Peddinghaus Steel Fabricators' Review Fall 2003 (UK)

FABRICATORS MAKING TODAY’S SKYLINE POSSIBLE

To Our Valued Friends in the Steel Construction Industry...

As CEO of Peddinghaus Corporation, I have had the privilege to visit with many of you that are actively involved in today’s UK Steel Construction Industry. Though the global market for structural steel has been difficult, recent economic signs point to upward growth, which is heartening news for us all.

The unprecedented currency valuation between the British Pound, the Euro, and the American Dollar remains something of a monetary anomaly. The

This issue of our STEEL FABRICATORS’REVIEW is dedicated to our good friends and loyal customers here in the British Isles. The past months have been very positive for us, and I wanted to simply say thank you. Thank you for your confidence and dedication to Peddinghaus products and our team that serves you here from Telford.

We have counted many new machine installations in the Ireland and the UK the past few months. A short list include the following: Robinson Construction (left) in Derby who have designed and installed a completely new structural line featuring two Peddinghaus BDL drills, two new band saws, and a complete material handling system featuring many, many meters of roller conveyor, interspersed with multiple transfer and work station lines.

Robinson still maintains our CNC Anglemaster, Coping system, and multiple automated plate processing systems as well.

exchange rate between the pound and the dollar at the end of calendar 2003 stood at levels never seen in recent history - 1.76.

Truly, this affects opportunity to export to the Americas, but conversely, the opportunity to purchase American goods has never been more advantageous. For example, mere currency transactions have enabled certain U.K. firms to purchase new Peddinghaus quality machine tools at substantial savings.

Due to the competitive nature of today’s market, fabricators are finding extraordinary value from the USA. Building a competitive edge remains

Billington Structural (left) in Wombley who recently installed a new BDL 1250mm drill and mitre saw system at their site in Bristol.

Billington currently maintains two Peddinghaus CNC plate processing systems, and have recently purchased a third which will be installed in a few weeks. article continued on page 4...

an aggressive activity, and the ability to take advantage of state of the art technologies at currency-induced discounts is unparalleled. The only caution is to hur ry before the “rate changes”.

Page 2

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

Fall, 2003

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY OUTPUT FORECASTS TO 2005 SUMMARY Total construction output is forecast to rise by 4% this year and 3% in both 2004 and 2005.

Public house building is forecast to be one of the strongest growing sectors in the construction industry with a dramatic growth in orders in the first half of this year and substantial increases in Approved Development Programme funding expected to lead to strong growth over the next three years.

Private house building is expected to grow rapidly this year supported by the buoyant housing market. However, growth is forecast to slow in 2004 and 2005 as the housing market cools.

Infrastructure during the first half of this year has been rather surprising with a 12% fall in output on the same period in the previous year. Consequently output levels for the whole of 2003 are now expected to be down on 2002, but with a high number of large scale construction activities across the country this is expected to be blip, and the upward trend in infrastructure output is forecast to resume next year.

PRIVATE INDUSTRIAL CONSTRUCTION The construction of industrial property continues to fall although the evidence suggests that the rate of decline may be starting to moderate. Output levels, which fell by eleven percent in 2002, dropped by a significantly lower two percent in the first half of 2003 compared with the same period last year. Orders in the sector which fell by 14% last year dropped by only 1% in the first half of 2003. However, this disguises a sharper decline in factory orders but relatively robust growth in warehouse orders.

The UK’s manufacturing sector is beginning to show evidence of a recovery with output levels having increased on a monthly basis between May and July. A revival in world demand and a more competitive exchange rate is providing stimulus to the sector. Overall in 2003 output in UK’s manufacturing industry is expected to be stable with growth rising to 1.5% in 2004 and to just under 2% in 2005 as the recovery continues. However, it is likely to be some time before manufacturers are ready to

undertake new investment and a recovery will have to be well underway before they do.

