As reported by Metal Center News (Aug. 21, 2013), metal service centers experienced an uptick in July shipments with shipments up 5.3% over July 2012. We have all been riding out the market and controlling our inventories. As noted in last week’s write-up, inventories are actually under where analysts feel they should be. What will happen is inevitable – you’ll be caught selling out items and unable to replace them right away due to mill lead times. This is where master distributors like ESP should be a part of your overall strategy. We can help fulfill the “A” and “B” items till your next mill shipment arrives. And for “C” and “D”, why not turn those items over to us? We can process those orders same or next day and help lower your overall inventory and improving turns while still servicing your customers. Call ESP!