At Your Service: Metal-Buying Made Simple

Whether you've been buying for 20 years, or you are new to metal purchasing, it's a difficult process no matter what your expertise. SteelNow wants to take the pain out of that process, working with a network of over 60 suppliers in Texas to get you a fair price and a lead time that fits with your project.

We sit down with Jonathan Dunnam, SteelNow’s Customer Operations Manager, who helps articulate what that means for metal buyers today.

Q: What is wrong with the traditional metal-buying process today?

Dunnam: The problem with the traditional buying experience for metal comes down to inefficient communication. We live in a fast-paced world, one in which instant gratification is the expectation, and as strange as it sounds, traditional methods like phone or email no longer cut it.

Inefficiencies with the phone are obvious—no one answers, you get voicemail, and even if someone does pick up, the 15-20-minute conversation may not get the answers you seek.

Even email is starting to lose its luster. You can send off an email and not know whether it was received or if the recipient is working on your request.

If you think about most contractors, for example, where do they spend the bulk of their day? It’s either in their truck or out at a jobsite—places that really aren’t conducive for trying to contact five, six, or even more suppliers trying to find what they need in a pinch.

Q: How is what SteelNow brings to the table different?

Dunnam: We bring a multi-point communication method to the table, offering customers many ways to make a simple and efficient request for metal.

Alongside methods like phone or email, we offer things like the ability to text us a request. Something as simple as: ‘I’m looking for six pieces of carbon square tubing … 6" x 6", 1/8" thickness. Need it by tomorrow’ is all it takes for us to get moving on your request.

And rather than traditional suppliers that are relying simply on their own inventory, we are working with a network of more than 60 local suppliers to find the right price, location, and lead time that fits your request.

You just tell us what you need, and we go find it.

Q: To make good on that promise, you need to have buy-in from the suppliers. What is the message to suppliers about the value of SteelNow?

Dunnam: There are a lot of businesses out there that simply don’t know where to go for metal—many don’t even know where to begin their search. A lot times, the barrier to entry for smaller contractors or hobbyists, for example, is the perception that metal is so hard to find. Current market conditions aside, that’s simply not the case.

As suppliers, we all need to work together to elevate awareness and instill trust into customers that they can get the metal they need when they need it.

Q: That all sounds good in theory, but do you have a real-world example of how this works?

Dunnam: I recently had a customer who needed an odd size angle—8’x4’ and about 5/16” in thickness. He was in a pinch and needed it quick. He found us online and gave us a call.

He told me, “I don’t care how you find it, but I need to know within the hour so that I can pull the trigger on this job.”

Quite honestly, I didn’t know if we were going to find it within an hour, but that is where our network kicked in. Even those who could not get us the material offered suggestions of where to look—and that goes back to the trust and relationship we have with these suppliers.

We found the material and arrange for him to pick it up later that day. He liked that we didn’t blink at the challenge and took to onus off him, allowing him to focus on other things while we did the leg work.

Q: At the end of the day, how would you describe the model that SteelNow is bringing to the industry?

Dunnam: Think of it like a concierge service for your metal needs. What do you need? When do you need it? Give us that and we will give you back time in your day.