Moving Metal

plants. Tube Service Co. Sales Manager Dan Mangan was Reliance’s chief expert on the semiconductor industry at the time and was, therefore, very interested in the Valex oppor- tunity. “It didn’t take Reliance long to make the decision to buy Valex,” Mangan stated. “Reliance had the instinct to recognize an opportunity and the wherewithal to follow through and make the most of it.” Former owner Robert L. Rains continued as President of Valex for a time, but Reliance also contributed its own expertise by sending Mangan to the Valex enterprise. He succeeded Rains as President and COO in 1993. That same year, Reliance took a big bite out of a longtime competitor, Ducommun Metals Company, purchasing its 4.7-acre Phoenix metals service center for approximately $4 million. Reliance expanded the former Ducommun facility to 100,000 square feet and moved its existing Phoenix operation there. In December 1986, Reliance acquired a Livermore, Cal- ifornia metals service center from Capitol Metals Company, which was merged into the expanding Tricon plant in Fremont, California. Meanwhile, Reliance’s Bralco division bought Ducommun’s Los Angeles operation for $2.5 million in cash. In 1987, Reliance purchased the inventory and assets of the Russell Steel Division of Van Pelt Corporation in Arling- ton, Texas, and rolled them into its Dallas/Fort Worth division. The acquisition not only strengthened Reliance’s position in Texas, but also expanded its product line to include tubular products, a Russell specialty. To accommodate the new business, Reliance expanded the Dallas/Fort Worth facility by about one-third, bringing it up to a total 72,000 square feet of floor space. In Albuquerque, Reliance also acquired the city’s leading metal service center, Morris Steel & Aluminum Company, including its 5.5-acre site, for $2.5 million.

A selection of corrosion-resistant high-purity valves produced by Valex for gas piping systems, primarily in the semiconductor industry. Reliance acquired the company in 1986.

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