OmniSource
7575 West Jefferson Boulevard, Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States

AT OMNISOURCE, WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED

OmniSource Corporation is one of North America's largest processors and distributors of scrap and secondary metals. We collect, process, resell, and trade a wide variety of ferrous and nonferrous scrap. Our more than 70 U.S. scrap collection and processing facilities, including 11 operating shredders, provide the capacity to process 7 million tons of ferrous scrap annually, and more than a billion pounds of nonferrous metals.

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, more than 65 years ago, OmniSource Corporation has grown to become one of North America's largest processors and distributors of scrap and secondary metals. We collect, process, and resell a wide variety of scrap metal. The company in 2010 shipped 5.2 million gross tons of recycled steel and 961 million pounds of nonferrous scrap.

Our primary collection and processing facilities are in the Midwest, the Southeast, and the mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. But our reach stretches across North America, utilizing a wide-ranging fleet of trucks and containers, railcars, and barges to collect and haul metals. We expect to continue to expand OmniSource's footprint, deploying our processing assets to cover new geographical territories, opening new feeder yards, and making targeted acquisitions.

Supplementing our company-operated scrap collection sites, we also acquire metals from industrial scrap generators with which we have established strategic partnerships. We have designed and installed customized metals-recycling programs, some of which we manage and operate, for manufacturing companies nationwide.

Our national brokerage and trading operations serve both metals buyers and sellers, providing the market intelligence and insights needed to optimize transaction value.

OmniSource was acquired in 2007 by Steel Dynamics, Inc., and operates independently as a wholly owned subsidiary.

THE SCRAP INDUSTRY

Metal has been the backbone of civilized nations since copper was discovered in 5,000 B.C. We not only use metal; we reuse it to such an extent that metal recycling in the United States is estimated to be a $20 billion industry.

In fact, metal recyclers in the United States handle about 120 million tons of recyclables each year. From iron to steel, aluminum to copper, lead to zinc, metal not only makes the world go 'round, it goes 'round itself, thanks to companies like OmniSource.

The scrap-metal-recycling industry provides resources to the basic manufacturing sector while conserving natural resources and protecting the environment. Scrap metal generated as a by-product of industrial manufacturing, construction and demolition, and the disposal of obsolete metal products is recycled into new raw materials for the production of primary metals such as steel, copper, and aluminum.

Scrap-recycling facilities are like mines above ground, rich with resources that can be reused to preserve the environment, at a fraction of the cost to mine and refine metals from virgin ores. Scrap metal is not waste or trash. Rather, it is a continuous resource—a resource made from old automobiles, appliances, buildings, bridges, airplanes, and more. Scrap metal may, in fact, be one of our most precious resources. Because it can be remelted and reshaped into new products countless times, scrap metal is a resource that will never be depleted.

HISTORY

OmniSource was born during the pursuit of a dream—the American Dream, which has attracted so many to these shores with promises of freedom, opportunity, and prosperity.

Irving RifkinEscaping the chaos of revolution and civil war, Irving Rifkin, still just a teenager, emigrated from Russia to America in 1920. He came alone, virtually penniless. He didn't speak English, but he quickly learned enough to work and provide for himself and later, a growing family.

After two decades in New York, Rifkin and his family struck out for western Ohio, where, after a year, he started his own business dealing in all sorts of scrap materials: metals, paper, glass, and rags. He even used his stake-bed truck to offer roadside emergency service. As his business grew, Irving took on a partner, his brother-in-law Irving Walters.

In 1943, when the war effort made recycling a national priority, Rifkin and Walters bought their first scrap yard on Clinton Street in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They called their new venture Superior Iron & Metal. Competition was fierce, but the business prospered. Fort Wayne was home to several companies that supplied the military, and those companies generated a great many scrap materials. Rifkin and Walters later invested in scrap-processing equipment to further their endeavors.

Rifkin's son Leonard joined the company in 1956. With Leonard's expertise and his ability to create strategic relationships with customers and banks alike, the company weathered some tough times in the early 1960s.

Late in the 1960s, the company ventured into the trash-removal business, including establishing a revolutionary recycling facility to sort items that could be reclaimed. The company sold its trash-removal and recycling interests in 1973 to focus on expanding its scrap business.

