PUBLISHER'S PAGE Archives - Page 3 of 4

Letter from the Publisher: Supply Chain of Thankfulness — No Shortages Here

January 12, 2022 / FEATURED NEWS, PUBLISHER'S PAGE

Heat Treat Today publishes eight print magazines a year and included in each is a letter from the publisher, Doug Glenn. This letter first appeared in Heat Treat Today's December 2021 Medical and Energy print edition.

It’s December. Another year is mostly in the rearview mirror — unbelievable! Second only to COVID-19, America’s embattled supply chain has been top-of-mind for pretty much everyone in the North American heat treat industry. Just yesterday, a frantic heat treater called me asking where he could get a certain type of quench fluid necessary for aluminum processing. His go-to supplier ran out and he was in dire need of enough fluid to completely refill his rather large quench tank. It’s not good when the shelves are bare at the industrial grocery store.

The supply chain troubles will most likely not end soon. After shuttering the economy for nearly a year, we should not be surprised.

Nevertheless, as 2021 winds down, there is MUCH for which we should be thankful.

Thankful for Ancestors Who Fought to Defend Freedom

You’re reading this in December; I’m writing in mid-November, just prior to the oft-forgotten holiday of Thanksgiving. In fact, just yesterday was Veterans Day here in the United States and Remembrance Day in Canada — a time to remember and give thanks for the sacrifices made by men and women who fought to defend their and our freedom. When we stop and think about all the freedoms that we continue to have because of their sacrifice, we should be immensely thankful. Beyond being thankful, I hope many of us will be as brave as them and continue the fight to keep us free from internal and external enemies . . . of which there are many.

Most of the time, defending freedom doesn’t look like war or armed combat. Most of the time, it simply involves saying “no” to the little intrusions that well-intended civil authorities attempt to press on us. It’s not a popular position to hold in 21st century America, but our Founding Fathers, who had a much better sense of the latent evil in ALL men, had a healthy skepticism about those in authority. Get this… they understood that ALL men were sinners (evil by nature) and would tend to use any power granted to them for their own good and at the expense of others. I’m thankful for people who still think like our ancestors and are willing to sacrifice so much for our freedoms.

Thankful for Colleagues and Industry Friends

I’m also very thankful for colleagues and friends in the North American heat treat industry who make being in this industry so enjoyable. There are a lot of very good people in this industry. As I tell many newbies, “There are just a lot of very nice people in this industry. You’ll fit right in!” There are countless numbers of you who invest time and energy into helping others. One of my favorites is Mike Shay. Mike is no longer active in the industry, but for years, he worked for Hauck Manufacturing and was also a fully invested Scout leader. Mike spent untold hours helping young boys mature into thoughtful, freedom-loving men. Mike is just ONE example. There are MANY more.

Although supply chain issues will undoubtedly continue, the one supply chain that will never run dry is the supply chain of thankfulness. Thank you for being a Heat Treat Today reader. And thank you for the time you invest helping others enjoy their time in this great industry. Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! The Heat Treat Today team wishes (and prays) for a good and prosperous 2022 for each of you.

Letter from the Publisher: Supply Chain of Thankfulness — No Shortages Here Read More »

Letter from the Publisher: Inflation & Rising Prices – Not the Same Things

Heat Treat Today publishes eight print magazines a year, and included in each is a letter from the publisher, Doug Glenn. This letter first appeared in Heat Treat Today's November 2021 Vacuum Heat Treating print edition.

“Inflation” is in the news, and it could have a significant impact on the heat treat industry. What is it? Why is it suddenly a problem? How might it impact the heat treat industry? Below are simple answers in layman’s language, but if you want to dig deeper into inflation, let me STRONGLY recommend two books by the late Dr. Hans Sennholz (1922–2007): Age of Inflation (1979, paperbacks selling on Amazon for more than $600.00! – I guess I’m keeping my copy under lock and key!) and Money and Freedom (1985, available free in PDF format found here).

What Is Inflation?

Simply stated, it is an increase in the amount of money in the economy – period. When you “inflate” a balloon, you increase the amount of air inside the balloon. In the same way, monetary inflation is the increase in the amount of money inside the economy. Properly understood, inflation is NOT rising prices; however, rising prices CAN be, and often are, one effect of inflation. The media and much of the general public, including our governing officials, often use “inflation” and “rising prices” synonymously. They are NOT the same thing, and it helps to know the difference if you’re going to have an intelligent conversation with anyone about the topic. Short answer: Inflation is an increase in the amount of money in the economy – period.

