Partnership Will Provide Cost-Savings and Efficiency, Retain Drivers
DES MOINES, Iowa - Ruan Transportation Management Systems (RTMS) and O'Neal Steel, Inc., today announced a partnership where Ruan will become O'Neal's dedicated contract carrier, providing transportation and logistics support for the nation's largest family-owned metals service center.
The partnership will allow O'Neal Steel to better manage its transportation costs and focus on its core business of providing a wide-range of metals and specialty metals. O'Neal will be able to lower risk, reduce overhead and costs, and eliminate associated insurance, maintenance, procurement and disposal costs. Ruan will hire the company's drivers, who will continue to use O'Neal equipment and uniforms, and generally serve the same customers. "One of the most important functions and greatest expenses we have is delivering material to our customers," said Holman Head, president and chief executive officer, O'Neal Steel. "We were looking for a more economical way to operate our transportation function without sacrificing service and quality or adversely affecting our employees. After extensive analysis, one company stood head and shoulders above the rest, and that was Ruan."
As a dedicated contract carrier, Ruan will be able to offer operating efficiencies, route optimization systems, focused attention on safety and regulatory issues, investment in the latest technology, resources for driver education and training, and ultimately better customer service.
"We are very pleased to provide dedicated contract carriage to O'Neal Steel," said John Ruan III, chairman, RTMS. "Our expertise is in transportation and logistics, so we see the value when a company wants to focus on their core competencies. As a family-owned business as well, Ruan understands the importance of being client-driven, employee-focused, and maintaining a culture that creates innovation."
Ruan is also the only transportation company that is a member of the Metals Service Center Institute (MSCI), a trade association whose members constitute the largest single group of metals purchasers in North America, amounting each year to more than 75 million tons of steel, aluminum and other metals, with about 300,000 manufacturers and fabricators as customers. Members represent most elements of the metals value chain, including metals producers, distributors, and processors and, to a lesser extent, the interests of metals users.
Ruan is a pioneer in providing innovative technology solutions to help its customers. The company created RedTrak, an industry-leading wireless technology customized handheld application, to help Ruan drivers to receive and share real-time data so the company's dispatchers can monitor each truck and keep the entire distribution line informed. In addition, Ruan is a member of the SmartWay Transport Partnership, an innovative collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the freight industry designed to increase energy efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution.
About O'Neal Steel
O'Neal Steel, Inc. is the nation's largest family-owned metals service center with sales of approximately $1.9 billion in 2010. The company's Industrial Metals Group (IMG) and High-Performance Metals Group (HPMG) consist of nine leading brands working cooperatively to provide added value to customers in diverse markets throughout the world. O'Neal is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, and has more than 80 locations in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information about O'Neal, visit www.onealsteel.com
About Ruan
Founded in 1932, Ruan is a family-owned, privately held transportation management company, providing dedicated contract carriage, bulk carriage and integrated supply chain solutions for customers across the country. The company also provides logistics, warehousing, cross docking, and facility/yard management. Ruan endows the World Food Prize, the foremost international award recognizing excellence and progress in overcoming global food production and distribution challenges while inspiring new generations to embrace the cause. For more information about Ruan, visit www.ruan.com.