Frequently Asked Questions
What is e-Steele™ and why is it important?
Customers today demand higher quality and durability from the products they buy. Not only do they expect these products to perform well, but they want the finish to look good and resist corrosion for a much longer period of time. At Thomas Steele, we undercoat all of our furnishings with our state-of-the-art e-coating with an epoxy resin water-based paint. E-coating allows every corner, crack, and crevice to have a continuous, even coating over the entire surface of the rack. And the e-Steele process is environmentally friendly, OSHA and EPA compliant, and recyclable as well. When coupled with our electrostatically applied polyester topcoat, e-Steele will withstand a highly corrosive environment for the ultimate levels of protection and performance. And it is backed by our industry unsurpassed five year warranty. Choose e-Steele to ensure excellence.
Who uses steel site furnishings?
Everyone! School and universities, parks, shopping centers, apartment and condo developers, building and facility owners, restaurants, medical centers, communities, military bases, government projects, the list goes on and on. Basically anyone seeking functional, rugged and long-lasting furniture designed to withstand the harshest environments. But site furnishings also have a place indoors as well. They are equally appropriate in a mall or office as well as outside withstanding the elements.
What makes Thomas Steele site furnishings different from the others?
Two words: creative craftsmanship! For more than a decade, Thomas Steele craftsmen have been creating site furnishings that stand out for their stylish designs, broad palette of colors, and exceptional handcrafted quality. Every piece in the Thomas Steele family is crafted by hand at our manufacturing plant in Waunakee, Wisconsin. Our distinctive designs are shaped, welded, assembled, and finished not along an assembly line, but one at a time, by our skilled, experienced team. The result – site furnishings that are designed and crafted for a lifetime.
Is Thomas Steele’s new plant in Waunakee environmentally friendly?
As we say here in the great state of Wisconsin, you bet! Our products have a minimum of 25% recycled steel. Our powder coat process emits no VOCs into the ozone, unlike conventional wet paint methods. Our new plant is a showcase for clean, energy-saving devices. For example, we have four large Donaldson torits on the ceiling of the plant above the welding area. These torits act as air filters and prevent welding dust from being exhausted into the atmosphere. Our variable speed compressors thermostatically exhaust heat and recycle it back into the plant during cold months. Our new curing oven is a perfect example of cutting-edge efficiency. Even at an internal temperature of 400 degrees, you can stand right next to the oven and not feel the heat.
Want a cool fact to share with a friend?
One Walden bench contains the equivalent of 750 recycled plastic milk jugs!
What is Thomas Steele's green philosophy?
As a premier manufacturer of high end site furnishings, Thomas Steele is inherently committed to "green" by encouraging pedestrian-friendly projects and environments. Moreover, the steel used to manufacture our bike racks and site furnishings is produced in the United States using the basic oxygen furnace process. The basic oxygen furnace process uses a minimum of 25% recycled steel. Our stainless steel bike racks are made of 90% recycled material. Our Walden recycled plastic bench contains the equivalent of 750 recycled plastic milk jugs! In addition, the vendors we use for our outsourcing are under 100 miles away from our plant. Our e-Steele™ process we use on our bike racks is environmentally friendly, OSHA and EPS compliant, and recyclable as well.
Our new plant in Waunakee, Wisconsin also has many "green" features. Among them are our air filtration system as opposed to an exhaust system, four large Donaldson torits mounted to the ceiling to constantly filter and recycle the air, and a thermostatically controlled air compressor exhaust system which recycles the heat from the plant to the office area in the winter and filters the heat out of the plant in the summer.
For additional information on the recycled content of steel, please contact the Steel Recycling Institute (www.steelsustainability.org) or The U.S. Steel Group (www.ussteel.com).