Why Is It Suddenly a Problem?

The short answer to that question is also simple. Take a look at the chart which shows two different measures of the amount of money in the economy – M1 and M2. There is no need to define M1 and M2 for the purposes of this column, but suffice it to say that both measure the amount of money in the economy and that M1 is part of M2. Look at the far right-hand side of the chart. See anything unusual?

In 2020, the curves headed for the stars. Notice that the chart starts in 1959. We have NEVER seen this type of inflation (an increase in the money supply) since 1959 and, based on my knowledge, NEVER before in the history of this country. While a general rise in all prices is NOT inflation, one of the main effects of inflation is a general rise in all prices. Not all prices will rise at the same time or at the same rate, but if the money supply is increased (inflation) then there is more money per item to be purchased and over time, people will bid up the price of all goods and services.

Short answer: Rising prices (which is what the media mean when they say inflation”) are suddenly a problem because we are inflating the money supply at an enormous rate never seen in the history of this country; and since there is more money per item to be purchased, it is INEVITABLE that prices will rise.

This economic law is inexorable and unchangeable – much like the law of gravity. At the rate we’re inflating (increasing the money supply) we WILL have rising prices.

How Will Inflation Impact the Heat Treat Industry?

There’s nothing special about the heat treat industry when it comes to inflation (an increase in the money supply) and rising prices (one effect of inflation). Just like every other industry and every other household, manufacturers with their own in-house heat treat departments WILL be hit with increasing prices for nearly all goods and services. These rising prices are the result of the increase in the supply of money in our economy (inflation). There is no predicting how it will hit or how quickly prices will rise or when price increases will stabilize, if ever. But what we can say with certainty is that one cause for rising prices is inflation and we are inflating at rates never seen in the history of this country.

Hans Sennholz’s books, mentioned in the first paragraph of this column, are excellent resources for understanding inflation and the reasons why our rulers, both Republican and Democrat, do not have the courage to stop increasing the money supply. Our Founding Fathers warned us about what they called “fiat” money – paper money not backed by silver or gold. The U.S. Constitution clearly states that only gold and silver should be money, NOT paper (ref: Art.1, Sec. 10, Clause 1). Nonetheless, there have been supposedly “wiser” men who felt that paper money would be a better option. So here we are, inflating at unprecedented rates and bracing ourselves for what could be a very interesting ride.

Letter from the Publisher: Inflation & Rising Prices – Not the Same Things Read More »

Letter from the Publisher: Why Steel Is “Kickin’ Butt”

November 4, 2021 / FEATURED NEWS, PUBLISHER'S PAGE

Heat Treat Today publishes eight print magazines a year, and included in each is a letter from the publisher, Doug Glenn. This letter first appeared in Heat Treat Today's August 2021 Automotive print edition.

For those who might not know, AISTech is the annual conference produced by AIST, the Association of Iron & Steel Technology (www.aist.org), under the executive directorship of Ronald Ashburn and his capable staff, most of whom work out of Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, just north of Pittsburgh and less than one hour from where I live (Go Steelers!). AISTech was not held in 2020 due to the response to COVID-19, but it was held this year in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 29 through July 1.

Here’s what I learned at AISTech this year:

(1) The steel industry is a rugged lot. Unsurprisingly, the men and women of the North American steel industry are not easily daunted. COVID hit many industries hard, and steel is no exception, but the folks in this industry are still up and swinging. Granted, the governors of most states deemed the steel industry as “essential” for COVID purposes (with the concept of governments identifying some industries as essential and others not being a topic for another day!) thus, most of the steel industry stayed active throughout 2020.

The fact is, the steel industry is a resilient and innovative lot, even in the midst of oppressive government restrictions on pretty much the entire economy. No where was that more evident than in Nashville. According to official numbers, roughly half of the usual 8,000ish attendees to AISTech were in Nashville. A pretty decent turnout considering that AISTech was one of the first significant face-to-face events to return to Nashville. Nashville was certainly happy to host the event and many from the steel industry showed up in person, without many masks or much social distancing, to enjoy a return to relative normal.

