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New Steel Distribution Service Comes to Florida

Straightline Provides Instant Price Quotes And Competitive Pricing on Steel Products

PRNewswire
PITTSBURGH
05.20.2002

Manufacturers in Florida now have a new option for purchasing steel -- Straightline Source, a steel distribution division of United States Steel Corporation (NYSE: X), America's largest integrated steelmaker.

The fastest-growing steel distribution company in the United States, Straightline has expanded the reach of its service, offering instant price quotations and highly competitive prices for a wide range of carbon flat- rolled steel products.

"Launched late last year, Straightline now has a service region that cuts a broad path across 18 states in the industrial heartland, from as far north as Minnesota to the Southeast, now reaching Tampa/St. Petersburg, Orlando, Ocala, Gainesville, Jacksonville and Daytona Beach/Edgewater," said Robert H. Dryburgh, Straightline's president. "We are delighted to expand our product and service offerings to Florida, with its expansive base of light and heavy manufacturing businesses."

Straightline currently specializes in the distribution of processed steel products such as hot-rolled, cold-rolled, galvanized and strip mill plate products. 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 to reduce supply chain costs, Straightline provides a direct steel buying experience, allowing customers to have greater control over their transactions.

Straightline provides manufacturers visiting http://www.straightline.com/ access to StraightQuoteâ„¢, a service that provides instant price quotations arranged in a matrix based on varying combinations of quantity and delivery dates. StraightQuote is now handling more than 2,500 price inquiries per week, enhancing customer service and response time. Straightline also offers just-in-time delivery, allowing customers to receive product when they need it according to their warehouse schedule.

Orders can be placed via the Web or by phone with the assistance of customer account managers. Both are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More than 63 percent of customers ordering on spot basis are placing orders directly through http://www.straightline.com/. In addition, buyers can track purchases and easily check on the delivery status of orders anytime on the website or by speaking with a customer account manager.

"Straightline is able to reduce a customer's total cost of material acquisition by maximizing efficiencies associated with inventory, material, logistics, planning and order processing," said Jeff Terrell, Straightline's Florida district manager. "Contract customers benefit from Straightline's inventory forecasting and planning tools, thereby helping to improve inventory turns and reduce capital investment."

A Growing Enterprise

Straightline takes ownership of all phases of the transaction, from the purchase of steel through order fulfillment. It does this by partnering with a growing network of 13 strategically located steel processors that hold inventory and perform custom processing. Straightline sources the steel through multiple suppliers, and the finished goods are shipped from processors to customers via Transtar, Inc. Processing partners are selected based on rigorous criteria, including ISO certification. Through 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 1,500 companies across 18 states have registered with Straightline. Additional rollouts are scheduled throughout the year to highly concentrated areas of steel customers across the United States.

Steel buyers who want to learn more, obtain free no-obligation quotes or place orders with 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 an online distribution business for carbon flat-roll 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 140 employees. Visit Straightline at http://www.straightline.com/.

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SOURCE: Straightline Source

Contact: Maggie Bray of Magnet Communications, +1-412-456-4308, or
mbray@magnetcom.com, for Straightline Source; or Judy Sapos of Straightline,
+1-412-433-7833, or jmsapos@straightline.com

Website: http://www.straightline.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/gh/cnoc/comp/929150.html