A Rich History In Steel Processing Innovation . . .
The Material Works, Ltd. was founded in 1992 by Kenneth Voges, a pioneer in coil processing technology who, in 1959, had founded Red Bud Industries, a leading coil processing machinery producer. Though TMW and Red Bud Industries are separate, independent companies, this common heritage gave TMW a particularly strong foundation in metals processing technology.
We started with 15 employees and operated from one 90,000 sq. ft. facility in Red Bud, Illinois. In 2000 we opened a second major facility – a state-of-the-art 216,000 sq. ft. toll processing center on the Kaskaskia River outside Red Bud. Today, our 70 employees serve roughly 100 customers – a mix of OEMs and service centers, plus integrated and mini-mills – from that facility and our offices in downtown Red Bud.
Technologically advanced processing equipment is just a start. We also use custom IT resources to track thousands of unique customer parts, manage inventory, and pinpoint the status of any order at any point in time. Our customers enjoy that same capability online, through the InSite web portal.
. . . That Continues To This Day
The year we expanded into our new facility, we also began researching valuable new processes to transform commodity hot rolled black steel into a markedly more valuable product. This led to the development of the SCS and EPS processes, which are used worldwide.
Recognizing the importance of continued innovation, we now operate two divisions within TMW. The Processing Division performs all material processing and manages customer inventory. The Technology Division works to develop new solutions to the toughest problems faced by Processing Division customers. Its current focus is Eco Pickled Surface (EPS) technology advancement and implementation.
