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FEATURE A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 6 3 vantage in the diesel injection industry. Cummins requires a wide range of heat treating processes for its products to per- form their intended functions, including gas nitriding, plas- ma nitriding, atmosphere and vacuumcarburizing, carbo-ni- triding, nitro-carburizing, annealing, normalizing, as well as precipitation hardening and sintering. “Cummins’ approach is to pursue a ‘hire to develop’ strategy that starts with hiring prospective employees as interns or co-ops, giving the students an opportunity to ex- perience its culture, and providing Cummins the opportuni- ty to see how they perform in real world and real work sit- uations,” said Ferdon. It’s been an effective strategy for the organization. Amsted Rail Co. Inc., another CHTEmember, also prais- es the merits of technical internships for recruiting metallur- gical talent to support heat treating operations. “At Amsted Rail, one of the greatest tools we have found for identifying good candidates are technical internships,” said Jeff Full- er, metallurgy manager at Amsted Rail Co. Inc. and current CHTE chair. “We start by looking for rising seniors in mate- rials science. We have found that this group has enough en- gineering education to understand what we are doing, and many are looking for industrial jobs to help reinforce their re- sumes before graduation. This creates a win-win situation.” Amsted Rail’s interns are provided with extensive train- ing that includes operating expensive equipment, such as x-ray diffractometers and immersion ultrasonic instruments, and are given a hands-on project with actual value for the company. The intern formally presents his or her findings to Amsted Rail’s quality director and COO. This provides the company with an opportunity to see if the individual will be a good fit for the organization. RETAINING TALENT Amsted Rail not only develops its talent, it also recog- 14 nizes the need to retain it. According to Fuller, “New met- allurgists are given freedom to pursue their professional interests. They work closely with operations and process en- gineers to improve systems. This cross-functional approach gives new engineers confidence as they quickly develop ex- perience andmentors that help thembe successful.” Like many CHTE member organizations, Amsted Rail also provides competitive salaries, benefits, and a generous annual bonus to its employees, because it recognizes that fi- nancial security is as important as providing a collaborative and supportive work environment. CONCLUSION The heat treat industry has a promising future, because almost every material needs to be heat treated. Only heat treaters have the knowledge and the equipment to produce material properties that will not only last, but are in high demand. The industry just needs to work together to do a better, collective job of educating, recruiting, and hiring top- notch talent. It comes from sharing ideas about what works, what doesn’t, and how businesses can work together. Ferdon sums it up best. “In choosing a career that is long lasting and durable, it is important to consider the ba- sic economic laws of supply and demand. With fewer stu- dents going into the field of physical metallurgy, the supply of knowledgeable, skilled, and capable resources is in short supply, yet the demand for products made frommetals that require heat treating continues to grow. Industry leaders need to encourage today’s students that if they are a dy- namic problem solver, with deep technical knowledge in the fields of heat treating and metallurgical processing, and have solid communication skills, nomatter what happens to the economy, you will never be without a job.” ~HTPro For more information: Visit wpi.edu/+chte or email Rick Sisson at sisson@wpi.edu . ABOUT CHTE The CHTE collaborative is an alliance between the industrial sector and university researchers to address short-term and long-term needs of the heat treating industry. Membership in CHTE is unique because mem- bers have a voice in selecting quality research projects that help them solve today’s business challenges. In addition, they have the opportunity to work with future talent that just might be their next hire. Interns Joseph Lauzon and Robin Jerman learn how extreme- ly low temperatures drastically affect material properties. 15