Search Back Issues

Dec. 21, 2016 North Shore Buys Houston Blow Pipe North Shore Steel, a Houston-based steel service center, has acquired the equipment assets of Houston Blow Pipe. HBP is a 100-year-old plate processing business. The acquisition includes four press brakes, including a 3,000-ton press brake with a 27.5-foot bed, giving North Shore Steel the largest press brake capacity on the Gulf Coast, NSS executives claim. The acquisition also includes several plate rolling machines, welding equipment and forklifts. CEO and President Buzzy Bluestone says the acquisition of the press brake equipment is the ideal complement to North Shore’s steel processing capabilities, which include rolling up to 10-inch thick material, plasma and oxyfuel burning, press forming, CNC profiling, machining, code welding and testing. “This is a great opportunity to offer increased press brake capacity to our customers, growth opportunities for our employees, and diversify into new end markets. We are very excited to grow our business under the third-generation of family and non-family leaders, and this strategic asset acquisition is a great example,” says David Bluestone, vice president and owner of NSS. North Shore Steel offers a wide range of carbon, stainless, aluminum and galvanized products, including structural steel, pipe, fittings, flanges and plate.