Expansion meant acquisition. Beginning in the mid-'70s, the company began to expand significantly by buying a large number of scrap-processing facilities and increasing its presence across the Midwest. In the '70s and '80s, Leonard Rifkin's three sons—Danny, Rick, and Marty—joined the company.

In 1983 the company was officially renamed OmniSource, and by 1990 OmniSource had become a national force in the metals-recycling industry. That was also the year that the company pioneered a new concept, scrap management, with Chrysler Corporation as its initial client. Scrap management in which OmniSource manages all aspects of collecting, handling, and buying the scrap generated by a manufacturer, has since become a widely applied concept in the scrap industry.

In addition to its aggressive approach to growth through acquisitions, OmniSource in recent years has also pioneered new technologies in the recovery of valuable metals from recycled scrap materials. In 1995, OmniSource founded Recovery Technologies, a heavy-media processing facility in Fort Wayne. In 1998, OmniSource established Superior Aluminum Alloys, a secondary-aluminum-smelting company in New Haven, Indiana.

OmniSource played an important role in the birth of Steel Dynamics in the early 1990s. SDI became OmniSource's parent company in 2007. As a wholly owned subsidiary, OmniSource continues to provide a large portion of the ferrous resources SDI uses to make new high-quality steel.

In October 2007 Steel Dynamics, Inc., bought OmniSource Corporation from the Rifkin family for approximately $1.1 billion, including cash, stock, and the assumption of debt. OmniSource had been an initial investor after SDI was founded in 1993, and for a period of time served as an exclusive agent to supply the nascent steel company with ferrous scrap, the primary material used in its steelmaking operations.

Today, as a part of SDI, OmniSource has grown through acquisitions and new ventures in the Midwest and in the South. OmniSource currently collects or processes ferrous and nonferrous scrap at more than 70 facilities in the United States, including the operation of 11 automotive shredders. OmniSource has the processing capacity to recycle 7 million tons per year of ferrous scrap and 1 billion pounds of nonferrous metals. It operates shredders in the Midwest and Southeastern United States.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to be the company that our customers and suppliers look upon as "The Best in the Metals Recycling Industry".

OUR VALUES

OmniSource was founded upon the principles of integrity, hard work, perseverance, and topnotch customer service. Good values never change. OmniSource continues to emphasize these fundamental principles. Plus, we're strongly committed to our valued employees and to the communities in which we work.

Both our customers and suppliers know from experience that we honor our commitments. Our focus on integrity over the years has resulted in strong commercial ties, based on mutual respect and fair dealing.

Beginning with our founder's first small business venture, our company has faced and overcome adversity and met many challenges. This was accomplished through hard work and perseverance. Simply put, we never give up.

We focus on providing superior customer service. We're constantly challenging ourselves to improve at every juncture, by providing consistent quality of products and services and through embracing innovative systems and technologies.

OmniSource truly cares about its employees, the lifeblood of the company. We demonstrate that concern for the well-being of our employees by providing very competitive compensation, plus a variety of valuable employee benefits.

OmniSource strives to be a solid citizen. We've prospered in the communities where we do business, and we readily share our good fortune in these communities by lending our direct and financial support to a wide variety of civic organizations and causes.

SERVICES OFFERED

OmniSource is your source for value-added services that can simplify your operations and maximize the value of your scrap metals.

BROKERAGE & TRADING

Brokerage and trading activities at OmniSource cover a broad range of products, including ferrous and nonferrous scrap, scrap alternatives, and secondary and primary metals.

SCRAP MANAGEMENT

A competitive edge through cooperation–that's what drives our Scrap Management consulting practice. We develop and manage custom-designed solutions related to scrap handling and disposal activities for scrap generators and consumers.

LOGISTICS

Our logistics team has the industry experience and the resources to develop strategies to move scrap metals anywhere in North America and for export. We take pride in providing and implementing cost-effective material-handling and transportation solutions for OmniSource clients.

TRANSPORTATION

On time. Every time. It's not just a catchy slogan. At OmniSource, it's how we do business. Our transportation-services group coordinates all of the company's freight

ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

OmniSource Corporation believes that a positive approach towards conserving and enhancing natural resources is consistent with its core values, and is fundamental to the scrap and secondary metals industry. OmniSource is committed to operating its business in an environmentally responsible manner that protects human health, natural resources, and the environment.