Midland Metal Products

Winter 2012

2012-01-04T12:08:00.001-08:00

Midland Metal Products is proud to call Chicago home. Recently, we have been contacted by some well-known Chicago institutions for assistance. The first request came from The Field Museum (http://www.fieldmuseum.org), widely regarded as one of the premier natural history museums in the world. The museum was under an intense time crunch to meet a deadline for the opening of their newest permanent exhibit called Restoring Earth, located in the Abbott Hall of Conservation. Their challenge was to fabricate hundreds of shapes and letters of differing sizes out of a specific decorative material. The challenge became a manageable exercise with the help of our CAD engineers and CNC laser equipment. You can see the results for yourself in these images and in person during your next trip to The Field Museum. http://fieldmuseum.org/about/abbott-hall-conservation-restoring-earth. The second request came from a location high above downtown Chicago - The John Hancock Observatory (http://www.jhochicago.com). The Observatory wanted to transform existing wasted structure into usable retail space. Midland was glad to offer our assistance. We surveyed the space, converted the space to a virtual model, designed retailed components, and fabricated the components for installation. The results are shown here for you. This project shattered the previous Midland record for highest retail installation in the world.

Spotlight on America's Favorite Metal Fabricator

2011-08-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mig Welding - Robotics

2011-06-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

Midland Metal Products continues to utilize automation to drive higher quality, greater throughput, and lower cycle times. In the mig welding area of the shop, robotics is changing the way we approach welding challenges. We are using virtual models such as those created in Solidworks as a reference to create both our welding fixtures and machine programs. See the results yourself.

Engineering Toolkit

2011-06-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Time is a precious commodity in the POP industry and there is never enough of it. There is increasing pressure to rapidly transform concepts into prototypes and then, prototypes into production. A costly way to accelerate results is to devote more resources. A better method is to identify and eliminate all waste in the process, such as redundant tasks. POP engineers invest time and energy creating the specifications for a project using CAD tools such as SolidWorks. If their vendor base can work seamlessly with the model to drive their production great efficiencies can be gained. If the vendor is unable to use these tools or the engineer does not create the models properly so the information can be used by the vendor, great inefficiencies are created. It is imperative for the POP engineer and the vendor to work together to divide the work appropriately and to avoid any redundancy or rework in the process.

In 2010, Midland Metal Products completed over 1,800 separate prototypes. We have witnessed a large variation in the usability of the information provided. Often, the information must be edited or recreated before it can be utilized. We have compiled a short list describing these common occurrences. Through education, we hope to minimize the occurrence so that we can accelerate the cycle time and lower the cost of the development effort.

1. METRIC CONVERSION – Files arrive in metric instead of inches. Since our machinery requires inches in order to produce parts, all the files must be translated from metric to inches. Time consuming and unnecessary.

2. BEND SETTINGS – SolidWorks gives users the capability to transform their formed parts into flattened parts with the click of the button. Since most primary fabrication occurs in the flat, this is a useful tool. If the program settings are correct, the translation can be highly accurate. If the settings are wrong, the information is almost useless. As a guide, we have provided a screen shot of common settings that will work in over 95% of the cases.

*Double click on images to enlarge.

3. SHEET METAL PARTS – SolidWorks allows users to transform parts into sheet metal components. If they are sheet metal components, the flatten function can be used. If the parts are drawn as extrusions – there is no function available to flatten the parts for fabrication. If engineers are able to flatten their parts, they are drawn correctly for use in a metal fabrication shop.
DRAWN AS A SHEET METAL PIECE

4. ASSEMBLY – Multiple components often come together to make an assembly. The most useful models are drawn first as individual components and then mated together to make an assembly. There are times when users will take a shortcut and draw multiple individual components in one large part file, rather than drawing components as parts and mating them in an assembly file. When this path is chosen, it is difficult to pull out information regarding one of the components for fabrication, making the model almost useless. In those cases, the model must be redrawn using the previous model as a guide. It is a large waste of time.

5. HOLE DIAMETER – Fasteners such as PEM nuts, weld nuts, and PEM studs are often included in the models. These fasteners require exact hole diameters for proper installation. We have provided guides on our blog that specify the hole size required in almost every application, including pop and semi-circular rivits . If these guidelines are not followed, the model must be reviewed hole by hole and requisite changes need to be made.

