Quanex was founded in 1927 as a Michigan corporation under the name of Michigan Seamless Tube Company. Its principal operation was redrawing used boiler and condenser tubes for resale as refrigeration tubing.

From the beginning, the company's strategy has remained constant, while its products have changed to meet customer needs. Quanex has steadily grown its business by focusing on specialized, manufacturing processes to produce value-added metal products for original equipment manufacturers.

At first, the company's growth came from internal expansion. Capital improvements added to the mill's capabilities, and sales topped $1 million for the first time in 1935.

The company's foray into external expansion began in 1956 with the construction of a greenfield tubing plant located in Rosenberg, Texas. In the 1960's Quanex made its first acquisitions, purchasing tubing and tooling manufacturing plants in Ohio, Michigan, and South Carolina.

During the 1970's, raw material supply problems began to affect the company's tubing operations. Plans were made to build a greenfield plant in Jackson, Michigan, that used a unique centrifugal continuous casting process to make high quality, seamless steel bars for the company's tubing mills. Production from the original MACSTEEL mill began in 1974.

Quanex's growth moved forward with the purchase of other specialized metal manufacturing companies and the sale of operations no longer aligned with the company's evolving strategy. To be closer to its primary customers, which were based in the energy industry, the company moved its headquarters from Michigan to Houston, Texas, in 1977, and the name was officially changed to Quanex. The name means "quality connection", tracing its origins to the combination of the word "quality" and the Latin word for connection, "nexus."

Both internal and external growth continued in the 1980's with the construction of new plants, acquisition of plants and facilities dedicated to diversified steel products manufacturing and processing operations, and capital expansion programs at the company's existing facilities. Production from MACSTEEL's Fort Smith plant began in 1985.

As part of the company's strategy to diversify, Quanex entered the aluminum business in 1989 with the acquisition of Nichols-Homeshield. Construction of an innovative, scrap-based mini-mill for the manufacture of aluminum sheet began in 1990, with production beginning in 1992.

With the addition of its aluminum products business, Quanex began its strategic transition to become not just a steel producer, but a manufacturer of specialized metal products.

Today, Quanex's tradition of growth through internal and external expansion continues. Celebrating its 75th year in business in 2002, the company has adopted a market driven strategy with concentration on customers in two segments - Vehicular Products and Building Products.

Quanex remains committed to partnering with customers in its two market segments by proactively developing innovative, engineered applications.

Chief Executive Officers:

2001-present: Raymond A. Jean

1996-2001: Vernon E. Oechsle

1992-1995: Robert C. Snyder

1972-1992: Carl E. Pfeiffer

1941-1972: William A. McHattie

1928-1941: William N. McMunn