How to Choose a Good Aluminum Distributor

How to Choose a Good Aluminum Distributor

If the material you use in the manufacturing of your products is mainly aluminum you likely have high expectations for your aluminum supplier. Manufacturers who frequently use aluminum in the machining or fabrication of their component parts are knowledgeable about the benefits aluminum offers and expect the same from their aluminum supplier. Aluminum suppliers are not created equally, and it’s important to look for qualities such as experience, fair rates, and timeliness. Whether you’re looking to purchase aluminum products for developing a new product or improving on an existing design, your project is important to you and you want nothing less than quality and dependability for your money.

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Aluminum Expertise

One of the most important qualities an aluminum distributor should possess is in-depth knowledge of aluminum itself. Many companies store and ship aluminum, but aren’t fully familiar with its properties, which can lead to damage to products and customer dissatisfaction. Aluminum is a soft metal, and can easily become scratched and damaged if it’s stored or shipped next to harder metals, such as steel. A knowledgeable aluminum distributor will know the ins and outs of aluminum, including how to handle it properly. Choosing an experienced company will ensure your order is completed and shipped with the utmost care.

Complies with Your Budget

In addition, fair pricing is a factor you should consider when in the market for reliable aluminum distributors. Reasonable rates are always a plus, especially if you’re looking to buy aluminum in large quantities. Many aluminum suppliers offer a comprehensive selection of products, but if their prices are too steep and they offer few discounts, it can be problematic buying the quantities you need. It’s essential to choose a company whose focus is on providing high quality products at competitive prices. This way, you’ll have the room in your budget to buy a suitable number of the products you require.

Understanding the Aluminum Market

Now if you put aluminum expertise together with fair pricing, you should expect your aluminum supplier to understand and be able to explain the pricing volatility of the aluminum market. An aluminum distributor that is transparent and willing to explain the details of how pricing is established on the LME (London Metals Exchange) will earn your trust and save you money.

Price is Not the Same as Cost

As a purchasing professional, I am sure you have heard this many times: A good supplier doesn’t just understand their business, they understand yours as well. When purchasing aluminum there are many ways to take out cost. Buying material precision saw cut to size can eliminate potential downstream machining processes in your operation. Buying a custom extruded section can take weight out of the raw material part as well as reducing machining operations. Both situations may cost more on the front end, but actually cost less when considering the overall picture. If you are not dealing with a supplier that is talking about these options, you should be.

Speedy & Professional Service

Good suppliers can be relied upon for prompt service. As a customer, you expect to receive your order within a reasonable time-frame, but more importantly, you expect to get it on the day it was promised. A professional supplier follows through with their commitment. The last thing you need is a supplier that doesn’t understand your business, or what it is costing you to have a piece of equipment sitting idle waiting for material to arrive that never did. Worthwhile distributors have the inventory, information tools, and customer service people to complete even the most complex orders quickly, efficiently, and accurately. With the right supplier, you will feel confident that your parts will be ordered and filled to the correct specifications, packaged appropriately, and be delivered on time.

Offers Delivery Service

It can be difficult locating transportation services for your aluminum items. It is important to find an aluminum distributor that can deliver to your location. This can save you from having to find transportation services for your aluminum orders. Be sure to ask about a supplier’s delivery services and any additional costs for those services. If possible, find a vendor that includes delivery in your price eliminating any unknowns.

Registered and Licensed

Suppliers should have proper insurance, registration and licensing. You can have confidence an aluminum distributor is operating within the law when it is licensed and insured. This helps ensure you are receiving quality products. Ask who is the producing mill and request to see documentation if there is a concern. In the aluminum industry, the producing mills select who will distribute their metal for them and represent their product downstream. In order to earn a franchise to sell aluminum from a quality producer, you must be reputable and stock their product. Believe me, earning a franchise is not easy. If a metal supplier simply buys the material from another distributor but does not have the franchise with the producing mill, they will have a difficult time resolving any material claims.

Sufficient Experience

The supplier’s experience is another factor to consider. Inquire about the distributor’s length of time in the industry supplying aluminum products. The distributor’s level of experience can determine how the company interacts with and services its customers. It can also determine the distributor’s reliability in supplying the right aluminum items on-time.

