Westfield Steel Adapts New Model For Weak Economy

Westfield Steel, Inc. (Westfield, IN) is delivering steel to its customers and providing other hauling services through Westfield Steel Express, a newly-formed, authorized-for-hire common carrier. With processing centers in Westfield and Terre Haute, IN, the service is uniquely designed to service customers rapidly and insure on-time delivery.

?We were looking to generate more revenues with our existing asset base,? said Fritz Prine, chief financial officer of Westfield Steel. ?We had 20 over-the-road tractors and 21 trailers, and most were on daily delivery routes throughout the Midwest.?

Prine says Westfield Steel?s goals are to generate incremental revenue ? in an otherwise struggling economy ? and fill in the gaps delivery-wise during a typical work week. ?We found that we could provide a lower cost alternative than many of the common carriers,? he explains. ?We made some minor investments in equipment so that we could haul more commodity types. As the economy turned (and continued), we have been able to increase our hauling revenue.?

In addition to their own steel types, Westfield Steel now hauls many other things like fabricated steel parts, lumber, equipment, building materials, steel coils, agriculture seeds, and salt. ?Our main role will always be to support the company delivering our steel,? Prine said. ?But, our flexibility with management, people, and our assets allows us to take advantage of opportunities in this difficult recession.?

Facts about Westfield Steel Express:

? The furthest haul North: Minneapolis, MN

? The furthest haul South: Carrollton, GA (just outside of Atlanta)

? The furthest haul East: Edison, NJ

? The furthest haul West: Kansas City, MO, Auburn, NE

Westfield Steel Express has hauled a wide variety of different materials, including shingles, coils, lumber, PVC water pipe, steel tubing, machinery, hot rolled flat bar and rounds, conveying systems, mulch, bags of carbon, specialized aluminum, lawn mower racks, cement products, a refractor, commercial metal studs, and wood floors.

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Westfield Steel, Inc., 530 State Road 32 West, Westfield, IN 46074, 317-896-5587, Fax: 317-896-5343, www.westfieldsteel.com .