For Kanthal, this presents a timely chance to reinforce the advantages of electrification. Electric heating has been central to the company’s work for decades, well before policies and funding frameworks prioritized it. The Clean Industrial Deal does not change Kanthal’s trajectory; instead, it strengthens the environment in which proven electric heating solutions can expand into more industrial processes.
Why switch from gas to electric heating?
Electrification is therefore not only a decarbonization strategy but a practical upgrade to core industrial performance.
Dilip Chandrasekaran, Director of Business Development, Kanthal.Across industries, discussions about electrification have intensified not because of vague targets but because the practical benefits are becoming more undeniable.
Key advantages include:
- Zero Scope 1 emissions due to the absence of on-site combustion
- Scope 2 reductions when paired with fossil-free electricity
- Nearly 100% thermal efficiency compared to exhaust losses in gas-fired systems
- Better process stability through precise temperature control
- Fewer breakdowns and lower maintenance thanks to cleaner operation
- Cost stability through long-term electricity contracts
- Reduced exposure to rising carbon pricing and CBAM requirements
- Elimination of combustion risks and improved workplace safety
As Dilip Chandrasekaran, Director of Business Development at Kanthal, explains: "When emissions, efficiency, stability, and safety are all included, electrification consistently offers a stronger business case."
Electrification is therefore not only a decarbonization strategy but a practical upgrade to core industrial performance.
Which processes are ready today?
Industries do not need to electrify everything at once. The best starting points are processes where electric heating is already well proven, scalable, and capable of delivering immediate operational gains.
Steel
- Annealing
- Galvanizing
- Pickling
- Roller hearth
- Walking beam
- Pusher furnaces
Aluminum
- Melting
- Holding
- Tilting furnaces
Automotive Heat Treatment
- Carburizing
- Carbo-nitriding
- Annealing
- Tempering
- RTO units
Glass
- Forehearths
- Batch processing
Emerging pathways
Kanthal is also advancing electrified process-gas heating for upstream steelmaking (including DRI and modified blast furnace routes), cement calcination, and petrochemicals, areas once considered too demanding for electric heat but now showing strong technical potential.
A shift in the conversation: Insights from the INCITE Workshop
Nicolai Schaaf, Sustainability Manager, Kanthal.Earlier this year in Seville, the European Commission’s INCITE Workshop on Innovative Techniques in the Iron and Steel Sector demonstrated how far electrification has progressed. The workshop brought together producers, regulators, technology developers, policymakers, and financiers to evaluate what is ready and what should guide the sector forward.
Kanthal presented progress in several key areas, including electric reheating, upstream gas heating, and auxiliary electrification. The discussions highlighted a change in mindset: instead of asking whether electric heating works, participants focused on integration timelines, energy requirements, and scaling.
Chandrasekaran notes this shift clearly, “We were there to show where resistance heating already fits into the chain. It’s no longer about something that might work; it’s something we’re already scaling."
The workshop also emphasized the importance of reflecting electrification in European industrial standards. As Nicolai Schaaf, Sustainability Manager at Kanthal, states, "If electric heating isn’t represented in standards and regulations, it won’t just be left out of the conversation; it’ll be left out of the policy. And if that happens, the opportunity to shift large parts of the sector is lost."
How Kanthal is positioned to support this transition
The Clean Industrial Deal amplifies the value of electrification, but successful implementation requires a partner with deep experience, materials knowledge, and proven industrial performance. Kanthal’s role is built on decades of electrification across demanding applications, supported by global engineering expertise and long-term collaboration with industry.
Kanthal offers:
- Over 90 years of experience in industrial electric heating
- A broad portfolio of alloys, elements, and systems for high-temperature applications
- Strong R&D capabilities and testing facilities
- Proven performance in both retrofits and new builds
- Global engineering and service support for continuous operation
- A track record of participation in EU-funded research and industrial pilot projects
With the Clean Industrial Deal and the upcoming Horizon Europe funding call, Europe is strengthening the landscape for technologies that are ready to scale. Kanthal’s long-standing expertise ensures industries have a reliable partner as they prepare for this next phase of transformation.