Offers a Variety of Aluminum Products

Vendors differ on the selection and types of aluminum products they sell. Along with various sizes and shapes, quality can differ as well. Ask about the types of aluminum the distributor offers. The supplier should have a working knowledge of its products and be able to explain their characteristics and benefits. This is important in order to help you choose the best aluminum alloy, sizes, and shapes for your applications.

When you are looking for the best aluminum distributor, it is important to ensure you review the above factors before using the services of a particular provider. This will help ensure you get the quality aluminum products you need at the right price.

The Benefits of Choosing an Aluminum Service Center

When you need aluminum parts, you will have a number of different options from which to choose. There are probably many metal service centers in your area, so you should do your homework before making a final decision. You should know, however, that it is always best to go with a service center that focuses 100 percent on handling aluminum because of the additional knowledge and care they will provide. In the end, this extra service ensures that you get the exact parts you need and that they are extremely high in quality.

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Having what you need
Perhaps the main benefit of choosing an all-aluminum service center is the fact that they have a knowledge and expertise about aluminum, not found at every metal distributor. You can also depend on them having a depth and breadth of inventory in both common and hard to find aluminum items. Things like Arconic’s Mic-6 cast aluminum tooling plate is not carried by everyone. In addition, one that knows the history behind a product like Mic-6. Although the name has remained the same, the company who owns and produces Mic-6 has changed several times and may confuse people. Alumax, Alcoa and Arconic are just part of this product’s history. Your best bet is to align yourself with an aluminum supplier that carries a variety of options and has people that know enough to explain the differences.

The Shipping Process
Choosing a reliable aluminum service center gives you the benefit of receiving your products in a safe manner that protects them from damage during transport. As a soft metal, aluminum is subject to damage if mishandled during shipping. Aluminum service centers that deal in aluminum exclusively know how to handle this material and prevent your products from getting knocked around or otherwise damaged during loading, delivery, and unloading.

Aluminum can scrape against harder surfaces and sustain damage as a result as well. An experienced aluminum service center will know how to protect aluminum by applying specialized packaging to ensure metal is protected during transport. Aluminum suppliers with experience will also understand where and how to place aluminum on a truck to prevent its damage and any unnecessary delays in your shipment.

Customer Service and Order Handling
Identifying and purchasing the materials needed for certain applications can be a complicated process at times. Although many aluminum distributors offer similar products and services to the market, not all of them are equal in capabilities. An experienced aluminum service center can provide you with outstanding customer service when it comes to handling orders and correcting any issues that may arise with orders or shipments.

Transparent Product Ordering System
An aluminum service center that is trustworthy and experienced will have a wealth of information tools and a well-stocked inventory of aluminum products to help you in your purchasing decision. This type of aluminum distributor can handle, confirm, and complete orders efficiently, accurately, and quickly. As the customer of a dependable aluminum service center, you should receive clear feedback about your order and exactly what you are getting from the supplier.

Damage Claim Handling
If product damage happens to occur during shipping, a reliable aluminum service center will be there with easy communication to handle your claim properly and get the issue resolved with a re-shipment.

Sawing with Precision
Another thing to consider is the precision with which aluminum suppliers can cut your order. These companies have some of the most precise saws in the industry, which ensures that your product meets even the tightest of tolerances. In the end, it is best to trust an organization that has handled these tight tolerances thousands of times in the past, rather than a metal service company that only deals with aluminum occasionally, because failing to meet these tolerances could lead to disaster.

Aluminum Product Expertise
An aluminum service center can offer you the benefit of its extensive knowledge in the metal aluminum, including its mechanical, chemical, and physical properties. In addition, the supplier can handle all of the necessary precautions required for proper storage and safe shipping.

Expert aluminum service centers understand that aluminum is subject to damage from moisture in addition to the possible damage posed during shipping. This is why a seasoned supplier will keep aluminum in an environment that is dry, clean, and free from dust and other contaminants. Along with that, aluminum service centers understand that aluminum cannot be shipped with dissimilar metals, such as carbon steel without taking the necessary precautions to protect it from carbon dust.

Aluminum service centers are essential players in the supply chain for aluminum components and extrusions. The responsibility of an experienced aluminum distributor is to supply aluminum services and products to a range of industries that require specific aluminum products. If you operate in a business or industry that needs aluminum products, it is important to choose an aluminum service center you can trust to deliver exactly what you need for your applications.

A service center that focuses on aluminum products and extrusions can help ensure you get the finished aluminum products you need on a consistent basis.

For more information, please visit Aluminum Products Purchasing Service.