ILP

What I learned about the Coil Plus Company

Coil Plus is a company that buys steel coils and cuts the steel for each customer’s specifications. Some customers used the sheets of steel to make refrigerators, dishwashers, or other products. I took a tour of the plant and got to know what went on in there, and additionally sat with one person from each department to get to know what their day to day looks like and to see how they contribute to the company.

Tour of Warehouse: In the warehouse I learned how they cut and slit the steel to prepare for the customers. The steel coils that they sell way tons so it is very dangerous out there so the workers have to take great precaution when operating. They wear helmets, thick boots, and goggles at all times.There is a huge machine that unravel a big roll of steel coil and cuts into various sized slices and places them on a skid. The material handler then straps the steel down to get it ready for the forklift to pick it up.

Customer Service: The customer service department deal with the customers, hence the name. They get calls from customers complaining at times and have to hear out the problem and then find a solution for that problem. To be in this department, I feel like you definitely have to be a good listener, and also not have a hot temper because you have to deal with upset people day to day.

Purchasing: I spoke to someone in purchasing and what they do is they go out to the mills and decide a price with the managers for a certain amount of coil and they buy it for the company.

Traffic: The people who work in this department schedule pickups of the steel that is going to go out to the customers. They also receive raw material from the mills/where the coils come from. Lastly, they negotiate prices with the trucking companies for how much it is going to charge to ship the coils.

Accounting: The accounting department pays the bills and collects payment from customers for the company. They also create financial statements, forecasts and budgets.