In the warehouse sector, many firms are seeking to improve their distribution facilities with the growth in the internet sales, and as the speed and quality of supply and delivery becomes a more important factor for retailers in distinguishing themselves from their competitors.

PRIVATE COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION Private commercial activity appears to have plateaued following fairly rapid expansion in the first two years of the decade. Output levels which rose 11% in 2002 have fallen by 1% in the first half of 2003 compared with the same period a year earlier. Orders fell by 3% in the first half of this year with the office and entertainment sectors seeing the largest downturn. Only orders in the education sector appear robust which reflects the increase in education PFI projects.

The office sector is experiencing particular difficulties with the office market in central London and the rest of the south particularly subdued thus limiting speculative development.

In the retail sector construction continues at a moderate pace with a number of out of town shopping centre developments and redevelopment schemes in town centres.

Growth in household consumption, however, is expected to moderate which will act as a constraint on expansion in this sub-sector.

Leisure construction will also be constrained by any moderation in consumer spending growth. However, there are a number of external factors likely to promote activity. The decision to make Liverpool European City of Culture in 2008 is expected to lead to increased construction of hotels and restaurants in the city to accommodate tourism, whilst tourism overall in the UK is likely to pick up with a recovery in the word economy. Finally there are a number of projects on-site or in the pipeline to build new football stadiums.

Fall, 2003

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

Page 3

Arromax Moving in Upward Direction Sid Pepper formed, the not very originally named, D.S. Pepper Engineering in 1966 at the tender age of 16 initially manufacturing fish tanks but over time increasing the range of work to include architectural metalwork and increasingly structural steel.

The company moved three times to accomomdate growth and finally in 1982 into a purpose built facility which, in those days, meant “widespan” with a two-storey office block housing design and detailing staff as by now structural steelwork represented some 98% of turnover and in bespoke premises achieved around 12 hours per tonne fabricating times.

Sadly, the boom and bust construction periods of the ‘70s and ‘80s - bad debt, high cost of borrowing - the company went into liquidation in 1985 - anyone else remember Bank Base Rates of 18%?

An opportunity to “start again” in 1988 arose so Sid formed Arromax Structures and began manufacturing from a facility that was very long and narrow and was 4 bays wide but only using 1 bay to begin with. Very soon it became obvious that narrow bays allowed more overhead cranes improved one directional “flow of work” down to below 10 hours per tonne fabricating times but an imbalance of supply was occurring and, with ever decreasing lead times and downward pressure on rates per tonne, the problem had to be addressed, the problem?

The new Peddinghaus 823B Anglemaster in FITTINGS - manual methods could no longer keep pace and so began Sid’s operation at the Arromax facility. first steps along the C.N.C. path.

A number of fittings machines were evaluated and despite some very good “single” machines NONE could reverse cut NOR could they work on flats AND angles at the same time. Peddinghaus offered an affordable solution with a new Anglemaster and a reconditioned Plasma Punch, which our operators soon got to grips with and which quickly solved the internal supply chain delays and being able to operate two machines at the same time actually had surplus capacity AND reduced overtime working, which then highlighted the next supply delay as fabrication times were now down to 8 hours per tonne and that was? DRILLING, which was still being done the traditional way with a plater marking and a drill operative drilling, Peddinghaus installed a Peddiline 600/3 “off” lineC.N.C. drilling machine which has not only further reduced fabrication times but has improved quality and now nudging sub-7 hours per tonne the supply of fittings was back under scrutiny so Sid decided to upgrade the Anglemaster to the largest such machine available, the AFCP5823B, whose considerable increase in flat capacity from m150 to 300, has further improved production.

Arromax can now compete with ANYONE and yet preserve a margin. Indeed, any company fabricating WITHOUT such similar C.N.C equipment should invest or they just will not be able to compete - Sid is certainly pleased that he did.

What next - C.N.C. coping? Watch this space!

