Metal Service Center
What is a Metal Service Center?
A metal service center refers to a professional metal service provider with huge storage space and various metal processing equipment and processing capabilities that is active between upstream metal smelters and downstream steel product processing enterprises. It usually buys and stores steel and various metal raw materials from steel mills in large quantities as a wholesaler, and then resells it in smaller batches to downstream steel product manufacturers or other steel processing through cut-to-size, preliminary processing, and finishing, and provide more value-added services, such as: financing arrangements, long-term storage, etc.,
What can a metal service center do?
We can understand metal service as a super metal material supply chain platform, which can quickly provide one-stop, small batch, Various types and sizes, high-quality materials and accessories for metal material users, so that they can Focus on the innovation, research and development and integration of complete sets of products and equipment, without worrying about the quality and price stability of metal materials, and the cumbersome transportation arrangements.
How Metal Service Centers Work？
A steel service center operates by purchasing large quantities of metal or steel materail from one (or more) mills, storing the material, and then processing it as needed to meet custom orders. The process is divided into three main steps:
1. Procurement business
Steel service centers seek to source steel from mills or other suppliers at competitive prices. Companies may have contractual relationships with specific producers. For example, it might contract with a factory to buy steel with a specific alloy or percentage of alloys to obtain a high-strength product.
2. Storage operation
Most service centers have the necessary facilities to transport, store and deliver metal raw materials. This capability allows companies to purchase steel in bulk when market prices fluctuate to low levels. Its inventory enables the Steel Service Center to meet high demand levels from customers.
3. finishing operation
Often, the service center also provides steel finishing. This step may simply be cutting the steel to a specified weight or size to complete a custom order. The process of shearing carbon or stainless steel often provides valuable assistance to customers in making steel products. Some steel service centers cold-roll the metal to produce sheet in the size customers need.
Why do metal service centers exist?
The first word highlighted in the name ‘Service Center’ is ‘Service’. Our customers come to us because they need actual raw materials, but they also need service. They need a delivery service. They need metal treatment service. They need credit services. All of these are the reasons why service centers really do business. Manufacturers need reliable metal availability and ideally they can have next day deliveries. If a manufacturer completes purchasing and manufacturing services through several third parties, this creates logistical complications between these third-party manufacturers. And dealing with multiple entities can create cash flow issues as well as segregation of responsibilities. Then one-stop service can solve these problems very well.
Inventory management is one of the most important roles of a service center. Maintaining sufficient inventory to handle the ups and downs of customers is critical. At the same time, you can’t hold so much that it will age or become obsolete or pay too much interest for it. And you also run the risk of reduced profits or losses due to potentially negative volatility in the pricing of steel commodities.
Steel prices, factory lead times, customer demand and customer forecasts all determine what this balance needs to look like. While steel service centers usually contract with their manufacturers, they are usually indexed. No matter how you cut it, steel is a commodity, so prices will fluctuate with the market, and predicting steel prices is important, as is the ability to observe and adapt to changing trends.
What makes YOGO METAL service center special ?
1. Digitization
Another way YOGO METAL creates value is through a digital strategy, we have developed a digital, networked management system called “Online Material Management”. Through this system, our metal service center can prepare materials for customers in the most efficient, reasonable and intensive way and even have completed door-to-door delivery. At the same time, customers can also check the progress of their material preparation 24/7 in real time and stock availability. It is web-based, so it can be accessed from anywhere on a computer, tablet or mobile phone or other smart terminal in a variety of ways
We can also provide super value-added services such as regular quantitative processing, batch and regional distribution, long-term price lock, and quality inspection control through a powerful information management system, a complete service network and an advanced metal detection laboratory, so as to provide downstream Metalwork factories provide highly reliable, traceable, cost-stable metal materials.
Our system can even replace the third-party inspection service by live streaming the whole process of material inspection. This kind of inspection is more reliable and time-saving, and it is a good choice for new customers who need small batches and urgent orders.
2. Diversified services
Another key to the success of a metal service center is diversification. By providing a variety of services and products, service centers can provide more solutions, create more value, and better respond to market commodity fluctuations. Having a wide range of products helps the service center make full use of its own strength to develop a wider market and meet customers who have a wide range of needs for products and services.
Leveling / Cutting to Length / Blanking
Leveling is the process of unwinding a metal coil and cutting it into flat sheets. In most cases, metal service centers will pre-cut the material and shape them into standard stock lengths such as 96 inches or 120 inches.
Ability to level or cut-to-length lines may vary. In some cases, leveling can correct material memory by passing the coil through the roller set. In other cases, the service center stretches the material before cutting. No matter what they do with the coil, be sure to let them know what you’re using the material for so they can help you find the best shape or product for your unique application.
Divide
Slitting involves modifying the width of the material in the form of coils. Therefore, while flattening is related to the length of the material, slitting affects the width of the material. Metal service centers use custom machinery to cut material to the proper width for future processing. By slitting, these centers can:
- Create consistent products
- Provide tight metal tolerances
- Waste/waste reduction
- Having a metal service center cut your material to the width you need can save a lot of time on your project and make the process easier.
Piping/Edge Adjustment
Edge rolling and conditioning services keep coil and strip edges cleaner. Sharp edges and edge defects can occur when cutting metal. But when service centers go the extra mile to give metal products a cleaner edge, you get a more consistent product that’s easier to machine and manufacture. The rounded edges also make the material safer to handle.
Our niche market is high-quality specialty metals in high and low volume. Through our best-in-class value-added services, we provide our customers with the materials they need and the specifications they need, faster.
3. Diversified materials
Customers can also purchase highly processed commodity steels from professional service centers: stainless steel, carbon steel, iron, copper, nickel sheet, aluminum sheet, custom alloy materials, galvanized steel, cold rolled steel, steel pipe, spring steel, steel sheet, aluminized steel , rectangular tubes and other metal finished products. As a tension-straightened steel plate. Buyers can utilize this pretreated material to manufacture metal parts for their own assembly operations without having to invest in expensive specialized equipment or facilities. In North America, some steel service centers even meet specific customer requirements, supplying finished steel bent at a specified angle or sheet with the required surface treatment. In some cases, steel service centers sell materials to other centers for further processing.
4. Extensive application
Steel service centers produce a wide range of products, for example steel service centers, if they have the capability to hot-roll steel, can temper the steel to produce high-strength steel, which is a raw material needed for a variety of uses in the automotive, aerospace and construction industries. If the factory heats the hot roll above the recrystallization temperature, it may also be surface treated to enhance corrosion resistance. Steel service centers make hot-rolled steel into many different shapes, but hot-rolled steel is typically characterized by lower structural integrity than cold-rolled steel. Well-equipped blast furnace capable centers can add the desired alloys to the molten steel, or perform other required processing steps.
Steel service centers (most companies) that rely on cold rolled steel also provide valuable services by performing metalworking, which can prove time-consuming or challenging in a rigorous mechanical assembly environment. Stainless steel meets specific size requirements. They help manufacturers achieve more streamlined metal part production by cutting sheet metal into a specified shape or bending it to an angle to meet customer specifications. The variety of possible metal service operations enables individual steel service centers to serve niche steel retail markets. Steel can be electroplated or pressed into sheets.