Westfield Steel Saves Time, Customer’s Money

FOR RELEASE:
July 10, 2008

CONTACT:
David Ayers
(317) 554-6357 or (317) 502-8536

SALEM, ILL.—ESI Steel and Fabrication President Marshall Smith knows time saved is money saved—and money earned.

So, in order to create the structural products and sheets and plates ESI is commissioned to produce, Marshall and Production Manager Kerry Smith must turn to Westfield Steel in Terre Haute, Ind. to get the ball rolling.

“Their delivery times are very good,” said Marshall.

According to Marshall, Westfield Steel increases ESI’s business by as much as 10 percent due to their ability to turn orders around quickly.

“Because of the fast delivery, we’re able to get a job or two we couldn’t get if we had to wait on the steel,” Marshall said.

Kerry said that Westfield has saved ESI money not only by offering fast delivery, but also by offering competitive prices on objects that other producers charge more for.

“Most of what we do with them is a standard plate, standard angle [steel],” said Kerry. “Everybody, every steel provider sells the same thing. So, in that respect, the price is the determining factor. However, we still prefer to buy domestic materials, which Westfield Steel provides.”

ESI determined that Westfield Steel was a good source for that steel.

“They have been competitive for a long time,” Kerry said.

Westfield Steel also provides an invaluable service to ESI, said Kerry, by using the Westfield facility to create certain products that ESI’s Illinois factory is not equipped to produce.

“Sometimes they can do things that we can’t do, like bend half-inch plate, so they provide us a valued service there,” Kerry said. “We don’t have our own flame cutting equipment. There’s value in the fact that the equipment they have is some that we do not have.”

A boost in profitability can be traced to an increase in productivity, which Westfield Steel also bumps up at ESI due to the increase in capabilities.

“What I’ve been impressed with the most is their overall competitiveness. Day in and day out, they don’t try bouncing my price up to squeeze a little more out of me. They try to make a fair margin and don’t play games as far as pricing.”

 

Back