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January 2003:
Metallurgical Solutions, Inc. Gains Certification in Record Time

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio – January 27, 2003 –Metallurgical Solutions, Inc., (MSI, Inc.), which opened last July as part of the Ralph H. Phillips Family of Companies, announces today it has earned A2LA Certification. After being open only a few months, MSI applied for the coveted A2LA certification from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation. A2LA certification is required of high quality labs serving critical industries like automotive, construction and aerospace. A process that can take up to nine months was completed in record time – less than 4 months. MSI Inc. received its A2LA Certification in December 2002.

According to the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation, “Laboratory accreditation is defined as formal recognition of an organization's technical competency to perform specific tests, types of tests or calibrations.” The process involved looking at MSI’s expertise, equipment, procedures, and reports. MSI’s laboratory also meets ISO 17025, ISO 9001 and ISO 9002 standards.

“As far as I am aware, we are one of only four A2LA Certified metallurgy labs in the area. That puts us in a unique position to serve the metal manufacturing industries in this area and beyond,” boasts Director, Brian Joyce. With a focus on customer service, MSI provides fast, yet thorough response to even the most difficult problems. Joyce has provided metallurgical analysis for many area manufacturers including Delphi, GM, The Mound, AO Smith and others.

MSI is owned by Ralph H. Phillips, who also owns Middletown Tube Works and Shelby Welded Tube manufacturers of high quality welded steel tubing. According to Ralph Phillips, President and CEO of Shelby Welded Tube, “The creation of Metallurgical Solutions, Inc. is ideal for both companies. As an independent company, MSI can maintain the integrity of their analysis for our inter-corporate clients, as well as provide specialized services to the metals and manufacturing industries. MSI provides the same thorough, fast response service to every customer.” MSI is located adjacent to property owned by Ralph Phillips in Middletown, Ohio.

Director, Brian Joyce is Ready for Business
With the A2LA Certification complete, Brian Joyce is ready to tackle any metallurgy project from even the most difficult industries. He likens his job to Christmas every day. “I get everyone’s broken toys,” Joyce muses. As one of the area’s top metallurgists, Mr. Joyce figures out why metal fabrications fail. Parts come in from all over the country for Joyce to analyze.

With an aeronautical and astronautical engineering degree from Purdue and masters degrees in both material science engineering and cost analysis, Joyce is well suited to lead difficult troubleshooting assignments. His team’s expertise in microstructure evaluation, chemistry and failure analysis is combined with state-of-the-art equipment, including a Scanning Electron Microscope capable of magnifying objects up to 100,000 times their size.

Further information can be obtained from:
Shelby Welded Tube
Tel: 1-800-365-1340
Fax: (419) 347-5231
www.shelbytube.com