Embosser
Makes Its Mark

Specializing in embossing, McEver Metal Processing patterns itself as a silent partner to its customers.

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McEver Metal Processing, Acworth, Ga., likes to think of itself more as an extension of its customers’ operations than as just another outside processor, says President Ed Raimonde.

The company is an outgrowth of general line service center American Douglas Metals Inc., which prior to starting McEver in 2001 was processing carbon steel and aluminum from its Buffalo, N.Y., and Orlando, Fla., plants. “We wanted to expand to the Atlanta area,” Raimonde says.

The company found its opportunity when financially strapped Sheffield Steel Corp. decided to sell the assets of its facility in Acworth, just north of Atlanta. American Douglas purchased the processing equipment, the building and the property, retained the employees—both plant personnel and most of Sheffield’s office staff—and started processing metal for Sheffield Steel and others under the name McEver.

The products being processed include surface-critical aluminum, stainless steel, coated carbon steel and some copper. “We don’t want to contaminate our material with the oil or scale from metals that aren’t coated,” notes Raimonde.

McEver’s managers and employees, coming from American Douglas and Sheffield, understood what was expected of a processor of surface-critical materials. “We knew there was a void for this kind of processing and went out to search for those kinds of customers—people who sell stainless, bright aluminum, painted aluminum, light-gauge coated carbon steel and PVC [polyvinyl chloride].”

McEver’s largest customer segments are mills that outsource critical processing tasks and distributors that don’t have such specialized equipment.

While McEver is primarily a regional player, providing transportation within an 80-mile radius of Atlanta, it does have a number of customers on the East Coast from Connecticut to Miami. A handful of customers are located as far away as Michigan and Oklahoma. Last year, operating at about 50 percent of its capacity, the company processed 16,000 tons of material. The plant is now operating at 65 percent of capacity.

Today, McEver offers embossing, slitting, sheeting, blanking, PVC application/removal, coil breaking, inspection, packaging and warehousing, mainly using the same processing equipment that Sheffield Steel originally operated at the facility. Its assets include a 60-inch-wide, six-high Herr-Voss cut-to-length line with mechanical stacker; a 50-inch-wide Stamco slitter with a 33-foot-deep looping pit and tension stand; a 24-inch-wide Eagle blanking line; and an in-line packaging system.

At the request of some customers, the company purchased a 68-inch-wide FATA Hunter embossing line, which allows it to emboss two patterns—stucco and diamond—on aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel and PVC. This, too, has helped McEver distinguish itself from other regional processors. “More distributors are using us for their embossing needs,” Raimonde says. “Previously, the only way to get embossing was through a toll coater, but lead times at toll coaters are too far out for many distributors’ needs.” McEver offers three-day lead times vs. a week to 10 days at many toll coaters.

McEver is also considering expanding its slitting capabilities. “We are now limited to 50-inch-wide material. We would like to go to 60 inches or even 72 inches. We are doing the market research to see if it makes sense. It probably won’t be until next year that we make a purchase,” Raimonde says.

He adds that McEver has the ability to expand its plant an additional 15,000 to 20,000 square feet, which would provide enough space for two more pieces of equipment should the need arise.

Using its Add-On software program, McEver packages and labels orders for drop-shipping directly to its customers’ customers. For example, the program allows McEver’s shipping department to create bills of lading with the customer’s name on them. “We can make the packaging read anything our customers want. We can add a barcode or not,” Raimonde says. “It is almost a cloak-and-dagger thing. Many of our customers don’t want their customers to know it came from us. We do what we can to keep it private.”

Raimonde wants to continue partnering with customers. “Any relationship is open for discussion, though we are not looking to merge with another company.”

He’s confident McEver’s customer-driven approach will allow the company to outgrow its 68,000-square-foot plant and eventually build another.

“We don’t even have voice mail. We believe we should allow our customers to talk to an actual person. If they call, they will talk to someone and get their needs taken care of.”