MTI Launches Leadership Accelerator: A Master Class in Heat Treat Operations

Only 30 slots available. Registration opens November 1. Program starts March 2027.

Running a successful heat treating operation requires much more than technical knowledge. Leaders must understand people, production, quality, equipment, financial performance, and how every part of the business works together.

MTI’s new Leadership Accelerator Training Program brings those responsibilities into one comprehensive learning experience. Built for heat treaters, by heat treaters, this 12-month program will be a master class in overall heat treat operations, helping participants develop the knowledge, confidence, and perspective to lead an entire operation.

The program is fully remote, with (1) half-day commitment each month, allowing companies to develop leaders without recurring travel. The format alternates learning sessions with facilitated case-study work the following month, helping participants put concepts into practice.

Between sessions, short videos through the MTI Academy will help prepare participants for upcoming topics. Optional one-to-one mentorship with an experienced industry leader offers an additional opportunity to explore difficult challenges.

The program culminates in a capstone project, where participants build a real business case for their plant and present it from a general manager’s perspective. This brings the year’s learning together around an operational need.

With enrollment limited to 30 participants at $2,995 each, companies have an opportunity to invest in the people who will help drive their future.  Graduates of the program will be recognized at a graduation ceremony at MTI’s Spring Meeting each year.

Developing Leaders Who See the Whole Operation

A strong production manager may need a deeper understanding of budgeting. A technically skilled supervisor may need more experience managing people. An emerging general manager may understand individual departments but need help connecting their decisions to the performance of the entire plant.

The Leadership Accelerator is designed to build those connections. Participants will explore the core responsibilities of heat treat leadership, including:

• Personal management: Time blocking, weekly scheduling, and moving beyond constant firefighting.
• Systems and automation: Using furnace and shop data to make better, faster decisions.
• Finance and budgeting: Reading a profit-and-loss statement, understanding cost per load, and building a defensible budget.
• HR and people: Practical people management, employment law considerations, timekeeping, hiring, and building strong teams.
• Production and quality: Improving throughput, supporting on-time delivery, preparing for audits, and addressing root causes.
• Operations: Connecting strategy, efficiency, key performance indicators, and dashboards to meaningful action.
• Maintenance and equipment: Strengthening preventive maintenance, improving uptime, and evaluating repair-or-replace decisions.

Together, these subjects will help participants understand how a decision in one area can affect results throughout the business.

Practical Learning Built Around Heat Treating

The Leadership Accelerator combines learning with application. Participants will take part in live, facilitated instruction and cohort labs, working through real heat treat case studies with their peers.

An Investment in Your Leadership Bench

As experienced employees retire and business demands grow, companies need people who can take on broader responsibility. Developing that capability requires intentional investment.

At $2,995 per participant, the Leadership Accelerator provides a structured year of development focused on the realities of running a heat treating business. For companies considering whom to enroll, the question is straightforward: Who on your team is ready to grow into greater responsibility, and what knowledge will help them succeed?

A better understanding of costs, stronger people management, improved maintenance decisions, or a more disciplined approach to production can create opportunities for lasting improvement.

Your next generation of leadership may already be working inside your company. MTI’s Leadership Accelerator Training Program is designed to help them take the next step…with a broader understanding of the business and the tools to lead it forward.

Invest in your people. Strengthen your operation. Prepare your next leader for the future.

Mark November 1 to register a key person you want to take to the next level of plant leadership. Participation is first come first serve and MTI expects a sellout.