quest 4 alloys, millstock stainless, ck centreless ... · “because we know where to find the...
TRANSCRIPT
4 Stainless Steel World Annual Procurement Report 2012
Twenty-one years ago two sales managers David Smith and Tony Jones with the same ideasand the same values took a leap of faith. During a period of recession they decided to trusttheir instincts and start Quest 4 Alloys, a stockholder and processor of stainless steel andnickel alloys. Now, more than two decades later, the same two have joined hands withanother former colleague Graham Lloyd and together they are extremely busy running twomore independent companies with the same values that made the first one a success.Stainless Steel World was lucky to catch David Smith, co-founder of Quest 4 Alloys, andGraham Lloyd, co-founder of Millstock Stainless, during five minutes of downtime fromoverviewing the construction of a new facility for Quest 4 Alloys Ltd., Millstock StainlessLtd., and CK Centreless Grinding.
By Anne Cunningham
Quest 4 AlloysDavid Smith and Tony Jones startedQuest 4 Alloys with one clear goal:customer satisfaction. “We both believethat customers’ needs always have tocome first. To be able to help acustomer with an out of the ordinaryrequest instead of dictating their choiceto fit within a certain range was mydrive, my satisfaction and Tony felt thesame.” Quest 4 Alloys was foundedwith that in mind and today still themotto is: Don’t be told you just can’t getthat. The company name displaysexactly what the owner’s love doing –finding the perfect match betweencustomer and alloy is what drives Quest4 Alloys.The drive to find the perfect match hascertainly reflected on the company’s
customer base. Sixty-five per cent oftheir customers are from abroad andare in search of something specific.“Because of our international customerbase we are experienced in supplyingmany different alloys all over the world.Imports and exports by land, sea or airensure that we find the alloy requiredhowever difficult that might be.”Besides being international, Quest 4Alloys’ customer base is also broadwith customers from numerous differentindustries (e.g. Petro-Chemical, PowerGeneration, Aerospace, Architectural,Automotive, Construction and GeneralEngineering). In contrast to manyothers, Quest 4 Alloys has numerousother stockholders as customers.“Because we know where to find theout-of-the ordinary and have short lead
times we are often the easiest andcheapest solution for otherstockholders. An example of this is ourstainless steel type 310s range in allforms.”The independent company startedoffering high end stainless steels andthe more unusual grades of strip in coilfor welded tubes. Now, they carry thecomplete range of stainless steels andnickel alloys and even though thecompany has evolved and changedover the years strip in coil still forms animportant part of Quest 4 Alloys’ stock.“We have spring tempered materials,annealed materials and even thin gaugematerials in stainless steels and nickelalloys down to 0.05 mm thick that wecan supply from 2.5 mm wide up to1000 mm wide. A new product range
Quest 4 Alloys, Millstock Stainless, CK Centreless Grinding
Investing and Relocating forthe Future
Stainless Steel World Annual Procurement Report 2012 5
for Quest 4 Alloys is bespoke specialshapes and laser fusion weldedstructural sections and profiles in nickelalloys, exotic stainless steels and superduplex such as ALLOY 800 H /HT,ALLOY 625, STAINLESS STEEL TYPE410S, 317 L / LN, 904 L, 321, 347,309S, 310S and SUPER DUPLEX 32750and 32760. We are working very closelywith the producer Montanstahl who weare the official agents for the exotic andspecial grades and have had a long andvery close relationship with them formany years and find this new projectvery exciting and a complement to ourcurrent product range in the samegrades supplied in sheet, plates, barsand tubes.” To be able to meet allcustomer needs Quest 4 Alloys offerscertain processing capabilities, such asslitting, profiling, forging, cutting tolength, sawing, turning, boring, andtesting.Last September Quest 4 Alloys set upits first office abroad. Mr. Jean MarcSerres manages Quest 4 Alloys France,which is located in the Toulouse area.“We felt the need to employ someonewho spoke the language and decidedthat if we were going to do so, why nothave someone on location. We have a lot of Aerospace and Oil &Gas Industry customers in Europe,although they have ISO 9000 and SC21they are in the process of achievingAS9120, the Aerospace accreditation,and this is just another way to achieveour service goals.” Throughout thecoming years the company is looking toexpand even further into Europe andthey are starting to look for employeesin other countries. “We sell to over 40countries, why not have as many native
speakers in these countries aspossible!” Colleagues and the work environmentare both very important according to Mr.Smith. “Work is such a large part of lifethat you have to be able to have a laughand enjoy yourself. Just this morning wejoked about the job we do and came tothe conclusion that between us, wehave 300 years of experience. And trustme, we don’t have 300 employees, wehave approximately 20 and they are thebest in the business. We are very luckyto have them and appreciate the workand effort they put in very much, as doour customers,” he smiles. Their vastexperience in the stainless steel and
nickel alloy industry enables Quest 4Alloys the ability to meet even moreexacting requirements to suit specificneeds. From those hard to find nickelalloys, or cut to length precision strip incoil form, Quest 4 Alloys has both the inhouse processing capability and wellestablished partnerships with keystainless steel and nickel alloyproducers which enable them to offermaterial to meet exact specificationsevery time.
