Induction Professionals Sees ‘Controlled Growth’
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Induction Professionals LLC, a Youngstown-based supplier of induction heating equipment to the nonferrous extrusion industry, expects controlled growth in 2019 on the heels of steady revenues over the last two years, reports Tom Kearney, owner and general manager.
The company also provides repair services and designs and builds new and replacement induction heating equipment for customers.
Induction Professionals was established in July 2002. In May 2007, the company consolidated operations in a new 9,500-square-foot facility at the Ohio Works Industrial Park. The building was configured specifically to accommodate induction heating and melting equipment, Kearney says.
Today the company employs 10 full- and part-time employees, and provides a broad range of design services as well as specific consulting and engineering services.
Induction Professionals recently introduced a 60-hertz line frequency high-efficiency induction billet heater that underscores the drive to provide the most efficient equipment used across the industry, Kearney says.
By using a breakthrough winding design, this new heater can save customers up to 23% or more over a conventional heater’s average electricity cost. Over a 25-year equipment lifetime, this operational cost reduction could add up to an estimated $1.4 million in savings, he says.
“The emphasis on maximum efficient utilization of resources was unrelenting in 2018,” Kearney says. “We are constantly assisting [our customers] as production processes are examined for ways to save seconds of cycle time. Material tolerances are tightened to reduce and minimize waste, then tightened again – and again, if possible.”
In 2018, the company focused its attention on two critical elements of production in the nonferrous extrusion industry, Kearney says.
“The first was power control,” he says, noting the use of solid-state switches in power distribution has eliminated the risk of distortion and ancillary equipment damage.
The second area of focus was the use of dedicated industrial computer control technology and refining hardware requirements for the nonferrous extrusion industry, Kearney says.
The goal is to consistently deliver the same product with the same heating parameters for the next step in the extrusion process.
“Consistency, repeatability and accuracy are essential to ongoing production efficiency,” he says.
Among unknown factors in 2019 are the impact of rising interest rates, uncertainty with international trade issues and the potential shortage of raw materials, Kearney says.
“Revenue has been consistent during 2017 and 2018,” he says. “We anticipate controlled growth in 2019 based on our planned product and marketing strategy.”
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