Arromax Engineering Ltd No 2 Factory Langwith Road Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG20 9RZ Tel: 01629 744295

Page 4

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

Fall, 2003

...article continued from page 1 Steel & Roofing Systems, Kilkenny, Ireland, (at left and right) has a new structural fabrication system fully operational, featuring a new BDL drill/saw and extensive material handling system. The material handling system is located outside the main building, and saves precious shop space.

William Hare recently installed two new BDL drills and miter band saw systems, along with three new FPB plate processing lines,one of which will be installed in March.

Fisher Engineering in Northern Ireland maintains a complete Peddinghaus system with multiple machines ranging from BDL 1250 drills to ABCM 1250 Coping System to FPB plate processing system.

Arromax Strucutres, in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, has installed a new AFCPS 823 Anglemaster machine. This is in addition to a BDL 600 drill line and an FPB 500/3 CNC plate processing system. (See the highlight from Mr. Sid Pepper, Managing Director on the success of Arromax on page 3.)

The list goes on, with available print space being my only problem.

Through my personal visits, I have learned much about your individual requirements and your needs to maintain a competitive edge in today’s difficult, low profit, steel construction marketplace. Through the efforts of our staff located in Telford, and our commitment from the Peddinghaus family of employees in Germany, America, - and throughout the world, we are resolved to providing the best in service and products to you and your customers.

Thank you again for this opportunity. Please contact me directly via e-mail with any questions at anton@peddinghaus.com.

Adrian Morall (below left), Vice President and General Manager of Peddinghaus is actively involved in educational research of structural steel technologies in North America and Europe.

Social events (pictured below) help create lifetime business relationships.

The opportunity to visit state of the art structural fabrication facili ties (above) provide new insight on steel construction.

American steel fabricators always enjoy visiting their brethren in the UK and Ireland to compare notes on structural fabrication techniques. Are you interested in making a visit to the USA? A prime time would be to attend the upcoming North American Steel Construction Conference March 24-27 in Long Beach, CA. You can download a registration form at www.aisc.org/nascc .

Peddinghaus actively participates in these events, and can provide tours of American fabricators. Contact Adrian Morrall, Peddinghaus’ Vice President and General Manager via e-mail Adrian-morall@peddinghaus.com for further information.

Fall, 2003

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

Page 5

Page 6

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

Fall, 2003

Following is an excerpt from the internal newsletter produced by Frank H. Dale Ltd, Mill Street, Leominster, Herefordshire describing the installation of their new Peddinghaus Fabrication line. We thank Dales for sharing this information with us.

Factory output We have now completed the installation of our new Peddinghaus saw and drill line.

Even the best machinery doesn’t last forever, so we seized this opportunity to upgrade.

The decision to go with Peddinghaus was based upon immediate availability, ease of installation and value for money.

From placing of order, the new machinery was delivered within one and a half weeks; installation, commissioning and training were completed within a further one and a half weeks. Included within these periods were the removal of the old equipment and the carrying out of the necessary groundwork. With the new drilling machine being dimensionally similar to that being replaced, the in-feed and out-feed conveyors required only minimal attention.

The new saw is a Meba Bandsaw 560 DG-1000 with the capacity to saw materials up to 1000 x 560 mm; a further advantage is that we are now able to mitre cut beams ‘web verti cal’. The new drilling line is a Peddinghaus Peddimat Model TDK 1000/9S. This incorporates one vertical web drill assembly with three spindles and two horizontal flange drill assemblies each with three soindles. Maximum hole diameter is 40 mm. The new system also includes a Signomat 05 Hard Stamp Marking Device; this replaces the manual hard stamping as employed on the old TDK 3 machine. Also included within the deal is the upgrading of the software packages to our existing TDK 9 saw & drill line as well as our ABC and FDB machines. The old saw and drill line was taken in part exchange by Peddinghaus. We understand that after being fully refurbished and having new electronics fitted, it will end up in Eastern Europe where there is a ready market for such machines.