Millstock StainlessGraham Lloyd worked with Tony Jonesand David Smith before they startedQuest 4 Alloys, and when he had an
6 Stainless Steel World Annual Procurement Report 2012
idea he did not hesitate to call his twoformer colleagues. “We met for lunchand four months later MillstockStainless was a fact” says Graham.Millstock Stainless was established in1991 and quickly built up a reputationfor the fast, efficient, and reliable supplyof quality stainless steel products andservices. The company suppliesspecialist stainless steel materials andproducts ranging from precision groundshafting, which is used in a variety ofapplications, in the Marine, Petro-Chemical and automotive industries, toan extensive range of special stainlesssteel sections, including laser fusionwelded sections and duplex sections,Millstock Stainless are proud to be thepartners of Swiss producer MontanstahlS.A. for special projects which are usedin the Nuclear & Power generation,water, construction and generalengineering industries. Throughout the past ten years MillstockStainless has built up a wealth ofexperience and knowledge in thesespecialised supply areas that ensuresthey can offer help with any stainlesssteel requirements. “Both the Nuclear &Power Generation and the MarineIndustry have stringent requirements
and quality is essential, meaning wealways have to be that one step ahead.”Millstock Stainless has successfullysupplied thousands of marine propellershafts to customers who subsequentlymanufacture the finished product. Theyhave become so experienced with therequirements that they have evendeveloped a brand specifically for theindustry. “Through our experience wehave been able to develop our ownbrand which we have callednauticALLOY, offering many differentalloy grades some of which have beenspecially enhanced to ensure that themaximum corrosion resistance isachieved for all the Nauticalloy gradesall of which have been developedspecifically for the Marine Industry,”Graham proudly says, “All nauticALLOYshafting is produced to our own in-house specification which guaranteesthat each shaft supplied is fit forpurpose, great care is taken over thesurface finish which ensures that thecorrosive resistance of the Nauticalloygrade chosen is enhanced to give thebest possible quality to our customers.All shafts are supplied in accordancewith the ISO 9001-2008 QualityManagement System and upon request
can be supplied with appropriatecertificates of conformity ormanufacturing mill certificates alongwith a certificate of straightness.”Millstock material has been used onmany high profile builds including:Aussie Rules, built by Oceafast for GregNorman; The Eclipse, built by Blohmand Voss for Roman Abramovich; andLlona, built by Pendennis Shipyard foran American client. “Our product linesadhere to all requirements and thanksto investments for in-house grindingfacilities we have been able to grow andlaunch the nauticALLOY grades”. Another project Millstock was closelyinvolved with was the fabrication ofspecial duplex beams and angles forthe first water desalination plant in theUK, the Thames Gateway WaterTreatment Works in East London, whichopened in 2010. It treats water from thebrackish waters of the River Thames,producing up to 150 mega litres ofclean, fresh, drinking water a day(150,000,000 litres), enough for 400,000households. The plant helps guaranteeLondon’s future water supplies duringtimes of drought or extended periods oflow rainfall, and maintains supplies inthe event of an incident at other water
Stainless Steel World Annual Procurement Report 2012 7
treatment facilities. Within the plant,saline river water passes throughlamella clarifiers to remove solidparticles. The clarifiers are large, opentanks containing a coarse filter mediathat is supported by a grillage of 78tonnes of Duplex stainless steel I-beams and angles.