Tighter integration between the POP engineer and the vendor base can pay large dividends in terms of quality, cost, and time. Hopefully, these few pointers will start a broader discussion of how companies in the industry can form relationships in order to satisfy the increasing demands of the industry.

Did You Know?

2011-06-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

That Midland offers full packing and assembly service? Many customers have already taken advantage of this service to move their finished displays to market in the most cost efficient way.

By using one centralized facility to engineer, manufacture, assemble, and pack their displays our customers turn a variable cost into a known, fixed cost. Utilizing Midland as a centralized location to receive and accurately document customer support material (i.e. vac-form wood, printed matter, cartons, etc.) while shipping to all parts of the country from Chicago has made sense to many of our customers who want to increase efficiency and control costs.

Completing the assembly and packing in the same facility where the metal parts were produced streamlines the entire project. Fit and finish issues can be dealt with at the source, without costly down time and return freight issues. In many cases it is actually more expensive to ship large and irregularly shaped metal sub-assemblies bulk to our customers for final assembly - so simply taking advantage of the packing and assembly department at our plant saves our customers both time and money.

We want all of our customers to know they can benefit from our 50 years of experience with packing and assembly. This, in addition to Midland having developed an outstanding leadership and supervisory staff over recent years, has enabled us to provide increasingly higher levels of sophistication in the assembly services we offer.

Our Supply Chain Management connects us with our customers, vendors, our customer’s vendors, and their logistics companies. We insure that product flow is consistent with no down time; coupled with our setting, reviewing, and continuously monitoring our high quality standards enables us to satisfy delivery requirements as outlined by our customers.

MIDLAND’S ON-SITE LOGISTICS SERVICES
• Years of experience working with various freight companies that handle full trailer load (TL), less than trailer load (LTL), and small package shipments (UPS and Federal Express)
• Mass distribution of product; drop shipped to multiple locations
• Coordinating outbound shipments with customer and third party freight companies to meet customer delivery schedules
• Generating detailed tracking reports
• Coordinating inbound materials to meet packing / shipping schedule
• Inventory control of customer supplied items
• Reporting customer supplied material usage (including issues such as shortages, and substandard materials) to customers

ASSEMBLY & PACKING
• Combining manufactured metal with supplied materials (i.e. wood, plastic, graphics, corrugated, etc.) to complete displays
• Assembling sub-components as well as entire displays "ready to use" once delivered to your end destination
• Flexible conveyor lines, manageable space, and trained personnel bring a project full circle to insure total customer satisfaction

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
The Samsung Home Security project, designed by Rand Display, is one of the most recent examples of our service:

The whole unit was plug and play (ready to go straight out of the box) upon arrival at the retailer. All electronic components (400 monitors, 400 recorders, and 3,200 cameras) were stored in a high security cage with zero shrinkage. The whole job was produced, assembled, and shipped within four weeks and, due to central distribution, at their destinations within 2-3 days without a single complaint from the receiving retailers.

This is just one example. We have also recently done an operational testing unit for 3-D glasses as well as numerous flat screen television displays, with their interactive promotional playback equipment already installed and tested.

Inventory control, daily receiving reports for customer inbound promotional material and electronic equipment is part of our daily routine. Just thought you would like to know!

Summer Shut Down

2011-06-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

ISO 9001 Certification

2011-02-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

Midland Metal Products is proud to announce that it will be seeking ISO 9001:2008 certification of our quality management system.

An internal project team is already working on reviewing our policies and procedures and preparing for our eventual audit. We fully expect to achieve this certification in 2011.

More information about this initiative will be available as the project moves along. This is the next logical step in ensuring that we meet and exceed our customer expectations on each and every project.

Winter of 2010 Midland Creativity Contest

2011-02-10T07:40:00.000-08:00

The winner of the 2010 Midland Creativity Challenge is the Cormark Engineering Department.

The premise of the contest was to invite the industry to challenge our sophisticated CNC equipment with their most creative design and to have a little fun. The Cormark Engineering Department answered the call. See below for their entry – a 100% recyclable Christmas tree. The elements of the Christmas tree demonstrate our various production capabilities – tree (laser and press brake), trunk (tube laser), and ornaments (wire forming).