(2) The U.S. steel industry is one of the most innovative and aggressive in the world. The keynote speaker and this year’s recipient of the Steelmaker of the Year award, chairman, president, and CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, Lourenco Goncalves, who has a column in this issue of Heat Treat Today (see page 8), explained that when it comes to steelmaking, no country on the planet holds a candle to the United States, especially when it comes to the amount of CO2 produced for each ton of steel created.

(3) During the press conference which followed the President’s Award Breakfast on June 30th, I asked Mr. Goncalves to comment on the use of hydrogen combustion. He took me to school (in a very gracious way) on the fact that hydrogen combustion, while not an emerging technology to be ignored, was not something commercially viable in the North American steelmaking industry and probably won’t be for many years.

In Europe, where the abundance of natural gas is not so great, hydrogen might be a more viable option in the near future, but that’s not likely to be the case here in North America where natural gas is abundant and relatively cheap. He also pointed out that a large constituent of natural gas is hydrogen, so in one sense, the North American steelmaking industry is already heavily invested in hydrogen, just not 100% hydrogen.

(4) Finally, I learned that (sorry aluminum fans) it is steel’s “game to lose” when it comes to which material will be used most heavily in the future of the North American automotive industry. While aluminum body panels have been popular of late, the fact is that steel “owns” the vast majority of automobile manufacturing and will continue to do so for two reasons: 1) the development of high-strength steels, and 2) the fact that it takes exceedingly less energy and the creation of vastly less CO2 to produce a ton of steel vs. a ton of aluminum. If you’re truly “green,” steel is the (unlikely) way to go.

I leave you with this. The July 2021 Investors Presentation which is publicly available on Cleveland-Cliffs’ website has a lot of very, very interesting information not only about the company, but about the North American steel industry as it compares to other countries and how steel compares to other materials such as aluminum, composites, etc. I recommend it for those who have more than a casual interest in steel. View the report here.

Letter from the Publisher: Why Steel Is “Kickin’ Butt” Read More »

Letter from the Publisher: Heat Treat Help – Looking Forward to 2022

October 14, 2021 / PUBLISHER'S PAGE

Heat Treat Today publishes eight print magazines a year, and included in each is a letter from the publisher, Doug Glenn. This letter first appeared in Heat Treat Today's September 2021 Trade Show print edition.

We believe people are happier and make better decisions when they are well informed. That’s the mantra that every Heat Treat Today team member knows by heart. These simple words drive pretty much every thing we do.

Be helpful. That’s it. Simple.

As we round the fourth corner and head for the finish line of 2021 – yet another pandemic year (!) – let’s set our sights on 2022 and some new and interesting things that Heat Treat Today will be doing to help you make better decisions.

(1) Our new, big launch in 2022 will be Heat Treat Boot Camp (see the ad on page 22A). This will be a never-before-seen face-to-face event for those who want to get up to speed quickly on the commercial side of the North American heat treat industry. Ideal for new employees or for investors wanting to understand the basics of the marketplace, heat treat industry expert Thomas Wingens and I will spend a day and a half cramming 2+ years’ worth of information into the heads of the attendees. From a 30,000-foot level, we’ll cover the materials, markets, products, processes, and players that make up the North American heat treat market. When attendees leave this seminar, they’ll be way ahead of their peers who have not taken this course. They’ll be happier because they will be well informed and able to make better decisions.

The actual date(s) and location(s) have not been confirmed, but you can check the latest information at www.heattreattoday.com/bootcamp.

(2) Heat Treat Buyer's Guide is another helpful tool that will assist our readers – manufacturers with their own in-house heat treat shop especially in aerospace, automotive, medical, and energy as well as general manufacturing – make better decisions. We launched this industry-leading platform earlier this year (2021) and so far, it has been very successful. If you haven’t seen it, take a minute to visit www.heattreatbuyersguide.com. You’ll love it. And if you’re a supplier to the industry and you are not listed in this valuable resource, please contact me and we’ll get you listed ASAP.

(3) Heat Treat Radio, Heat Treat Consultants, and the ever-popular Heat Treat Daily are three other resources that are constantly helping our readers stay happy by being well informed. You can get to Heat Treat Radio at www.heattreattoday.com/radio. You can check out Heat Treat Consultants at www.heattreattoday.com/consultants. And you can subscribe to our weekday e-newsletter, Heat Treat Daily, by going to www.heattreattoday.com/subscribe. The Consultants Page is especially helpful for those in-house heat treaters who are experiencing heat treat "brain drain". Call one of the consultants listed on this page, and they’ll give you a hand.