CK Centreless GrindingWith two successful companies bothfocusing on customer needs, the nextstep the team took was to become evenmore independent. CK CentrelessGrinding was an existing company thatthey acquired three years ago. “Wecame to a point where we couldn’talways guarantee the shortest possiblelead time due to outworking ourcentreless grinding needs. We realisedthat in order to deliver on our promise,we would have to take control of theentire process,” David Smith explains.
The latest investment madeby the teamGraham Lloyd assures us that “CKCentreless Grinding was founded only afew years ago but now has the mostmodern and efficient grinding shops inEurope thanks to $500,000 euroinvestment in a new 4 head beltgrinding and polishing line andstraightening press that both canprocess up to 220 mm diameter barsand tubes with lengths up to 15 metersin Stainless Steel, Nickel Alloys, Copper,Brass, Titanium, Aluminium, CarbonSteels, or Mild Steels, we can grindwhat you need. We are very proud ofour achievements in such a short timeand thanks to years of hands ongrinding experience it provides topclass service to its ever growing
customer base from around the world.”“By combining their experience and ourhigh quality products we can now makepromises to our customers once again.If they need immediate delivery I cansee straight away what is possible andwhat is not to give them the accurateproduction information they need.”
The joining of the companiesDavid Smith explained that although the3 companies operate independentlyand from 3 different stockholding and
production sites they about to all cometogether for the first time in a purposebuilt stockholding and productionfacility in Willenhall in the WestMidlands England. The new site is closeto all the main transport links in the UKand with all the companies being underone roof we will be even more efficientand capable of looking after all ourcustomers needs, this is a very excitingtime for all of us and we are lookingforward to the end of the year when wewill be moving in to the new facility.
Quest 4 Alloys
Alloys House
Dale Street | Bilston | West Midlands | WV14 7JY UK
Tel: +44(0)1902 409316 | Fax: +44(0)1902 409304
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.quest4alloys.com
Quest 4 Alloys France
Alloys House
10, Chemin des Tambouris | 31380 Garidech | France
Tel & Fax: +33 (0) 981074991
Mobile: +33 (0) 660822781
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.quest4alloys.com
Millstock Stainless
Alloys House
Dale Street | Bilston | West Midlands | WV14 7JY UK
Tel: +44(0) 1902 409409 | Fax: +44(0) 1902 409411
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.millstockstainless.com
CK Centreless Grinding
Unit 1, Bay 6
Fountain Lane | Bilston | West Midlands | WV14 8JQ UK
tel: 0121 522 3141 | fax: 0121 522 3768
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.ckcentrelessgrinding.com
Quest 4 Alloys
Alloys House
Dale Street
Bilston
West Midlands
WV14 7JY UK
Tel: +44(0)1902 409316
Fax: +44(0)1902 409304
E-mail: [email protected]
Alloys House
Dale Street
Bilston
West Midlands
WV14 7JY UK
Tel: +44(0) 1902 409409
Fax: +44(0) 1902 409411
E-mail: [email protected]
CK Centreless Grinding
Unit 1, Bay 6, Fountain Lane
Bilston, West Midlands,
WV14 8JQ UK
tel: 0121 522 3141
fax: 0121 522 3768
E-mail: [email protected]
Quest 4 Alloys
Alloys House
Dale Street
Bilston
West Midlands
WV14 7JY UK
Tel: +44(0)1902 409316
Fax: +44(0)1902 409304
E-mail: [email protected]
Alloys House
Dale Street
Bilston
West Midlands
WV14 7JY UK
Tel: +44(0) 1902 409409
Fax: +44(0) 1902 409411
E-mail: [email protected]
CK Centreless Grinding
Unit 1, Bay 6, Fountain Lane
Bilston, West Midlands,
WV14 8JQ UK
tel: 0121 522 3141
fax: 0121 522 3768
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact Details