Global Insider 02/2010 - Seco-Warwick

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2/2010 STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WIn an industry that demands design precision for an ever-changing market, Retech satisfies the requirement for vacuum metallurgical equipment and processes that are both proven and state-of-the-art. Since 1963, Retech has supplied equipment to Europe, Asia and North America, with over half of our products built to service the international market in aerospace, energy, medical, nuclear, and powder metallurgical markets. A firm knowledge of our customers' needs, as well as an understanding of the importance of producing cost-effective technologies, is the foundation upon which Retech is built. The company was originally formed in 1963 under the name of Schlienger Engineering, Inc. by Max Schlienger. In 1968, the company received its first patent for its Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR) furnace design. The business was sold to Corning Glass in 1973 and then reacquired by Schlienger in 1975. At which time, it was moved to Mendocino County, CA, and renamed Retech, Inc. In 1995, the business was sold to Lockheed and became the Retech division of Lockheed Environmental Systems and Technologies Company. In December 1998, Retech Services, Inc. was formedas a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation. The company became Retech Systems LLC in January 2001 after a management buyout by Jim Goltz and Peter Ottmer. In May 2007, SECO/WARWICK Group and Retech Systems LLC entered into a Strategic Alliance Agreement to combine resources and expertise to engineer, manufacture, sell and service Retech's vacuum processing equipment worldwide. The joint venture was a very logical step as many of SECO/WARWICK's customers are also Retech customers. Retech's equipment is seen in the melting, casting, and refining processes and S/ W's in the heat treating and brazing operations. Thus, the complementary equipment that has been brought together in this alliance has broadened Retech and SECO/WARWICK's combined portfolio of product offerings. SECO/WARWICK has manufacturing facilities in Pennsylvania, USA and Poland that are complementary to Retech's USA facilities in California and New Jersey. Retech has recently established an office facility in New Jersey (USA) as the center of excellence for the Retech Vacuum Arc Remelt product group and to support joint efforts with the SECO/WARWICK S.A. Vacuum Team. In 2010 another new venture was formed in China. SECO/WARWICK Retech Thermal Equipment Manufacturing Tianjin Co., Ltd (SWR) in Tianjin China. With focused support from Retech and SWSA, SWR will launch aluminum brazing, vacuum, thermal, and Retech technologies to the Chinese market in the very near future. With approximately 12550m2 of engineering, manufacturing, R&D and assembly/test facility, Retech demonstrates a high level of comprehensive production capabilities. Our design flexibility allows us to create custom equipment for any processes which require close control of critical melting parameters. Our team of engineering, manufacturing and research specialists work with each customer to tailor relevant, reliable, cost-effective solutions for the production of specialty metals. Retech is nestled in the northern part of the wine country in Ukiah, California, two hours north of San Francisco. Northern California is home to Mendocino County, which is comprised of beautiful natural landscapes including lakes, rivers, mountains, redwood groves, rugged coastline and beaches that are enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Besides being the world's leading supplier of Cold Hearth Melting Furnaces, Retech is also the most integrated manufacturer of a broad range of vacuum and controlled-atmosphere furnaces. Advanced process technologies offered by Retech for melting, refining and casting titanium, titanium alloys, and other reactive and refractory metals include: electron beam cold hearth melting, electron beam direct melting, electron beam welding, plasma cold hearth melting, consumable casting, cold wall induction, vacuum arc remelt, plasma consolidation, plasma welding, Rototrode® (non consumable casting), powder systems, laboratory systems and custom engineered systems. Given the complementary technologies and combined strengths of Retech and SECO/ WARWICK, our strategic alliance has prepared us to better succeed in an ever-changing and fast-growing global market. Jim Goltz, President, Retech Systems LLC 6 Poland • USA • China • India • Russia
