The Metal Guys Talk Business

In this BONUS episode, Pete speaks with Rob Cooper and Eric Partington about the new Stainless Steel in the Food and Beverage Industry event, which will be held on 9th March 2023 at the Warwickshire Golf and Country Club, Leek Wootton, Warwick. The event is jointly hosted by the British Stainless Steel Association (BSSA), the Nickel Institute and the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group...

In this episode, Pete and Mike met Terry Sargeant, the new CEO of SteelBuy and the current Chairman and CEO of ThyssenKrupp UK PLC.  We've spoken with a number of e-commerce platforms since we started the podcast, and Terry gave us some great insight into the why, how and future plans for this website. With finance in place, a clear plan and a small but growing team, it will be interesting to see...

In this episode, Pete and Mike spoke with Cathy Bell from i-SPACE - the latest innovative research project by Swansea University. i-SPACE is an acronym, which stands for "Innovative Steel Processing Accelerating the Circular Economy". In layman's terms, they aim to develop an industrial-scale end-of-life material shredding and sorting facility for the UK steel industry, supporting the work towards...

Fractory is a multi-national digital manufacturing platform, enabling designers to obtain instant quotations for the production of parts based on their CAD drawings, and to manufacture and deliver the parts quickly and reliably to anywhere in the world. In September 2022 we met up with Johnny Ly and Mark Kerwin to talk about the Estonian start-up's bold claims and discuss the future of digital pla...

Fellow podcaster Adam Bradley of Corrosion Resistant Materials (CRM) joined us this week to talk business.  Adam is very active on social media, and champions the metals industry, so it was an interesting podcast to record, and he had a lot to say about the sector in this episode of the show. Having won a host of awards over the last year, it was great to catch up with Adam, to talk about the rapi...

SteelScout was the digital arm of TATA Steel, and was launched in 2017. With a big budget and a team of Developers and Steel Specialists, the goals and ambitions were clear. What was not clear was how the market would react to this disruptive player in the UK metal sector.   Shortly after recording a podcast with SteelScout in 2021 (S01E07) the business was suddenly closed. In this episode, Karl E...

Flocon Valves and Fittings are a family-owned distributor business based in South Wales. Supplying stainless steel, carbon steel, plastics and everything in between, this business has become a true success story in our industry. In this episode, we were joined by Craig and Andy Phillips to talk through the last few years, with the aim of understanding why this business has had such consistent grow...

Quality standards, audits and ISO accreditations are fundamentally important to Metal Producers, Distributors and End Users, but they aren't always top of every business's to-do list. In this episode, Pete and Mike were joined by quality aficionado Andrew Milner to talk about all things Quality and Accreditation. This topic may not fill everyone with the same enthusiasm that Andrew has for the top...

This is a bonus podcast featuring in season 2 of The Metal Guys Talk Business. In this episode we were joined by Liam Conway, head of Business Development at Control Energy Costs https://cec.uk.com   With energy prices at the top of many manufacturers agenda this year, Liam talks us through the reasons why energy costs have spiked so dramatically , what today's (21st September 2022) government ann...

The BSSA or British Stainless Steel Association represent the interests of the UK's Stainless Steel industry, from manufacturers through to the the end users.  In this episode, we were joined by Rob Cooper the MD of the BSSA to talk all things Stainless. Amongst other things we talk about: * The role of Stainless in the UK * Training, an ageing workforce and the challenges within the industry * Ar...

In this episode, we were joined by Richard Curry who is a Programme Manager at the SUSTAIN Steel Project at Swansea University. The SUSTAIN Steel project aims to deliver cutting-edge science and the engineering research required to create carbon-neutral, resource-efficient UK steel supply chains. Amongst other things we talk about: * The circular steel economy * Scrap, and the competitive position...

In this episode we were joined by CEO Danny Fantom and Managing Director Daryl Lowe to talk about: * All things laser * The meteoric rise of their business since 2011 * The outlook for laser in the UK * And the business becoming an employee-owned business in 2020 This podcast was recorded in May 2021, so the business has moved on apace since we were first on site. Danny and Daryl spoke about growi...

This podcast has taken a while to release, but it is just as relevant today, as it was when we initially recorded it. If you have any interest in lasers, then this should open your mind to a whole range of possible uses outside of just cutting holes and shapes in tubes and flat metal products.  Edwin has a scientific background in biology, and on seeing a laser in action for the first time, became...

J Heebink are an international logistics company servicing the Benelux, the German Ruhr, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Simon has been working in the freight sector for almost 40 years, so he has a wealth of experience, and gave us a candid view of how imports and exports to and from Europe had been affected since January 2021, and what customers need to do going forward to maintain the flow of m...

SteelScout is a digital platform providing purchasing solutions for metal buyers in the UK. The business was set up in 2017 to address what they saw as inefficiencies in the supply chain for metal. In under four years they now have over 8,000 registered buyers and over 130 suppliers nationally, so it was great to talk to them about how they do what they do and what their thoughts were on the marke...

This week's episode covers: * Rebecca's early career in telesales * Personal development, and standing out in her early career * Getting an MBA, and how important that has been in her progression * Turning around an underperforming business * Overcoming gender issues in the workplace * Diversity in the metal and engineering sector * Social media, and what the plans are for Hydroscand * Becoming an...

Sue has had a 45-year career in the industry and worked for some of the biggest players in the UK market. From initially working on a sales desk in her first role in the industry, she made more than 26 house moves to benefit her career rising all the way to the top of a number of major U.K. companies.   This week's episode covers: * Sue's early career * Personal development, and investing in yours...

Stephens Gaskets are known for manufacturing Shims, and Gaskets, but they also produce a range of metallic, rubber, high temp, and plastic parts, as well as metal pressings and lasered components. This week's episode covers: * Why he joined the family business * How the business compete on price with far eastern manufacturers * Spotting opportunities to manufacture face shields and face visors to...

This is the third episode of The Metal Guys Talk Business but is our first with a guest. This episode is part of our 'Bottom to the Top' series. This week we are joined by Rob Brien of Kloeckner Metals. Rob began his career for ASD Court Steel as a warehouse operative 25 years ago and documents his journey all the up to becoming a board member in 2019. This week's episode covers: * Rob's early car...

This is the Second episode of The Metal Guys Talk Business. In this episode, Mike makes up a game for Groupon and Pete says "press the flesh." If you work in the metal or engineering sector, join the conversation. This week's episode covers: * The changing role of business development during and post COVID-19 * Different approaches YOU could try to keep in contact with your customers new and old *...

This is the FIRST episode of The Metal Guys Talk Business. In this pilot episode, Pete says "pivot", Mike talks about buying a year's worth of pasta, and then we talk about what's going on in the metal market in the UK. If you work in the metal or engineering sector, join the conversation. This week's episode covers: * COVID-19, and how it affected us * Taking your opportunities at an interview *...