The Grand Rapids facility is upgrading to Argon quench capabilities as part of their product offerings.  Argon is a high purity gas, minimizing surface contaminants.  This new capability will be primarily used by the aerospace and medical industries.  Argon quench capabilities will be available in early August.

The Holland facility is adding new vacuum temper capacity!  Our new furnace will be ready for production in early August!

Our Grand Rapids plant completed their Nadcap audit the week of July 11th.  We hope to have the official accreditation soon.  Stay tuned for updates.

Specialty was proud to be named to the list of "West Michigan's 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For" again in 2011.  The awards ceremony was held by the Michigan Business and Professional Association (MBPA) in May at the Pinnacle Center in the Grand Rapids area.

Brian Hall joined the Elkhart team in May as the Quality Assurance Manager.  Brian started out his career earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education and has continued his education throughout his career taking many classes through ASM and Eastern Michigan University.  Brian has most recently earned an Extended Diploma from ASM in Thermal Processing.  Throughout Brian's career he held a variety of positions we believe will bring a new broad perspective to the Elkhart facility.

Jerry Rabe had been serving as the Elkhart Quality Assurance Manager on a contract basis and has now accepted the position of the Grand Rapids Quality Assurance Manager.  Jerry earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Western Michigan University, a Masters of Management from Aquinas, and is a Certified Lean Six Sigma and Green Belt.  Jerry is very passionate about continuous improvement and hopes to use his experience and knowledge to bring our quality processes to a new level.

We are happy to announce that Bill Flower has been promoted to President of Specialty Heat Treating, Inc.  Bill started with Specialty in June, 1988.  After orientation periods in both the Grand Rapids and Elkhart facilities, Bill took on the challenge as the Plant Manager of a Specialty start up plant in Athens, Alabama.  In 1996, Bill returned to Michigan and served as the Grand Rapids Plant Manager and then the Holland Plant Manager.  Bill was instrumental in the Holland start up as well as significant expansions in Grand Rapids, Holland, and Elkhart.  He also pl

For the 7th time in 8 years Specialty Heat Treating, Inc. is the recipient of "West Michigan's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" by the Michigan Business and Professional Organization.

Like many small companies that have long relied on the auto industry, Specialty Heat Treating is adding diversity to its customer base; specifically, it is taking on more work in aerospace and defense — but it is not abandoning the automotive industry.

"We are and I think we always will be" an auto industry supplier, said Sara McMurray, sales manager.

For over a year, our Senior Vice President, Bill Flower, has been acting Plant Manager for our Elkhart facility as well as performing his regular job responsibilities. Effective January 1, 2010, Dirk Young assumed the position of Plant Manager. Dirk has been with Specialty Heat Treating since August 2008 and brings over 30 years of experience in the heat treating industry to our organization. His primary duties were in quality, new process development, customer service, and safety coordination.