At Cormark’s request, we will be making a $ 1,000 donation to the American Cancer Society. This will be an annual event at the close of every year. Check our blog periodically for details of the next challenge.

Simply the Best

2011-02-10T07:37:00.000-08:00

This month, we unveiled an exciting addition to our state of the art CNC laser center. The second laser more than doubles the capacity of our system. Now, the two lasers and a material handling system can operate “lights out” – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Our system matches the productive capabilities of the most sophisticated manufacturers in this country. In our industry, our lead over the competition is dramatic – we are simply bigger and better than next best option. Continuing investment in technology gives Midland an even stronger capability to provide the outstanding quality, solid delivery, and competitive pricing you have come to expect from Midland Metal Products. Stay tuned for our next exciting announcement right around the corner.

Plant Tour Video

2011-02-10T04:51:00.000-08:00

Occasionally we will share a short Plant Tour Video to demonstrate our capabilities and show just how things work. Our first video shows our Mig Welding Department.

Blizzard of 2011

2011-02-04T07:41:00.000-08:00

With the "Blizzard of 2011" behind us, we would like to express our sincere thanks for your continued patience. We greatly value your business, and are committed to addressing your concerns.

In addition to the challenges brought on by the massive snowfall, Midland Metal Products lost electrical service during the night of the blizzard, which was not restored until last night.

Midland Metal Products took the weather forecasters warnings very seriously, and we executed an action plan well before the storm hit. We extended production shifts and made huge headway on our task load. We alerted our vendors to our requirements, taking delivery of necessary materials in advance. We made sure our staff had a chance to make it home safely, so they could return to the operation rested, healthy, and ready for action!

We are responding promptly, and urgently to these conditions, and have continued the extended shift schedule to minimize production delays.

If you currently have a project with us, we can provide information as to the status of your order. If not, please be assured that Midland Metal Products is operating at 100-percent capacity, and is ready and willing to accept your project.

Thanks again,

The entire Midland Metal Products Family

2010 Midland Creativity Challenge

2010-11-08T15:40:00.000-08:00

Looking to apply your knowledge to a new and exciting pursuit?

The idea of engineering an innovative way to merchandise the latest fad doesn't light your fire anymore?

Let's shake it up a little and create our own fun!

Midland Metal Products is thrilled to announce the 2010 Midland Creativity Challenge.

We are looking for the most creative people in the industry to challenge our sophisticated CNC equipment and experienced engineers.

All ideas must be submitted via a Solidworks or IGES 3D model.

We will allow you to use 24" inches of 1" round tubing, a 24" x 24" piece of 18 gauge sheet metal, and 24" of 3 gauge wire(.243" diameter.)

Processes that can be utilized are laser cutting (sheet metal and tube), spot welding, wire forming, mig/tig welding, and powder coating.

Using these materials, we challenge you to create an innovative and fun item. Let your minds wander.

All submissions must be received by December 3rd. Submit your questions and models to creativity@midlandmetalproducts.com

We will judge all the submissions giving equal weight to form and function.

Only original ideas should be submitted.

We will select, based on our judgment, the top 3 submissions and post them to our web site.

Our sample shop will also fabricate each of the top 3 submissions.

We will allow everyone at this point to vote on their favorite between December 7th and 17th.

The item receiving the most votes of the three wins the 2010 Midland Creativity Challenge.

The winner of the 2010 Midland Creativity Challenge will win $1,000.00. The winner will be announced on December 22nd.

Hint: Spot welding, or mig welding are the common methods used to assemble individual pieces. There are other ways to "lock" your pieces together. Unique assembly will demonstrate your creativity.

Hint: Remember, our tube laser can miter, cut, notch, slot your tube. Anything you can imagine.

Be part of the excitement and enter your submission today. Pass this challenge on to others that you know that might come up with something fantastic. Click on this link later in the week for detailed contest rules.

Holiday Schedule

2010-11-08T06:52:00.003-08:00

Midland will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on November 25th and November 26th.

Midland will be closed for the holidays, physical inventory, and plant maintenance from December 22nd through December 31st.

