| January 2006 |  |
| Service Center News | |
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“We’re
growing very rapidly in the United States and this is just a continuation
of that program,” says Wayne Bassett, president of Mississauga,
Ontario-based Samuel, Son & Co. The
alliance will allow Samuel Midwest to roll strip products on a 60-inch
mill rather than the existing 26-inch mills. Samuel will make use
of Ferrous Metal Processing’s slitting and cut-to-length capabilities
at its Cleveland, Detroit and Iuka, Miss., facilities. Samuel and
FMP will integrate computer systems to improve service. In
mid-January, Samuel will complete the installation of a four-torch
high-definition plasma cutting system at the 350,000-square-foot
Detroit facility to give the company in-house burning capabilities.
The system will provide burning for materials up to 1-1/4 inches
thick. The company expects to add a second burning facility in May
to expand its capacity and capabilities. Following
are other recent changes at Samuel:
As
part of the changes, Tom Sennett was appointed vice-president and
general manager at Samuel Midwest. The team reporting to him includes
JC Borremans as vice-president, administration; Basil Henry as product
manager, Carbon Flat-Rolled Products; Mike Hiegel, product manager,
Carbon Strip Products; Jim Justice, field sales manager, Carbon
Products; Judy Martin, product manager, Carbon Plate Products; and
Brian Unatin, general manager, Specialty Products. Bassett
says the appointment of the management team means Samuel is “fully
set-up in that facility to move forward as a full-line service center.” Centria
Begins Second Phase The
project will increase Centria’s overall coil coating capacity
while supporting the growth of its Coating Services business. “Completing
the second phase of our Ambridge improvements will enhance our ability
to meet our customers’ requirements and increase our overall
capacity,” says Jim Dockey, director of sales and marketing. Ambridge
Phase II is the third series of improvements to Centria’s coating
lines. The first occurred in 2004, upgrading the width and speed
of the company’s Cambridge, Ohio, coating line. Ambridge’s
Phase I upgrade was completed in mid-2005 with production improvements
including the installation of new ovens, oxidizer, coil splicer
and improved coil-handling capabilities. The 2005 improvements also
included new offices and an overall exterior renovation. Centria
Coating Services coats a wide range of substrates, including aluminum,
carbon steel, galvanized steel, Galvalume, stainless steel and zinc-aluminum
alloys, with a broad variety of coatings for one-sided, two-sided
or multi-layer coating. Capabilities include acrylic, silicone polyester,
epoxy, vinyl, fluoropolymer, metallic fluoropolymer, plastisol,
urethane, manual- and solution-strippable films and others. ThyssenKrupp
Makes The
Hearn Group is comprised of Hearn Industrial Park, Hearn Warehousing
& Distribution, Hearn Logistics and Hearn Automotive. The agreement
also includes the purchase of the former PSA Quality Systems business
unit, which was acquired by The Hearn Group in November 2004, plus
Summit Personnel Services Inc. The
Hearn Group is a full-service provider of customized product management
solutions, including third-party logistics and supply-chain management,
engineering, quality control, returnable container program and industrial
facility maintenance. The company was established in 1966 by Donald
Hearn Sr., and over the past four decades has expanded to various
locations in Canada, the United States and Mexico Concurrent
with the acquisition, the company announced the formation of ThyssenKrupp
Industrial Services NA. Malcolm Gill, currently senior vice president
of ThyssenKrupp Materials NA, was named president of the newly formed
unit. “We
are very pleased to have successfully completed this acquisition,
which will provide us with a strategic opportunity to further expand
our services in the NAFTA region,” Gill says. “The Hearn
Group offers us unique synergies and North
American Steel “The
North American Steel acquisition enables us to add one of the top
service centers in the Midwest market,” Esmark CEO James P.
Bouchard says. “Coupled with North American’s specialty
expertise in painted steel products, we can better service the growing
demands of our customer base across the country.” Founded
in 1993, North American Steel serves the automotive, commercial/residential
construction, container and appliance industries with a range of
cold-roll, coated and made-to-order steel products. North American’s
Youngstown, Ohio-based Painted Products Division provides painted
steel products to the metal construction industry, including building
panel components, metal building manufacturing, commercial/residential
siding industries, HVAC, garage and entry door, and other painted
steel applications. Under
terms of the acquisition, Michael Bush and Thomas Jeter, co-owners
of North American Steel, will become officers of Esmark and take
on new responsibilities. Bush will become president of Century Steel,
a Chicago Heights, Ill., flat-rolled steel specialist acquired by
Esmark in January 2005. Jeter will become president of North American
Steel and its Painted Products Division. Worthington
Earnings Lag Net
sales for the second quarter, which ended Nov. 30, were $699.5 million,
a decrease of 6 percent from last year’s record $745.2 million.
For
the six-month period, net sales of $1.394 billion were 8 percent
below the record $1.515 billion last year. Net earnings were $67.4
million, compared to $105.5 million for the same period last year.
“I
am very pleased with our performance this quarter,” says John
P. McConnell, chairman and CEO. “We continued to keep a tight
control on our inventories and a sharp focus on cost.” Also,
Worthington Industries appointed George P. Stoe as executive vice
president and chief operating officer. Stoe had served as president
of Worthington Cylinders. Harry
A. Goussetis, Worthington’s vice president of human resources,
succeeds Stoe as president of Worthington Cylinders. Edgen
Expands with Purchase “This
acquisition has immediately expanded our specialty carbon steel
product offering to include high yield pipe, plate and structural
sections to the upstream oil and gas industry and provides us with
experienced and exceptional sales, marketing and customer service
personnel,” says Dan O’Leary, Edgen CEO. “Along
with our acquisition of Western Flow Products Inc. in July 2005,
which increased our presence in the growing western Canadian marketplace,
this MIM U.S. acquisition positions us as a major distributor of
specialty steel products for the oil and gas, process and power
generation industries throughout the Americas,” he adds. Reliance
Buys Rest of American Steel From
its inception on July 1, 1995, through April 30, 2002, Reliance
owned a 50 percent interest in the membership units of American
Steel, which operates metals service centers in Portland, Ore.,
and Kent, Wash., and processes and distributes primarily carbon
steel products. Reliance retained operating control over the assets
and operations of American Steel, while American Industries owned
the other 50 percent interest. Effective May 1, 2002, Reliance increased
its ownership to 50.5 percent of the outstanding membership units
of American Steel and began consolidating its financial results. American
Steel’s 2005 net sales were approximately $107 million. BMG
Metals to Open New The
Wilson location will serve as a distributor for eastern North Carolina
and along the Interstate 95 corridor. The company will also sell
mill and industrial supplies from the site. Tom
Gay, BMG co-owner, says the North Carolina location “completes
our hub-and-spoke distribution network with Richmond at the center
and locations only 120 miles away to the north, south, east and
west.” BMG
also announced the completion of a 16,000-square-foot plate burning
facility at its Chesapeake, Va., location. The shop processes carbon
and stainless steel plate. Finally, BMG entered an agreement to purchase a 15,000-square-foot facility adjacent to its Lynchburg, Va., operation. It will be used as the company’s depot for aluminum and stainless flat-rolled products. It is expected to be operational this spring.
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