FA B R I C AT O R S M A K I N G T O D AY ’ S S K Y L I N E P O S S I B L E
F. HACKLÄNDER GmbH
Serving Your Industry Pays Dividends The descriptive name for the steel supply industry may vary from country to country— some call it “steel stock holders” or “steel stocking center” or “steel service center”—but the intent is the same. Any firm that engages in the distribution of structural steel must be dedicated to their customers, and provide first class services with timely deliveries. One of the premier firms in today’s global market is F. Hackländer GmbH, Kassel, Germany. See full story on page 5
Robinson Construction We take a follow-up look at Robinson Construction in Derby, UK. Four years ago Robinson implemented a new fast track “Speed Line” for structural fabrication, realizing the full potential of the system within months, and processing jobs in record time.
Mr. Hans-Hartwig Koether, Managing Director, Hackländer GmbH
See full story on page 12
Mr. Roger Gillanders, Engineering Director, Robinson Construction
CAUNTON ENGINEERING
Technology Driven for Today’s Global Markets Mr. Simon Bingham, Managing Director, Caunton Engineering
IN THIS ISSUE
To become an industry leader, a firm must be capable of exploring new technologies, and carry the strength and fortitude to successfully implement this new found expertise into daily business activities and production. It takes skill and persistence to identify technologies and methods which will affect the future of your company. Caunton Engineering maintains the uncanny ability of foreseeing and then utilizing new technology and separating true workable technologies from simple machine trends. See full story on page 9
F. Hackländer GmbH
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Serving Your Industry Pays Dividends
Steel Project Spotlight
8
Technology Today’s Global Markets
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Then & Now
Tour Structural Fab Shops…
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AISC Steel Solutions Center
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Providing Timely and Reliable Information to the Industry
The Power to Innovate: A “Model” Project
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Three Companies Collaborate
Industry News
Peddinghaus Style
Euclid/Park Avenue BicyclePedestrian Bridge
Caunton Engineering
Robinson
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Sustainability in the Future
Design Data Users Group Conference Wrap Up
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STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW
FALL 2007
Peddinghaus Expands Latin American Regional Headquarters
Lyle Menke “How do you see business, now? Are you busy”? “What’s your market like? Is it still strong?” “How do you see the economy?”
Visit any meeting concerning steel construction, and these comments are always heard. What is interesting is that you heard these comments in 1985, 1995, 2005—and today. The point being is that no matter the current business levels, astute industry professionals always have an “eye to the future” and an “ear to the ground”. We are not economists, but we certainly can attest to the continuing positive spirit and enthusiasm that still pervade the steel construction and heavy plate fabrication industries. Let’s look at a few facts from some very well respected industry experts—quoted on these pages before—to get their opinion on the current “State of Steel Construction”
AISC Second Quarter Results John Cross, AISC, Vice President of Marketing:“Second quarter results have been reported by McGraw-Hill and indicate a market share for structural steel of 54%.* The compares to a market share for all of 2006 of 50%. This increase of 4 points of market share represents an additional 200,000 tons of structural steel consumption in the construction market…” *As a reference, this percentage has been steadily increasing the past two years. In the first quarter, the market share was 52% For a related story, see page 18 “AISC Solution Center Puts the “Structure” in Steel Construction”. According to McGraw Hill, construction volume in the non-residential sector continues at a pace 3% ahead of 2006. Educational and governmental building show strong levels of activity along with stores and restaurants. Reed Construction reports two categories that reflect strong growth, not reported by McGraw Hill—hotels and motels under 5 stories and domestic military construction.
American Institute of Architects Here’s the latest report from the AIA in Washington, D.C.— “Up slightly from the 59.3 mark in June, the Architecture billings Index (ABI) in July reached the second highest mark since the survey's inception in 1995. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI shows an approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings an d construction spending. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the July ABI rating was 60.0 (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings, ) and inquiries for new projects was 66.2%. The message here is to look forward to 2008, as the future looks very promising, indeed.
Peddinghaus is pleased to announce the expansion of its Latin American Regional Headquarters in Monterrey, Mexico. Ms. Jessica Trevino has joined the staff as Administrative Assistant. Jessica will be responsible for all office documentation including sales and service coordination. She joins the staff along with service technicians Manuel Salinas, Eduardo Gonzalez, and Victor Reyes.
Sr. Jose Cavazos (right) of Peddinghaus with Ing. Servando Aldana of Acestra, Guadalajara. Mr. Jose Cavazos, the Managing Director, Latin American Operations, has a strong background in the structural steel fabrication industry. After completing his Electronics degree at the University, he began working for Forjas Metalicas where he first learned about Peddinghaus equipment. At that time, Forjas purchased three angle lines and one drill line, and Jose’s education began there. Steve Farrow, Peddinghaus Vice President, was the Sales Manager in charge of Latin America and the person who saw the potential of the region. Ten years ago, Peddinghaus decided to invest in the region and did the first hiring in Latin America, Jose was hired to do service. At that time, Peddinghaus had 7 customers in 5 different countries. Peddinghaus has more than 60 customers in 14 countries, and the expectations of continued growth are still very high. Jose is proud to say that Peddinghaus Latin America is known for having the best customer service and assistance prior and post sale in all of Central and South America. This is possible due to the hard work and dedication of Manuel, Eduardo, and Victor. This great Latin American Peddinghaus service team works in conjunction with the service support groups in Bradley, IL and Andrews, SC. Continued on page 4
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FROM THE CEO As we approach the Autumn season here in Bradley, we can already detect the “signs of the season”, as days are getting shorter and trees are starting to turn. Summer is a great time of the year, but those of us with kids admit - juggling their many summer time activities keep all of us parents running in many directions. When Fall comes, our kids are back in school, and everyone returns again to a sense of normal “daily structure”. The kids have their schoolwork, and we can concentrate fully on our work requirements.
Anton Peddinghaus
Sales History in the Making Never in the history of Peddinghaus Corporation, have we seen such faith placed in us by our wonderful customers. Our clients placed their confidence in Peddinghaus by placing orders that have exceeded our projected sales figures. This large order backlog is derived from our global clientele. I am pleased to say that Peddinghaus received orders from every continent in the world this summer. Thanks to you–our amazing customers– Peddinghaus is on a record pace to reach a sales volume of $130M this fiscal year. Even with this increased sales volume, I am pleased to report that we maintain a delivery schedule of less than 6 months on most of our products. We have “ramped up” with new CNC machine tools for our machine shop, expanded manufacturing and warehousing space—and more importantly our work force. We are now approaching 500 employees at our facilities in North America alone—specifically from Bradley and Andrews, SC.
