Service Centers

Reliance buys MidWest Materials
Written by Laura Miller
April 2, 2024
Reliance Inc. has scooped up another service center to add to its extensive holdings.
The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company announced on Tuesday that it has acquired MidWest Materials Inc. of Perry, Ohio, for an undisclosed sum.
MidWest Materials is a flat-rolled steel service center providing hot-rolled, high-strength hot-rolled, coated, and cold-rolled products to the trailer manufacturing, agriculture, metal fabrication, and building products sectors.
The current management of the company will remain in place, Reliance said.
In 2023, MidWest Materials posted sales of $87 million.
“The addition of MidWest Materials increases our flat rolled presence in the critical markets in and around Ohio, which primarily service North American OEMs,” said Karla Lewis, president and CEO of Reliance.
“MidWest Materials aligns well with our acquisition criteria of a well-run company that is immediately accretive to our earnings and expands our offerings to customers with modern, high-performance processing capabilities,” Lewis added.
This is Reliance’s third announced acquisition of 2024. In February, it agreed to purchase Houston-based American Alloy Steel Inc., and also announced the purchase of Tifton, Ga.-based Cooksey Iron & Metal Co.
Reliance operates more than 315 locations in 40 states and 12 countries outside of the US.

Laura Miller
Read more from Laura MillerLatest in Service Centers

Steel Summit: Service center CEOs share straight talk on markets, customers, future
The chief executives from Majestic Steel, Olympic Steel, and Worthington Steel swapped notes on inventory discipline, customer trust, and the race to turn AI from hype into results.

Steel Summit: Analysts say demand likely to struggle until 2027
Steel industry analysts at this year's SMU Steel Summit said they see lackluster demand through this year and next.

Varsteel acquires Reliable Tube and Spartan Metal Processing
Varsteel Ltd. announced two new strategic acquisitions. The Canadian service center stated that the acquisitions position it to meet a wider range of steel product needs.

Steel Summit: Reliance CEO eyes potential M&A in Mexico, highlights tech plans
Karla Lewis, president and CEO of Reliance Inc., told attendees of SMU’s Steel Summit 2025 that North America’s largest service center company is eyeing strategic opportunities in Mexico.

Galvanized steel prices slip while demand remains flat: HARDI
Galvanized steel prices dipped to ~$48/hundredweight in August from the $50-59/hundredweight range during the month of July.