Service Heat Treating, Inc. was founded in 1974 by Richard Armitage. He was a heat treat furnace salesman, who realized the Milwaukee market needed a quality, service-oriented heat treat company.

He enlisted financial assistance from John Niebler, Esquire, a local businessman and Harvey Geipel, a local entrepreneur, to found Service Heat Treating, Inc. The company began with two (2) batch furnaces and one (1) shift.

By 1978, Service Heat Treating, Inc. was a twenty-four-hour-a-day operation with four (4) batch furnaces. At this time, they expanded into brazing by adding an 18" wide furnace. This furnace, still in operation today, is capable of copper brazing and bright annealing which expanded the potential customer base. The company grew slowly and remained profitable during the turbulent 1980s.

Nearing the end of the decade, Richard grew restless. In search of a new project for his energies, he decided to expand into continuous mesh belt furnaces. In 1991, the first large belt furnace was brought on line. It was housed in a customized plant addition. Paul Armitage, who had been working at Service Heat Treating, Inc. for sixteen (16) years in various departments, expanded his responsibilities to include Research and Development for this project.  

The move into continuous mesh belts paid off. In 1992, sales increased by 30%. Richard had found a profitable niche and was ready to capitalize on it. The second mesh belt furnace was ordered. This furnace went on line in March and by May was filled five (5) days a week. Sales jumped by another 40% in 1993. The manufacturing economy was strong in 1994, and Service Heat Treating, Inc. was ready, sales rose another 35%. In 1994, the sister corporation of Service Continuous, Inc. was formed to meet the demands of automotive fastener manufacturers. A new plant was built to house the new company and equipment. Designed with an eye to future expansions and the intensified quality demands of the automotive market, a new large continuous belt was brought on line at this plant and overall sales were up by another 15% in 1995.  

Then the unthinkable happened. After twenty-one (21) years of business success, Richard Armitage was diagnosed with lung cancer. He passed away on October 17, 1995, after a 9-month battle. 

Since the death of the founder, Service Heat Treating has continued to expand. In 2001 the company purchased a small double disc grinding shop in Melrose Park, Illinois. This process is complementary to heat treating and is often done on small stampings in conjunction with heat treating. The facility is also used as a transfer station for product coming from Illinois to Wisconsin for heat treating. In 2006, the plant was moved to a newer, larger location in Addison, Illinois. This facility now houses double disc and blanchard grinding, furnaces for stress relieving and clamp tempering, and furnaces for brazing and bright annealing of low carbon steels. 

Service Coatings was started in 2003 as another complementary process to the main heat treating companies. This company is the only rack dip spin Dacromet coater in the country. It also has the capability to spray paint parts. Dacromet, a Metal Coatings International trademark product, is a zinc-aluminum flake, water-based paint that provides exceptional corrosion protection. Dacromet and its even more environmentally friendly version Geomet, are used in the marine, agriculture and construction equipment, automotive, and many other industries.  

This group of companies is committed to excellence. We believe in only the highest levels of workmanship and quality. We strive to exceed customer’s expectations in service and quality. We are ISO9000 certified and are currently pursuing the latest automotive standard CQI-9. Our latest venturing into cutting edge technology is the installation of a 15 bar vacuum furnace with the optional carburizing technology. This is the process of the future. It is capable of tighter tolerances while minimizing distortion of the parts. It is also environmentally friendly because there is no quench oil, no noxious atmosphere, and no burner exhaust.  

The current management team understands the business, the customers, and has learned from the family the importance of hard work and high moral and ethical standards. They are up to the challenge of seeing the business through its move from a small to a mid-sized business in a challenging and rapidly changing manufacturing environment. They are committed to the future growth of the business, to meeting and exceeding the customer’s expectations, to providing safe and stable employment for our work force, and the protection of the profit position of the companies.