In 1920 when C. H. Smith joined the company as Sales Manager, one of his basic decisions was that any forging supplier who depended on the automotive industry exclusively could not earn a consistent profit. Accordingly, he looked for applications in various other industries: valve; pneumatic tool; air compressor; materials handling.

The still-plug, produced for oil refineries all over the United States, was the first monel forging. It was used in the refining process.

Smith knew that many metals besides simple carbon steel could be forged. A part called a still-plug, widely used in oil refineries and subjected to high temperatures, was the first experiment. Smith determined that a still-plug would last much longer if forged rather than cast from a nickel alloy known as monel metal. A sample order was produced for Standard Oil of New Jersey and was so successful that Steel Improvement was soon producing still-plugs for refineries all over the United States.

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