Above: Hollow structural sections are a key product made by Atlas Tube.
July, 2026- Every company seeks to expand when and where it makes sense to do so. But it’s a tricky proposition in manufacturing, a sector that historically has had some difficulty attracting young talent. Recent graduates may not realize that manufacturing, including metals, is not remotely the same it was in the 1950s, or even the 2010s. It is technologically advanced and flexes with market cycles and customer needs.
Chris Hoyt, president of Chicago-based Atlas Tube, says that a key part of the company’s steady expansion is adding crews.
“We have hired 100 new teammates across three plants. We have six plants in total. We added shifts—which we balanced out based on products from individual mills—to increase supply in certain sizes. We hired people to staff production roles from our slitting lines to the shipping department. We are close to full employment,” Hoyt says.
RECRUITMENT
“Recruiting is largely dependent on the region,” Hoyt says. “Every facility has a different strategy. Our onboarding process helps train and get teammates up to speed quickly and safely. We have increased training opportunities with all internal resources.”
For example, Atlas Tube uses the Z Academy, part of parent company Zekelman Industries, for internal training. “We use best practices from our own teammates and offer continuous training. If we have any issues, we pull teammates aside and retrain them; we want them to be successful.”
In addition, he says, Atlas Tube reinforced its safety programs. “There is tracking and follow-up.” As a result, “we have seen yearover- year improvement in safety. We want zero lost-time incidents.”
BUILDING LEADERS
The company also has what Hoyt calls frontline leadership training. “We take existing and future leaders for three days of offsite instruction and education. We’ve also had one session so far within Z Academy for specific plant manager training. That is an enhanced level beyond front-line leadership.”
Recently, Atlas hired another engineer for a team that helps customers’ engineers and architects understand, use and design with its products. “We have IT infrastructure projects creating features that our customers don’t even know they need yet.”
If the company needs outside assistance for recruiting, hiring and training, “we will get it,” Hoyt says. “But our own people are subject matter experts in our process, our culture and all else inside. They know how to perform and be successful.
You can train anyone how to operate equipment but we need to train them in our culture to be successful. “We believe we offer good compensation, stability and career opportunity. Each employee has the ability to make decisions. As an organization, we care about our people,” he says. “We want them to achieve goals, go home safely, and be with family and community.”
Hourly teammates receive good wages and incentives. “It’s a cornerstone of a complete compensation package. We share in how well we perform. Output of the plant is recorded. There are great benefits above and beyond,” says Hoyt. Teams have control over their own destinies
Atlas Tube has hired 100 teammates across three plants and invests in continuous internal training sessions.
MARKET CONDITIONS
Hoyt says it is a “very busy time for all steel products,” which impacts hollow structural sections, Atlas Tube’s key product.
“Data center building remains robust. That drives demand for tubing and beams, all sizes for skids and internal equipment in the facility. That is growing every day. And based on market intel, this trend will continue for the next three to five years.”
In response, Zekelman Industries hired Jim Marsh as executive director of Digital & Mission Critical Infrastructure. In this role, Marsh will lead business development efforts for data center, AI and digital infrastructure, and other mission-critical markets.
Most recently, Marsh managed global hyperscale data center client programs within the Data Center Technologies division at Munters. Before that, he was vice president at Capitol Power Group, an electromechanical/ general trades integrator in northern Virginia, the largest data center market in the world.
FUNCTION PARTS OF A DATA CENTER THAT USE STEEL
◾ Pipe Piles
◾ Standard Steel Pipe
◾ Large Diameter SteelPipe
◾ Metal Strut Framework & Accessories
◾ Steel Conduit
◾ Fire Sprinkler Pipe
◾ Skid Manufacturing
◾ Steel Hollow Structural Sections (HSS)
◾ Thin-Gauge Metal Tubing
◾ PVC Conduit
Hoyt says the data center buildout has created pressure on the domestic production of beams, pushing lead times out to the third and fourth quarters. “Look at rolling schedules; you cannot get beams until September or October.”
Pricing has been solid, according to Hoyt. “In our supply chain, Zekelman Industries is the largest buyer of coi in North America,” he claims. “As coil prices increased, tubing prices increased as well. Demand is creating higher pricing in all products.
“What is consistent about our product,” he says, is there haven’t been any spikes—“no panic increases at coil mills, and so tube and pipe producers have stayed consistent with that pattern.”
However, there has been inflation in freight costs, due to rising fuel prices. “We try to recover that cost yet remain competitive in the market. Trucking rates are high, even besides fuel. Yet, it is not a very difficult conversation. Customers understand they need the steel. We have to pass [freight costs] along as necessary,” Hoyt says.
The company is looking at every piece of IT to see where artificial intelligence makes sense to use.
MODELING AND AI
Atlas Tube has unveiled an upgrade to its online comparison tools for architects, engineers and builders. The wide-flange to HSS comparison tool includes a calculator and model for column applications “and we expanded that to include beam,” Hoyt says. He explains that specifying beams “is cut and paste for architects. We say HSS has a lot of attributes for cutting costs and increasing sustainability, and we offer shorter lead times. Most sizes are available within four to eight weeks, including jumbo sizes. We want to expand the applications available to HSS.”
Separately, the company is “at looking at every piece of IT” to see where the use of artificial intelligence makes the most sense in terms of administration, operations and planning. “We are being proactive, looking out five to 10 years,” not just at AI, but at other patterns likely to impact the supply chain.
“We are optimistic about the future. The gradual run-up has been solid and not spiky,” says Hoyt.
Atlas Tube, 800/733-5683, atlastube.com
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