Once the crude steel is produced and formed into steel bars, various processing companies have the opportunity to buy the steel for their own processing actions. With regard to the final product of Rogue Fitness barbells, the Niagara LaSalle Corporation is the company to examine. This is the processing company from which Rogue Fitness purchases steel bars for their barbell manufacturing. However, Niagara LaSalle must first process the crude steel using a specific method.
The Niagara LaSalle Corporation specializes in the production of cold-finished steel bars. This involves a series of steps: cold drawing, turning, grinding and polishing, elevated temperature drawing (E.T.D.), thermal treatment, and combined processing. Cold drawing is a process in which hot, descaled steel is drawn through a device particular to the shape of the desired product. Turning removes the surface of the hot bar by means of a device called a turning machine. It is ground and polished to obtain a smooth polished surface. Elevated temperature drawing involves drawing the hot steel through shaped devices that have a slightly elevated temperature for the purpose of obtaining different chemical properties and steel strengths. Thermal treatment provides the steel with different qualities or strengths than ordinary cold drawing produces. Combined processing is the act of combining any of the treatments or processes formerly discussed, (Niagara LaSalle Corporation, 2013). Rogue Fitness specifically uses the e.t.d. 150 product from this corporation for the use in the majority of their barbells.
Steel bars, (Niagara LaSalle Corporation, 2013)
The Niagara LaSalle Corporation can date its roots back to 1912 to the LaSalle Steel Company. They have a long history of growth through investments of various other steel companies through the years. Niagara LaSalle is independent of any single raw material producer, which basically puts the market in their hands. This fact allows for the optimization of highest quality with the lowest costs to the corporation. They have a research and development team that is committed to overcoming any manufacturing challenges needed to grow and expand production, (Niagara LaSalle, 2013). This seems to be a well-established and successful corporation.