Promoting ‘Make NASA Your First Call’ to Suppliers

Need to reach 124 members quickly? ‘Make NASA your first call’ is the message our Management Team is sending to mill suppliers. “The idea originated when the market was soft and some mill suppliers found themselves with excess inventory,” explained NASA President, Mike Wagner. Today the message resonates with mill suppliers looking to fill out rollings or increase orders for a niche grade or size while minimizing marketplace impact. “When our suppliers find themselves in this situation, we encourage them to contact NASA first. With our diverse membership and line-item detail of our aggregate product mix, we can be the ‘first and only’ call when a supplier wants to quickly get the word out or has a specific need,” Wagner noted.

Although we never want to interfere with our member/supplier relationships, the ‘first call’ concept can benefit suppliers, members, and the co-op. “We are always looking for ways to add more value to our co-op. Serving as the connection between suppliers and members is one more example of adding value,” Wagner added. Beyond one-off needs, Wagner sees the ‘first call’ concept evolving to a regular procedure. “Ideally, mill suppliers will view NASA— and the buying power we represent—as a business plan entity and a strategic partner. We are starting to see signs of this with some of our preferred suppliers.”

The over-arching message is that suppliers are key to the success of our members and the co-op. “We are all on the same side, when it comes to bringing steel to market,” concluded Wagner. “NASA is here to help streamline the process.”

Contact Mike Wagner, NASA President or Deana Lecy, NASA Director of Metals

Programs

Updated Web Site Launched

Earlier this month, the NASA Management Team launched the co-op’s updated web site, which now incorporates the modernized branding rolled out in May. “The web site is the first view potential members, suppliers, and customers often have to our cooperative,” noted Randy Haas, NASA Director of Marketing and Program Development. The new site features photos of our members’ and suppliers’ operations and products. These photos will be changing throughout the year to keep the site looking fresh. “For those already familiar with the NASA web site, the basic navigation and log-in details to the private pages remain unchanged,” added Marty Burian, IT Manager.

“The updated site presents a modern organization to visitors, and first impressions are lasting!” —Randy Haas, NASA Director of Marketing and Program Development

NOVEMBER 2018

MAKE NASA YOUR FIRST CALL

Need to move some inventory?

Looking to fill out a rolling?

Want to round out an order for a niche grade or size?

Visit the Updated Web Site!

Meet David Bernstein

NASA Network sat down with the new vice-chair of NASA’s Board of Directors, David Bernstein, one of the Principals at State Steel Supply Company. Here he tells us more about himself and his enthusiasm for the IT advancements underway at NASA.

Q. How long have you been involved in NASA? A. State Steel joined the co-op about ten years ago at the urging of Steve Gottlieb of Ratner Steel. I have served on the board since 2008.

Q. What roles have you played at NASA?A. Early on, I was involved with the Scholarship Committee. Because of my background in IT and engineering, I served on an ad hoc committee addressing rebate security and have been a member of the IT Committee for several years. Now I chair the IT Committee and am heavily involved in the recruitment of members to the CoMetrics platform.

Q. What are some of the recent outcomes of the IT Committee activities?A. The roll-out of the CoMetrics platform has been a big accomplishment for the committee and the co-op. I am a big proponent of the benchmarking opportunities that CoMetrics can provide. At State Steel, we’ve been doing benchmarking within our organization, comparing data between our locations. I look forward to being able to benchmark on a broader scale and to compare our performance to that of our NASA peers. Through CoMetrics, the co-op is gathering data and already has the collective knowledge within the organization to help everyone (all members and suppliers) become more competitive and succeed.

Q. What do you find are the benefits of NASA membership? A. The peer-to-peer contact and the strong relationships between members and suppliers are the most critical and valuable aspects of our membership. The one-on-ones and the relationship-building opportunities are a real strength of the organization. The opportunity for data benchmarking presents additional value, and of course the rebate checks are an added benefit for sure!

BIRTHPLACE:Sioux City, IA

EDUCATION:Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern

University and graduate studies in Human Factors Engineering at the

University of Southern California (I left Los Angeles after the ‘92 riots).

HOW DID YOU GET INTERESTED IN STEEL?

State Steel was founded by my grandfather 80+ years ago. In high

school, I ran a shear and the band saw. Shortly after college, I took on the re-computerization process (ERP) at the company. After grad school, I brought

on-line our laser-cutting operations and have been with the company ever since.

PERSONAL MOTTO:

I’m an engineer at heart, so at times I say things like: ‘We shot a flippin’ man to the moon and he made it back—we

should be able to do this!’

HOBBIES:I enjoy traveling and attending (and

promoting) live music events. Some of my favorites performers are The Avett Brothers, The Allman Brothers Band,

and the Grateful Dead.

Forecast Conference Recap

Attendees to the recent Forecast Conference in Chicago, experienced a new format to the October event, revamped to place a greater emphasis on industry trends to help members plan for the future. “The idea of a forecasting event originally came out of discussions with suppliers who wanted an opportunity to present their 12-18 month outlook to members,” explained Mike Wagner, NASA President. “With members focused on planning and budgeting at this time of year, we wanted to add more value to that process by providing more insight and touch points that relate to the industry.

Download Forecast Conference Presentations Now!

