Our Takes on the Industry's Latest
Coil Slitting Optimization Software: A Buyer's Guide for Metal Service Centers (2026)
Coil slitting optimization software picks which orders to cut from which coils. What it does, 10 questions to ask vendors, and how to pilot it.
From PO to Release: What Actually Happens in a Metal Service Center, and What Can Be Automated
A flat-rolled service center runs ten steps from PO to release. Here is what each one costs today, and which ones can be automated safely.
How to Reduce Scrap on a Slitting Line: 12 Ways to Improve Yield
Reduce slitting scrap by fixing knife clearance, tooling, edge trim and tension on the line, and pattern, coil choice and order mix in planning.
Best ERP for Metal Service Centers in 2026: Eniteo, INVEX, Metalware, Steel Manager III
A sourced, neutral comparison of metals ERPs: Eniteo, INVEX, Metalware, Steel Manager III and SSCS, and when to add a planning layer instead.
Metal Service Center Glossary: Slitting and Coil Processing Terms
Plain definitions of the terms used on a slitting line and in coil planning: trim loss, nesting, PIW, mults, coil genealogy, toll processing and more.
What Is a Command Center for Metal Processing?
A command center for metal processing is software that runs a service center from PO to release: order entry, slit plans, work orders, freight, buying.
Evaluating AI Tools: Three Questions for Service Centers
Every service center is being pitched AI. Three practical questions to tell the tools that hold up on your floor from the ones that only demo well.
The Case for Domestic Steel - Part I: The Foundation
The case for domestic steel and American reindustrialization: why reshoring steel production is a strategic, economic, and national security necessity.
The Other 65-Year-Old Running Your Slitting Line
The hardest math problem in metals turned 65 this year. So did a lot of the people who solve it by hand every morning. Only one of them is retiring.
LineSight·June 15, 2026
Why Your ERP Can't Plan a Slitting Line
An ERP remembers everything and decides nothing. On a slitting floor, the gap between those two jobs is where the margin goes.
LineSight·June 12, 2026
The 65-Year-Old Math Problem Running Your Slitting Line
A metal service center runs on decisions. The hardest one is made before the first coil is loaded.
LineSight·May 2, 2026
Pressure Points: What Metal Service Centers Are Up Against in 2026
The metal industry has always operated in an environment of thin margins and tight timelines.
LineSight·April 10, 2026
What Is a Metal Service Center and Why Does Efficiency Define the Business?
At LineSight we think about metal service centers more than most. Here is what we know.
LineSight·March 30, 2026