Who are we? This family business was established in 1996 by Graham Hall, the current MD, drawing on the experience of three generations in steel. Grandfather Bill worked the hot mill at John Summers, father Stan launched Zintec for the British Steel Corporation and Graham had 20 years experience as a senior manager in stockholding. Kieren, the fourth generation, joined in March 2012. There is iron in the soul of Avocet Steel. What do we do? Our customers in the manufacturing industry have seen some difficult times and continue to face severe challenges in their markets, particularly from huge low cost competitors in the Far East, India and Brazil. Many of the economies of scale now exploited by these competitors are unavailable in the UK and Europe. Those customers who have survived and thrived are those that have adapted. They have recognised that their strength lies not in run of the mill products but in the special, the high-tec and the bespoke. That’s where we come in. We have allied ourselves with principals and suppliers whose attitude to service, and whose philosophy and quality are in tune with the realities of manufacturing today. We are experts in our mills’ capabilities and can speak with first hand knowledge of what can be achieved. Our core business is in precision strip. Manufactured to specification, designed to perform how our customers want it to perform, delivered in the way that is most efficient and cost effective for them. On time, quality products, direct from the manufacturer, right first time. We are exclusive UK agents for some of the world finest manufacturers of precision strip, such as Thyssen Krupp, Ulbrich and Inac. It was an affordable luxury when you had the economies of scale to pay for that service centre margin. We offer more imaginative solutions that do not require the cost of all those overheads. This is why customers and suppliers choose to work with Avocet Steel. We understand the challenges faced by our customers and offer modern solutions to those problems.