October, 2004   

Turn Excess Metal Into Cash, Reduce Your Metal Costs

Does your shop have a stack of metal you're not likely to use? Maybe the metal is common or exotic, or maybe you ordered stock for a job that fell through. Regardless, that stack is just sitting there gathering dust, and you'd love to free up the space and maybe turn the metal into cash at the same time.

Or, are you finding that inventory shortages and skyrocketing prices make buying steel and other metals a pain in your . . . wallet? Would you like to find a channel through which to purchase some common or exotic metals to offset costs through your regular sources?

If either of these descriptions applies to you, visit Metal Suppliers Online (MSO). If MSO sounds familiar, that's because it was one of the first online models serving the metalworking Web. The MSO Web site (www.metalsuppliersonline.com) and business model have survived the dot-com storm and are still standing at a time very appropriate for you and them.

With lean manufacturing and 5S offering effective methods for making contract manufacturing and machining businesses more competitive, monetizing dormant metals stock and maximizing square footage just makes sense.

And no one needs to tell you about the costs of locating and buying metals these days.

MSO allows you to "post" your excess metals to its network of buyers. Buyers looking for that material buy it from you. Or, you can enter the MSO network as a buyer, find the metal you're looking for from someone with excess metal, negotiate a price and buy it—often for much less than market price. Think of MSO as a sort of "eBay for metals" with a focused, manufacturing-oriented audience.

Job Shop Site Of The Month

This month, OTW recognizes the Web site of Pro CNC, a Washington-based, full-service manufacturer that stresses design engineering and life cycle partnership. While we like the simplicity and professionalism of Pro CNC's site, it's the quality of its content that won us over. Check out the "Success Stories" section—Pro CNC lists quotes from customers that address the company's strengths in contexts such as technical prowess, design and project collaboration, and reliability. (These are exactly what buyers indicate they're looking for in manufacturers these days.) The "Customers" section doesn't simply name drop; Pro CNC categorizes its customers into market segments, which demonstrates its experience with specific specs and requirements. See if you can find its equipment list (hint: you can, but it's buried under "CNC Machining"). Pro CNC stresses "what it does" over "what it does it with"—which is certain to make it stand out from other sites that emphasize equipment lists over competence.

To have your site considered for Job Shop Site Of The Month, send your URL to otw@mmsonline.com.

OTW Infoletter

Want to get the online metalworking scoop via e-mail from metalworking’s preferred information source? Subscribe to MMS’ OTW (On The Web) Infoletter at www.mmsonline.com/newsletter/.