Even though we appreciate Fall, at Peddinghaus, we almost hate to say good-bye to Summer, 2007…Why? Because the Summer of '07 turned out to be one of the most unbelievably dynamic periods in the steel construction and heavy plate industries!
Bringing your “A” Game to Peddinghaus Every Day… As you know, I was born in Germany and always liked “football”–what Americans call “Soccer”. But as a teenager working in the shop here in Bradley, the guys taught me about American Football: the NFL, the Superbowl, everything. The one point I always admired about American Football was the intricate plays and the teamwork needed by the players on the field to execute the play properly. Each player had his responsibility, and if done properly, the play was good, and the team was successful. The Peddinghaus team is essentially the same. We have a great team of players who have one goal in common: winning customer satisfaction. All of our employees - whether shop or management - believes in each other, and strongly believes in our products. We don't have any “superstars” but we have many “all-stars” who bring their “A” game to Peddinghaus every day.
Customer Service for You is our Priority The dynamic growth in our industry and at Peddinghaus places emphasis on customer service, training, and spare parts delivery. We continue to expand and upgrade our people, our facility, and our training programs to better serve you. We will soon have fifty (50) service technicians are on the road traveling, along with twenty (20) phone technicians and support personnel at our location here in Bradley.
We are equipping new service vehicles for large installations with every component imaginable to expedite the installation process. From fittings to laser levels to welders—it will all be “on board” for a fast efficient install. We want you up and running so you can use our technology to save money on that next job! If you have any concerns about our service capabilities, catch a flight to Chicago. We’ll pick you up at the airport and in about an hour, you will see the difference that a real service commitment makes. We are proud of our new Customer Call Center, which is complete with today’s digital technology— including remote diagnostics consoles for fast problem solving. As I discussed in my last article, I regret not proceeding as rapidly with customer training, but I am pleased to announce that a senior technician, Keith Birge, has been appointed as instructor, and our new world class training center is now completed. Here is an example of how we continually seek to improve our customer service. For our single spindle Avenger users, we have twelve (12) dedicated technicians to assist. Previously, our installation time was one week. However, now each Avenger is a two week installation process, where our technicians spend more time training and instructing than installing. This process pays dividends for you as you face each new steel project with confidence. Continued on page 8
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STATE OF STEEL CONSTRUCTION Continued from page 2
SUPPORTING GREEN DESIGNS From the AISC quarterly report, we learned that structural steel has increased market share to 54%, which is excellent news for our industry. In today’s market, being environmentally correct can also mean saving money. How, do you ask? Here are a few items that Peddinghaus is actively involved in to help our environment—and save you some cash along the way: This environmentally friendly, vegetable oil based coolant is designed for your toughest band sawing jobs–without the coolant mess and hazards:
Micro Mist Lubrication for Band Saws Peddinghaus design engineers have utilized the latest blade lubrication technology to create a superior method for lubricating band saw blades— without flood coolant! This new design is available on all Peddinghaus band saws—the DGP 1270 and DG 1100 miter series and the 1250-510 straight cutting band saw. Why pay for a flood coolant that actually COSTS more money in actual production?
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Applies in a fine mist DIRECTLY onto the blade before it enters the cut
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A thin sheen provides full protection to glide the blade through your material
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For all shapes from solids to tubes to jumbo wide flange beams and columns
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Glides chips away with lubricated ease
Why Mess with Flood Coolant? Here’s the PeddiCool advantage:
Did You Know? The cost of buying, managing, and disposing of cutting fluids has risen dramatically in the last two years. For example, a recent survey in the automotive industry revealed that coolant costs account for
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No flooding of your beam profiles or structural shapes
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No time spent to clean flooded beams before painting
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No more slippery floors from coolant overflow
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No bacteria build up means NO ODORS or skin irritation
20% of total production costs, compared with 7.5% for cutting tools. Coolant disposal costs now exceed the initial cost of the coolant, and
PLUS PeddiCool Actually Saves You Money: •
No mixing—apply right from the container
are increasing. So, shops are attracted to techniques that reduce the
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No labor costs to clean up structural shapes or profiles
use of cutting fluids for some applications, even if this means a slight
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No labor costs to pump out old coolant
reduction in tool life.
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No costs for hazardous material removal
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No paperwork to monitor old coolant removal
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Users report one gallon sufficient for 600 running hours
American Machinist Magazine August, 2007
PeddiCool–the exclusive micro mist coolant from Peddinghaus—is the 21st century solution for band saw blade lubrication. When your band saw is equipped with mist coolant technology, PeddiCool is the choice for you.
Watch two videos on the advantages of Micro Mist lubrication at www.peddinghaus.com •
PeddiCool (watch for the tiger)
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DG 1100 miter band saw
Keep Thinking Green— Steel is the Original Recycler!!
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F. HACKLÄNDER GmbH:
Serving Your Industry Pays Dividends The steel supplier F. Hackländer GmbH was founded 1870 in Kassel, in the state of Hesse, Germany, and has been a member of the Carl Spaeter Group GmbH, Duisburg, since 1908. Today, it is one of the most important and capable steel suppliers in Germany. Partnership and customer orientation are the basis of their continued success, now spanning an entire century. This is reflected by long-term business
A sales volume of approx. € 300 million (stock sales and third-party deals) in the business year 2006–corresponding to about US$ 400 million –and sales of 410,000 tons at an average stock inventory of about 60,000 tons, has made Hackländer, Kassel, the largest branch within the Spaeter Group. In the first five months of the business year 2007, Hackländer has succeeded–not least due to their modern service centre that was established in recent years–in increasing their output even more significantly. They have succeeded in bringing their customer deliveries up to 212,000 tons as of May, 2007, corresponding to a sales volume of approx. € 154 million (US$ 205 million). Assuming the positive trend of the economy in Europe continues, this would mean a dramatic increase of about 20% compared to the previous year.
relationships and a high level of customer satisfaction with all their clients.
