Industry Guide
Metals Production
How steel and aluminum operations move scrap, slag, slabs, and coil, which machines do the work, and how mills keep those machines running around the clock.
10 to 65 tons
Forklift capacity for coil and slab duty
Any brand in the mill
Brand-independent service and rebuilds
Michigan City + Memphis
Shops behind four regional hotlines
Updated July 2026
A metals operation never stops moving material. Scrap charges the furnace, slag comes off the hot side, slabs and blooms cross the yard, and finished coil has to reach the customer without a scratch. Every one of those moves runs through a machine, and when that machine sits, the mill loses money by the minute. This guide covers what actually moves in a steel or aluminum operation, the equipment classes that move it, and what mill duty does to iron over time.
Bulk Equipment Corp is an 80 year old, brand-independent heavy equipment uptime partner headquartered in Michigan City, Indiana, with a shop in Memphis, Tennessee. We sell, rent, rebuild, and service the mobile equipment metals producers run, including Konecranes, Sennebogen, KAMAG, and Gradall, and we service any brand in the mill whether we sold it or not.
What We DoWhat Does Bulk Actually Do in a Steel Mill?
Real machines on real mill duty. This is what we sell, rent, rebuild, and custom fabricate for metals producers.
Modified Reach Stackers
We turn container machines into slab and coil handlers
An intermodal reach stacker becomes a mill machine when we swap the container spreader for purpose-built tooling: magnets for slab handling, C-hooks and coil tongs for coil moves, and slab tongs rated for loads up to 1,100 degrees F.
Heavy Forklifts + Coil Rams
One forklift, sized to your coil
Konecranes forklifts from 10 to 65 tons carry coil on rams sized to the load, and our fabrication shop customizes guarding, visibility, and cooling packages for mill duty.
Slag Pot Carriers
Tap directly into the pot
Slag pot carriers lift and carry pots built to your furnace capacity, protect the operator on the hot side, and dump on engineered cycles at the dump station.
KAMAG Transporters
40 to 400 tons across the yard with one operator
We supplied our first Continuous Transport System in 1999, replacing multiple tractor-trailers and their drivers with one machine and one operator. Transporters lift pallets hydraulically and move slabs, blooms, and coils through tight mill routes.
The Hot Side
Purpose-built iron for molten work
Steel Mill Application front-end loaders run reinforced frames, heat-resistant glass, and closed HVAC for molten slag work, and our tear-out crews remove slag, refractory, and scale with remote-controlled machines that keep operators out of the strike zone.
Field Service
Machine down in the mill? We are already rolling.
Brand-independent techs from four regional hotlines work on any machine in the mill, whether we sold it or not, backed by in-house rebuilds, fabrication, and certified welding and line boring.
OwnershipFour Ways to Work With Us, Built for What You Need
There is more than one way to put mill iron to work, and the right one depends on your utilization, your budget, and how much downtime risk you want to own. These are the four.
Equipment as a Service
Full operational outcomes, not just equipment access. Bulk owns the fleet, carries the maintenance risk, and keeps you running.
- Predictable monthly cost. Zero CAPEX
- Bulk-owned fleet with dedicated backup units
- On-site technicians plus proactive PM
- Uptime-focused, not rental-day focused
- Long-term, site-specific structure
- Risk shifts from your operation to Bulk
Equipment Rental
Flexible fleet access when you need it, without the commitment of ownership.
- Flexible rental periods available
- Wide selection of heavy equipment
- Rapid deployment to your site
- Ideal for seasonal demand or project gaps
- No long-term obligation
Equipment Sales
Buy outright from an authorized distributor for the brands you already run, including Konecranes, Sennebogen, and KAMAG.
- New and used inventory available
- Konecranes, Sennebogen, KAMAG and more
- Spec’d to your application
- Financing and trade-in options
- Factory-backed support
Field Service
Brand-independent heavy equipment maintenance and repair. Call a regional hotline and we will have a technician on site fast.