2/2010 SWR - WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS It is a very exciting time at SWR. On August 8, 2010, we moved into the brand new facility. It took two small trucks to move the "fixed asset" of SWR from the temporary office in the High Tech building on south center of Tianjin into the 4800m 2 office and fabrication facility located in the Xeda Development Zone. We celebrated the last day of being in the temporary office, and the first day at the new location with fireworks, passing red envelopes and unpacking the most essential items for operation. Tianjin is a fast growing near Beijing city with aircraft, aerospace, helicopter and automobile part base manufacturing. The Airbus assembly and biggest helicopter manufacturer are both located in Tianjin. Boeing and Airbus also have graphite and composite material that is manufactured in Tianjin. Tianjin is one of 5 independent city with 11 million inhabitants. The brand new 4200m 2 facility has two tenton cranes and a pit that is 4 by 6 by 6 deep meters ( 12x18x18 ft), ready for Retech furnaces. Everything we are doing counts as the first time for us. The first visitors of the new facility are from Tianjin Sanden, our neighbor that has two furnaces from SWC and is currently looking into purchasing another one. The first shipment from the new facility is scheduled for late August. We are expecting the first order to be from US base company with present in China. Three engineers: Shawn, Eric and Jennifer, are busy handling four projects with a total value of 11 million RMB. Legend handles the administrative tasks and Linda, accounting. Two production workers with the help of our subcontract workers are fabricating the furnaces. Sebastian, Nancy, Anna, Slawek and I handle every assigned and unassigned task in our job descriptions just to make sure we are making progress. The numbers of challenges are so numerous that it is difficult to place them all in one place - all aspects of organizing a new company for the first time are challenging, but with time and persistence the challenges are all solved in one way or another. From an operational point of view the most challenging is to choose the reliable vendors. Vendors that you can count on with good quality, delivery and support are difficult to find and we may have many trial and error attempts. A majority of components are sourced in China. All western suppliers have some sort of presence in China. Air Product is located in the same development zone, so supply of industrial gases should not be a problem. We have excellent vessel contractors with Chinese, European and ASME certifications. Regarding the fitting for gas pipes connection we have mix experience. We use many local fittings, but for a more critical application, we still are using Swagelok from the USA. For the cooling water system and the buffer tank we have a good source. The reliability of the power supply varies within locations. In Xeda, we have stable electric, water and gas supply. All I hear about in the US media are China's lack of environmental laws but this will not apply to a 100% foreign owned operation. What is accepted practice for the local manufacturers is not acceptable for foreign owned operations. Before we start production, the facility needs to receive approval from the Environmental Agency. To receive approval we will need to submit a detailed document with our production sequence, number of production equipment and all utilities, gases and consumables we will be using. For example, we need to declare how much paint and what type we will be using to paint our furnaces. This needs to be an accurate assessment, so they will not stop our production within the next 6 months. The China Environmental Protection Agency will inspect our facility within next 6 months after we start production and will compare our production system and consumables with what we initially declared in the documents. It was an incredible journey from December 8th, when the decision was made, to August 8th, when we first started operation in the SWR facility. The experience we have gained in the process is invaluable. Janusz Kowalewski, General Manager, SWR SECO/WARWICK ALLIED OPENS NEW MANUFACTURING FACILITY The new SECO WARWICK ISSUE Allied1, 2010 hydrogen bell annealing, roller hearth, As an integral member of the SECO/ manufacturing facility is made up of two galvanizing, continuous hardening & WARWICK Group, SECO WARWICK Allied ISSUE 1, 2010 buildings with over 4,000 square meters of tempering, reheating, bright annealing, bogie shares engineering expertise and provides local manufacturing space. Founded in 1971, SECO WARWICK Allied has over 180 employees and specializes in hearth, pit pot, rotary and special application furnace systems along with hot air generators, fired process heaters and incinerators. manufacturing services for SECO/WARWICK Group equipment in India. Poland • USA • China • India • Russia 7
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Global Insider 02/2010 - Seco-Warwick

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