Reliance Steel & Aluminum Company (NYSE: RS) is the largest metals processing and distribution center in North America (based on revenue).^[1] As a metal service provider it buys raw metals in bulk from mills and after processing them sells them to manufacturers that use large amounts of different metals or to businesses that further process them.^[2] After buying the metal from a mill, Reliance Steel then processes it into different shapes or applies different treatments before selling it to its customers. 83% of its company high $8.72 billion 2008 revenue came from shaping raw metals into plates, tubes, rods, or bars while the remaining 17% of sales came from heat-treated, galvanized, cold-rolled, hot-rolled, and toll processed metals.^[3] It provides over 100,000 different metal products in more than 200 locations globally.^[2]

Reliance Steel has acquired 40 other metal service centers since 1994.^[4] In 2008 Reliance was able to increase its net sales by $888 million through acquisitions, leading to a company high $482.8 million in net income.^[2]

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