Globar® silicon carbide (SiC) heating elementsThe heating elements enable the 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 account for 573 MMT (million metric tons), or 75 percent of the sector’s 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.

Robert Stål, President of Kanthal."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 an 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. 

Simon Lile, VP and President of Business Unit Heating Systems at Kanthal.“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.  

Kanthal’s history in the U.S.

In 1916, Hans von Kantzow discovered that iron with high aluminum content could withstand higher temperatures and provide greater resistance. During a 1925 business trip to the U.S., he visited Hoskins Manufacturing Company, which produced nichrome, and recognized the potential of his discovery. The patent for the iron-chrome-aluminum alloy, Kanthal®, was approved in 1926, and the company was founded in 1931.

In 1935, sales manager Alfred Rapp went to the U.S. to market Kanthal® material, forming an agreement with Jelliff as their agent. Jelliff sold Kanthal's products for industrial applications and appliances, including car cigarette lighters for Ford.   

In the 1950s, Kanthal opened its first U.S. subsidiary, and today the company sells its products both through direct sales and through agents.

In 1994, Kanthal expanded its product portfolio by acquiring the Globar® trademark for silicon carbide (SiC) heating elements from Carborundum, which began operations in Niagara Falls in 1895. Originally introduced in the 1930s, the Globar® brand has a long-standing reputation for high-performance solutions in extreme industrial environments. This acquisition significantly enhanced Kanthal’s high-temperature heating capabilities, particularly for applications in glass, ceramics, and metal industries.

In 1996, Kanthal acquired the Driver-Harris range from Harrison Alloys Inc., gaining essential knowledge in thermocouple alloy production and allowing Kanthal to expand its portfolio of resistance alloys. By the early 2000s, Kanthal had moved thermocouple alloy melting and hot rolling to Hallstahammar, Sweden, and established wire drawing and testing labs in Bethel, Connecticut. The expertise gained enabled Kanthal to produce alloys suitable for high-demand applications, including nuclear reactors, submarines, and jet engines.

In 1997, Kanthal acquired H.P. Reid, a Palm Coast, Florida-based company renowned for its ultra-fine wire production capabilities. This acquisition enabled the production of wires as fine as 10 microns and allowed for specialized wire coatings, opening new opportunities in the medical, electronics, and automotive sectors.

In 1998, Sandvik AB (Kanthal owner at the time) acquired California-based MRL Industries, a leading manufacturer of heating elements for diffusion and LPCVD furnaces for the electronics industry. It was later marketed as Sandvik Thermal Process and organized and rebranded under the Kanthal name in 2021.

In 2018, Custom Electric Manufacturing, a North American manufacturer of heating elements, was acquired. It was part of the Kanthal business unit, and in 2021, it was merged into the Kanthal brand.

In 2020, Thermaltek, a manufacturer of high-temperature furnace systems and metallic heating elements headquartered in North Carolina, was acquired, and in 2021, it was merged into the Kanthal brand.

Today, Kanthal is part of the Alleima Group, which was separated from the Sandvik Group in 2022. Kanthal enables decarbonization of industries, leading the development of large-scale electric process gas heaters for the production of fossil-free steel, cement, and petrochemicals.

For more information, please contact:

Yvonne Edenholm, Press and Media Relations Manager  
yvonne.edenholm@alleima.com 
+46 72 145 23 42