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Straightline's New Steel Distribution Service Expands to Oklahoma, Kansas and Northeastern TexasCustomers Have Greater Control Over Price and Delivery for Steel PurchasesPRNewswire Companies throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, and Northeastern Texas have a new option for purchasing steel -- Straightline Source, a technology-based steel distribution division of United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X), America's largest integrated steelmaker. Straightline offers instant price quotations and competitive prices for a wide range of carbon flat-rolled steel products. "From Oklahoma to northern Texas, manufacturers now have direct access to quality steel products through Straightline," said Bob Dryburgh, Straightline president. "Our streamlined approach puts the buyer in control of price and delivery and ultimately lowers their procurement costs." Officially launched last fall, Straightline currently serves customers in 25 states from the Southeast to the North Central region of the country. Additional rollouts are scheduled throughout the year to highly concentrated areas of steel buyers across the United States with plans to be nationwide in 2003. Straightline uses advanced supply chain management technologies to optimize distribution of processed steel products such as hot-rolled, cold- rolled, galvanized and strip mill plate products. Using telephone, fax or the Internet, customers can order custom-processed products or select from a catalog of finished goods. Purchases can be made on a spot or contract basis. Straightline's Customer Advantage With headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pa., Straightline serves manufacturers of all sizes that typically do not buy directly from steel producers. By leveraging information technology, Straightline provides a direct steel buying experience, allowing customers to have greater control over their transactions. All steel buyers visiting http://www.straightline.com/ have access to StraightQuote™, a service that provides instant price quotations arranged in a matrix based on varying combinations of quantity and delivery dates. StraightQuote now handles an average of 2,000 price inquiries per week, significantly enhancing customer service and response time. More than 63 percent of customers make spot purchases directly via http://www.straightline.com/; however, orders can also be placed by phone with the assistance of customer account managers, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition, Straightline offers metallurgical, as well as, sales support within each district. In Tulsa and the surrounding regions, customers are served by District Manager Russell Weidner. "This area of the country is unique, with a diverse manufacturing sector serving a variety of industries, including oil and gas, defense and agriculture," said Weidner. "Straightline will service all of them with a better, more efficient way to buy steel products." A Growing Enterprise Straightline takes ownership of all phases of the transaction, from the sourcing of steel through order fulfillment. It does this by partnering with a growing network of strategically located steel processors that hold inventory and perform custom processing. Straightline purchases the steel it sells from multiple suppliers, with finished goods shipped from processor partners to customers by carriers coordinated through Straightline's logistics partner. Processing partners are selected based on rigorous criteria, including ISO certification. By partnering with Straightline, processors benefit by increasing utilization of their equipment and facilities without the added costs of sales, marketing or inventory, thus improving their overall profitability. To date, more than 3,000 companies have registered with Straightline, and the number continues to grow. Steel buyers who want to obtain free no-obligation quotes, place orders or learn more about Straightline can do so by visiting http://www.straightline.com/ or by calling Straightline Customer Care toll-free at 1-866-252-0488. Straightline Source is a division of United States Steel Corporation and specializes in a distribution business for carbon flat-rolled steel to customers of all sizes that do not typically buy steel goods directly from steel producers. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Straightline has a growing staff of 150 employees. Visit Straightline at http://www.straightline.com/. SOURCE: Straightline Source CONTACT: Mandy Miller of Magnet Communications, +1-412-456-1098, or Web site: http://www.ussteel.com/ Web site: http://www.straightline.com/ Company News On-Call: |
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