An article by Peddinghaus Corporation entitled “New Machine Technologies for Steel Construction” will be printed in the Steel Construction Yearbook 2003.

The article deals with new technologies and labor saving techniques currently available for the processing of structural steel and heavy plate components. The issues of material handling, hole production, shop layout design, and progress in plate connections are discussed in detail.

A wealth of information - with knowledgeable illustrations - is available in this publication.

Please send any data to

Ms. Larain Evans at Peddinghaus UK in Telford, Shropshir e E-mail: larain-evans@peddinghaus.com Telephone: 01952-200377 Fax: 01952-292877

Fall, 2003

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

Page 7

Page 8

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

Fall, 2003

A tribute to the achievements of structural steel

The Peddinghaus FPB 1800 plate system and BDL 1250 Drill Line produced all bridge and structural components for this

new petroleum pier in Aruba. Aceros Prefabricados, Guatemala City supplied the fabricated steel.

Fall, 2003

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

For decades, Peddinghaus has helped structural steel fabricators in the U.K. provide their customers with consistent quality and accurate parts. As the industry leader in innovative technology for structural steel and heavy plate fabrication, Peddinghaus maintains four manufacturing facilities to ensure that our industry partners worldwide receive timely deliveries and superior customer service.

“To compete in this volatile world market, we chose Peddinghaus as the supplier of the equipment to feed our new multi-track speedline facility. The efficient material handling system, coupled with the machine’s speed and reliability were key elements in our decision to buy Peddinghaus.”

Roger Gillanders, Engineering Director Robinsons Construction

“Billington Structures is a long-time user of Peddinghaus equipment. Their industry knowledge and service responsiveness has made Peddinghaus a perfect business partner. This strong relationship was the basis of our recent purchase of a new structural fabricating line.”

Steve Fareham, Managing Director Billington Structures

Peddinghaus Corporation U.K. Ltd. Unit 6 • Queensway Link Industrial Estate Strafford Park 17 Telford, Shropshire TF3 3DN UK Phone 01952-200377 • Fax 01952-292877

Structural Integrity is more than an engineering term – it’s the Peddinghaus way of doing business.

Page 9

Page 10

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

USED PEDDINGHAUS FPB1800 CNC PLASMA PLATE PUNCHING SYSTEM

Fall, 2003

USED KALTENBACH SAW SYSTEM 1989 Model HDM 1400 Miter 45/45˚ complete with: • 15 m infeed conveyor • 15 m exit conveyor • 5 m infeed drag transfer • 5 m outfeed drag transfer • CNC Measuring System • 8 Blades included

• 2915 actual machine hours • $325,000 (US Dollars) FDB Dundalk, Maryland, USA

E-mail: adrian-morrall @peddinghaus.com

E-mail Dennis McCartney drmc@bandbwelding.com Telephone 001-410-388-1100

CAN BE SEEN IN OPERATION IN UK

BEAM CAMBERING MACHINES Specially designed to induce permanent camber into wide flange, channel and tubular beams BC-900 Overall Dimensions: Weight (Approximate): Total Press Capacity:

3 m Wide x 7.2 m Long x 1 m High 7.250 KG 302 Tons

BC-1200 Overall Dimensions: Weight (Approximate): Total Press Capacity:

3 m Wide x 7.2 m Long x 1 m High 8700 KG 428 Tons

BC-1900 Overall Dimensions: Weight (Approximate): Total Press Capacity:

Structural Steel Systems Ltd.

300 N. Washington, Bradley, IL 60915, USA 001 (815) 935-0362 Fax: 001 (815) 937-4003

3.6 m Wide x 8.5 m Long x 1.2 m High 15,420 KG 620 Tons

Available in economic “kits” for easy shipping assembly

Fall, 2003

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

Peddinghaus Corporation U.K. Ltd.