(4) And finally, if you want more can’t-miss-resources, check out the list of 39 Top Heat Treat Resources listed in this month’s edition. We’ve gathered some super helpful information from around the industry – information that will make you happy. . . because you’ll be well informed and able to make better decisions.

The most helpful thing we can do is keep you and your people well informed, with “people” being the operative word. People (you) truly are our most valuable asset. Read Ken Gronbach’s column on page 8 for more insights into gaining and maintaining people over the next decade and enjoy learning about the 40 Heat Treat Today’s rising young leaders in the North American heat treat industry – 40 Under 40 Class of 2021 found on pages 32-55.

Here’s to you being well informed and happy. Enjoy this issue.

Letter from the Publisher: Heat Treat Help – Looking Forward to 2022 Read More »

Publisher’s Page: All NEW Heat Treat Buyers Guide

July 12, 2021 / HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES, PUBLISHER'S PAGE

Heat Treat Today publishes eight print magazines a year, and included in each is a letter from the publisher, Doug Glenn. This letter first appeared in Heat Treat Today's May 2021 Induction print edition.

I’m not positive, but it seems to me that it was back in 1992 or 1994 when my former employer launched the heat treating industry’s very first PRINT Buyers Guide. I remember with certainty that it was a HUGE undertaking every July. The excellent team at Industrial Heating in those days (many of whom are still there) did yeoman’s work to get this helpful resource into the industry every year. It was always a great relief when the issue finally hit the street.

Nearly 30 years later, Industrial Heating announced last year that they were no longer going to print a monthly magazine which, I believe, includes their big July Buyers Guide.

In steps Heat Treat Today. We’re big believers in print, and we’re big believers in online and print buyers guides. So, this June (next month), Heat Treat Today will officially launch its very first print and online North American heat treat industry Buyers Guide. Woo hoo!! Let the fun begin.You can preview the online Buyers Guide at www.HeatTreatBuyersGuide.com (super cool URL, eh?), although we’re not officially launching it until mid- to late- June. But go ahead, take a quick look. The big print edition will come out in late June as well.

We’re really excited about both the online and print versions of this Buyers Guide.

The online version is super-sleek. While we’ll undoubtedly make improvements as we go on, the initial look and functionality is uniquely simple and modern. It is also the very first Buyers Guide that combines both heat treat equipment and related services and commercial heat treating services. If you’re looking for either, you’ll find it at www.HeatTreatBuyersGuide.com.

If you’re an industry supplier, you should search the site for your company. If you’re not there, you should create a listing. If you are there and your listing is “unclaimed,” claim it.

We’re also very excited about the print version. There’s been a lot of talk about the death of print magazines and print directories. In fact, it was the belief that print’s days are limited that prompted the aforementioned thermal processing publication to essentially abandon print. As Mark Twain is reported to have asserted, “The rumors of my death have been vastly exaggerated.” So it is with the rumors of print’s death – vastly exaggerated.

Heat Treat Today's research arm recently conducted two broad based studies – one on batch integral quench furnace systems and another on induction heating technologies and usage – and both returned very similar results to an identical question we asked in each. The question was, “When reading through an industrial trade magazine, which do you prefer?” Here are the combined answers:

Said another way, if you drop print, you’ve lost nearly 40% of your audience. That doesn’t make sense. So, we’re not going to go that route. We’re committed to keeping print a priority and June’s Buyers Guide is no exception.

Watch for it in June, Heat Treat Buyers Guide. Or get a sneak preview now at www.HeatTreatBuyersGuide.com.

Publisher’s Page: All NEW Heat Treat Buyers Guide Read More »

The Show Must Go On – Thank Goodness!

June 23, 2021 / HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES, PUBLISHER'S PAGE

Heat Treat Today publishes eight print magazines a year, and included in each is a letter from the publisher, Doug Glenn. This letter first appeared in Heat Treat Today‘s June 2021 Buyers Guide print edition.

We’re seeing the backside of COVID as it slouches off into the sunset. Masks are coming off. People are standing less than six feet apart. Hands are being shaken as opposed to elbows being bumped. And planes, trains, buses, interstate highways, office buildings, and restaurants are starting to fill up again with real live people.

So are convention centers.

