Retech Systems has been developing metallurgical technology since Max Schlienger founded the company in Marin County in 1963. Today, its Buffalo operation builds custom equipment for demanding producers of reactive and refractory metals, drawing on a 113,000-square-foot footprint and in-house research and development. Retech became part of the SECO/WARWICK group in 2011 and remains known for pioneering plasma and electron-beam cold-hearth melting.