Above: Slitting coils is among the many services that Flack Global Metals provides to aluminum and steel buyer
March, 2026- Since Flack Global Metals (FGM) acquired a majority share of Pacesetter Steel and transitioned from an asset-light to more of a brick-and-mortar service center model, it has further control over the supply chain for its customers to meet their individual, immediate needs. This is especially necessary in a market short of aluminum.
Brandon Roush, vice president of aluminum for FGM, says his team is providing fullservice flat-rolled aluminum solutions, particularly for customers in the building and construction products markets. Operating its own service center locations in Chicago, Houston and Atlanta, as well as a network of toll processors for additional geographical reach, FGM performs aluminum processing in addition to offering price risk management solutions via its internal trading group.
“Our goal is to help our customers manage their working capital, especially given rising market conditions,” Roush says. “We remove friction by managing the in between. Customers may be dealing with mills directly, where lead times and payment terms can be problematic. There may be a disconnect between mill offers and service center facilities’ ability to manage inventory flow,” he says. To solve that, “we have a variety of programs, such as roll-and-hold, where we release material to the customer as they need it. We can also store master coils and process to spec as needed.”
FGM has programs such as roll and hold, through which customers can determine when to release materials.
DEMAND AND SUPPLY
“We are seeing substantial growth in our aluminum business,” says Roush. “But the shortage of aluminum is also substantial so customers are concerned mill lead times will begin to push out. Demand is stable and mills remain busy as we push into the busy season.”
Given there is “a fundamental supply demand imbalance, material must come from offshore” to meet the demand requirements of aluminum consumers. As of February 2026, delivery from offshore sources is a minimum of 10 to 12 weeks out.
Even if building and construction customers have higher aluminum inventories currently, there is a risk of running low at some point. “And people forget you cannot just flip a switch overnight. If you need it now, you’re in trouble. Those who have readily available material are going to win in this market, and those who don’t are going to struggle to keep up with demand,” Roush says.
FGM is working with small to midsize customers to help provide a consistent and resilient supply chain to avoid disruption by “leveraging our mill relationships along with our service center assets and capital markets group.
“We try to mitigate all risks,” Roush continues. These are not spot sales. “We aim to give our customers peace of mind. Hedging mitigates the risk of price fluctuations, and we have internal experts qualified to execute these activities.”
LEVERAGING RELATIONSHIPS
To be able to do all that, FGM takes “a holistic approach. There is an overlap between buyers of aluminum and steel so we have our commercial team actively talking to customers about the fact that we can supply both and help manage the supply chain for their business. We created a true value-added stream of business for the customer, one that offers high touch points and high satisfaction.”
On the purchasing side, “we leverage our relationships with the mills, domestic and offshore, to get the best value for the customer. We seek to facilitate opportunity. We can place larger consistent orders with the mills, helping them maximize their rolling programs. They can get more out of their plant,” which in turn gives FGM the opportunity to process coils and deliver them quickly. FGM can typically deliver processed coils in one week or less, Roush says.
BAKED IN
When asked about trade barriers, Roush says the tariffs are already baked into the pricing. If the U.S. Midwest premium gets too high with a lower LME, it opens the door to offshore tons priced lower, “but the pendulum swings rapidly sometimes.” Given the lead times offshore, it can be hard to justify the risk without some type of hedging. Looking forward, the metals industry is wondering what the USMCA agreement is going to look like. “These are all moving factors that play into the tariff.”
The world as a whole is tight on aluminum, Roush continues. “Offshore mills are also getting busy, but they see the risk of exporting to the U.S. The risk is that orders get canceled. The discipline of mills offshore is becoming stronger, which is causing more desire to onshore capacity.”
Managing supply in this market allows FGM to be “a true global service center company that manages risk and leverages relationships throughout the world,” he says.
Flack Global Metals has service centers in Sauk Village, Illinois, Marietta, Georgia, and Houston.
FGM’s brick-and-mortar locations can level and cut to length aluminum coils.
ANNOUNCED PROJECTS
Asked about two recent announcements that both Emirates Global Aluminum (EGA) and Uzbekistan-based AKFA Group plan to build smelters in the U.S., Roush says, “The capacity is needed.” He notes, however, that “these are long-term projects to get up and running. With Century Aluminum’s participation in the EGA smelter, I think that will get off the ground.”
Greenfield projects typically take a long time for permitting, construction, technology and startup. In addition, “power costs are always an issue.”
Even if those do succeed, “will that even be enough to balance out the demand? Will we still have to import ingots? If so, the additional capacity most likely won’t lower the U.S. Midwest premium.
“With tariffs as they are, by the time the new smelters are ready, we’re into a new administration,” and no one knows what the government will do with the tariffs. “Does the new administration pull the tariff, does the premium collapse, does the smelter remain profitable? There are a lot of moving pieces.”
He notes that Novelis is bringing on new capacity and that Aluminum Dynamics Inc.’s new 650,000-tonne mill is ramping up “but we are fundamentally short on flat-rolled product supply.” Against that ever-evolving backdrop, Roush says FGM is “here to help bridge the gap between mill and consumer. We are not competing against the mills; we are an extension of them. We provide partnerships on the supply side and provide value for customers. That is how we grow our own business but, most importantly, we help grow the customer’s business.”
Flack Global Metals, 480/575-3221, flackglobalmetals.com.
