As new approaches to energy-efficient furnace operation are met with heightened interest by a diverse customer base, Ipsen has reported healthy sales, especially of continuous heat treatment systems, with specialized heat treatment systems defying the overall trend.
Ipsen, the global market leader in the heat treating equipment, is pleased to report a rising demand in the combined 2011 and 2012 fiscal years. Expected turnover for the construction of continuous furnaces alone is expected to surpass a total of €25 million ($33 million), with a consistent upward trend. Ipsen furnaces, which are well suited to the hardening of steel for highly specialized applications, such as drive train or axle construction, have been in especially high demand ever since Ipsen further expanded its industry leadership position in the area of energy optimization. Ipsen offers complete and comprehensive advice to its customers on all applications of heat treatment technology and process engineering, focusing on traditional technologies including:
• Gas carburizing
• Nitro carburizing (now with the new HydroNit®-Sensor technology)
• Free choice of process gases, including use of synthetic gases
• Free hardening in a one- or two-stage oil quench bath
• Hardening in a multiple-stage hardening press
• Increasing use of mass-flow controllers to control the composition of the process gases
The consultation services offered by Ipsen’s process engineers are more important than ever, thanks to Ipsen’s ability to provide various furnace designs, such as rotary hearth and pusher furnaces with one- to three-track layouts. These consultations, which often lead directly to the procurement of a customized furnace, are available to the most diverse customer groups in Europe, India, China and the United States. As one experience heat treatment engineer explained: “At other companies, the plant construction people do the consultation looking at the construction plans. At Ipsen, the process engineers come out and take your production plan, as well as the materials flow, into account all at the same time. That’s a huge advantage.”
Ipsen’s pusher furnaces offer a continuous throughput of parts under a protective gas atmosphere. They are tried and tested for a wide range of applications. The sturdy construction of Ipsen furnaces makes them particularly suitable for heavy workloads. Ipsen delivers one- and multi-track furnaces for a wide range of requirements. The distinguishing feature of both construction designs is their great production flexibility.
Currently, four large, two-track, pusher-type furnaces are being produced, assembled and delivered to customers in the US. At the same time, other models are under development for new applications.
Ipsen has also announced that they will be adding six new field service engineers (FSEs) to their already strong support crew, increasing their field service team by 25% to better support customers.
The new FSEs are currently participating in the Ipsen Corporate Academy (ICA), a three-month program designed to give each participant valuable tools to help them adjust and excel. The program incorporates a number of hands-on opportunities to build both their mechanical and electrical skill sets, as well as test their problem-solving methods. They are also receiving training specially aimed toward enhancing their customer interaction skills by implementing best practices. For further information, please visit www.ipsen.de.
