McLaughlin Furnace Group Update: July 2020

Inside the new building.

New Building Update

Progress is continuing along at a steady rate for the move into the new building in Avilla, Indiana in August. McLaughlin Furnace Group employees are looking forward to having more office space, increased employee benefits such as a new gym, larger offices, multiple break rooms, and community work spaces to encourage team interaction. Production space will increase by quite a bit enabling more space for organization between project pieces and inventory. McLaughlin is continuing to add more new equipment for manufacturing capabilities, such as two 10 Ton cranes, an 8000 pound forklift and CNC bandsaw.

Production

McLaughlin Furnace Groups’s first Tru-Carb IQ line is progressing very well, with the first piece of equipment (Tru-Mix Endo Generator) getting ready to ship.

Currently, fabrication and assembly are underway on the rest of the Tru Carb IQ furnace line with plans for installation starting in the fourth quarter.

Three of the five Temper furnaces are in the process of running uniformity surveys in our facility. Production has started on the washer for the Tru-Carb line and is expected to ship by the end of September.

Progress

McLaughlin is currently wrapping up design on the two large car bottom furnaces, four load car, and a transfer car. The equipment is set to begin production by the end of August. McLaughlin will have to utilize the new building’s upgraded space to build the equipment, as the current building is too small for the size of these car bottoms. All of the equipment will be installed in the first quarter of 2021.

McLaughlin is still hiring and ramping up at a rapid rate. We are continuously growing our skilled trade employees such as fabricators, pipefitters, millwrights, and bricklayers. Both the sales and engineering teams have grown the past couple of months, but are still looking for control engineers, as well as inside and outside sales reps. Both locations are looking to increase field service technicians as well. 

Look out for our new employee press releases—as we keep adding to our team in order to better serve you!

We look forward to FNA (Furnaces North America) 2020 online at the end of September—where you can see us as a sponsor. We will have three employees continuing the YES program in 2021: Damon Patnoe, Sam Gray, and Jake Verdoux.

Vesco

Vesco-McLaughlin is currently hard at work rebuilding and manufacturing new hot zones for both new and old customers in the East Windsor, Connecticut facility. As these hot zones are completed, they’re being installed in our customer’s facilities by our service technicians whose experience totals 40+ years.

Along with the hot zone installations, our service technicians are on the road daily performing vacuum system leak detections, preventive maintenance program services, and all manner of vacuum furnace and vacuum pump repairs.

Pandemic

Both McLaughlin and Vesco-McLaughlin are still pushing through, and out on the road almost daily completing service work. 

Although the industry in general has taken a step back in production due to Covid-19, Vesco-McLaughlin has been consistently busy throughout the first half of this year in maintaining or repairing customer equipment and the second half of 2020 looks promising as well. There are a number of vacuum furnace/hot zone rebuilds and complete system relocations on the schedule and, as always, the pump department is pushing rebuilds out the door daily.

Whether it’s service, repairs, rebuilds or new builds, if it is vacuum or furnace system related, McLaughlin Furnace Group is on top of it.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and keep in touch!