Modern Metals Magazine

What Modern Metals Magazine does

Modern Metals Magazine is a B2B trade publication founded in 1950 and operated by Trend Publishing, Inc., a privately held Chicago, Illinois-based publishing company specializing in metals-industry titles. The publication serves metal service centers, steel mills and metal producers, metal fabricators, and OEM/end-users across the United States and Canada, providing editorial coverage of business operations, market reports, processing technologies, case studies, industry news, and market trends. Its product portfolio spans a print magazine subscription, a digital edition, eNewsletters, an online Company Profiles directory segmented by sub-vertical (coil processing, laser technology, material handling, tube & pipe, waterjet), an issue archive, association guides, and event coverage including industry gatherings such as FABTECH and the Metals Industry Scout Dinner.

The underlying technology is a conventional publishing and digital content distribution platform consisting of a Joomla-based website (ModernMetals.com), email newsletter infrastructure, and a digital edition hosted via a third-party publication viewer (bt.royle.com/pubs.royle.com). The company maintains active social media presences on Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube to extend content distribution. No proprietary software platform, API, SDK, or mobile application is offered.

Modern Metals generates revenue through two primary streams: recurring subscriptions to its print and digital editions, and advertising sold to metals-industry suppliers, equipment OEMs, and service providers (banner ads, sponsored content, and media kit placements). The publication distributes content globally via subscription but its primary audience is North American metals-industry professionals. It operates as one title within Trend Publishing's Metals Group alongside sister publication FFJournal, sharing parent-company back-office infrastructure.

Name

Modern Metals Magazine

Legal name

Trend Publishing, Inc.

Website

https://modernmetals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Modern Metals Magazine is a B2B trade publication founded in 1950 by Trend Publishing, Inc., serving metal service centers, producers, fabricators, and OEM/end-users across North America with print, digital, and newsletter coverage of the metals industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Trade Publishing (Metals Industry Media)

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312), Other Publishers (51319)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Metals industry publishing
• Trade magazine publishing
• B2B trade media
• Industrial news coverage
• Metal fabrication reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: Print magazine and digital edition subscriptions for metal industry professionals
2. Advertising Revenue: Banner advertisements, sponsored content, and media kit advertising from metal industry suppliers, manufacturers, and service providers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Modern Metals Magazine is a B2B trade publication serving metal service centers, producers, fabricators, and OEM/end-users with reporting on business operations, market reports, processing technologies, case studies, industry/people news, and market trends. The magazine is delivered in print and digital formats, accompanied by eNewsletters, an online company profiles directory, an issue archive, association guides, and events coverage. It is published under Trend Publishing, Inc.

Product overview

Modern Metals Magazine is a B2B trade publication under Trend Publishing serving metal service centers, producers, fabricators, and OEM/end-users. The publication offers a portfolio of products including the core print magazine, digital edition, eNewsletters, and an online company profiles directory covering various industry segments. The magazine covers business operations, market reports, processing technologies, case studies, industry/people news, and market trends. The Company Profiles section features profiles of suppliers across segments including coil processing (ANDRITZ Metals, Red Bud Industries, The Bradbury Group), laser technology (AMADA AMERICA, BLM group, IPG Photonics, Mazak, MC Machinery, TRUMPF), material handling (Caldwell, Combilift, EMH Crane, Hubtex, Remmert), tube & pipe (Atlas Tube, BLM Group, National Tube Supply, Prudential Stainless), and waterjet technology (Barton International, Jet Edge, Omax).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Modern Metals Magazine (Print Edition) Monthly B2B trade print magazine reporting on business operations, market reports, processing technologies, case studies, industry/people news, and market trends for metal service centers, producers, fabricators, and OEM/end-users.
• Digital Edition Web-accessible digital edition of Modern Metals Magazine available to subscribers as an online counterpart to the print issue.
• eNewsletters Email-delivered electronic newsletters delivering industry news and updates from Modern Metals to subscriber email accounts.
• Company Profiles Directory Online directory on ModernMetals.com featuring profiles of suppliers and companies across metals industry segments, including aluminum, coil processing, laser technology, material handling, tube & pipe, and waterjet technology.
• Issue Archive Online archive of past Modern Metals magazine issues accessible to subscribers for historical reference and research.
• Association Guides Membership guides providing information about industry associations relevant to the metals sector.
• Events Coverage Coverage and information about industry events relevant to the metals manufacturing and distribution community.
• Media Kit / Advertising Advertising offering (banner advertisements, sponsored content, media kit) sold to metal industry suppliers, manufacturers, and service providers across Modern Metals Magazine channels.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Cutting Tool Engineering: B2B trade magazine for the metal cutting and tooling industry; comparable subscription-plus-advertising business model targeting manufacturers and fabricators in adjacent metal processing segments.
• Modern Machine Shop: Leading B2B trade publication covering metalworking and machine shops; comparable in audience (manufacturers, fabricators) and in monetizing through print, digital, and event channels.
• The Fabricator (FMA): Official publication of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, covering metal forming, fabricating, and welding; directly competes for the same fabricator audience and metal industry advertising dollars.
• Metal Center News: Long-running B2B trade magazine covering the metal service center industry, serving the same primary customer segments (service centers, producers, OEMs) with comparable advertising and subscription revenue models.
• American Machinist: Long-established B2B metalworking trade publication covering machining, cutting, and forming technologies; competes for readership among metal industry professionals and for supplier advertising budgets.
• Production Machining: B2B trade publication serving precision machined parts manufacturers; overlapping advertiser base and editorial coverage of metal processing technologies including CNC, waterjet, and laser cutting.
• MetalForming Magazine: B2B trade publication focused on metal forming and stamping operations; targets overlapping fabricator and OEM audiences with comparable print, digital, and event-based offerings.
• FFJournal (Fabricating & Metalworking Journal): Sister publication under the same Trend Publishing Metals Group covering fabricating and metalworking; directly comparable as a B2B metals trade publication with shared audience, advertisers, and distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Industrial Distribution: B2B trade publication covering industrial distribution broadly, including metal distribution; serves overlapping metal service center readership and competes for supplier-side advertising spend.

Regional players

• Steel Times International: B2B steel industry trade publication serving global (primarily European and international) markets; comparable in focus on steel and metal producers and service centers, but addresses a different geographic audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/modernmetalsmag
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UClMy2xue6nV8Q358H7aqMQQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ModernMetalsMagazine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/modern-metals-magazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/modernmetalsmag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Modern Metals Magazine