Shaw and CTI – Welded Together
When CTI realized they could support Shaw’s production demand, the teams partnered to better support customer needs, all while keeping the work within the Olympic Steel family.
Teamwork. One of our Core Values and a huge reason for our success. After Shaw Stainless & Alloy (Shaw Stainless) was acquired in October 2021, they began using the new resources and connections available to them as a part of the Olympic Steel family.
Shaw realized that they needed assistance if they wanted to produce at a higher capacity. When Bryan Shaw, the President of Shaw Stainless, began touring other Olympic Steel divisions, he saw an opportunity to partner with Chicago Tube & Iron (CTI) and took action.
“We discussed partnering with CTI because they had similar fabrication capabilities, allowing us to look further than the reach of Shaw Stainless – at the bigger picture with Olympic Steel,” said Bryan.
Steve West, VP of Engineered Products at CTI, saw the bigger picture for his team, too. CTI in Locust, NC had available capacity. “You have to evolve in this marketplace. With Bryan and his team, I’m able to do more. I can maintain a higher employment level, as well as help his team get more product out the door, increasing sales for Olympic as a whole,” said Steve. So, when both teams realized the benefit they could provide for each other, there was no second-guessing the synergy.
As with all partnerships, challenges are inevitable. How you deal with and overcome them is what matters. Both teams offer these tips for success to other Olympic Steel brands and divisions looking to partner:
- Communication is key. Not all project or customer specifications are documented. Some requirements are informal (tribal knowledge), but they make a big difference to the overall success of a project.
- Understanding is essential. Be sure to ask questions to fully understand each team’s terminology and how the operation is run, including any processing standards or specific requirements.
- Onsite visits are important. Go to each of the locations involved to see, first-hand, how the process flows and meet the teams involved.
- Go into the partnership not seeking credit but seeking to be part of a solution.
This partnership is a prime example of why Olympic Steel prioritizes growth within the company. By having a few different locations that can do similar processes, it provides our divisions with a back-up plan. For example, if a facility has an outage or a location needs support meeting demand, there will likely be another Olympic Steel team able to help. It gives us flexibility and allows us to take on big projects while maintaining quality and managing expenses. It can also allow our brands to extend into new geographies or more efficiently service customers in existing territories that are further from their locations by using other Olympic Steel facilities as stocking and shipping partners.
The overall goal for this partnership is to increase capacity and production for existing customers, while keeping the work within the Olympic Steel family. CTI Locust is providing tube laser cutting, bending and welding for various Shaw projects, including fit up and welding for stainless steel bollards headed to a dog food plant, tube laser work and miter cuts on stainless square tubing for a large stainless wastewater tank customer and bending and welding for stainless steel pipe systems and ASME pressure vessel tanks.
Both divisions wanted to give a shoutout to a few key employees involved in making this partnership happen: Brad Snyder, Director of Value-Added Services at CTI; Brandon Hamilton, Engineering Supervisor at CTI; and Joe Kollbaum, Vice President Shaw Stainless & Alloy. After all, teamwork makes the dream work!
Learn more about Shaw Stainless & Alloy and Chicago Tube & Iron:
https://stainlessandalloy.com/