- Brand-independent: any machine, any OEM
- Regional hotlines for rapid dispatch
- Parts sourcing and full complement inventory
- No need to keep a specialist on payroll
- Established in the steel mill environment
Not sure which way fits your mill?
Tell us your duty cycle and budget, and we will lay out whether buying, renting, or the all-in monthly package fits.
ProofPublished Work From Mill Duty
Claims are cheap in this industry. Here is work we have published from metals operations.
Bolted, not welded: how KAMAG pot carriers change the repair math
KAMAG builds slag pot carriers with bolted and pinned connections where older designs relied on welds, and in mill duty that decision decides whether a repair takes hours or days. We have published the details from our own service work on these machines.
Read the stories: why KAMAG slag pot carriers are bolted instead of welded, how the hitch design prevents costly bearing and weld repairs, and how the electrical panel layout speeds up service calls.
The first Continuous Transport System we supplied went to work in 1999
Bulk supplied its first Continuous Transport System to a mill customer in 1999, replacing multiple heavy-duty tractor and trailer sets along with the drivers needed to run them. One machine, one operator, fewer handoffs. That machine class is covered in the industrial heavy transporter guide.
More from the Learning Hub on mill fleets:
- What happens to a steel mill’s lift truck fleet without a real PM program?
- What poor tire pressure management is actually costing your fleet
- How cold starts cause downtime on lift trucks
- What drags out lift truck downtime, the techs or the OEM?
AnswersFrequently Asked Questions
What equipment moves steel coils in a mill?
Heavy forklifts with coil rams handle most coil moves, sized across a 10 to 65 ton range. Modified reach stackers hang C-hooks and coil tongs for wider bays, industrial heavy transporters carry multi-coil pallet loads, and heavy tractors pull coil trailers between buildings. The right answer depends on coil weight, travel distance, and how often the load changes shape.
What machine carries slag pots?
A slag pot carrier, a purpose-built machine that picks up, hauls, and dumps slag pots on an engineered cycle. U-frame carriers dominate North American mills because they pick up pots faster, while platform versions suit lower buildings and special pot shapes. The slag pot carrier guide covers configurations, sizing, and what fails in the duty.
How do mills move slabs and blooms without cranes?
Three ways: industrial heavy transporters that carry 40 to 400 tons on pallets, straddle carriers that drive over slab stacks and lift them directly, and modified reach stackers with slab tongs rated for loads up to 1,100 degrees F. Transporters win on tonnage and route flexibility, which is why they replaced many in-plant crane and rail moves.
Who services mixed-brand mill fleets?
Bulk services any brand in the mill whether we sold it or not. Field service dispatches from four regional hotlines, technicians work brand-independent, and parts sourcing comes with it. The model was proven in the steel mill environment first.
What is a Continuous Transport System (CTS)?
A Continuous Transport System, also called a transporter, moves material on a series of engineered pallets. The machine drives over a pallet, lifts it hydraulically, and carries it with multi-axle maneuverability that works in tight mill aisles. Bulk supplied its first CTS in 1999, replacing multiple tractor-trailer sets and their drivers.
Do you handle tear-out during outages?
Yes. Industrial tear-out crews remove slag buildup, refractory, and scale using remote-controlled and cab-operated machines, which keeps operators out of the strike zone during the highest-risk work of an outage. The industrial tear-out page covers the service and its safety record.
How much does mill handling equipment cost?
Cost depends on machine class and configuration, so this page stays out of the numbers. Each equipment guide publishes its own cost section: see the heavy-capacity forklift, reach stacker, slag pot carrier, and industrial heavy transporter guides for current starting figures.
Metals production is one of thirteen industries we cover. Browse all industries, or go next to Scrap & Recycling, Mill Services, and Rail & Intermodal.
Talk to UsTell Us Your Mill. We Spec What Fits.
We sell, rent, rebuild, and service the machines metals producers run, so the recommendation you get is based on your loads and duty cycle, not our inventory. Send your application below and a member of our team follows up with real options to buy, rent, or run it as a monthly uptime package.