Second Laser to Deliver in December

2010-11-08T06:52:00.001-08:00

Midland continues to invest in its productive capacity in order to better serve our growing customer base. We will take delivery of our second flat laser machine in December. This laser will be installed right next to the current laser machine and our existing material handling system will service both machines. This expansion will more than double our capacity for lights on and lights off manufacturing due to some technical advancements of the new machine. In an era of compressed lead-times it is important for our primary operations to start as quickly as possible. The addition of the new laser will continue to improve our quick lead times and stellar on-time performance metric. Look for new videos of the dual system in the January blog.

MIDLAND IS ON SKYPE

2010-11-08T06:47:00.000-08:00

At Midland we are constantly looking for ways to strengthen our relationships with our customers. We have found a new way through the use of our recently installed Skype station in our conference room. This gives us the ability to video conference with our customers in the US and overseas.

For those who have a video camera and a Skype account, this is a free service. Our profile on Skype is MIDLANDMETAL.

We have been using this service with many of our customers to review prototypes and first off production pieces. For instance, this service enabled one of our customers to save a plane ticket and a day out of the office by reviewing his prototype on-line interactively.

If you have not tried the service yet, we urge you to purchase a video camera for your computer and create an account at Skype. When your account is set-up, search for our name in the directory and send us an invitation to Skype. You will enjoy this 21st century method of communication.

Skype you soon.

Midland to be Part of the Largest Laser Tour in America!

2010-08-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

We are very excited to announce that Midland Metal Products has been chosen as a host location for the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association's (FMA) upcoming "LaserFab 2010" event. The event begins on September 21^st and runs through September 23^rd 2010.

Midland Metal Products is at the leading edge of metal fabricating technology. We will be demonstrating how our equipment, capabilities, and processes give us the unique ability to meet our customer's requirements. This includes areas such as compressed timelines and flexibility as well as the ability to deliver on shorter, more specialized, and longer run projects.

Midland Metal Products Adds New Technology to Press Brake Department

2010-08-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

In a continuing effort to gain technological superiority and streamline the production process Midland Metal Products has recently added two brand new CNC-controlled precision hydraulic press brakes, and FOUR new CNC control upgrades to existing precision machinery.

The machines and new controls have a unique feature. Instead of a long-handed manual input of numeric dimensions and commands, the program is generated DIRECTLY from a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional CAD file sourced from our engineering department or, perhaps YOU, our customer.

This seamless integration of electronic part files eliminates translation errors generated by incorrect measurement of the physical part or paper print. In other words: the machine will bend the part EXACTLY as it is designed. Furthermore, the technology makes use of our extensive tooling library and makes suggestions for the most efficient method of part creation. We are also made instantly aware of any physical limitations or other errors that may come about during a production situation. This establishes accurate prototyping and part costs; the increased efficiency has reduced set-up time and increased capacity and throughput.

A Welcome and a Farewell

2010-01-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

When a business is in operation for ninety years, it is likely to see its share of people come and go. While some of these events may stand out more than others, each carries some significance on the time line of an organization.

This past year saw two such events.

Ella Goodman, a 31-year veteran spot welder, retired from Midland in November. Ella showed dedication to her job as, year after year, she would get up each day before the sunrise and take public transportation to be at work by six o’clock. Ella will be missed.

2009 also saw an investment in new talent. Midland Metal Products hired Edward Cuomo to expand our East Coast sales market. Ed comes to Midland with solid experience in the areas of manufacturing management and sales and has already proven to be a solid addition to our team.

Bill Cox

Director of HR

Tube Laser Installation

2010-01-04T16:58:00.001-08:00

You may have heard, we are pretty excited about our new tube laser. We have created this very short video to show you the installation process. Enjoy!

Holiday Shut Down

2009-12-09T09:46:00.001-08:00

Midland will be closed beginning Wednesday, December 23, 2009 for vacations, inventory and maintenance. We will be returning on Monday, January 4, 2010. If you have any immediate concerns you may reach your sales person directly by e-mail or cell phone.

Thank you for your friendship, good will, and loyalty.
May the happiness and good cheer of the holiday season be yours throughout the New Year.

We look forward to working with you in 2010!

