Metal Processing Corp. goes big

Dave Crawford positions cut steel in the new 84-inch Braner Slitting Line at Metal Processing Corp. in Gary.

Bryan Tomes sets up the tooling for the slitter head on the new 84-inch Braner Slitting Line at Metal Processing Corp. in Gary. The slitter can cut up to 5/8 inch steel.

Shawn Murphy positions a roll of steel on the the new 84-inch Braner Slitting Line at Metal Processing Corp. in Gary.

Shawn Murphy uses a micrometer to measure the cuts of steel being made by the new 84-inch Braner Slitting Line at Metal Processing Corp. in Gary.

Shawn Murphy uses a micrometer to measure the cuts of steel being made by the new 84-inch Braner Slitting Line at Metal Processing Corp. in Gary.

A roll of 5/8 inch steel cut by the new 84-inch Braner Slitting Line at Metal Processing Corp. in Gary.

A roll of 5/8 inch steel cut by the new 84-inch Braner Slitting Line at Metal Processing Corp. in Gary.

Bryan Tomes sets up the tooling for the slitter head on the new 84-inch Braner Slitting Line at Metal Processing Corp. in Gary. Great Lakes steel output fell to 610,000 last week.

GARY | A steel processing and logistics business in Gary wanted to go big, and decided it might as well go as big as possible.

Metal Processing Corp. recently installed an 84-inch Braner Slitting Line that will let it process heavier-gauge coil and enter new markets, including structural tubing for new construction, stamping for cars, irrigation pipes for farms and sprinkler systems for buildings. The 20-year-old company invested $5.5 million in the expansion project.

"We can handle a little wider .650-inch-thick slit up to 84 inches wide," President and Chief Operating Officer Dave Ackerman said. "We can handle up to 100,000-lb. coil. That's certainly the biggest in the area."

The steel processing business, which has grown over the years from a single slitter to seven production lines, can now process heavy gauge steel coil as thick as a panel of drywall.

Metal Processing Corp., based in Great Lakes Industrial Park at the doorstep of U.S. Steel's Gary Works, added eight workers to operate the equipment, bringing its total head count to 83. The hope is to hire five or six more workers this year, if the heavy gauge slitter generates enough new business to justify a second shift, plant manager Bob Hamernick said.

To even install the multimillion-dollar piece of industrial machinery, Metal Processing Corp. took over an additional 80,000 square feet in the industrial park, where it now occupies a total of 400,000 square feet. The company installed a new 50-ton overhead crane to accompany its 30-ton cranes that scoop up and move around steel coils heavy enough to crush a car. Rows of support beams throughout the building had to shored up to support the extra weight the new heavy-duty crane can hoist.

Endless rows of steel coil fill the cavernous warehouse where Metal Processing Corp. processes steel for several sectors, including light-gauge electric welding, shelving manufacturers, garage-door makers and the automotive industry. The company cuts steel to order for customers all over North America, including in Mexico and Canada.

"The bottom line is we decided to get into a different market niche, and the market niche is heavy gauge," Ackerman said. "There's aren't many folks around here that can handle large orders."

When possible, steel mills prefer to roll one large coil instead of breaking it in half and making two smaller coils, because it is more efficient, Ackerman said. End-use customers also are able to give all their orders to Metal Processing Corp., instead of having to send the heavy-gauge work to another shop.

Metal Processing Corp. already operates 72-inch, 60-inch and 36-inch slitters, as well as two cut-to-length lines, but the thickest gauge it had been able to cut previously was .250-inch.

"As everybody evolves, everybody is getting larger equipment and thicker materials," Ackerman said. "It's much different operation, and we wanted a machine to be able to service them."

Braner, a Schiller Park, Ill.-based manufacturer of slitting lines, produced and installed the new line. The massive slitter, which rumbles deafeningly while slicing steel coil into thin strips, took a year to assemble.

Metal Processing Corp. originally planned to add another 72-inch slitter that could handle heavier gauges, but ultimately decided instead to get a supersized 84-inch-wide line. The rationale was that if the company was going to go big, it might as well do it right, Hamernick said.

"With the width and capability, we're the frontrunner in the industry," he said. "This is the first time Braner made a machine with this combination of muscle and width."

The machine is currently processing 250 to 300 tons of steel a shift, but Metal Processing Corp. aspire to slit up to 500 tons a shift to meet its customers' exact specifications. The company hired a new salesman to secure new business, including in the booming area of oil country tubular goods.

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