With multiple locations and a large inventory, Hackländer has achieved record sales volume. Hackländer has achieved this performance with a total workforce of 306, 145 of which are working in their offices and 141 on the shop floor. They also employ a total of 20 trainees.
Headquartered in Kassel, Hackländer is a thriving entity in the global steel distribution market.
Aside from their headquarters in Kassel, where the purchasing and sales departments as well as administration and management offices are located, Hackländer maintains branches with warehousing operations in Kaufungen–the central warehouse for rolled steel and the service centre–Bad Salzuflen and Körner, as well as sales offices in Riesa and Weimar. The large warehouse capacity of 46,000 m2 covered storage area comprises Hackländer’s entire range of steel products, as well as stainless steel, aluminum and synthetic materials. With a wide and deep assortment range, as well as a broad processing capability and services, Hackländer is able to meet the varied requirements of their customers.
A capable fleet of 35 owned vehicles plus the fleets of contracted forwarders assure the timely delivery of customer's orders to their destinations.
With 35 vehicles, Hackländer knows timely deliveries are the key to success. In addition to these locations, Hackländer maintains additional warehouses in Germany, Holland, Belgium and Poland. Their facilities in Kassel and Kaufungen are strategically well located–in the heart of the central European market–with excellent connections to major traffic routes. Situated right in the middle, in a north-south as well as east-west direction, Hackländer is geographically close to customers anywhere. As one of the largest suppliers of steel in Germany, Hackländer delivers their products to large steel processors as well as the regional steel trade nationwide and in neighboring countries such as Benelux, Austria, Czech Republic or Poland. When direct delivery is needed by customers, Hackländer works directly with the production of European steel suppliers. Using this third party “teamwork”, Hackländer is one of just a few suppliers in Germany capable of providing this contracting business in cooperation with other steel producers. Their highly qualified workforce offers outstanding consulting competence, is highly motivated and ready to acquire your business. Continued on page 6
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SERVING YOUR INDUSTRY PAYS Continued from page 5 As of today, a total of € 50 million (US$ 67 million) has been invested in their logistics and service centre located in Kaufungen since its inception in 1966. Starting in September of this year, they will make further significant investments in this facility in order to increase warehousing and logistic capacities as well as enhance the capabilities of their machinery and processing centers. Among others, the new construction of two additional warehouse buildings with a total floor space of 7,430 m2 including a fully automated high rack storage area with a total of 2,890 compartments. The sum of € 12 million (US$ 16 million) will be made available to realize this investment. Furthermore, the company premises of currently 57,000 m2 in Kaufungen will be expanded by acquiring an adjacent property of 26,000 m2 in order to provide room to grow for the entire business enterprise far into the future. To expand their processing capability, Hackländer placed an order with Peddinghaus in March 2007 for another band saw unit 1020 DGP and a band saw unit 1270 DGP with a structural Drill line model BDL 1250/ 9. The BDL multi-spindle drill has capacity to process nine different hole diameters giving Hackländer full flexibility.
The new Peddinghaus Miter Band Saw with measuring system is perfectly designed for the steel distribution market. These investments are intended to round off their current service facility, consisting of: 5 saw units, 3 automatic pipe cutting machines, 1 plasma cutting system, 3 flame cutting machines, and 1 Paint preservation line (blasting and primer system).
Hackländer says “The heart of our plate processing is the most modern plate system in Europe–the Peddinghaus FPDB 2500.” The heart of their processing operation is the most modern plate processing system in Europe, Model FPDB 2500, purchased last year from Peddinghaus. After Hackländer had dealt with preparations for the investment for almost a year, collecting information on the available types and function principles of the products from various manufacturers, Hackländer decided in favor of the FPDB 2500 after a visit to Peddinghaus Corporation in Bradley, Illinois USA.
The demand for steel plate is so interesting that Hackländer started looking into investing in a second plate line in the future.
After some of their employees participated in training measures for several days in Bradley,
Mr. Mario Kirchner (Production Manager); Mr. Hans-Hartwig Koether (Managing Director); Mr. Thomas Schroeder (Plant Director) confer on the new Peddinghaus project.
Weighing in at over 33,000 kg (70,000 lbs), the FPDB is a true “Powerhaus” machine.
the FPDB 2500 arrived in their workshop in October of 2006. Installation and commissioning in Hackländer’s workshop went without a hitch, allowing them to work with the machine without any problem right from the start. Today, about a year later, the machine is already running in two-shift
An important reason for the decision in favor of a system by Peddinghaus from the USA was that Peddinghaus has qualified service technicians and spare parts available at their location in Gevelsberg. This customer service is highly qualified and is able to solve smaller problems by phone. The transmission of data
operation, and three-shift operation is scheduled to begin in the third quarter, 2007.
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To expand processing capabilities, Hackländer has recently installed a Peddinghaus BDL 1250/9 drill with a DGP 1270 miter band saw.
to Bradley is also possible at any time, thus reducing downtimes due to machine defects. Should the presence of a service technician be required on-site, he can be there on short notice, the driving time is only two hours. Hackländer was recently able to take advantage of this quick service after the occurrence of a sudden problem with the plasma head. The repair was done right away and downtime was significantly reduced. However, up to this point there have been no problems worth mentioning, allowing Hackländer to use the system at full capacity. Because, interest and demand from the side of
machine. The saw 1270 DGP and the 1250/9 drill are evidence of many years of experience in structural steel and enjoy a high level of acceptance with their customers. Therefore, Hackländer will continue to expand the range of products in the coming years with the aid of equipment by Peddinghaus, among others, by investing in an ABCM 1250 coping system that convinced them with a demonstration of efficiency and performance during the visit to a Peddinghaus customer in Alabama in May of this year. As an alternative, the Ring Of Fire has now become part of the discussion. The required space for infeeds, roller tables and cross conveyors has already been taken into consideration in planning for the installation of the sawing-drilling line in October of this year. A further focal point of investments will be the construction of a second blasting unit for flat products with a working width of 3.20 m in order to shorten internal work procedures and to reduce outsourced services.