All presentations from the Forecast Conference are now

available for download at the NASA website, in the private portal. Click www.steelalliance.com, log in, go to Coop Info dropdown menu, and

select “Meeting Information.”

We also wanted to provide access to economic trends and leading indicators,” Wagner added. In addition to the keynote speaker, Becky E. Hites, Managing Director, Steel-Insights, the agenda for the conference emphasized a series of break-out sessions, most presented by a supplier and member in tandem. Session topics included tax reform, transportation, talent retention, and trade updates.

Save the Date!April 15-17, 2019 | San Antonio, Texas

The 2019 Annual Meeting is slated for April 15-17, 2019 at the JW Marriott in San Antonio, Texas.

You can book your room now here.

Brighten Your Work Environment: For Employees and for Safety

Businesses within the NASA community are always looking for creative ways to attract and retain good employees. For one solution, operational supplier Big Ass Fans suggests looking up!

“Customers are seeing a big improvement in employee spirits and morale once a warehouse or manufacturing space has been improved with LED lighting and ceiling fans,” noted Kevin Young, National Accounts Manager for the Lexington, Kentucky-based company. “A comfortable and well-lit work environment is an investment in a company’s employees. It also presents a cleaner more attractive facility to customers and potential employees,” explained Young. After new lights are installed, plants look as though they have had a facelift, “It’s a real ‘wow factor’ for the business,” Young added.

Improved lighting can contribute to a safer work environment and to a better bottom line. “Our customers are realizing return on investment of one to six years, which includes the cost of the installation and utility company rebates,”

Give Your Employees a Boost!Here are six easy steps to a brighter work environment and happier workforce.

• Contact Big Ass Fans (BAF) to arrange an initial/discovery meeting.

• Schedule BAF to perform a site survey.

• Review survey results with BAF lighting engineers.

• Get engineering drawings and recommendations from BAF on fixtures, price, utility company rebates.

• Issue Purchase Order.

• Schedule installation by BAF crew or self-install.

FORECAST FEEDBACK!

“The focus toward Forecast was refreshing. I liked hearing the input from sister companies about their forecasting information.”—David

Tyndall, Midwest Pipe & Steel

“My take-away from the Energy session was ‘oil & gas is going well and will continue to do so in ’19.’ I

also found the tariffs versus quotas discussion interesting, which was part of the Trade session.”—Jeff

Chapman, Huntington Steel

“The format and concept was good. As this goes on, it will get even better with more input.”—Kenny

Rusche, T&W Steel

Update Your Profile Now!This planning season—while you are visiting your NASA Dashboard—take two extra minutes to update your profile. Be sure that all employees who play a role in the purchasing of steel have been added to your company profile. “Member companies with multiple locations can add more contacts by going to the Member Info tab on the web site and selecting Member Locations from the dropdown menu,” reminded Tim Bobich, NASA Membership Manager. “We are looking to increase and expand communications with members and their critical team members,” noted Bobich. “Adding names to your member profile is one way to achieve this.”

+

Young reported. “The ROI varies depending on the type of fixture, the number of fixtures, hours that fixtures are in use, etc. But all these variables are known quantities, so it is pretty easy to calculate.”

Young has been meeting with NASA members for several years, at the annual meetings and conferences as well as at member locations. As a key operational supplier, Big Ass Fans provides utility rebate administration support on fan and lighting systems, and NASA members benefit from complimentary site surveys and engineering drawings to support any installations.

Contact Kevin Young to arrange your discovery meeting.

Visit the Big Ass Fans web site to read case studies of cost savings and other improvements.

BEFORE AFTER

Photos of the same industrial work environment before and after installation of a Big Ass Fans lighting system.

Visit Your Profile and Add Purchasing Personnel!

Add other employees to the NASA database to receive newsletters, announcements, etc. by contacting Randy Haas or Tim Bobich

NASA Members in the News

Alliance Steel Recognized by AWMIThe Association of Women in the Metal Industries (AWMI) Chicago Chapter recently recognized long-standing member company, Alliance Steel LLC of Bedford Park, IL with the Cornerstone Award—an honor recognizing exemplary membership and industry values. Andy Gross, President and CEO, accepted the honor on behalf of his company and stated; “I am humbled and honored to receive this award. If any company has goals of growth, they must invest in the facilitation of training and support of their own employees.”

Welcome New Members

Effective October 1, the NASA member roster has expanded by three. Please join us in welcoming the newest members of the NASA nation and visit their web sites to learn more about the services and products they provide.

Texas Iron & Metal Family-owned and run since 1939, Texas Iron & Metal is based in Houston and provides prime and less-than-prime industrial products and services. Contact: Max Reichenthal

Beaver Steel Beaver Steel has been family owned and operated since 1989. Originally serving HVAC metal contractors, the company now provides flat-rolled carbon steel to manufacturers, fabricators, and job shops within a 300-mile radius of Pittsburgh, PA. The company is based in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. Contact: Tony Treser

Fasteel Industries A leading Canadian multi-line steel service center serving customer across British Columbia. The company is headquartered in Surrey, BC. Contact: Dave Boyce

The co-op also welcomes our newest operational supplier, Fleetwood-Signode a global manufacturer of steel and plastic strapping, stretch film and the application equipment and accessories for each.

Visit the web sites of our newest members:

Texas Iron & Metal

Beaver Steel

Fasteel Industries

Fleetwood-Signode