Houston, Texas-based Ranger Steel Services LP, the largest independent steel plate distributor in the US, announced Wednesday that it has opened a new distribution center in Madison, Illinois. Madison is situated on the Mississippi River.
The new facility will stock two grades of domestic steel plate--high strength, low alloy and regular carbon plate--supported by Ranger's inventory of about 45,000 tons of steel plate daily on average. Ranger is leasing warehouse storage space from St. Louis Reload, Inc., which has convenient access to rail, barge and interstate highway transportation.
Ranger Steel president Ron Whitley said that the company's primary consideration in opening the Illinois location was to move closer to customers in the Midwest, due to climbing shipping and fuel costs.