New Technology Creates New Opportunity

2009-11-23T10:34:00.000-08:00

Midland Metal Products was contacted by the Burt Masonry Company in St. Louis when the owner could not find a local fabricator who could construct a run of large steel fence panels with an intricate custom design. The production run of 9 fence panels measuring 11 feet between mounting points, included a interwoven arch motif that was fabricated to appear as though it were a one-piece casting. Our sophisticated CNC equipment easily accommodated this requirement. The arch motif was programmed and nested using the most advanced CAD/CAM software, so that only a single sheet of 1/2" thick Mild Steel was used to create the components for all 9 of the 11-foot long fence sections. Our 3300 Watt sheet Laser, having a maximum cutting capacity in steel of 7/8", was able to handle the cutting task quickly and easily.

With so many repetitious features in this design, attention to absolute accuracy as well as structural integrity was extremely crucial. A precision welding fixture was built using our CNC router, using a program born from the same exact dimensions and specifications utilized in the laser cutting process, . Careful consideration to advanced fixture-making is critical in establishing perfection in the assembly welding process.

After all assembly welding was completed, the fence sections were sandblasted and powdercoated in three steps to ensure durability. After coating and finishing, the fence panels were packaged for shipment to St. Louis were they were installed at the customer location, anchored to fieldstone piers built by our customer, Burt Masonry.

Sustainability: Made in the USA?

2009-11-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

The concept of sustainability has captured the attention of the global community. In general, if we support sustainability, we acknowledge that satisfying the needs of the current generation should not impact the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable practices include efficient use of natural resources, use of renewable energy such as wind and solar power, and reduction of emissions harmful to the atmosphere. Using resources irresponsibly harms our children and our children’s children.

Companies have rushed to support sustainability. In our own industry, Wal-Mart recently announced a major initiative that will measure the full environmental impact of the products its sells in their stores through their “sustainability index.” Their view is that sustainability will become so important to their customers that they will factor this index into their purchasing decisions.

If companies are truly committed to sustainability, they must review their global supply chain to understand the impact their production has on the environment EVERYWHERE. Strict regulations in the US provide basic environmental standards. But as companies span the globe in search of lower manufacturing costs, their foreign suppliers might not be governed by similar regulations. What happens then? It is disingenuous to tout sustainability here at home and then turn a blind eye if foreign suppliers dump raw sewage into foreign streams or release dangerous toxins into the atmosphere.

A sustainability idea that is gaining traction in the agricultural industry is a push for local farming. Supporters believe that we should grow our food close to the markets that consume them. People have a heightened awareness of activities taking place in their own communities. They support fair living and working standards in their own communities and often use local resources more efficiently. Local farming requires fewer additives due to a reduced lag time between production and use. Finally, local farming significantly reduces the resources required to move the goods from producer to the consumer.

In our industry, a similar argument can be made. Instead of local farming, we can support local manufacturing. Many customers are asking their suppliers to demonstrate their sustainability initiatives. Suppliers often point to increased use of recycled materials, decreased use of harmful chemicals in manufacturing, and increased use of renewable energy to power our factories. Why not add local manufacturing to this list? Practices such as producing goods 8,000 miles away in Shenzen, loading them on a gas guzzling freighter, and shipping them over the Pacific Ocean simply can not be considered sustainable. These activities are eliminated by producing close to the home market. Recycling the Made in the USA mantra to support sustainability, wouldn’t Lee Iacocca be proud?

Thank You

2009-11-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

During the Thanksgiving season we wish to express our gratitude

for your friendship and good will.

We appreciate your business during this year.

===

May you enjoy of bountiful Thanksgiving,

a joyous Holiday Season,

and a successful and healthful Happy New Year.

===

Your Friends at

Midland Metal Products

Hole Guide for Pop Rivets and Semi Tubular Rivets

2009-11-04T06:17:00.000-08:00

Introducing Our New Tube Laser

2009-10-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

Our goal at Midland Metal Products is to possess the manufacturing capabilities to produce exactly what our customers want, when they want it, at a price point they can afford. We continuously strive to achieve this goal by simplifying our operations through the use of automation. We have implemented sophisticated CAD / CAM software applications and machinery throughout our plant over the last decade. A partial list of investments include our automated laser system for sheet metal fabrication, our CNC wire bender for wire forming, our CNC robotic welder for mig / tig welding applications, and our CNC grid welder for wire fabrication.

