TMS International Corporation

What TMS International Corporation does

TMS International Corporation is a Pittsburgh-based, privately-held provider of outsourced industrial services to the global steel industry, operating at nearly 70 customer sites across 17 countries on five continents with more than 4,400 employees. The company is organized into three business segments: Performance Materials Group (PMG), which brokers more than one million tons of ferrous and nonferrous scrap and other steelmaking raw materials per month and runs proprietary optimization software (OptiMiser®, GenBlend®+, ABS Software™); Industrial Mill Services Group (IMSG), which delivers on-site metal recovery, slag handling and processing, surface conditioning (including patented robotic scarfing and patent-pending Innovative Cutting Technology®), and refractory services; and Specialty Services Group (SSG), which includes the Shasta grinding/machining business for titanium and specialty metals, the Kent Environmental services platform serving chemical and petrochemical customers, plus transportation, logistics, container management, and emergency response.

The company generates revenue through managed-services contracts with steel mills, transaction-fee-based raw material brokerage, licensing and support of proprietary software, and exclusive distribution arrangements such as the Nippon Carbon graphite electrode partnership in North America. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured through long-term enterprise contracts. The company is owned by The Pritzker Organization (since 2013) and operates under ISO 9001 quality certification across many facilities, with safety recognized through repeated National Slag Association awards. Customers include virtually all major North American and global steel producers — ArcelorMittal, Nucor, U.S. Steel, Cleveland-Cliffs, Gerdau, CMC, NLMK, Charter Steel, Ternium, Deacero, and others — as well as adjacent specialty-metals and petrochemical customers.

Name

TMS International Corporation

Legal name

TMS International, LLC

Website

https://tmsinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

TMS International Corporation is a privately-held Pittsburgh-based provider of outsourced industrial services to global steelmakers, operating at nearly 70 customer sites in 17 countries. It delivers on-site mill services, raw material brokerage, scrap optimization software, and specialty environmental and grinding services to integrated, EAF, and specialty-metals producers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outsourced Industrial Services for Steel Mills

akta.pro primary industry

Scrap Metal Collection, Logistics & Aggregation (Yards, Roll-off, Container Programs) (IMAKAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Non-Ferrous Scrap Processing & Brokerage (Aluminum, Copper, Brass/Bronze, Lead, Zinc, Nickel) (IMAKAMAB), Scrap Metal Export/Import & Trading (International Sourcing, Compliance, Documentation) (IMAKAMAL), Industrial & Manufacturing Scrap Recycling (Factory Scrap, Turnings, Offcuts) (IMAKAMAE), Metals Recycling & Processing (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous) (BPALADAF)

Keywords

• OutSourced mill services
• Scrap metal brokerage
• Metal recovery services
• Slag processing handling
• Surface conditioning scarfing

Headquarters

HQ city

Glassport

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices26 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Raw Material Brokerage: Brokering more than one million tons of scrap metal per month through global purchasing offices. Services include procurement and logistics for ferrous and nonferrous scrap, iron ore, coke, pig iron, hot briquetted iron, direct reduced iron, and other steel making by-products.
2. Metal Recovery Services: On-site metal recovery services improving customer profitability by maximizing reclamation of valuable metallics from slag. Converts slag into marketable aggregate products.
3. Specialty Services: Services including Shasta, Kent Environmental, transportation and logistics, container management, environmental recycling, emergency response, field service, and specialty grinding.
4. Scrap Optimization Software: Licensing and support of proprietary software including OptiMiser®, GenBlend®+, and ABS Software™ for scrap optimization and melt chemistry optimization.
5. Surface Conditioning: Manual and robotic scarfing, hand and machine grinding services for steel slabs, billets, and other steel products.
6. Graphite Electrode Distribution: Exclusive marketing of Nippon Carbon's graphite electrodes in North America as distributor.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

TMS International provides on-site pre- and post-production industrial services for global steelmakers, including scrap purchasing and optimization, inventory management, logistics, metal recovery, slag processing, steel scarfing, surface conditioning, and refractory removal and maintenance. The company brokers more than one million tons of scrap metal per month through a global procurement network and operates at nearly 70 customer mill sites in 17 countries, with supporting proprietary software (OptiMiser®, GenBlend®+, ABS Software™) and patent-pending cutting technology.

