Stainless Steel Service Center, Combined Metals of Chicago, at The National Association of Trailer Manufacturers Convention and Trade Show 2019

Combined Metals of Chicago (CMC) will be one of the Exhibitors this year at the annual National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM) Convention and Trade show, to be held in February this year. This “must attend” convention is meant to bring together a multitude of companies in the light-to-medium-duty trailer manufacturing and supply industry. Each year it sees over one thousand companies in attendance, and provides an opportunity for education, networking, and communication among the attendees.

Combined Metals of Chicago, located at 2401 W Grant Avenue Bellwood, IL 60104, is a Chicago-based stainless steel service center that offers alloy processing to a wide variety of customers. It has become one of the premier stainless steel service centers in the country over the years. CMC supplies material to many industries, including the appliance, automotive, construction, petro-chemical, roll formers, stamping, and medical industries, among others. The company states that they aim to, “safely produce and distribute the best value and the highest quality engineered stainless steel coil and sheet, specialty alloy strip, foil and wire products, and to deliver those products on time to customers around the world.”

The company processes a large variety of different alloys and products using their precision slitting, levelling, and polishing operations to process products and alloys in gauges ranging from .001” up to .135” in thickness and up to 50” in width. It also offers toll processing, and has experienced metallurgists on site at all times. CMC will be at booth 438 this year at the NATM Convention & Trade Show.

The NATM Convention & Trade Show will begin on the 18th of February this year with a golf tournament, to be held at Celebration Golf Club. Playing in the golf tournament will require a fee of $150, with golf clubs available for an extra charge.

Following the golf tournament will be the Young Professionals Reception, aimed at allowing attendees below 40 years of age to network and establish connections with NATM board members and staff, as well as presenting them with an opportunity to learn more about the organization as a whole.

Beginning on the 19th of February, the convention will hold a number of workshops. The first of these is titled Strengthen Your Business by Integrating Quality into the Process. This workshop aims to help businesses increase the quality of their products and services, and improve their methods of planning and managing. Following that will be a technical forum titled Trailer Brakes and Suspensions for Light-and Medium-Duty Trailers, and the Annual Membership Meeting and Luncheon.

The luncheon will be succeeded by two more workshops titled Practical Recruiting & Retention Strategies, and A New Generation of Trailer Brakes. Finally, there will be an orientation session for newcomers and an address by the president of the association before the end of day one.

The second day of the convention will feature two technical forums titled Successful Application of Arc Welding Robotics and Health Insurance: Cost & Control Association Health Plan Strategy in addition to an update on government affairs, lunch with the exhibitors, one-on-one consultations regarding the management of healthcare costs and human resources, and a trade show reception to mark the end of day two.

The last day will feature another series of one-on-one sessions, before breakfast with the exhibitors and a talk on Emerging Trends in Trailering/NATM Tech, concluding with a closing celebration at Disney’s Epcot.​

Those looking to learn more about CMC and the NATM Convention & Trade Show may contact Robert Whitehouse of CMC, or visit the related websites for the trade show and its attendees.