For people like Conrad Erceg, owner of Goldsworthy Sheetmetal on Auckland’s North Shore, the timely and reliable delivery of aluminium and stainless sheet is essential to the success of their business, and they know they can get what they need from Steel & Tube, fast.
‘Our lead times are what set us apart,’ says Conrad. ‘When it comes to fabrication and powder coating, we’re lightning fast – no-one can really touch us. And having suppliers we can rely on is a critical part of this.’
Ensuring materials arrive when they’re needed
Conrad and his wife bought Goldsworthy Sheetmetal just eight years ago in 2016, and after adding in-house powder coating to the fabrication side, business really took off. ‘We have five Amada Press Brakes, so there’s a lot of folding, but we pretty much have all the equipment to do whatever a customer needs.’
With a focus on flashings for the building industry, Goldsworthy also do a lot of work in stainless steel for the food industry, as well as powder coated aluminium and steel shop fittings, such as shelves and display cases. ‘Previously, it was solely the stainless steel that we purchased from Steel & Tube, but since they moved into supplying aluminium, we now get a lot of that from them, too.’
For Conrad, the most important thing is that he doesn’t have to wait for the materials he needsThey have to be quick to fulfil orders – I need things delivered that day or the next day at the latest. Finally, the accuracy of the orders has to be spot on – I need the correct materials to arrive so we can quickly get on with our customers' jobs. Steel & Tube cover all those bases.’
Finding the best supplier
To achieve all of these requirements for aluminium supply, Steel & Tube had to choose the right supplier for the raw material. “We predominantly source from one mill - Mingtai Aluminium: says Shane Ru Bay, Procurement Category Manager/Buyer. ‘It’s a massive mill with a great reputation, a good sustainability programme and a strong focus toward the use of green energy which includes a 46MW photovoltaic power generation project.
‘ ‘They have a comprehensive production line for recycled aluminium and also source raw material which they melt and cast into slabs. From there, hot rolled mill coils are sent to Mingtai’s cold rolling mill to be re-rolled, quenched, slit, cut and packed for shipment. With Mingtai’s quality focus it’s a huge advantage for our customers, because they can be certain of what they’re receiving.’
A growing range of certified aluminium products
Along with the rigorous selection process for the mill, we also engage in a testing programme of our aluminium products as part of our quality assurance to ensure it continually reaches the highest standards, even at a more competitive price point.
‘Our customers were enthusiastic to hear we were entering the aluminium market and that’s been backed up with strong sales,’ says Senior Account Manager Mike Riley. ‘It's given customers a serious alternative supplier who they can rely on to service their business, providing fast, on-time deliveries at competitive prices.’
‘At present, we supply sheet and plate 0.9 to 12 mm thick as well as a range of tread plate in various lengths and widths and PE coatings. We also carry substantial stocks of aluminium coil 0.9 to 3.0 mm thick, which offers our customers the major advantage of being able to order custom lengths to help reduce wastage and fabrication labour costs, particularly on larger jobs. We`re also currently looking at expanding our range to include a range of aluminium extrusion products.’
Rapid, reliable delivery for impressive lead times
Another great advantage for customers is that Steel & Tube’s stock products can be ordered on our Webshop for rapid delivery – one of the only websites for online steel component purchases – and delivered anywhere in the country.
‘I just want to execute the order and get on with the next project, and with Steel & Tube I can get all my orders from the one place.’ Says Conrad. ‘With fabrication and powder coating, our lead times are usually just two to four days, and fast, accurate product delivery is one of the key reasons we can achieve those results.’