No matter the industry– in today’s competitive global economy– a thriving business must continue to improve. With the implementation of productive new equipment, the steps necessary to build a modern, capable and customer oriented
Hackländer positioned the FPDB into their shop carefully.
steel service center will
potential customers is high and exceeds their expectations. The major portion of current production has been going to structural steel, but the demand from the machine building sector, a growth industry in Germany, generates interesting orders, as well.
essentially have been
Since structural steel represents one of their main markets, they have once again opted in favor of products by Peddinghaus for the investment in new saws and the drilling
completed for the 21st century. A lot of power in a small shop space: 2500 mm (wide) x 75 mm (thick)—(96” x 3”) 6 meter infeed—(20’) Punch, drill, mark, thermal cut and unload
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FROM THE CEO Continued from page 3
Wow—I am Glad that we Build Machines— Not Buildings!! From my previous editorials, you know we are in the process of constructing a new 50,000 square foot manufacturing facility here on our Bradley campus. I don’t want to exchange places with any of our steel construction friends, as I've learned (the HARD WAY) about the many “challenges” and “opportunities” of putting up a building: • Zoning rules and regulations • Dealing with Power Utilities (Ever had • Unexpected weather (record rainfall)
FALL 2007
STEELPROJECTSPOTLIGHT Euclid/Park Avenue Bicycle-Pedestrian Bridge A project of Arizona Structure Technologies 1945 W. Broadway Road • Phoenix, AZ 85041
to move a dozen electrical poles?)
• Etc, Etc, Etc The good news is that we are making progress, and if the weather continues to cooperate, we hope to have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Seriously, we need the space to improve our deliveries to you—that remains our goal.
From left to right the employees are Idelfonso Ramirez, welder; Troy Craft, fitter; Manuel Balcazar, fitter; Bobby Cordova, fitter; Dean Hill, beam line; John S. Hogan, fitter; and Frank Zamudio, painter. The City of Tucson refers to the structure as the “The Basket Bridge”. The total weight is approximately 300,000 pounds. Each truss weighs approximately 50,000 pounds and is approximately 120 feet long X approximately 24 feet in height. The W14X99 were rolled by Paramount Roll & Forming, Inc. in Santa Fe Springs, CA. Besides just handling the massive size and weight of each finished piece, a couple of the fabrication challenges were figuring out the optimum way to cut the expanded metal to fit the radius with a minimum amount of cleanup (ie; plasma cut) and carefully finish painting the variety of different colors on the finished product.
The Glass is Always Half-Full! The Fall season brings a lot of trade shows, conferences, and similar industry meetings. I’ve always been a “glass is half-full” kind of guy. I encourage you to be the same. When you attend a marketplace meeting, use positive comments like the data on page 2 from Lyle’s editorial. The American Institute of Architects and the AISC are very bullish on steel construction far into 2008. Be the same! Stay optimistic on the future, and you'll be surprised how that enthusiasm carries itself forward to others in our industry. That is what good business Partners do—they always look at the Bright Side— and always support their Partner’s best interests. Stay positive on steel—it is the construction choice for any sized project. Time to close as I have a meeting with the project manager for our new manufacturing building… Boy, I am glad I don’t have HIS job!
This complex project could not have been fabricated nor managed without the tireless and enthusiastic efforts of Sergio Barrera, Project Manager.
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CAUNTON ENGINEERING:
Technology Driven for Today’s Global Markets From software to machine tools to production and erection, Caunton has been a leader by embracing the future–they purchased their first computer early on–which has powered their growth as a recognizable international structural steel fabricator. To fully appreciate the development of Caunton Engineering, it is best to take a chronological view of their history.
1982 Rapid expansion took place over the coming years resulting in the Company operating on four different sites of the same industrial estate–Caunton was starting to run out of space to grow the business.
1985/1986
The original workshop in the village of Caunton, Nottinghamshire, 1970.
Caunton’s first major industrial building, 1974.
1970
The company started its extensive training initiative with both shop floor and technical apprenticeships and was elected a member of the British Constructional Steelwork Association, encouraged by East Midlands based fabricators who recognized a rapidly expanding competitor.
There had been a blacksmith’s shop in the village of Caunton, near Newark in Nottinghamshire for centuries before the business was taken over by Tom Broadberry and David Bingham. The company was re-named Caunton Engineering Limited in 1969 and opened for business on 1st February 1970. The first year’s sales totalled £25k (about $50,000 in today’s exchange rate). The company won its first building order in March 1970 and continued operations from the village until April 1973 when it relocated to a new, purpose built fabrication plant at Kirkby in Ashfield, near Nottingham.
1978 Caunton purchased the first computer based structural analysis package from CSC for steel frames along with the first Olivetti computer imported to the UK. This marked the start of Caunton’s long tradition and love affair with computing power. Every subsequent investment has been based on the benefits IT can bring to the business and its customers. Even at this early stage they were carrying out all operations; design, detailing, fabrication and erection “In House”.
A major re-think was required. The directors made several trips abroad to find the most economical steel fabrication methods. Fabrication plants were visited in Germany, Australia, and the USA to study methods of operation and machinery used. Caunton realized that they needed to automate the production plant and move to computer generated drawings. The first step was to install BOCAD–a German drafting suite–this was a brave move and marked the introduction of 3-D Geometric Modeling by a steelwork contractor in the UK. The next step was to search for a new, bigger home where they could install a fully integrated CAD / CAM manufacturing plant. The search took four years and at the end of 1989 Caunton purchased the National Workshops of British Coal at Moorgreen, near Nottingham. (For those readers who are not familiar–yes it is that Nottingham: Robin Hood et al.)
1990: Big Investment—Then Big Recession—Then What Happened? The company moved to Moorgreen in January and embarked on an investment program totalling £3.6M ($7.2). Peddinghaus was chosen to design the layout for the new CAD/CAM facility which was to be driven by data from the BOCAD drafting system.
Caunton’s purpose built factory at Kirby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, 1973.
1973 The move coincided with the company’s first major industrial building, a new printing works for the Nottingham Evening Post newspaper group.
Aerial view of Caunton’s factory, 2007.
