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Insights & Updates
Product updates, industry insights, and best practices for steel service centers and metal distributors.
Why the Best Steel Companies Are Hiring Software Engineers
Nucor hired a Director of Business Technology Integration. Reliance is building digital capabilities across 320+ locations. The industry is changing.
How Steel Prices Move: A Guide for People New to the Industry
Steel pricing is confusing to newcomers. Mills announce prices, indices publish benchmarks, and service centers set their own margins on top. Here is how it all fits together.
How to Build an Effective Maintenance Program for Steel Processing Equipment
Unplanned downtime on a slitting line costs $2,000 to $5,000 per hour in lost production. A preventive maintenance program costs a fraction of that and keeps the line running.
Switching ERPs Without Losing Your Mind (or Your Data)
The number one reason service centers stay on terrible software is fear of switching. Here is the migration playbook that reduces the risk.
What Every Steel Distributor Should Know About Antidumping Duties
Antidumping and countervailing duties add 10% to 500% to the cost of imported steel from specific countries. Ignoring them can result in massive retroactive duty bills.
How Steel Service Centers Can Support Lean Manufacturing Customers
Your manufacturing customers are implementing lean and just-in-time. If your delivery and inventory capabilities cannot support their lean operations, they will find a supplier who can.
Credit Management in Steel: The Art of Saying Yes Without Getting Burned
Steel service centers extend $50,000 to $500,000+ in trade credit per customer. Getting credit decisions right is both art and science.
How to Use Customer Purchase Data to Drive Steel Sales
Your order history contains patterns that reveal exactly which customers are ready to buy more, which products to recommend, and which accounts need attention. Most service centers never look.
The Future of Steel Distribution: What Changes and What Does Not
Technology will transform how steel is bought, sold, and tracked. The fundamental value of having the right material in the right place at the right time is permanent.
DFARS Compliance for Steel Distributors: What You Need to Know
If you sell steel for defense contracts, DFARS compliance is mandatory. Here is what it requires and how to document it.
How to Choose the Right Forklift for a Steel Service Center
Forklifts in a steel warehouse lift 10 to 50 times the weight of a retail warehouse forklift. Choosing the wrong equipment creates safety hazards and operational bottlenecks.
How to Prepare Your Steel Service Center for an Audit
Whether it is ISO, customer, financial, or safety, audits reveal the gap between what you say you do and what you actually do. Closing that gap before the auditor arrives is the whole game.