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Top 10 Service Center Equipment Brands Download Full Article Coil Processing’s Top 10 Sawing’s Top 10 Cutting’s Top 10 Material Handling’s Top 10 By the Staff of Metal Center News Service center executives reveal their favorite makes of metal processing equipment in this informal brand survey by Metal Center News. Herr-Voss Stamco, DoALL, Hypertherm and Butech Bliss lead their respective categories in the Metal Center News Top 10 Service Center Equipment Brands lists for 2013. The top three vote-getters in each category were as follows—Coil Processing: Herr-Voss Stamco, Red Bud Industries and Braner USA/Loopco; Sawing: DoALL, Amada and HE&M Saw; Cutting: Hypertherm, Messer Cutting Systems and Trumpf; and Material Handling: Butech Bliss, KASTO, and Caldwell Co. Generally, only a handful of votes separated the market leaders. Information for these brand rankings was gathered as part of MCN’s Outlook Survey last fall and in a series of e-mail polls in the first quarter. Respondents were given an alphabetical list of the 14 largest companies in each product category with instructions to “check all they would endorse and buy from in the future.” Respondents also had the opportunity to write in additional company names or brands not on the lists. The final ranking, based simply on the total number of votes each company received, gives a rough indication of which brands currently command the largest share of mind, and highest levels of customer satisfaction, among service center executives. This methodology does not attempt to rank companies by size or market share, but rather to measure the relative level of brand awareness they have achieved among respondents to MCN’s surveys. Due to the limited sample size, this ranking should be viewed as an informal measure of brand preference. Metals distributors have been on a capital spending binge over the past two decades as they have added value-added processing capabilities to increase revenues and differentiate themselves from the competition. Lingering concerns about the economy are tempering most spending plans, however. According to MCN data gathered last fall, only about 28 percent of service centers planned to spend more on new processing equipment this year than they did in 2012, while 38 percent planned to spend less. "The median capital budget for service centers this year is in the $100,000 to $250,000 range, down from last year, according to MCN data. The typical service center/processor derives about 20 percent of his revenues from the value-added side of the business." Coil Processing Leading makers of coil levelers, slitters, cut-to-length lines, multiblanking lines, straighteners, edge conditioners, shears, press brakes and accessories. 1. Herr-Voss Stamco—Herr-Voss Stamco, Callery, Pa.: cut-to-length, multiblanking, slitting, Strand Extensioner slitting, Enhanced Leveling Technology, tension leveling, process lines, www.herr-voss.com. 2. Red Bud Industries—Red Bud Industries, Red Bud, Ill.: cut-to-length, blanking, multiblanking, slitting, stretcher leveling, EPS acidless pickling, www.redbudindustries.com. 3. Braner USA/Loopco—Braner USA, Schiller Park, Ill.: roller leveling, slitting, cut-to-length, blanking, multiblanking, packaging, scrap chopping, traverse winding, specialty coil processing lines, www.braner.com. 4. Butech Bliss—Butech Bliss, Salem, Ohio: coil processing, cut-to-length, slitting, pickling, leveling, shearing, scrap chopping, material handling, tempering, mill equipment, extrusion and forging presses, engineering services, www.butechbliss.com. 5. Bradbury—The Bradbury Group, Moundridge, Kan.: automated production systems, coil processing, controls, cut-to-length systems, folding, leveling, punching, rollforming, shearing, stacking, steel framing, tooling, automation, www.bradburygroup.com. 6. Chicago Slitter—Chicago Slitter, Itasca, Ill.: coil fed laser systems, coil slitting, blanking, cut-to-length, shearing, punching, bending, packaging, scrap handling equipment, www.chicagoslitter.com. 7. Leveltek—Leveltek International LLC, Benwood, W.Va.: stretch leveling systems for light- to heavy-gauge cut-to-length, coil-to-coil lines, www.leveltekint.com. 8. Delta Steel Technologies—Delta Steel Technologies, Irving, Texas: cut-to-length, slitting, shearing, tempering, pickling, cold rolling, galvanizing, coating lines, www.dbimfg.com. 9. Machine Concepts—Machine Concepts, Minster, Ohio: coil processing, leveling, slitting, side trimming, stacking, specialty equipment, www.machineconcepts.com. 10. Iowa Precision—Iowa Precision, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a member of the Formtek Group: automated coil processing systems, cut-to-length lines, multiblanking lines, www.iowaprecision.com. Sawing Leading makers of band saws, plate saws, circular saws, blades, cutting fluids and accessories. 