The Peddinghaus FDB 1500 (right) is installed with an automated loading system to improve material handling and increased efficiency. Continued on page 10
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TODAY’S GLOBAL MARKETS Continued from page 9 Caunton invested in a TDK saw/drill, ABCM 1000 coper, AFPS 623 angle line, FPB 500 plasma punch plate processing center, and soon after, a FDB 600 heavy plate processing center. The project took two years to complete and ‘switch on’ happened in the spring of 1992–just in time for the deepest recession the UK steel industry has ever known! Fortunately the investment made Caunton super efficient and, recession or not, sales rocketed and overheads fell. Productivity increased well beyond expectations and with increased standardization, driven by a fully integrated CAD/CAM, design/detail/manufacturing facility, Caunton gained market share and increased profitability. At the same time as ‘switch on’ Caunton also moved the business to a “Just in Time” operation, supported by the then British Steel (now Corus). The company was by now a national fabricator working throughout the UK, from oil rig work in Aberdeen, to Lands End in Cornwall, where they built the last Tin Mine in the UK.
1998 Caunton’s impact on the industry was clear to see and growth since 1992 had been a consistent upward path. The company was now undertaking large, nationally noted projects; like the new Land Rover plant at Solihull and the Thames Court award winning building in the City of London, both involving well in excess of 2,000 tons of steel. Complete shopping center developments were also completed in Liverpool, Barrow and Mansfield. Further sawing and plate fittings capacity was needed to enable them to meet the demands of their Clients. Caunton opted for the comparatively new Peddinghaus bandsaw–a relatively new technology that offered significant sawing efficiency gains. For fittings and detail work Caunton invested in an FPB 1500 plate processing centre.
The BDL 1250/ABCM processing center drills holes and thermally cuts to the exact requirements. Team development within the plant and the introduction of multi-skilling (crosstraining) has enhanced the capability of Caunton’s production, with year-on-year productivity gains.
2006/2007 After many years of reliable service, some of Caunton’s old Peddinghaus machines, plus the well worn material handling system, were getting tired and it was clear that the latest generation of Peddinghaus equipment could provide further efficiency gains. The TDK saw/drill was replaced with the latest Peddinghaus DGP 1270 miter bandsaw/BDL 1250 drill combination as well as investing in a new ABCM 1250 coper/drill combination. Caunton replaced the existing FPB 500 and FDB 600 with the brand new FPDB 2500 plate
2004 The early years of the new century have seen continuous improvement and development throughout the business. The company’s on-site capabilities have grown to the point where they are capable of erecting over 70% of all they sell. The new patented DGP 1270 Band Saw and BDC 1250 structural drill provide flexibility and productivity for Caunton Engineering
The recently installed FPDB 2500 has already paid dividends for Caunton. processing centre and replaced almost all of the unique material handling system. This time though the challenge would be far more difficult as Caunton had to carry out the whole project without disrupting normal production activities. A detailed plan was worked out with the Peddinghaus team and, over a 4-month period, the project, which included significant building alteration works, was completed. Considering that the first machine from Peddinghaus was purchased in 1987–an ironworker–it is interesting to note the dedication to technology exhibited by the Caunton staff and management. (By the way, the ironworker is still being used today in Caunton’s training Academy.) However, Caunton is quick to point out that relative to their business size in 1987, it was just as important then as any purchase now.
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When complex fabrications are required, Peddinghaus advanced technologies provide the precise answers— and the muscle to do the job.
Erection of new spine truss at Birmingham International Airport.
Complex primary school project in Manchester, U.K.
Being Productive in Existing Buildings–Not “Green Grass” Sites Mr Berry continues: “At times it has been difficult, but we should qualify that with the fact that by buying previously used buildings we have always had to make compromises between a production ‘ideal’ and constraints of the buildings.”
Robert Berry, Deputy Managing Director When asked about how technology has spurred Caunton’s growth, Mr. Robert Berry, Deputy Managing Director, advises: “We have witnessed periods of dramatic efficiency gains–over one 8 year period our productivity increased 400%. This was during our first leap forward into automation. More recently of course gains have been harder to come by but we are still seeing gains year after year.” “The installation phase was always going to be a very big challenge and I think the Peddinghaus engineers who helped us (at times working literally around the clock) would agree!”
Commercial office block development in Durham, U.K.
Production Efficiency Fuels Growth to New, Profitable Markets The main markets for Caunton remain Education, Commercial Offices, Distribution, Manufacturing and process plants, Car parks, Leisure facilities, Health care and mixed use developments. The only markets not actively engaged in are sports stadiums and bridges.
What Role Does Peddinghaus Play in That Market Development? “By providing capable, reliable machinery,” advised Mr. Berry succinctly. Caunton Engineering is a proven success story in today’s global structural steel marketplace. From humble beginnings, this family owned company remains a technological leader in the industry. By embracing the future, Caunton remains poised for success in the coming decades.
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Robinson Construction
Speeding up “Speed Line Fabrication” in Four Years…Robinson Construction Delivers a Fast Track to Success S. Robinson & Sons (Engineering) Ltd Derby, U.K.
THEN Four years ago, Robinson implemented a new fast track “Speed Line System” for stuctural fabrication. The heart of this expansion was two (2) new Peddinghaus drills, two (2) new miter band saws, 300 M (1,000 feet) of roller conveyer, and eleven (11) separate Quiet Glide transfer systems-45 individual stands. Within a few months, Robinson realized the full potential of the system. This carefully engineered endeavor easily increased the capacity at Robinson to 500 tons per week. However, the most important aspect of this expansion was the reduction in cost. Man hours per ton for structural fabrication at Robinson was actually decreased by 30%. In addition, the new system enabled Robinson to process many jobs in record time.
Loading stock through a wall saves shop floor space for profitable production.
“With the new system we can process a beam from saw to paint in less than 20 hours,” advises Roger Gillanders, Engineering Director. “When last minute drawing changes occur, we have the flexibility to react quickly and efficiently which really reduces our fabrication costs.”
Peddinghaus cross transfer systems give total flexibility. THEN—traversed two bays; NOW—traverses three bays.
