Pennsylvania Steel Company, Inc. was founded in 1972 as Pennsylvania Steel & Aluminum Company, Inc. Initially our company operated out of a 2,500 square foot warehouse in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. The focus of the business was to offer General Line Steel merchandise to the region with a level of flexibility and service unmatched in the area.

Huntingdon Valley, PA

The business grew and the need for more space became apparent. In 1973 we purchased a 12,500 square foot warehouse, also in Huntingdon Valley, just a mile away from our existing facility. The larger warehouse allowed us to expand with more inventory and processing equipment, such as shears and plate burning. Our local delivery fleet grew to five trucks. Our office and warehouse were expanded to accommodate the growth in inventory and personnel.

Our First truck

In the late 1970's, a decision was made that Pennsylvania Steel and Aluminum Company, Inc. would be better served to become more of a product specialist than a General Line Steel Service Center. Cold Finished Carbon Bars, a product whose contribution to sales was ever increasing, became our specialty product. It was recognized that the Service Center Industry had a void to be filled by someone who could bring a comprehensive, competitive and continuing supply of Cold Finished Bars to the marketplace. Pennsylvania Steel committed to fill that role.

A warehouse that at one time contained 4 saws, 1 shears, 1 burning table and countless tons of Hot Rolled steel was transformed into a warehouse filled with Cold Finished Bars. Inventories of long product in Hot Rolled, Aluminum and Stainless Steel were still maintained but Cold Finished Bar became product number one.

It was our goal to become the Service Center to other Service Centers that had a difficult time procuring both standard and non-standard sizes and grades of Cold Finished Bars. The inventory grew and the marketing plan of a specialist steel company took shape. The Sales staff was increased and word spread of a Cold Finished Bar specialist in Philadelphia who could be a very valuable supplier to Service Centers across the country, into Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. At Pennsylvania Steel customers would find the size wanted, in the quantity desired, at a fair price, for IMMEDIATE shipment.

The early 1980's completed transformation into the Cold Finished Bar specialist. Inventories increased as reputation grew. Sales grew as we kept pace with the changing marketplace. Our challenge was to constantly identify the expectations that our customers had of us and bring their needs to the marketplace. By the late 1980's we were leasing warehouse space to accommodate our inventory. We had expanded our Huntingdon Valley warehouse as far as we possibly could.

In 1988, our name was changed to Pennsylvania Steel Company, Inc. While we still maintained inventory in various products, such as aluminum, Stainless and Hot Rolled, we felt this new name more actively reflected what we were about.

In 1993, after a long search, Pennsylvania Steel purchased the long sought after facility that we needed for further growth. It was located in Bensalem, just a few miles from our existing warehouse. An 80,000 square foot building enabled us to consolidate inventories and allowed room for more inventory. We moved into our new building in 1993.

The luxury of the added warehouse space allowed us to not only increase our Cold Finished Bar stock, but also enabled us to expand our other products. Our Hot Rolled, Stainless and Aluminum inventory expanded as our business continued to grow. What once was 80,000 square feet of blank warehouse space is now quite full. Cantilever racks, overhead cranes, sawing centers, fork trucks and drive-through shipping bays allow material to move in and out efficiently.

1997 was the year that saw Pennsylvania Steel Company make our first acquisition. In February of 1997 we acquired Lucas Metals in York, PA, 100 miles west of Philadelphia. Lucas Metals was a regional full line Service Center and customer of Pennsylvania Steel's since Lucas opened its doors in 1988. Lucas Metals — now known as Pennsylvania Steel, Lucas Metals Division — was known for Stainless Steel, Tubing, Aluminum, and great service. The Lucas operation had the fine reputation and nucleus of dedicated people that fit perfectly into the Pennsylvania Steel family. In 1999 we built a new 45,000 square foot warehouse in York to allow for expansion. Since that time, the Lucas Division has undergone significant growth in Cold Finished Bars as well as in their core products of Stainless Steel, Aluminum and Tubing.

Aluminum Plate Has became a large part of our product line quickly thereafter. Within a year of moving into our new York facility, we installed an Acra-Cut precision Aluminum plate saw and built an inventory of both rolled plate and cast tool & jig plate. Again, it was customer demand that dictated the expansion into Aluminum plate. Aluminum plate has proven to be another complementary product to the bar and long products already being supplied by us.

The year 2001, despite tough market conditions, provided another acquisition opportunity for us. In July of 2001 we acquired the Ambler, Pennsylvania operation of Cincinnati Tool Steel. Formerly known as DeMaris Steel Service, the Ambler facility had been providing Tool Steels and Stainless Steels to the greater Philadelphia marketplace for many decades. The key attributes that fueled the acquisition were again that the company had a fine reputation for service, a nucleus of talented people, and a product that meshed with those already being featured by our Bensalem and York operations. The Tool Steel product line and all of the equipment was consolidated into our Bensalem facility. We are proud to offer the most comprehensive tool steel inventory within our marketplace.

In 2003 customer demand presented another opportunity for us and we seized it. We have opened a new facility in South Plainfield, NJ specifically to service the North Jersey, New York City and Long Island markets. We offer our complete product line from this location and service on our own trucks. This market is growing and we will grow our facilities to meet its demands.

Pennsylvania Steel is proud to remain a privately owned industry leader. Our people have been, are, and will remain our strongest asset. In a market that has most service centers downsizing and reducing personnel, we are growing our sales staff as we increase our product offerings and service abilities. We worked hard to grow in size but work equally hard to maintain the same commitment to developing the satisfied, loyal customers that our company were built upon.

We appreciate your interest in our company.

Bensalem Pa / South Plainfield NJ 1-800-999-2997 /
York Pa 1-800-634-2358 / Naugatuck Ct 1-888-727-8335

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