Introducing Central Tube & Bar
Central Tube & Bar, based in Arkansas, is a leading supplier and processor of high-quality fabricated tube and bar products including round, square, rectangular and special shape tubes.
On October 2, the Central Tube & Bar (CTB) team joined Olympic Steel as part of our tube and pipe products segment, extending our value-added manufacturing capabilities and expanding our geographic reach in the mid-south.
HISTORY
Central Tube & Bar began in Conway, Arkansas in 1996 with one bandsaw and a single customer. Doug Ward, the father of CTB’s President - Dustin Ward, had retired after many years in the steel business when a friend in the industry asked him if he knew someone who could process some steel. Doug responded, “I could.”
So, with his son (Dustin) and a small team, they took on the job of cutting steel frames for buses. Doug purchased a saw, ordered the material and rented a small garage. It was so small that the steel wouldn’t fit in the building – it had to be run through a window.
Over the next 10 years CTB continued to expand facility space and add processing capability. In 2006 while attending FabTech, Dustin learned of a new tube laser technology manufactured in Italy. CTB invested in this tube laser and filled 2 shifts within 6 months, which allowed them to add more lasers. CTB was one of the first companies in the U.S. to adopt this technology. One of their largest customers – the parent company of their first customer, in fact – was moving and asked them to move with them as their just-in-time supplier. So CTB opened a facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma and continues to provide parts for buses today.
In 2009, Doug Ward retired and Dustin Ward was promoted to President of Central Tube & Bar. Throughout its growth, CTB has continued to promote the family atmosphere and the values associated with it, including teamwork, integrity and honesty.
PRODUCTS
Central Tube & Bar offers value-added fabrication services – including tube laser cutting, tube bending, robotic welding, flat laser burning and brake press forming – from three ISO-certified facilities covering 162,000 square feet of warehouse and production space in Conway, Arkansas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
CTB has grown to service some of the largest manufacturers and fabricators in the heavy truck, commercial bus, hospitality, aerospace, manufacturing, and energy industries. All production is done in-house with systematic checks from start to finish. Competitive sourcing allows CTB to provide high-quality carbon, alloy, aluminum and stainless tube, along with carbon and alloy bar.
OUTLOOK
The business will continue to operate as Central Tube & Bar, an Olympic Steel Company, led by Dustin and his existing leadership team. It will be included in the tube and pipe segment, led by Bill Zielinski, President - Chicago Tube & Iron. The addition of CTB’s experience and expertise serving large original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and fabricators will provide new opportunities for collaboration and growth across the Company.
To learn more about the products and services of Central Tube & Bar, visit
centraltubeandbar.com.