Innovative Steel Fabricating Technologies

Unit 6 • Queensway Link Industrial Estate Strafford Park 17 Telford, Shropshire TF3 3DN UK Phone 01952-200377 • Fax 01952-292877

Page 11

Page 12

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

Fall, 2003

FOR SALE

• Can be inspected in UK under power • 6 month old system • 1000 mm capacity • Immediate Availability Contact: Peddinghaus Corporation U.K. Ltd. Telford, Shropshire TF3 3DN Phone 01952-200377 • Fax 01952-292877

USED FICEP SAW/DRILL SYSTEM

Fall, 2003

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

Page 13

USED DRILL LINES BEFORE

Peddinghaus TDK-1000/3 Drills AFTER

• • • •

CNC 4 Axis Control Angle Capacity up to 200 mm Maximum Beam Width - 1000 mm Maximum Flange Height - 610 mm

REMANUFACTURED PEDDINGHAUS BDL 760/3 DRILL LINES Latest State of the Art CNC Control Drives and Window Based Software High Speed Signo Script Marking System Included Max Beam Size 760 mm Max Flange Height 400 mm Factory Rebuilt With Warranty

Model SWP: 1200/34 Structural Beam Positioning System The ergonomic solution for detail and fitting applications

PEDDINGHAUS FAMILY OF PLATE PROCESSING SYSTEMS:

SIX MODELS SUITABLE FOR ANY APPLICATION l

l

l

l

Punch/Drill/Part Marking/Thermal Cut in One Process Thickness up to 75 mm Plate width up to 2500 mm Labour saving design eliminates plate handling

The economicalsolution for the automatic production of plate components that require multiple holes via punching, drilling, burning, marking, contouring, and cutting to length.

Peddinghaus Corporation U.K. Ltd. Unit 6 • Queensway Link Industrial Estate Strafford Park 17 Telford, Shropshire TF3 3DN UK Phone 01952-200377 • Fax 01952-292877

ABCM

ABCM-1250/3 CNC Structural Thermal Cutting System Delivers Productivity The dynamic productivity of CNC Structural Thermal Cutting is best evidenced by Peddinghaus users who realize full machine payback justification on ONE job with the ABCM 1250/3.

Rat Hole with Bevel 1.1 minute

Block Copes 1.4 minute

Two Block Copes on lead and trail end of 12 M beam 3.1 minute

Rat Hole with Bevel on lead and trail end of 12 M beam 3.3 minute

Peddinghaus Corporation U.K. Ltd. Unit 6 • Queensway Link Industrial Estate Strafford Park 17 Telford, Shropshire TF3 3DN UK Phone 01952-200377 • Fax 01952-292877

Dog Bone Configuration 1.2 minute

Page 16

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

Fall, 2003

Billington Structures, Ltd. Barnsley, S. Yorkshire, UK Billington Structures, Ltd. has finished erecting the final components for the Xscape project in Castleford, UK. Weighing in at over 4,600 tons, the giant indoor ski slope, leisure and retail complex is destined to be a landmark project.

The 130 ft. high building encloses a clear span of 117 ft across the width of the slope, which will run 788 ft down the length of the building. The massive structure, which consists of beam and column steelwork, plate grinders, metal decking and off site intumescent fire protection, will house 14 multi-plex theaters and a number of retail outlets and restaurants.�

Billington Structures, Ltd. Barnsley Road Wombwell, Barnsley, S. Yorkshire 573 8DS U.K. Tel. (44) 0 1226 340666 Fax: (44) 0 1226 755947 www.billington-structures.co.uk Another Billington project is the Sage Headquarters Building at Newcastle consists of over 2,500 tons of structural steelwork.

Mr. Steve Fareham Managing Director Billington Structures, Barnsley, S. Yorkshire UK Mr. Fareham was re-elected to his third term as President of British Construction Steelworks Association (BCSA)London July 11, 2002.

The machine operators of the Billingtons, Bristol, works gather for a group photo celebrating the new Peddinghaus Drill/Saw installation.

Peddinghaus technicians, Gary Danks, and Greg Thomas assisted with the machine commissioning.