Such is the case in the North American heat treat industry. . . and none too soon. ASM International recently announced that their IMAT event which includes the long-standing Heat Treat Society sponsored Heat Treat Conference and Exposition (aka Heat Treat Show) will be live and face-to-face this coming September 14-16, in St. Louis. Amen and amen!

Heat Treat Today is one of the sponsors of the ASM Heat Treat Show, and we couldn’t be happier to get together with all of our friends and colleagues at this year’s event. On page 8 of this edition, Eric Hutton explains a bit more about the event. Be sure to read his column. This publication will be heavily promoting the Heat Treat Show as something good and worthy of your attendance. Considering that the last major face-to-face industry event was the 2019 ASM Heat Treat Show, it will be a real blessing to be back in a booth, shaking hands and catching up with industry colleagues, customers, and prospects.

“People are happier and make better decision when they are well informed” has been the driving force behind all that Heat Treat Today does. Our goal is to help people become well informed, and with nearly 24 months since the last face-to-face event, there is certainly a lot of informing that needs to happen. That’s why we’re excited to be one of the key promoters of this year’s event. We hope that you’ll take the time to attend the show, and bring your entire heat treat department with you.

Another way we keep people well informed is by helping them connect with suppliers who can provide them with the equipment, supplies, components, and/or services that they need. That’s exactly what this month’s issue is all about – connecting buyers and sellers of heat treat equipment and services. This is Heat Treat Today's 1st Annual Buyers Guide. We’re super pleased with how it has turned out, and we are absolutely certain that next year’s Heat Treat Buyers Guide will be even bigger and better.

In the Heat Treat Buyers Guide, you will be able to find ANY heat treat equipment, supplies, components, sub-systems, or heat treating services that is known to man. If not, let us know and we’ll see if we can add it to the list of improvements for next year. On page 6, our managing editor, Karen Gantzer, explains how to get the most out of this resource. That’s a page worth referencing.

And don’t forget, all of the information presented in this annual print version of the Heat Treat Buyers Guide is updated continually at www.HeatTreatBuyersGuide.com. In the online version, you’ll be able to access the very latest information. When this print issue was going to the printer, there were still a significant number of heat treat industry suppliers who had not updated their listings. By this time next year, there will definitely be more, so don’t forget to check out the online version of this Heat Treat Buyers Guide for the very latest.

If you don’t find what you’re looking for, please let us know. We’re always glad to help.

Whether it’s the Heat Treat Buyers Guide or the upcoming ASM Heat Treat Show, we hope you become and stay well informed in 2021. If there’s anything we can do to help, please let us know. We’re wishing you the very best in 2021 – a true face-to-face, closer than six feet, hand shaking, blessed year.

The Show Must Go On – Thank Goodness! Read More »

Publisher’s Page: Where’d You Learn THAT?

May 17, 2021 / PUBLISHER'S PAGE

Last month, this magazine featured a heat treat IQ issue. The issue had everything you need to know about IQ (integral quench) furnaces – the most rugged and widely used furnaces in the heat treat world. The magazine wasn’t really dealing with a person’s IQ (intelligence quotient), but it did get me thinking about how our current and future readers learn about heat treat.

Reading something on the Internet about heat treat can be a risky venture. “I read it on the Internet; therefore, it must be true.” That statement sarcastically makes the point that “I read it on the Internet; therefore, it might very well might NOT be true.” The statement casts doubt on the veracity of anything you might read on the “Interweb.” How is it then that professionals in the heat treat industry learn heat treat stuff these days? Where are they getting their information and how can we be sure that it’s true, accurate and helpful?

Although it’s “cool” to think and say that “digital” is all the rage, multiple studies say otherwise. These studies confirm that material delivered in a hardcopy print format is more believable, trusted, and keeps the reader’s attention for longer than digital content.

Heat Treat Today’s 20-something year old podcast and daily e-newsletter editor, Bethany Funk, – who is also an excellent researcher – pulled together some interesting research regarding print and digital delivery of educational content. According to one study she found from MarketingSherpa, “. . . more people said that they trusted print ads than any other medium.”

Notice that the above research was conducted with UNIVERSITY STUDENTS (youngins as we like to call them) and that the study was performed in 2015 – not that long ago.

While digital learning is good, the evidence seems to point to hardcopy learning as being the preferred method – even for younger folks. Who’da guessed?

