Five Qualities to Look for in a Steel Supplier for Your Business

When you are looking for a steel supplier, your bottom line most often comes down to the question, “Who has the best quality … for the best price … at the right time?” While price is undoubtedly important, cheap product could cost you a lot more in the long run if it requires extra cleaning, or it’s of an inferior quality. And if you have to warehouse it, your cost savings diminish. Your best bet is to find a steel supplier who can give you consistently reliable experiences. That said, look for these top five qualities in a steel partner:

1. A commitment to quality and continuous improvement. Your steel supplier should demonstrate a commitment to providing you with consistent, quality product that exceeds your expectations, every time. They should maintain a quality management system in conformance with their ISO 9001:2015 certification, and continually strive for improvement based on customer and employee feedback.

2. Years of steel experience. Regardless of the industry you’re in, whether it’s automotive, transportation, mining, agriculture, construction or manufacturing, you should choose a steel processing partner with strong experience in steel plate, sheet, structural profiles like beams, angle, and channel, merchant bar, and other products like pipe and tube, rebar and mesh, expanded, and grating. They should also offer a variety of value-added manufacturing processes.

3. Flexibility and agility. Speaking of value-added manufacturing processes, your steel processing company should be agile and flexible, and ready to accommodate your unique needs, whether it’s burning, laser, machining, forming, punching, notching, drilling, rolling, sawing, shearing or welding. They should also carry a large inventory of steel products so they can accommodate your needs—even the unexpected ones.

4. A commitment to on-time delivery. You should be able to count on your steel processing company for fast turnaround times and reliable, on-time delivery. Look for a steel supplier that has production teams working 24/7 to get your job across the finish line. And if they happen to have their own dedicated fleet of trucks to offer you just-in-time delivery … even better.

5. Great customer service. Your steel supplier should be committed to your success and have great customer testimonials. They should have a strong leadership team that believes in putting their customers first and providing expert project guidance. The team should be comprised of dedicated, hard-working individuals who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty and go the extra mile to get the job done.

Find the right steel partner

Find a steel partner with these five qualities, and you’ll have found a steel processing company that can drive your business forward and help you do more with steel. If you’re not currently working with a steel supplier that does these things, talk to Westfield Steel today. We do more with steel, and we’re 100 percent focused on you.

About Westfield Steel

Westfield Steel has a deep midwestern history and has been family-owned since it was founded in 1977. It has grown and expanded over the years to encompass not just steel fabrication, but also distribution and light manufacturing. Its distribution arm, Westfield Steel Express, is an authorized-for-hire common carrier that provides affordable, on-time delivery for a wide range of cargo, including lumber, cement, steel coils, heavy equipment and building materials.

Westfield Steel’s industry affiliations include: The Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI), the North American Steel Alliance (NASA), the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), the Indiana Fabricators Association (IFA), the American Welding Society (AWS), the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) and the Ohio Structural Steel and Architectural Metals Association (OSA.)