The general thematic structure has shaken down as:

• Global issues
• Regional and country overviews
• Science and technology / Industrial economics
• Applications
• Synthesis reviews

Discussions and workshops have continued and a number of specific papers have been published in International heat treatment and surface engineering.

Workshops

Global issues

• Brisbane (IFHSTE 16th Congress, October 2007): ‘Heat treatment and surface engineering in the light of energy and environment’
• Kobe (IFHTSE 17th Congress October 2008): ‘Education and training needs and the potential for some degree of international uniformity in syllabuses, qualification and assessment’ The Kobe Workshop emphasized the importance of education and training for efficient and reliable technological development. Their importance does not diminish even in a period of economic downturn.
• Sharm El-Sheik (1st Mediterranean Conference on Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering December 2009): Automotive industry and education and training topics

Material published in the Journal

Global issues

• An Introduction (published Ihtse 2007/1)
• Energy and environment (published Ihtse 2007/3)
• Training in heat treatment and surface engineering (published Ihtse 2009/1-2)
• Planned: Resources

Regional overviews

• China (published Ihtse 2007/2) 
• Heat Treatment in Argentina (scheduled Ihtse 2010/2)
• In preparation or planned: USA; Mexico; India; Japan; Europe; Australasia

Science and technology/ Industrial economics

• Manufacturing in the global economy (published Ihtse 2007/4)
• Modelling-based design of surface engineered systems (published Ihtse 2008/1)
• Modelling and simulation review (scheduled Ihtse 2010/3)
• Introduction to furnace atmospheres (published Ihtse 2008/2)
• Influence of materials science on heat treatment and surface engineering (published Ihtse 2009/3)
• Thermal spray coatings: A technology review (published Ihtse 2009/4)
• Advanced induction heat treatment technologies and design methods (scheduled Ihtse 2010)
• In preparation or planned: Plasma processes; Light metals

Applications

• Thermal processing and past, present and future development of automotive sheet steels (published Ihtse 2008/3-4) 
• New tool steels and their interrelationship with modern heat treatment (scheduled Ihtse 2010)
• Planned: Bio-interface

Synthesis reviews

• G21 Synthesis Report 1 (published Ihtse 2010/1)