To no one’s surprise, the North American service center space retreated from its record-high sales figures reported in last year’s list. But revenues remain well above historical norms for the continent’s largest distribution companies.

Kloeckner Metals Corporation has acquired New Jersey toll processor Amerinox Processing. Amerinox operates four facilities in Camden, N.J.

The past year in the metals supply chain was marked by a continued return to more balanced pricing, supply/demand conditions. (Photo by Leeco Steel)

Kloeckner Metals Corporation, Roswell, Ga., will acquire Industrial Manufacturing Services. KMC is a subsidiary of Klöckner & Co.

Service center leaders detail how and why they moved downstream.

Kloeckner Metals, a Roswell, Ga.-based subsidiary of Klöckner & Co, has acquired Sol Components, a leader in end-to-end structural solar solutions for the commercial and utility solar sectors.

One year after the service center industry shattered most records in the annual Metal Center News’ Top 50, the industry has done it again. But the first seven months of 2023 suggest a third-straight year is not in the offing.

Klöckner & Co has completed an acquisition of National Material of Mexico, a leading independent service center and materials supplier serving automotive and industrial end markets in North America. NMM operates 10 facilities throughout Mexico.

Klöckner & Co. has agreed to acquire National Material of Mexico, a leading independent service center and materials supplier serving automotive and industrial end markets in North America with 10 facilities throughout Mexico. The transaction is made through the company’s U.S. subsidiary, Kloeckner Metals Corporation.

Kloeckner Metals, Roswell, Ga., has appointed three new executives to its management team. Angela Arrellano Villamar has become the company’s new CFO, Bob Cromley was promoted to chief procurement officer and Steve Erdman is the new chief human resources officer.

Historic pricing and strong demand led to across the board sales records in the 20th year of MCN’s survey of North America’s largest service centers. Photo courtesy Reliance Steel & Aluminum.

The appliance segment followed up a banner 2020 with an even better 2021, and healthy backlogs could lead to continued strength this year.

Holding on to employees proves challenging in the metals industry, but service centers can successfully retain talent by demonstrating loyalty and offering incentives.

The metals supply chain followed up the pandemic-dominated 2020 with a 12-month span that was even more unpredictable. Low stock levels were the rules for most metals warehouses.

Kloeckner Metals Corp. has broken ground on a new service center facility in Parque Industrial O’Donnell Fase V, Aeropuerto in Queretaro, Mexico. The new 84,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in Spring 2022.

American Fabricators, also known as Kloeckner Metals Nashville, has expanded its capabilities with the addition of a heavy fabricated frame assembly work cell and manipulator. AFI’s dual commitment to both cutting edge technology and Kloeckner’s safety culture led to the upgrades.

The pandemic once again highlighted the value of not letting a crisis go to waste.

The pandemic took a bite out of revenues for the continent’s largest service centers, but the rough times will undoubtedly be short-lived.