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Straightline Expands Distribution Business in the East; New Region Includes Philadelphia, Baltimore, Wilmington and NewarkPRNewswire Manufacturers in Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware 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. "Straightline is growing rapidly and the Mid-Atlantic region is one of the most important areas for us to serve because of its expansive manufacturing base," said Bob Dryburgh, Straightline president. "Our new approach to steel distribution not only gives companies more control over price and delivery, it also will help to reduce steel procurement costs and improve their overall efficiency." Officially launched last fall, Straightline currently serves customers in 27 states throughout most of the eastern United States and just west of the Mississippi. Straightline's newest region serves the eastern half of Pennsylvania, from Harrisburg east to Philadelphia and northeast to Scranton, as well as the entire states of New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. Additional rollouts are scheduled throughout the year to highly concentrated areas of steel buyers across the United States with plans to be nationwide in mid-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 companies of all sizes that typically do not buy directly from steel producers. By leveraging information technology, Straightline allows 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 quantities 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 spot purchases are entered directly by customers 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. District Manager Anthony Errico serves customers throughout Straightline's newest district. "Today's steel buyer faces many challenges, from pricing to product availability to on-time delivery," says Errico. "At Straightline we've developed a business that responds to those challenges and offers a competitive advantage - our customers get full visibility of their options and can choose to adjust their order size or delivery date in order to take advantage of cost savings." 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 3,300 companies have registered with Straightline, and the number continues to grow. Steel buyers who want to obtain a free no-obligation quote, 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: Maggie Bray of Magnet Communications, +1-412-456-4308 or Web site: http://www.straightline.com/ Company News On-Call: |
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