Distributors/Service Centers
February 2, 2024
Written by Laura Miller
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. has added another company to its extensive portfolio of metals service centers and processors.
Reliance announced on Feb. 2 that it has acquired Tifton, Ga.-based Cooksey Iron & Metal Co. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
SMU’s latest Flat-Rolled Steel Buyers Survey shows that in a tight US market marked by long lead times, low inventories, and rising prices, foreign products continue to gain the interest of domestic buyers.
The results of the latest SMU flat-rolled market survey are now available on our website to all premium members.
Service centers and manufacturers on the Sept. 15 HARDI Sheet Metal and Air Handling Council call described a tight, seller-driven market. Lead times are long, deliveries are late, inventories are thin, imports are down, and demand is strong, causing a shortage of galvanized material. SMU regularly joins the council’s meetings to discuss the galvanized sheet market. Participants — members of Heating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) — are wholesalers, service centers, distributors, and manufacturers who buy or sell galvanized steel.
US service centers’ flat-rolled steel supply declined in August, making the marginal gain the month prior an outlier year-to-date. Shipping days of supply slipped to 44.2 in August, according to SMU data.
Carolina Heavy Steel is set to establish heavy steel processing, fabrication, and coating operations in Ridgeville, S.C.