Elkay Manufacturing Co. has added an annealing furnace to its Lumberton, NC, stainless steel sink manufacturing plant. Annealing is the process by which heat and chemicals are applied to stainless steel to make it more pliable and able to be stretched beyond its normal capacity. Cary B. Wood, Vice President, Operations for Elkay said the annealing furnace would add capacity to the plant and reduce lead times.