I am proud to announce our next step in creating a factory for the 21st century. In October, our new tube laser system will be operational. This investment will bring automation to our tubing fabrication, a major advancement in terms of throughput, quality assurance, and cycle times. More importantly, it will give us the ability to provide new processing capabilities for our customers. Upon completion of this project, it will be difficult to find a metal fabricator in our industry that can match our capabilities in sheet metal, wire, and tubing fabrication.

Our laser can process 24 ft. lengths of round (0.75” to 6.0” in diameter), square (4” x 4”), and obround tubing. It can also fabricate non-tube profiles such as formed channels. Various materials can be processed including steel, aluminum, and stainless steel. During fabrication, the machine can be used to cut off tubes into smaller pieces and fabricate slots, holes, pie shapes, and fish mouths. Our system eliminates the need for hard tooling, improves accuracy and repeatability, and makes fabrication fast and flexible. Once the designers and engineers at our customers understand the capabilities of the machine, the possibilities are endless.

Once the machine is operational, we will be releasing a video on our web site to demonstrate the machine in action. Before this time, please contact me with any specific questions you may have on the machine. We are really excited about taking this next step. We hope you take advantage of the capabilities in your next project.

Marc McDonald
Midland Metal Products

Do You Want to See What a Tube Laser Can Do?

2009-10-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

Weight Guide

2009-10-05T10:00:00.001-07:00

Our handy hole guide was so popular last month, we came up with another useful tool. Use this guide to determine the weight of a sheet metal and wire display.

Investing in technology and people

2009-09-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

The past few years Midland has invested heavily in technology; bringing greater efficiency and overall capability to our operation. While we realize the value such improvements provide in helping us to meet the needs of our customers, we are committed to not letting the new machinery on our shop floor overshadow our most important resource – the people who work for us.

Two and a half years ago Midland saw the wisdom in creating a Department of Human Resources and in hiring a full-time director to better service the needs and growth of our workforce. Today, while we are happy to retain the dedicated and loyal employees who have been with us for a number of years, we are actively seeking new talent to help prepare us for what we hope will be even better years ahead.

Our most pressing need is that of an East Coast based sales representative to better service existing accounts and eventually expand the East Coast market. Additionally, Midland Metal is searching for candidates for our Junior Designate Program (JDP) - Whereby we will select one or two individuals to learn all aspects of Midland’s operations so that this person(s) will eventually serve a key role in the organization. This will help build Midland’s bench strength.

If any of our readers are aware of someone with P-O-P roots who might be eligible for either position do not hesitate to direct them our way.

As always, we appreciate your commitment and support.

Sincerely,

Bill Cox
Director of Human Resources
Midland Metal Products

Job Fair

2009-09-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

Bill Cox, Director of Human Resources at Midland, will be on hand at the Joliet Jr College Job Fair on Tuesday, September 8, 2009.

Hole Guide

2009-09-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

This is a handy tool that our sample shop uses to determine hole sizes. It also includes a guide to sheet metal gauges. Click the image for full size, printable document - print it, fold it, and keep it in your pocket.

For your convenience I am including each chart as it's own image.

Steel Pricing - Looking Back and Going Forward

2009-09-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

2008 began with a strong global demand for steel and a weak dollar but it climaxed with customers paying more for steel scrap than they had for prime cold-rolled steel just the year before. This disappointing turn of events was due to the global recession and steel producers headed into 2009 hoping they could weather the remainder of the storm.

Early August 2008 saw cold-rolled steel costs up by 72% since December 2007. At this time steel scrap (the most essential input in the production of new steel with the most volatile pricing) was selling for a market price of around $.38/lb; this was more than what Midland Metal Products was paying a year prior for the cold-rolled steel sheets that we process on our laser.

A steel-making ingredient costing more than the finished product had just one year previous is without precedent.

The steel industry, which had been soaring since fourth quarter of 2007, toppled as credit availability became scarce in the wake of crisis in the housing and financial markets.

Due to the country’s financial crisis projects requiring steel slowed significantly. Steel scrap, which had sold for $.38/lb in August, plummeted to $.21/lb in September. Steel prices followed and closed the year at only 11% higher than December 2007. This was down from 72% four months earlier.