Product overview

TMS International Corporation provides a comprehensive suite of on-site industrial services for steelmakers through three main business segments. The Performance Materials Group (PMG) offers raw material brokerage, scrap optimization (OptiMiser®, GenBlend®+), and the ABS Software™ alloy blending system. The Industrial Mill Services Group (IMSG) delivers metal recovery, slag handling/processing, surface conditioning through advanced scarfing technology, and Innovative Cutting Technology® (ICT). The Specialty Services Group (SSG) encompasses acquired brands Shasta (grinding/machining) and Kent Environmental, plus transportation, logistics, and emergency response services. The company operates at nearly 70 customer sites in 17 countries with a global raw material procurement network spanning five continents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OptiMiser®: Proprietary scrap purchasing program accessing real-time market pricing to determine optimal scrap mix based on individual mill chemistry requirements.
• GenBlend®+
• Innovative Cutting Technology® (ICT)
• ABS Software™
• Extruded Product Services®

Products and services

• Performance Materials Group (PMG) Comprehensive raw materials procurement, scrap brokerage, proprietary optimization software (OptiMiser®, GenBlend®+, ABS Software™), graphite electrode distribution (Nippon Carbon), and offsite scrap yard operations for steel mills and metals producers.
• Industrial Mill Services Group (IMSG) On-site mill services delivered at customer steel mill sites, including metal recovery (reclaiming metallics from slag), slag processing and handling, surface conditioning through scarfing and grinding, Innovative Cutting Technology® (ICT) remote-controlled torch cutting, and semi-finished material handling for steel mills.
• Specialty Services Group (SSG) Specialized services for industrial customers including Shasta grinding and machining operations for titanium, specialty metals, and stainless steel producers, Kent Environmental environmental services for chemical and petrochemical customers, transportation and logistics, container management, environmental recycling, emergency response, field service, and specialty grinding.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million tons of scrap metal brokered per month
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Nippon CarboncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 October 2023TMS is the exclusive marketer of Nippon Carbon's graphite electrodes in North America. TMS assists in expanding Nippon Carbon's footprint in North America, leveraging its robust global trading network and presence at more than 80 graphite electrode user sites worldwide. Graphite electrodes are used in electric arc furnace steel manufacturing.
• Kent EnvironmentalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Kent Environmental of Baton Rouge, Louisiana is an environmental service provider largely serving customers within the chemical and petrochemical space. Acquired by TMS in 2021 to expand environmental service offerings.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EMR (European Metal Recycling): EMR is one of the world's largest metal recyclers, comparable to TMS's scrap brokerage and metal recovery activities, with parallel international sourcing and processing infrastructure serving steel mills globally.
• OmniSource (a Steel Dynamics company): OmniSource is one of the largest North American scrap metal processors and is a direct competitor to TMS for ferrous and non-ferrous scrap purchasing, brokerage, and aggregation at steel mill sites.
• Radius Recycling (formerly Schnitzer Steel Industries): Radius Recycling is a North American scrap metal processor and exporter with brokerage and trading operations, competing directly with TMS in ferrous scrap procurement, aggregation, and export trading.
• Sims Limited: Sims is a global scrap metal recycler and trader, comparable to TMS's Raw Material Brokerage / Performance Materials Group on tonnage scale and international footprint, including ferrous and non-ferrous scrap collection and aggregation.
• SA Recycling: SA Recycling is a major U.S. ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal recycler that competes with TMS in scrap collection, processing, and mill-feed logistics for EAF and integrated steel producers.
• Metalico: Metalico is a U.S. scrap metal recycler operating in overlapping regions and feedstock categories (ferrous and non-ferrous), competing with TMS for industrial scrap generation sources and mill-buyer relationships.
• PSC Metals (a subsidiary of The David J. Joseph Co. / Nucor): PSC Metals is a North American scrap processor and broker operating in similar geographies and end-markets to TMS's Performance Materials Group, competing for EAF feedstock supply.
• Enviri (formerly Harsco Corporation): Enviri is the most direct global peer to TMS, providing on-site industrial services, slag processing, metal recovery, and environmental services to steel mills — historically a primary competitor for the same outsourced mill-services contracts.

Emerging players

• GrafTech International: GrafTech is a major graphite electrode manufacturer that intersects with TMS via the Nippon Carbon distribution partnership; it is adjacent rather than directly competitive but participates in the same EAF input supply chain that TMS helps commercialize.

Broad incumbents

• Clean Earth (a portfolio company of Apollo, formerly part of ADS Group): Clean Earth provides environmental and materials management services that overlap with TMS's Kent Environmental and slag-handling offerings, though it serves a broader waste/industrial customer base beyond steel mills.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tms-international-llc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TMS International Corporation