{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Metal Guys Talk Business","title":"S04E08 | The Original Metal Guys with Graham Comerford and Chris Price","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3481,"description":"Episode Title: Lessons from the Old School of Stainless SteelHosts: Peter Comerford and Michael Bolton\nGuests: Graham Comerford and Chris Price\nRelease Date: 20th May 2026\nEpisode Summary:In this episode of The Metal Guys Talk Business, Pete and Mike are joined by two long-standing figures from the stainless steel industry, Graham Comerford and Chris Price.\nThe conversation explores how the industry used to operate, from commercial apprenticeships and learning the fundamentals of stainless steel, through to the rise of specialist distribution, manufacturing, international sourcing and major mergers within the sector.\nChris and Graham share stories from RGB Stainless, Avesta, Valen Fittings and Stock Services, discussing everything from relationship-driven selling and technical product knowledge to redundancies, importing material from China and the changing nature of the UK metals industry.\nA nostalgic but honest conversation about how the trade has evolved over the last 40 years.\nKey Topics CoveredStarting Out in the Stainless Steel IndustryChris explains how failing his 11-plus ultimately led him into a commercial apprenticeship within the steel industry before progressing into stainless steel distribution.Graham shares his own route into the sector after leaving the army and joining RG Brand Stainless Steel with no prior knowledge of the industry.The discussion highlights how apprenticeships and hands-on learning created strong technical grounding for many people entering the trade during that era.RGB Stainless & Industry TrainingA major part of the episode centres around RGB Stainless and the level of technical product knowledge expected within the business.The group discuss:Product training and technical specificationsUnderstanding grades and applicationsWhy specialists commanded higher marginsThe importance of learning manufacturing processesThe conversation contrasts this with today’s market, where many salespeople operate transactionally without deep...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/KXiCZ49whjSVfWAnjiwjK62bID0kBmtfjoKYvvC240c/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80MmY2/NWQ1MThiYWU5YTc5/Yzg5MGQ3ZDZjOGI3/OTE2Yi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}