In an effort to keep up with demand in the first half of 2008 steel mills ramped-up production - averaging 90% utilization. But when economic growth swiftly declined in late third quarter of 2008 the industry found itself with a surplus of supply and diminished demand. Steel producers spent the fourth quarter of 2008 through the second quarter of 2009 waiting, their equipment idle, for better times. Throughout this period prices kept falling and steel mills saw their utilization drop to an average of 35%.

By June 2009 cold-rolled steel pricing had sunk to levels not seen since early 2004. This did prove to be the bottom as the market began to stabilize. Since June prices climbed quickly by 25%.

Demand for steel, though not robust, does presently exceed supply. This is due largely to the drastic production cuts steel mills had made when the market was in such steep decline. In an effort to keep up with the flow of new orders they are reactivating furnaces and equipment that have sat dormant all year.

Industry analysts expect that cold-rolled steel prices will continue to rise for the remainder of the year. 2009 will probably close 10% to 15% higher than current prices. If their predictions hold true we may head into 2010 with steel costs comparable to those at the start of 2007.

We hope that 2010 will be a stable year in the steel industry. Prices have returned to a level at which steel producers can run profitably without charging exorbitant rates to the distributors or end users. It will be nice if we can stay here for a while.

Aaron Blaisdell
Purchasing Manager

A letter from our Supreme Commander...

2009-09-02T08:25:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who read and responded with comments to our inaugural e-mail blast. There are so many things we can talk about from month to month in this space; so many new things are in the works that we want to share with you. Many people have responded to our first email and I think that in very short order we are going to have a very dynamic and active dialogue going here.

We will be updating everyone on the changes we are making at Midland - in new equipment, new personnel, and new ideas. I also want to take some time every so often to jump in and either “stir the pot” or respond to those who have taken the time to offer their two cents.

A few of our customers have, after receiving our last email, gone to our website and checked it out. Our veteran customers will remember our first web site which, for what it was, wasn’t bad. Our new one is so much better! We now have actual, professional managers in house who tend to the site to keep it timely and vital.

Those who did make it to our website saw that, like most other companies, we have published pictures of some of the things with which we have been honored to be involved. Some of you have asked why your projects were not in there. Believe me - we are more than happy to publish our cooperative efforts on our site. So send them in; we can’t have enough!! Email admin@midlandmetalproducts.com with your photos or just express permission to use photos that we take here.

It has always been my vision for the section of the web site we used to call “the partners page” (now the Portfolio section) to be crammed with as many things as we could get from our customers. To have it become sort of a clearing house for our customer. One thing about our web site is that we are listed under metal manufacturers for the display industry; as a result we get hits from all kinds of national advertisers, and retailers who want to do business with us directly. As many of you know, Midland DOES NOT GO DIRECT. We never have. Our partnership with companies such as yours always made so much sense to us as a simple business model; do what you do, partner with others who are experts in what they do, and the end user will get the best results.

We spend a great deal of time explaining to people that contact us, your potential customers, that they will get the best results from companies such as yours. You pull all the experts together, rely on their years of experience, and your vision for their product, and we are all heroes. The Portfolio section then could be presented geographically, and with links to your companies. So allow us to publish not only your pictures, but also full address, and contact info, along with a link to your web site. What do you think?

Enough for now, those of you who know me know I talk too much. I also write too much. I look forward to your feedback. We will be popping up in your email next month.

Also, a side note: I thought it was great that no one opted to not be contacted again - that’s encouraging. Later!

Bernie McDonald
Supreme Commander - Midland Metal Products

A Belated Introduction to Our Blog

2009-08-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

We added this blog to our website a couple of months ago. As it’s growing into a team project here at Midland, and our readership has increased, I thought we should post an introduction and talk for a minute about what this blog is …and more importantly what it isn’t.

We want this to be a place we can communicate with our current customers and where prospective customers can come to get to know us a little bit. Some of what you read here will be very specific to Midland, other entries will be of more general interest…however closely or tangentially related to our jobs here.

What it won’t be is one long spam-fest masquerading as open communication. I resent being subjected to spam and I’m sure you do, too. We want this to be informative and fun and not a self-indulgent tribute to our awesomeness.