NOW By 2006, Robinson’s business was running at record levels. To meet the increased customer demand, it was necessary to again explore new methods for improved productivity and shop efficiency. “It is difficult to not accept a profitable contract because you have no capacity,” explained Roger. “So we began to explore another new expansion to our shop facility”. THEN: Physical labor; such as gathering and stacking cut plate (left)—from a typical labor intensive burn table (middle)—and punching individually (right)…
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From automated loading, to sawing/drilling and cross transferring–an efficient handling system saves money! To meet the challenge of increased capacity, Robinsons began construction of a new manufacturing bay. This new 1,100 square meter facility provided the space needed to boost production. In this new hall, Robinson again turned to Peddinghaus: • • • • •
A new Peddinghaus BDL 1250 nine spindle heavy duty drill line A new Peddinghaus DGP 1270 miter band saw with patented pivot design A new Signomat Marking Press for beam identification 60 M (190 feet) of new 1250 mm (40 in) wide roller conveyors Three (3) sets of new Quiet Glide Cross Transfer Systems–5 stands each–11.5 Meter (38 ft) in length
“In a Speed Line Fabrication process, material handling is the key to success,” says Roger. “You must minimize crane handling to be successful–and profitable.” The Peddinghaus Quiet Glide Cross Transfer and roller conveyor systems traverse three separate bays (halls) throughout the Robinson facility. Thus, beams can be processed in a variety of efficient methods:
The new 1100 square meter (12,000 square foot) facility houses the Peddinghaus BDL/DGP along with a new blast clean system.
1. Saw to length and holes drilled in any one of three Peddinghaus Saw/Drill Lines 2. Transferred to one of two Blast Cleaning Systems 3. Transferred to be processed via the Peddinghaus ABCM Structural Burning/Coping System 4. Transferred to the Fit-Up and Weld areas 5. Integrated fittings transfer via a new Peddinghaus FDB 1500 plate system, FDB 600 fat bar system. F 1170 plate punch with a back to back plasma cutting system, and Anglemaster 643 can provide all plate and angle detail work “We have expanded our potential capacity now to process up to 600—700 tons per week, pending the product mix,”says Roger. “But keep in mind that in the UK, our projects are generally more complicated–with more components per fabrication beam profile, and we don’t fabricate many high tonnage multi-story buildings like in the USA.”
“Our new Speed Line system has dramatically improved our material handling efficiency” THEN
NOW
Average 14 crane lifts/section
3–4 crane lifts/section*
*Do the math:
Average crane cost per lift is Average reduction in crane lifts is Average savings per lift Average beam lifts per shift Average savings - ONE SHIFT
$
20 x 10 $ 200 x 50 $ 10,000!
THEN
NOW
Average up to 250 tons/week Two Peddinghaus Drill/Saw Lines = Four Speed Lines for Fabrication
Average up to 500 + tons/week** Three Peddinghaus Drill/Saw Lines= Six Speed Lines Fabrication
FUTURE With minimal material handling investment—full capacity for fourth Drill/Saw Line enabling Eight Fabrication Speed Lines **If Robinson chose to attack the heavier, multi-story market, they could easily accommodate over 700 tons per week. All tonnage based up product mix.
…are replaced with one machine that loads lengths…
…drills all holes, thermal cuts to shape and length, marks the identification number…
…and delivers a completed part with one operator performing all functions—load, process and unload.
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Tour the Middle East With Peddinghaus Visit Saudi Arabia and Dubai to Experience Enhanced Steel Construction Peddinghaus provides you with another unique educational opportunity for the steel construction industry. Take a tour with us to visit two of the most prosperous environments for steel fabrication in the world today— Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. The group will depart from Frankfurt International Airport and arrive at Bahrain on November 6, where we will drive to Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Here you can view firsthand, Gulf Steel, an advanced structural steel fabricator with multiple CNC machines to generate thousands of tons of structural steel, including two drills, three plate systems, a coping system, and three structural band saws. The next day, the group will travel to Dubai to visit Arabian International Steel. With eight saw/drill lines that can produce up to 150,000 tons annually, A.I.C. has invested for success. Three coping systems and an expansive automated material handling system provide an efficient, reduced labor processing of structural profiles.
Other Trip Highlights: • • • •
• •
Go snow skiing in the desert in the world’s only indoor snow ski resort Visit Jeddah’s industrial city to gain a new perspective on business growth Go shopping for gold in the world’s best gold marketplace Stay at the Grosvenors House hotel, where you enjoy the Dubai skyline while dining at the exclusive Buddha Bar—an original French restaurant transferred to Dubai Experience an original Arab barbeque in the sand dunes of the desert Dine at the wonderfully exclusive BurjElArab, the only 7 star hotel in the world
For further details contact Ms. Brigitte Steudtner: Telephone + 49 (0) 2332/72-257 Fax + 49 (0) 2332/72-208 e-mail stahlbaureise@ peddinghaus-pfp.de or info@ peddinghaus-pfp.de
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AISC Steel Solutions Center–There’s Always a Solution in Steel The American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, is a not-for-profit technical institute and trade association established in 1921 to serve the structural steel design community and construction industry. AISC’s mission is to make structural steel the material of choice by being the leader in structural steel-related technical and market-building activities, including: specification and code development, research, education, technical assistance, quality certification, standardization, and market development. AISC has a long tradition of service to the steel construction industry of providing timely and reliable information.
We have about 75% of our technical inquiries come from structural engineers, the second largest group is fabricators and detailers at about 10-15%. For our conceptual solutions on the other hand, it is about 60% fabricators, 10-15% per group for architects, engineers, and contractors. It is very important to note that we provide technical assistance to anyone anywhere, that is domestic and foreign questions and for members and non-members. For conceptual solutions we ONLY work on DOMESTIC projects. For those readers in other countries, we would encourage them to provide a similar service to help raise the profile of structural steel in their countries as well. Following is a sampling of actual questions addressed by AISC’s Steel Solutions Center:
Jacinda Collins
Erika Winters Downey
Kurt Gustafson
Jason Ericksen
Martin Anderson
Pursuing this tradition, AISC developed the Steel Solutions Center as the single resource for structural steel serving the design and construction industry. In today’s fast-paced, competitive construction industry, success is often a matter of access to the right information at the right time. The Steel Solutions Center makes it easy for you to explore traditional and innovative structural steel solutions enabling you to find, compare, select and specify the right system for our projects. From typical framing studies to total structural systems, including project costs and schedules, the Steel Solutions Center can provide you with up-to-date information and innovative solutions for your project! AISC’s Steel Solutions Center has answered over 60,000 technical inquiries and been has helped industry professionals pursue innovative structural steel solutions on over 500 projects since opening in July 2001. Here are some of the questions we have answered for architects recently: • How much will the steel frame for my office building cost? • What is happening with the price of structural steel? • Are there steel systems that can compete with concrete’s floor-to-floor heights for condos? • How do I make sure I know what I am getting when I specify Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS)? • What’s the latest innovation in structural steel and how can I apply it to my project? • Is steel sustainable and how can it help me get LEED certification? • How can I minimize fire protection costs? • How long will it take to build my 5 story, 100,000 square foot office building? • How can I use steel to maximize the flexibility of tenant space and allow for future modification? • I have heard there are ways to design steel floor to avoid annoying vibration, where should I direct the structural engineer to get this information? • What are some details that will provide adequate sound ratings between floors for my high-class hotel?