Undoubtedly, digital delivery of content is here to stay, and the cost to produce that content is sometimes exceptionally low. Low cost of production inexorably leads to an excess of supply and poor quality. That’s what we’re seeing today – a lot of information and a lot of question

Here’s the remedy. We’re here to help. Our editors will find, filter, and format heat treating content so that it is most applicable, useful, and helpful to you. If you search the internet for “heat treat,” you’re going to come up with a whole lot of stuff that has nothing to do with industrial heat treating – think wood, biomedical, dental, food processing, etc. – all of which have “heat treat” in their name but have very little to do with the type of heat treating in which you are interested.

If you’re interested in learning about heat treating, I suggest Heat Treat Today – hard copy magazine, website, e-newsletters, and Heat Treat Radio. We’re here to help you learn.

Publisher’s Page: Where’d You Learn THAT? Read More »

Standardization vs. Innovation

February 15, 2021 / FEATURED NEWS, HEAT TREAT NEWS INDUSTRIES, PUBLISHER'S PAGE

This brief original content column by Heat Treat Today’s publisher, Doug Glenn, is from the most recent print magazine, Air and Atmosphere 2021. Are standardization and innovation in competition with one another, or do they assist each other? Which one is better to have? Read this article weighing the economics, business, and cultural realities of both.

In the heat treat industry, I wonder what effect standardization has had on innovation. This is a somewhat loaded question given the number of companies in the North American heat treat industry that are invested in industry standards such as AMS2750, CQI-9, and a large alphabet soup bowl of other standards. I’d like to hear your specific stories about how standardization has been helpful or harmful. Maybe Heat Treat Today can do a future article on the topic if we get enough responses. But in lieu of those real-life anecdotes, let’s think for a moment about the relationship between innovation and standardization.

First, I think that nearly everyone would agree that innovation is a good thing and should be encouraged. Many of today’s conveniences are the result of yesterday’s innovations. Certainly, not EVERY innovation is good, but encouraging a company, economy, or culture of innovation is far and away preferred to the absence of innovation.

Second, we should also acknowledge the benefits of standardization. Repeatability is the hallmark of high production societies. Knowing that you’re always going to get the same burger at any McDonald’s across the country is a huge selling point for that fast food giant. And when it comes to mission-critical or life-critical goods or services, who would not want the assurance that “past performance is a good indicator of future results.” I prefer my heart surgeon to do the same thing every time!

Third, let’s be clear that standardization and innovation are, by nature, mortal enemies in the sense that each tends to destroy the other. An atmosphere of standardization, where everything is always done the same – over and over again – is antithetical to shaking things up and trying new and sometimes odd things. Likewise, an atmosphere of innovation, cuts directly across the same sameness of standardization. If you do it differently one time, standardization is destroyed.

There is wonderfully simple and brilliant book written by the towering mind of Ludwig von Mises called Bureaucracy which contrasts bureaucratic organizations with profit-driven organizations. I recommend it highly (search Bureaucracy, von Mises) and it has something to say about the differences between bureaucratic organizations, which are highly standardized by nature, as well as being profit-driven organizations that tend to be less standardized and more innovative. One of his points is that there is a place for both in the world. The military, for example, is not a good place for question-asking and innovation, especially in the midst of a battle. In a military setting, do what you’re told without question and don’t deviate/innovate. In a profit- driven business, however, this same mindset is not so healthy – take for example the postal system or another bureaucratic organization where responsiveness to customer needs is not highly valued.

Some may say that there is a standardized process for being innovative. Could be.

Where’s the balance and how do we know if/when we’ve gone too far in either direction?

I’d be interested to hear your heat treat stories of when and why standardization or innovation is good, and especially how these two live comfortably together.

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Publisher’s Page: Fracking

December 18, 2020 / PUBLISHER'S PAGE

Heat Treat Today publishes four print magazines a year, and included in each is a letter from the publisher, Doug Glenn. This letter first appeared in Heat Treat Today‘s Medical and Energy Heat Treating magazine, December 2020.

Home heating oil is going for $1.49 per gallon. 525.4 gallons was just pumped into the two, 275-gallon fuel oil tanks in the basement of my 1900’s-era farmhouse. Eleven months ago, when I last filled those tanks, fuel oil was selling for $2.35 per gallon. $1.49 is the lowest price I’ve paid in the 10 years I’ve lived in this drafty old house, and it represents a 36% drop in price.