1. DoALL—DoALL Sawing Products, Wheeling, Ill.: band saws, blades, cutting fluids, material handling, www.doallsawing.com. 2. Amada—Amada Machine Tools America Inc., Schaumburg, Ill.: band saws, blades, milling machines, grinders, turning centers, www.amadamt.com. 3. HE&M Saw—HE&M Saw Inc., Pryor, Okla.: band saws, plate saws, metalworking fluids, material handling equipment, accessories, www.hemsaw.com. 4. Hyd-Mech—Hyd-Mech Group Ltd., Woodstock, Ontario: band saws, circular cold saws, material handling, www.hyd-mech.com. 5. Marvel/Spartan—Marvel Manufacturing Co. Inc., Oshkosh, Wis.: band saws, plate saws, circular saws, ironworkers, www.marvelsaws.com. 6. Behringer—Behringer Saws Inc., Morgantown, Pa.: horizontal band saws, plate saws, hack saws, circular cold saws, structural fabricating equipment, www.behringersaws.com. 7. Metlsaw—Metlsaw Systems Inc., Benicia, Calif.: circular saws, plate saws, cutoff saws, cold saws, extrusion saws, remnant saws, combination saws, blades, material handling, www.metlsaw.com. 8. KASTO—KASTO Inc., Export, Pa.: band saws, circular saws, hack saws, storage systems, www.kastoinc.com. 9. Peddinghaus—Peddinghaus Corp., Bradley, Ill.: structural band saws, miter saws, material handling, plate processing, ironworkers, www.peddinghaus.com. 10. Cosen—Cosen Saws USA, Charlotte, N.C.: band saws in manual, semi-automatic, automatic and NC programmable models, www.cosen.com. Cutting Leading makers of oxyfuel, plasma and laser cutting systems and accessories. 1. Hypertherm—Hypertherm Inc., Hanover, N.H.: plasma, laser cutting equipment, controls, consumables, www.hypertherm.com. 2. Messer Cutting Systems—Messer Cutting Systems, Menomonee Falls, Wis.: CNC laser, plasma, oxyfuel cutting systems, www.messercutting.com. 3. Trumpf—Trumpf Inc., Farmington, Conn.: laser cutting, machine tools, www.us.trumpf.com. 4. Cincinnati—Cincinnati Inc., Harrison, Ohio: lasers, shears, press brakes, stamping presses, software, material handling, www.e-ci.com. 5. Mazak—Mazak Corp., Florence, Ky.: lasers, cutting tools, machining centers, www.mazakusa.com. 6. ESAB—ESAB Cutting Systems, Florence, S.C.: welding, laser, plasma, oxyfuel, waterjet cutting, controls, www.esab-cutting.com. 7. Bystronic—Bystronic Inc., North America, Elgin, Ill.: laser cutting, waterjet cutting, automation, www.bystronicusa.com. 8. Peddinghaus—Peddinghaus Corp., Bradley, Ill.: thermal cutting/coping with oxyfuel, plasma, www.peddinghaus.com. 9. Koike Aronson—Koike Aronson Inc., Ransome, Arcade, N.Y.: oxyfuel, CNC plasma, laser, waterjet cutting, welding equipment, www.koike.com. 10. Amada—Amada America Inc., Schaumburg, Ill.: lasers, turrets, press brakes, fabrication equipment, www.amada.com. Material Handling Leading makers of automated storage and retrieval systems, racks, shelving, coil-handling equipment, conveyors, cranes, magnetic lifters, and other devices and accessories. 1. Butech Bliss—Butech Bliss, Salem, Ohio: coil cars, stacker lift tables, conveyors, upenders, www.butechbliss.com. 2. KASTO—KASTO Inc., Export, Pa.: automated storage and retrieval systems, bar/linear storage systems, sheet metal storage systems, www.kastoinc.com. 3. Walker Magnetics—Walker Magnetics, Worcester, Mass.: magnets for workholding, clamping, lifting, separation, www.walkermagnet.com. 4. Caldwell—The Caldwell Group Inc., Rockford, Ill.: pallet lifters, coil upenders, coil hooks and grabs, slings, lifting and spreader beams, mechanical, vacuum and magnetic sheet lifters, lift truck accessories, www.caldwellinc.com. 5. Canrack/Metal Center Systems—Canrack Storage Systems Inc., Mississauga, Ontario: racks for sheet, plate, bar, coil products, bar and sheet order filling stations, CNC shear feeders, www.canrack.com. 6. Avon Engineering—Avon Engineering, Hamilton, Ontario: below-the-hook lifting devices, C-hooks, clam shell buckets, spreader beams, pallet lifters, floor-based handling devices, inverters, lift tables, transfer cars, upenders, and coil stackers and banding systems, www.avonengineering.com. 7. Coiltech Corp.—Coiltech Corp., Schiller Park, Ill.: coil processing and handling equipment, coil cars, coil upenders, coil grabs, coil lifts, www.coiltechcorp.com. 8. Alcos Machinery—Alcos Machinery Inc., Newmarket, Ontario: coil packaging equipment, coil cars, turnstiles, turntables, upenders, downenders, stackers, strapping machines, conveyors, www.alcos.ca. 9. Morris Material Handling—Morris Material Handling, Oak Creek, Wis., part of Konecranes: P&H overhead cranes, hoists, www.morriscranes.com. 10. Hubtex—Design Storage & Handling, Inc. - exclusive North American distributor, Fredericksburg V.A.; specializing in Sideloaders, Storage and Retrieval Systems, Racking Systems, Order Pickers, Coil Handlers, Large Capacity Cushion Tired Forklifts www.designstorage.com.