We can answer these questions and many more. The AISC Steel Solutions Center is a FREE service. Call us at 866.ask.aisc or email solutions@ aisc.org today!
Q: A:
Maximum Size of Fillet Weld Question 09/01/2007 Why is the maximum size of a fillet weld limited by the thickness of the thinner plate? Section J2.2b (a) of the AISC specification states that for fillet welds along edges of material less than 1/4in. thick, the maximum size of the fillet weld should be no greater than the thickness of the material. In other words, one cannot specify a fillet weld thicker than the material thickness against which it will be placed. In material thicker than 1/4in., the limit is 1/16 in. less than the thickness. This requirement assures that the edge of material is still present and the weld size can be assured visually. A melted edge on thicker material tends to obscure the true weld size, as the material corner likely will melt faster than the root of the joint. When the welding is not along the edges of materials, however (e.g., a tee joint), the limitations stated above do not apply. Amanuel Gebremeskel, P.E.
Q: A:
Slip-Critical Connection Question 09/01/2007 What is a slip-critical connection, and when must they be used? Slip-critical connections are those that have an additional design requirement to provide a calculable resistance to slip on the faying surfaces provided by the force of friction between the connecting materials. Slip-critical connections are usually designed for service-level slip resistance, but strength-level slip resistance is sometimes required. In either case, these connections require proper faying surface preparation to achieve the minimum slip coefficient and the pretensioning of bolts during installation to achieve the minimum clamping force. The combination of these creates the frictional resistance to slip.
For more detailed information on how to design slip-critical connections, please see Chapter J and its commentary in the 2005 AISC specification, available at www.aisc.org/2005spec. Also, please refer to the RCSC Specification for Structural Joints Using ASTM A325 or A490 Bolts (available at www.boltcouncil.org) Section 4.3 for finding out when to use slip-critical connections. Further guidance also can be found in AISC Design Guide 17: High Strength Bolts - A Primer for Structural Engineers, available free to AISC members at www.aisc.org/epubs. Amanuel Gebremeskel, P.E.
(Pictured from left to right) Jason Ericksen (Solutions Center); Bobbi Marstellar (AISC Certification); and Todd Alwood (Regional Engineer).
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Thread Engagement Question 09/01/2007 Is there a minimum number of threads that a nut needs to be engaged on a bolt? Section 2.3.2 of the RCSC Specification for Structural Joints Using ASTM A325 or A490 Bolts (a free download at www.boltcouncil.org) defines the proper installation as follows: "The bolt length used shall be such that the end of the bolt extends beyond or is at least flush with the outer face of the nut when properly installed." Thus, the minimum number of threads that must be engaged is all of them; the full depth of the nut must fall within the length of the bolt. Kurt Gustafson, S.E., P.E.
Q:
Backing Bar Removal Question 07/01/2007 We have a steel building frame where we are using ordinary moment frames (OMF) with a seismic force resisting system defined as "Structural steel systems not specifically detailed for seismic resistance," R = 3. Since this category does not require compliance with the AISC Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings, which requires removal of backing bars for OMFs, I would surmise that we do not need to remove the backing bars. Is this correct?
A:
The acronym OMF is usually reserved for a seismic load resisting system with R > 3, as defined by the IBC model building code and/or ASCE 7. In your case, you really have a conventional moment frame designed to the requirements in the AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings with R = 3 and not an OMF. Hence the backing bar removal requirement found in the AISC Seismic Provisions does not apply.
Since you are not bound to the detailing requirements of the AISC Seismic Provisions, the AISC specification requirements would then be the referenced document. The AISC specification references AWS D1.1 Structural Welding Code - Steel, which states: Steel backing for welds in statically loaded structures (tubular and non-tubular) need not be welded full-length and need not be removed unless specified by the Engineer. There may be some instances where it is desirable (or necessary) to remove the backing bars to facilitate an inspection process. You may want to discuss this with the inspection agency early in the project if possible, in order to include the information in the bid documents. Kurt Gustafson, S.E., P.E.
(Left to Right) Mr. & Mrs. David Harwell, Central Texas Iron Works, Waco, Texas; Mr. & Mrs. Terry Peisha, Garbe Iron, Aurora, Illinois; Mr. Richard Barrett, Barrett Structures, Bradford, U.K., enjoy networking at the AISC Annual Meeting.
Top Ten Benefits to Joining AISC • Opportunity
to influence the direction of the structural steel construction industry through committee membership and voting privileges. • Extensive member discounts, ranging from 10% on advertising in Modern Steel Construction to 50% on publications, workshops, seminars and conferences, and hundreds of dollars in savings on booth space at the North American Steel Construction Conference (NASCC). • An annual savings of more than $2,600.00 off the AISC Certification registration fees. • Technical assistance by our engineering staff at the Steel Solutions Center (www.aisc.org). Market information and direct project support, from providing you with conceptual estimates on a specific project through AISC Marketing and the Steel Solutions Center helping you break into new markets and increase your opportunities for new business. • Research and development programs helping to improve building codes across the country and increase steel's share of the market. • National representation of our industry on government and environmental issues. • One complimentary copy of the latest edition Manual of Steel Construction. These are critical publications that keep you apprised of the latest codes and specifications and assist you in your design needs. • Opportunity to participate in university support programs, helping you gain additional visibility, possible intern opportunities and even possible employees for the future. • A hardcopy AISC Membership Directory complete with names, titles and phone numbers giving you the opportunity to meet and network with other AISC members. In addition to this hardcopy edition you also receive a directory listing on our website making it easier for builders, contractors and owners to find your company. • Complimentary subscriptions to ePubs, AISC News, and Engineering Journal which keep you up to date on industry information and one step ahead of your competitors. For more information about the AISC, please contact Carly Moore (Membership Services Manager) at 312-670-5442 or moore@aisc.org
The AISC sponsored North American Steel Construction Conference is a major industry event.
