Happy Spring to you all. Warmer weather and lots of new pours are just around the corner. This is great news and we look forward to working with you to save you as much time and to make you as much money on that work as possible.

We want to acknowledge a major issue affecting you today – the escalating price of steel and steel-related products like rebar, ties and fasteners. Industry records show the price of steel scrap has nearly tripled in the last year and will likely go higher over the next few months before it stabilizes. The major reasons for these higher prices are the quick and sudden urbanization of China and foreign steel makers’ price increases. At MCA we are hit just as hard as you are with these increases and we are working harder than ever to manage this issue for you as best we can. Supply houses, like MCA, are on an allocation for steel products which means we can’t sell as much as we’d like. To make sure that we are taking care of our loyal customers we have instituted two very important policies:

1. We will not allow any of our customers to order inordinate amounts of steel for the purposes of stockpiling, and
2. We will not solicit new business for affected steel and steel related products.

You have our word and our reputation that we will do all we can to get through this together. For more details on steel prices read the Ask Jimbo column on the back page.

Mike Longfield President

No matter the size or type of construction site it’s bound to pick up some standing water over the next few Spring shower months. Lucky for you MCA carries a full line of Koshin pumps that can get you back to dry ground quickly.

Let’s say you’re on a commercial site and a small amount of clear water has pooled in just the spot where trades people need to work that day. Koshin’s NSM-62011 or “Puddle Pump” easily gets rid of that water to ½’’. Its light weight (6 ½ pounds), small size (9’’ tall), and bottom intake design make it easy to use. Simply place it in the puddle and hook it up to a ¾’’ garden hose for discharge. Soon your job site will be clean, dry, and safe for everyone.

Have a bigger puddle of clear or slimy water in a basement or pit? Then either the 110V powered Koshin 2’’ PX 65011 or PB 65011 submersible pump is what you need. These babies really pump lots of water very quickly, over 4000 gallons per hour. Special cast iron impellers and pump casings are used for durability on the PB model. Both feature a thermal protector that turns off the power supply to protect the motor in case of overload.

Got a real mess on your hands? A big puddle of muddy, silty and sandy water? The heavy-duty gas-powered Koshin Semi Trash pump (SEH-50T) is the only thing you’ll need to clean it up. Its silicon carbide mechanical seal can easily handle those “iffy” pumping situations. Its 4.0 horsepower OHV Honda engine really tidies up quickly pumping over 9,000 gallons of water per hour. And the unit’s low oil sensor alerts you when a little maintenance is required.

Be sure to check out Doug’s Tool Tips on the back page for pump maintenance tips.