That’s not to say I don’t think Midland is an awesome company to work for – I actually do. I’ve worked for companies for whom I’d never have blogged (you know that old saying, “if you don’t have anything nice to say…”)

I was thinking about that the other day. In this economy it’s de rigueur to feel grateful just to be working. I’m lucky – I’m grateful to work here and that’s not a trivial distinction. It’s not a perfect gig – my parking spot is on the banks of Bubbly Creek and once toner leaked all over my desk (what a mess) – we all have our burdens. But I work with talented and amazing people every day and I’ve never once had to choose between my integrity and my paycheck since I signed on with Midland. You can’t beat that.

Let me assure you this will be my one and only entry about blogging itself. Jeff Atwood rails against the concept of meta-blogging so much better than I, on his website Coding Horror. If you're like me and abhor the concept of blogging about blogging it's a good read.

Jamie Brezinski - Director of IT

Midland News

2009-08-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

Midland Metal Products is pleased to announce the release of our new web site WWW.MIDLANDMETALPRODUCTS.COM.

The site offers a fresh, new look at our company including detailed information about our storied 85 year history, our diverse capabilities, and the materials we fabricate. The site also contains a detailed portfolio showing examples of our work and our collaboration with our customers. Finally, the site addresses our sustainability efforts, a topic of constant interest to our customers.

Over the past several years, the point of purchase industry has undergone some dramatic changes. Globalization, retail consolidation, and new technologies have presented every company in this industry with both opportunities and challenges.

To secure our future, we have and will continue to invest heavily in our people, capital equipment, and technology. Although we are proud of our accomplishments, our work is not done. Our loyal customers expect us to provide a quality product, at a competitive price, within an increasingly compressed time frame. We intend to meet and exceed these expectations by improving our company continuously.

The web site presents our story as told today. We will update you with our monthly newsletter and the web site changes as our story of metal fabricating for the 21st Century continues to unfold.

Closing Schedule

2009-06-25T08:02:00.001-07:00

Midland Metal Products will be closed for Vacation, Inventory,

and Maintenance June 29 through July 3, 2009.

Inventory begins at 2:30 on Friday, June 26.

We will be back to work as usual on Monday, July 6.

If you have any questions during that time that require immediate

attention please contact your sales person directly.

Have a safe and happy July 4.

Allie and Friends Golf Classic

2009-06-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

Midland Metal Products once again took an active role in the 5th annual Ryan Diem's Allie and Friends Golf Classic, which took place on May 4th, 2009 in Chicago and raised over $130,000.

The golf event raises awareness and much needed money for a rare form of pediatric cancer called neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer found in infants and the most common extracranial solid tumor found in children. There is very little known about why neuroblastoma occurs, or about what factors increase the risk for occurrence. There is no known cure. Every sixteen hours a child with neuroblastoma dies.

With the help of Chicago native and Indianapolis Colt Ryan Diem, Allie and Friends has been able to raise over $600,000 of funding to support the Children’s Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation based in Bloomingdale, IL.

For more information about the event and the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer
Foundation please check out the website at www.allieandfriends.org. There are
many different levels of sponsorship available for the 2010 event to take place
next May.

KidsSTRONG Event

2009-06-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

As many of you may be aware - Midland joined forces with Concept Designs earlier in the year on a Wii Lockbox that is currently being installed into many children's hospitals around the country. The first run, with which you all helped, was for 50 units to be tested and then rolled out on a much bigger scale across the country.

"This inaugural effort has been made possible through the generous donations from several corporate sponsors like Midland and its employees. This first set of Lockboxes are being placed at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. They allow the children with cancer, who are in forced isolation, to play, get physical exercise, interact, and momentarily take their minds off of the physical and emotional pain of cancer treatment.

Again, your generous work for this effort will be helping children with cancer across the country and we offer our sincere thanks." - Louis Hsaio, Concept Designs.

And below is some reaction from the hospital about how the project has been received.

A six year old boy fighting cancer has not stopped playing with his kidsSTRONG WiiStation since it arrived in his bone marrow transplant “isolation” room last month. His grandmother is enjoying playing games with him too.

This was the story we heard today when we visited a children’s cancer hospital to check in on the kidsSTRONG Wii therapy pilot.

Hospital personnel told us:
➢ The kidsSTRONG WiiStation system is a Godsend!
➢ The systems are easy to install and manage.
➢ These systems really do allow children touched by cancer to be kids first and patients second!
➢ They let them have a normal life again.
➢ Thank you kidsSTRONG!

Thank you all for your work on this project!