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December 5, 2024

Heat Treat Today is privileged to oversee the 40 Under 40 recognition awards highlighting a group of rising young leaders in the North American heat treat industry every year. The Class of 2024 is a high-achieving, motivated, and heart-felt group of significant contributors to the heat treat market. Here are two highlights from this year’s class.  

Katelyn Kirsch, a quality engineer at Moeller Aerospace, began her career at Huron Casting Corporate Services as a metallurgical engineer. Through these experiences, she gained technical knowledge across many disciplines: various processes for making steel in a continuous casting mill and shell casting foundry; heat treating for components from different industries, particularly automotive; and multi-industry metallurgical inspections. She has developed strong skills in the lab including handling testing production samples, failure analysis and material characterization, and Production Part Approval Processes, such as PFMEA development. At Federal Screw Works (FSW), Katelyn was the metallurgical lab supervisor, a metallurgical lab in the automotive industry. In this position, she managed the metallurgical lab, developed new heat treat lines, and established processes and testing standards. Now at Moeller Aerospace, she is on track to assume the leadership of a new metallurgical lab in development, followed by the planning of all equipment being installed to begin the validation and certification of the testing process. Her projects will include the establishing of heat treating and other operations in the coming years. Read more about Katelyn here.

Lucas Sanders, plant manager at commercial heat treater IMT Elemental, has experienced a rapid rise in responsibilities in his heat treating career, starting at H&S Heat Treating as a college co-op student working in the Quality Assurance (QA) Lab. After graduating in 2020 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Niagara College, he was hired as a QA technologist in the QA Department. Four years later, he received an opportunity to work in Application Engineering at Can-Eng, but he was "lured back" to H&S nearly two years later to fill the sales manager position upon the retirement of the incumbent. Before this position opened, Lucas put his name forward for consideration for plant manager. In 2023, he assumed the position and has excelled ever since. His ability to connect with others and care for his work is evident as he has developed a very good rapport with the hourly workforce. Continuing his education, he earned his C.E.T. designation from OACETT and is eager to attend the YES Management Training Program through MTI next year. Read more about Lucas here.

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