Alleima’s division Kanthal, a world-leading brand in industrial heating technology and resistance material, has inaugurated its new service center located in Concord, North Carolina. Producers of electronics, glass and steel are increasing their demand for new high-temperature heating solutions.
To meet this increased demand, Kanthal has expanded its Globar® silicon carbide heating element manufacturing capacity in Concord. The heating elements enable electrification of heating processes of up to 2,950°F and can replace fossil fuel heating solutions. This enables customers to reduce CO2 emissions in their production and to make it more energy efficient, clean, safe and improve process control. The aim is to capture market growth with a local production footprint in the U.S. and support long-term product and application development.
Combustion emissions from the manufacturing sector accounts for 573 MMT (million metric ton), or 75 percent of the sectors’ total emissions, according to the Congressional Budget Office (Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the Manufacturing Sector | Congressional Budget Office). By electrifying the heating processes, these emissions could be reduced significantly.
Kanthal, a global leader in sustainable industrial heating technology, is experiencing increasing demand for its Globar® silicon carbide heating elements, driven by a need for new high-temperature heating solutions and customers aiming to reduce their carbon emissions. These elements can replace fossil fuel solutions, making production more energy-efficient, cleaner, and safer. This transition also ensures better process control while reducing CO2 emissions. To meet the increased demand, Kanthal has a new service center that will improve service and enhance lead times for its customers in the U.S.
"We have served the U.S. market since the 1930s. We are already supporting our customers from Concord with a broad portfolio, and adding Globar® to the mix allows us to leverage existing infrastructure. The opening of our Concord service center is the next step in strengthening our local presence in the region which is experiencing a surge in advanced manufacturing,” says Robert Stål, President of Kanthal.
The service center is part of an investment of approximately 11 M USD that also includes expanding the company’s main site for production of Globar® silicon carbide heating elements in Perth, Scotland, with an additional 19,000 square feet manufacturing area, as well as new equipment, a new layout, and additional warehouse. Both locations are now fully operational and will increase production capacity by approximately 40%.
The facility in Concord produces products like Metallic Heating Elements, Tubothal® Heating Elements, High-temperature Tubes and Fibrothal® Heating Elements. Until now, U.S. customers have been supplied Globar® Heating Elements from the main production site in Perth, Scotland.
“This is not just a new service center. We have implemented technology improvements in Concord that allow us to adapt product configurations based on customer furnace setups and order cycles. The result is a more responsive operation, faster to quote, faster to ship, and better aligned with U.S. customer needs” says Simon Lile, President Business Unit Heating Systems.
In 2022, Kanthal consolidated production from three U.S. locations into one large state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution center in Concord, North Carolina, equipped with the latest technology to improve efficiency and lead times.
