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Business View Magazine
magnesium?’ For many distributors, we are their first
call.”
So why not cut out the middle man? “Our valued dis-
tributors are out in their regions every day. They have
the presence and the relationships already formed.
We have seven sales representatives that cover the
U.S. and Canada. We would much rather support our
distributor relationships and their sales personnel who
are already connected to the customers.”
As for competition, Brewer says, “Larger domestic
manufacturers can provide more competitive pricing.
Most are now offering flame-resistant apparel prod-
ucts. But they are not receptive to custom-built special-
ity products that generate small yields. It is difficult for
these larger manufacturers to create small production
runs.” Being a “niche” fabricator, Steel Grip is known
for accommodating the “little” specialty jobs, and that
can translate into repeat business.
Garmentmaterials come fromkey supplierswho search
worldwide for raw fabrics that are then, in some cases,
rendered flame resistant through chemical processes
and applications. Mason notes, “We purchase these
fabrics and literally cut and sew to specification. Our
recently opened location in Danville has more square
footage and a consolidated cutting department, so
all the computerized cutting takes place here in one
facility. The larger, fully-modernized building is also a
single shipping point for our two sister plants.”
Significant capital investment in their new facility was
essential to Steel Grip’s long range plan: “Building for
the future, and hiring for the future.” On the sales side,
Stultz tells it like it is: “Our team is getting rather old.
