7 / Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. Form 10-K 2021 We sell used auto parts from our self-service retail stores. Both before and after retail customers have removed desired parts from acquired salvaged vehicles, we extract and consolidate certain valuable ferrous and nonferrous components from auto bodies for shipment by truck primarily to wholesale customers. We also remove and collect catalytic converters from salvaged vehicles for shipment by truck to specialty processers which extract the nonferrous precious metals. The salvaged auto bodies are crushed and shipped by truck to our metals recycling facilities where geographically feasible, or to third-party recyclers, for shredding. We sell finished steel products directly from our steel mill in McMinnville, Oregon and our distribution center in City of Industry, California (Los Angeles area). Finished steel products are shipped from the mill to the distribution center primarily by rail. The distribution center facilitates sales by maintaining an inventory of products close to major customers for just-in-time delivery. We communicate regularly with major customers to determine their anticipated needs and plan our rolling mill production schedule accordingly. Finished steel shipments to customers are made by common carrier, primarily truck or rail. Sources of Unprocessed Metal The most common forms of purchased unprocessed metal are obsolete machinery and equipment, such as automobiles, railroad cars, railroad tracks, home appliances and other consumer goods, scrap metal from manufacturing operations and retailers, and demolition metal from buildings and other infrastructure. Unprocessed metal is acquired from a diverse base of suppliers who unload at our facilities, from drop boxes at suppliers’ industrial sites, and through negotiated purchases from other large suppliers, including railroads, manufacturers, automobile salvage facilities, metal dealers, various government entities, and individuals. We typically seek to locate our retail auto parts stores in major population centers with convenient road access. Our auto parts store network spans 15 states in the U.S. and two provinces in Western Canada, with a majority of the stores concentrated in regions where our large shredders are located. Through our network of auto parts stores, we seek to obtain salvaged vehicles from five primary sources: private parties, tow companies, charities, auto auctions, and municipal and other contracts. We have a program to purchase vehicles from private parties called “Cash for Junk Cars” which is advertised in local markets. Private parties either call a toll-free number and receive a quote for their vehicle or obtain an instant online quote. The private party can either deliver the vehicle to one of our retail locations or arrange for the vehicle to be picked up. We also employ car buyers who travel to vendors and bid on vehicles. Further, we enter into limited duration contracts with public entities and other third parties for vehicle dismantling and asset recovery services, which provide a source of low-cost salvage vehicles. The expiration of such contracts may lead us to seek alternative sources of vehicles, potentially at a higher cost. We also source scrap metal and other recyclable materials through our recycling services from a range of customers including large retailers, industrial manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers, and railcar owners. The majority of our metal collection and processing facilities receive unprocessed metal via major railroad routes, waterways, or highways. Metals recycling facilities situated near industrial manufacturing and major transportation routes have the competitive advantage of reduced freight costs because of the significant cost of freight relative to the cost of metal. The locations of our West Coast facilities provide access to sources of unprocessed metal in the Northern California region, northward to Western Canada and Alaska, and to the East, including Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, and Nevada. The locations of our East Coast facilities provide access to sources of unprocessed metal in New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Eastern Canada, and, from time to time, the Midwest. The locations of our facilities in Hawaii and Puerto Rico provide access to sources of unprocessed metal in the respective local markets. In the Southeastern U.S., approximately half of our ferrous and nonferrous unprocessed metal volume is purchased from industrial companies, including auto manufacturers, with the remaining volume being purchased from smaller dealers and individuals. These industrial companies provide us with metals that are by-products of their manufacturing processes. The supply of scrap metal from these various sources can fluctuate with the level of economic activity in the U.S. and can be sensitive to variability in recycled metal prices, particularly in the short term. The supply of scrap metal can also fluctuate, to a lesser degree, due to seasonal factors, such as severe weather conditions, which can inhibit scrap metal collections at our facilities and production levels in our facilities. Severe weather conditions can also adversely impact the timing of shipments of our products, the level of manufacturing activity utilizing our products, and retail admissions at our auto parts stores. We believe we operate the only EAF steel mill in the Western U.S. that obtains substantially all its recycled metal requirements from integrated metals recycling and joint venture operations. Our metals recycling operations provide our steel mill with a mix of recycled metal grades, which allow the mill to achieve optimum efficiency in its melting operations.
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