Jennifer Krey has set herself the task of working with her team to meet the high customer requirements in steel processing. The sales manager is from Thuringia, the home state of Stahlo. Her main customers include machine and furniture manufacturing SMEs, firms in the construction industry and companies that process steel in other ways. What these businesses have in common is their need for customised sheet steel. The thin sheet blanks in thicknesses ranging from 0.45 to 3 mm and in all kinds of steel grades are used as preliminary products for items such as metal fittings, electronics enclosures and other precision parts, but also as blanks for larger components such as machine panels and in construction applications, too.

COMMITTED TO CUSTOMER PROXIMITY

What initially sounds simple is actually quite challenging. “Delivery speeds have become much faster in recent years, amongst other things because more and more processes are being controlled digitally. Customers are also increasingly asking for changes, altering deadlines and making short-notice requests,” reveals Krey.

The sales manager certainly knows her customers. She was previously the contact point for customers at Blech-Service Nordhausen, which was acquired by Stahlo in 2018 and relocated in its entirety to Stahlo in Gera in 2023.

Krey is also an expert on the relevant materials and the technical machining processes. “I must see the material myself. When I pass through the warehouse and see the sheet metal and equipment, I somehow feel at home,” she says.

Blech-Service Nordhausen had the typical virtues of an SME – a high level of expertise in its own processes, fast and direct communication with customers, rapid decision-making and a willingness to operate any necessary extra shift. This meant it was able to meet specific customer requirements, often with ideas that could improve processes further still – something that customers repaid with long-term loyalty.

IDEAL COMBINATION

The sheet metal service is the perfect complement for Stahlo. On the one hand, you have Stahlo Stahlservice, with its international setup and comprehensive portfolio of high-strength to ultra-high-strength flat steel grades, operating in areas such as automotive contract business. On the other hand you have the sheet metal service from Stahlo, which predominantly handles short production runs and urgent orders. Despite essentially having the same starting product – thin sheet blanks – this means there are minimal overlaps in the customer sectors served.

HARDWARE BOOSTER

While Stahlo Stahlservice was able to expand its portfolio by acquiring Blech-Service Nordhausen, the former Blech-Service team now has access to the efficiency and established structures of a company belonging to the Friedhelm Loh Group.

Stahlo Stahlservice is one of the largest independent steel service centres in Germany. Its international network of suppliers makes the company a reliable steel service partner for industrial customers and a pioneer in green steel. The new plant in Gera – built as recently as 2019 – integrates state-of-the-art logistics and production capacities for coil processing, as well as fully digitalised processes.

This also works to the benefit of customers purchasing blanks. Thanks to its new high-bay warehouse and an ultra-modern laser unit, Stahlo is now equipped for all widely used separation technologies. With its sheet metal service the company thus meets the full range of customer requirements – from simple cutting work and custom prototypes to series production. Stahlo is also setting new standards when it comes to delivery capability – thanks to a new formats warehouse stocking around 1,800 metric tons of ready-made standard blanks.

SIGHTS SET ON GROWTH

“We’ve now succeeded in combining the best of both worlds,” says Krey, who still regularly visits customers, chats with purchasing managers and uses this personal contact to gather information and know-how. “To put it simply, this specific knowledge about what’s going on with customers is vital to keep our service at the high level they’ve grown accustomed to,” she insists.

Take the example of thermofin. A manufacturer of refrigeration technology, it was a customer of Blech-Service Nordhausen and now appreciates the high standards of sheet metal service of Stahlo. Headquartered in Heindorfersgrund, in the state of Saxony, and located around 50 kilometres north of Gera, thermofin was founded in 2002. It supplies customers worldwide with refrigeration systems and is highly successful. Thanks to rising demand, thermofin looks set to grow. Amongst other things, a new building for in-house sheet metal production and powder coating is to be constructed at the company’s German headquarters.

Krey and her team also have their sights set on growth. “With our sheet metal service, we have succeeded in retaining our old customers. We’re now intending to further develop the market for our own purposes,” she says, looking to the future. The first steps have already been taken. A number of sheet metal customers have also purchased coils with parallel longitudinal slitting – a typical Stahlo Stahlservice product – through Stahlo.