furnace refractory linings.

Thermbond 7200 Series can substantially reduce the cost of most furnace repairs through its ability to provide consistent properties regardless of installation method.

The Safe Cronite business unit of the Safe Group has been purchased by its CEO Pierre Wittmann and a group of managers in partnership with investment funds driven by CICLAD. The company, now Cronite, designs and manufactures fixtures and parts in refractory alloys for the heat-treatment, steel, incineration, power-generation, automotive and aerospace industries. Cronite operates seven plants in France, England, Germany, China, India and Mexico. The company has sales offices in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Sweden.

As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This is certainly true when it comes to your refractories.