Tools and Talent - An Esoteric Critique of the Heat Treatment Industry

The Heat Treatment industry, whether we realize it or not, faces a metamorphic transition in the next decade in order to remain the best and most cost effective solution to the need of the global manufacturing community. Driven by fundamental changes to where and how we manufacture is forcing us to reexamine our requisite core competencies and adapt not only to changes in materials, microstructures and methods but also to the equipment solutions and the workforce that will operate and maintain them. Here we will examine the skill sets and tools needed to meet these challenges, asking ourselves the most basic of questions - who, what, when, where, why and how. The answers will surprise, inform and perhaps even motivate us to change the status quo.