Ipsen owes its start to a broken pottery kiln. Harold Ipsen founded Ipsen after his wife s pottery kiln failed and he built her company a replacement. The company now manufactures thermal processing technologies. Its product offerings include atmosphere batch equipment and systems, vacuum batch equipment and systems, automation, controls and sensors and aftermarket support services. The company has manufacturing facilities in United States, Germany, India and China. Ipsen is a subsidiary of Ipsen International of Germany. Ruhrgas Industries, a management holding uniting the industrial affiliates of the Ruhrgas Group, owns Ipsen. The Ruhrgas Group is active in the business areas of gas measurement and control, industrial furnaces, engineering and indoor installations. Ipsen was founded in 1948.