Aerospace Metal Alloys

Company Name: Aerospace Metal Alloys

What they do: distributor of exotic steel, aluminum and titanium alloys to the aerospace industry and other specialty industries. (kovar, Inconel) Must meet exceptionally exacting standards, they become parts in airplanes, rockets, industrial furnaces and other high-performance products.

Aerospace sells raw materials produced in the form of bars, sheets, rings and forgings. (Aerospace customers are typically parts suppliers to end-product assemblers)

-Has a current sales staff to sell these metals.

-Company stores products in seven warehouses throughout USA.

-obtain products from steel and metal manufacturers in North America

-Aerospace does special orders for customers when they do not have product available.

1. What Internet business model would be appropriate for the company to follow in creating a Web Site?

Manufacturer model- predicated on power of web to allow manufacturer to reach buyer directly and therefore compress the distribution channel. Based on efficiency, improved customer service, and better understanding of customer preferences.

* brand integrated content on website- no resemblance of the advertising model.

* Everything on site is about product placement- describing product applications and industries, successful customers

Aerospace Metal Alloys is essentially a manufacturer of bars, sheets and rings of exotic steel, aluminum and titanium alloys who can use the internet to provide a more direct interface with buyers of said products. There is no need for Aerospace Metal Alloys to dabble in any sort of advertising or brokerage type of internet model because realistically only those select few companies who make high-performance metal parts are going to be viewing the site.

2. In what ways can the company benefit from a web site? How would it provide value to the firm? What functions should it perform for the company (marketing, sales, customer support, internal...