Let’s put the blame on fracking for the price drop. We can’t really blame COVID – although we can and should blame COVID for nearly everything else that went wrong in 2020, but not the drop in fuel oil prices specifically, and energy prices in general.

My acquaintance and friend, Dr. Mark W. Hendrickson, retired adjunct faculty member, economist, and fellow for economics and social policy with the Institute for Faith and Freedom (www.faithandfreedom.com) at Grove City College (www.gcc.edu), my alma mater, in western Pennsylvania, recently published a short and thought-provoking article about fracking. You can read Dr. Hendrickson’s entire blog post by clicking here (if you’re reading this in digital format – which apparently only roughly 30% of you are), or if you’re reading this in the “old-fashioned” print edition (roughly 70% of you!), I’ll summarize a few of the more salient points below, or you can jump on your computer and Bing or Google “mark hendrickson faith freedom why fracking is a big issue.” It will pop up as one of the first search results. More on this article in just one moment. But first …

Since this issue covers heat treatments in the energy and medical industries, please notice the article in this issue that deals with heat treating a fracking pump valve seat. The article is an edited version of one of four Heat Treat Radio interviews conducted with Integrated Heat Treating Solutions CEO, Joe Powell. If you’re involved in the oil and gas industry or any other energy related industry, this fracking article will be of interest to you. Joe explains how his company more than doubles the life of a mission-critical valve seat in a down-hole fracking pump by introducing some very, very unique heat treating and quenching processes. (Spoiler: the secret is in the quenching!) Read and enjoy – or if you’d prefer to listen, click here.

Now, back to Dr. Mark Hendrickson’s blog post on fracking, Why Fracking is a Big Issue. Dr. Hendrickson points out “the strange tendency of many people who have benefited from economic advances to denounce and vilify the source of their prosperity, a sort of ‘bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you’ phenomenon.” The “denouncing and vilifying” of fracking is one good example of this strange psychosis.

Hendrickson continues, “The enormous boost that cheap natural gas gives to the American economy is reason enough to continue with fracking, but there are also important geopolitical, health, and environmental benefits to natural gas.” Geopolitically, fracking has made the US energy independent. In terms of human health and safety, natural gas is “far safer for workers to extract than coal, and burning it causes much less pollution than coal.”

Much more could be said; much more is said in Hendrickson’s short article. I recommend his article to you.

I like paying $1.49 per gallon for my fuel oil, but I’m not in favor of that price if there is an obvious harm being done to a specific person. Dealing with legitimate environmental, health, and safety issues verifiably caused by fracking is reasonable and good; completely eliminating fracking seems extreme. Long live $1.49 (or less) fuel oil prices for all!

Publisher’s Page: Fracking Read More »

Publisher’s Page: Happy Thanksgiving

November 25, 2020 / FEATURED NEWS, PUBLISHER'S PAGE

Thanks for 2020 – as interesting as it has been.

Thanks for extra time at home with family and friends this year.

Thanks for helping us to understand that we don’t have to be in the office for long hours to get work done.

Thanks for the business we were able to keep.

Thanks for face-to-face meeting technology (like Zoom) … and the necessity of learning how to use it.

Thanks for sheltering-at-home-induced stir craziness and the realization that people are important.

Thanks for reminding us that seeing a person’s full face is far better than seeing their eyes only.

Thanks for people who smile with their eyes.

Thanks for people-loving people who hate masks but wear them to protect their fellow man.

Thanks for freedom-loving people who don’t wear masks because they believe government has overstepped.

Thanks for those who care for our physical bodies when we get ill.

Thanks for those who take care of our spiritual bodies when we get sick, sinful, weary and/or afraid.

Thanks for all those handshakes we took for granted before COVID.

Thanks for all those less-than-six-foot encounters before COVID.

Thanks for the deeper understanding of what the word “normal” means.

Thanks for the hope of brighter days ahead.

Thanks to all of you Heat Treat Today readers and advertisers who have made 2020 such an enjoyable year. All of us pray God’s richest blessing on you and your family over the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season.

In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Holy Bible, 1 Thessalonians 5:18

– Doug Glenn, publisher, Heat Treat Today (November 2020)

(photo source: Davies Design Studio at unsplash.com)

Publisher’s Page: Happy Thanksgiving Read More »

PUBLISHER’S PAGE