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The Power to Innovate: A “Model” Project Suncor Energy Unique, reliable, innovative, and experienced. Those are the words that describe Suncor Energy. And, after more than 80 years in the oil business they are still just as dedicated to a clean and healthy environment as they ever were. In 1967 they pioneered the commercial development of the oil sands in Canada and have since grown to become a major North American energy producer. From Alberta, Canada where they produce highquality, refinery-ready crude oil products and diesel fuel, to Western Canada where they produce and develop natural gases, Suncor Energy prides themselves on responsibly developing clean renewable energy sources. Looking to the future, Suncor Energy hopes to have four wind power projects in operation by the end of 2007 that will offset the equivalent of approximately 280,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. They also will be able to take advantage of their St. Clair plant by producing 200 million liters of ethanol annually.
M & D Drafting Ltd. (Waiward Steel Fabricators Ltd) Founded in 1988 in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, M & D Drafting started out as a small detailing company that has turned into an international company with clients both around the world and across North America. Today they provide detailing services for hospitals, bridges, pulp mills, gas plants, car plants, convention centers, shopping malls, and other innovative projects. Over the years they have prided themselves on their exceptional organization and communication skills, which allow them to be more efficient, even over great distances. Detailing programs like StruCad allow them to provide their clients with DXF, CNC, Kiss files, etc., along with the necessary fabrication and erection drawings. Some of their services include modeling, sequence plans, Advanced Bill of Materials (ABM), Anchor Bolt Plans, erection diagrams, approval issue, fabrication issue and many more.
AceCad Software Established in 1986, AceCad Software is the leading supplier of software solutions to the international structural steel industry. AceCad is the developer and sole distributor of the StruCad 3-D steel detailing system and provides a range of fabrication, analysis and support services for the structural steel industry. For more than 20 years 3-D modeling using StruCad has proven a powerful and productive solution for draftsmen, fabricators and contractors within the international structural steelwork industry. The latest version of StruCad is being used around the world in over 70 countries. Users of StruCad benefit from substantial productivity improvements, arising from speed and accuracy associated with the detailing process and the automatic generation of output data. StruCad is designed to integrate fully with recognized standards in software and hardware. Some of the automatically generated output includes general assembly drawings, nested drawings, fabrication drawings, material lists, bolt lists, erection drawings and CAM data.
The Project One might be asking at this point what these three companies have in common. Well, they are all at the top of their fields—but what really connects them is the project they worked on together.
Suncor Energy contracted Waiward Steel Fabricators Ltd (M & D Drafting Ltd) to detail for them a set of steepbank mine dry surge stacking conveyors and when M & D Drafting needed to choose the right program for the job, the choice was StruCad by AceCad Software Inc. The drafting coordinator for this project, Mr. Robert Kamau, knew that with the help of StruCad they would be able to meet the specifications set up by Suncor and deliver the final project in a timely, efficient manner. In the past StruCad has helped M & D Drafting complete projects in a timely manner. This project consisted of two substantial conveyor lines with each conveyor belt having a width of 2.1m. The average capacity of the conveyors is 12000 tons/hour with a maximum of 14000 tons/hour of oil sand. Conveyor lines ‘A’ and ‘B’ were approximately 250m and 360m respectively from head to tail, both being inclined and radiused. There was also a combined drive and take-up station positioned mid way up the inclined section of each conveyor.
Continued on page 22
All steel fabricated on Peddinghaus machines by Waiward Steel, Edmonton, Alberta
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THE POWER TO INNOVATE Continued from page 20 The drive stations alone on both conveyors had a combined weight of 165 tons. The balance of the tonnage was made up of mainly boxed, trussed gallery sections constructed from Class ‘H’, HHS. These gallery sections were 2m deep by 2.8m wide with external walkways on each side. Some of the bigger gallery sections were over 5m wide and 45m long with shop welded frames. The team assigned to this fast track was lead by Mr. Robert Kamau and all were conversant in StruCad 3-D detailing software. The job was detailed in a span of 12 weeks with eighty percent of it being shop-issued within the first eight weeks. To make this happen, the conveyor geometry was laid out on a base model and then distributed to the team. Similar areas on both conveyors were grouped together and assigned to a particular draftsman. The reason for this was to eliminate duplication of connections and avoid errors. This method is especially useful when applying StruCad commands like Softmetric, which is a very handy command when you have identical structures called up in different units of measurement. By using this command it takes next to no time to convert all drawings and reports in a model to the required division prefixes. The Clash detection in StruCad was also extensively used to eliminate bolt access problems and member conflicts. The Clash detection command will run for checks on the members that are selected for clashes between steel and steel, steel and bolts, bolts and bolts, members and members, and when there is a gap of more than specified tolerance. Another feature that played a crucial part in this project was the Technical Query sheet which was set up in the server where all drawing conflicts and queries were raised. RFIs (Request For Information) were also created from this sheet and then answered. StruWalker, the free 3-D viewer from AceCad which creates a fully rendered model in a matter of seconds for distribution to connection engineers and shop supervisors, was invaluable when combined with the clash facility as it pinpointed problem areas. The approver on the project was Colt Engineering Corporation and Krupp Canada of Calgary. They were both supplied with StruWalker 3-D models and electronic files in PDF format and were very complimentary on the quality of the drawings received. All in all there were some 8975 drawings generated for this project. Continued on page 24
Don Oborowsky (left) and Ted Degner (right) of Waiward Steel attest to Peddinghaus performance.
The job was detailed in a span of 12 weeks with eighty percent of it being shop-issued within the first eight weeks. To make this happen, the conveyor geometry was laid out on a base model and then distributed to the team.
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THE POWER TO INNOVATE Continued from page 22 The fabricator for this project was Waiward Steel Fabricators Ltd. The StruCad system was able to provide Waiward with the CNC data that their machines need in order to finish fabrication. Waiward Steel Fabricators Ltd currently use Peddinghaus equipment for almost all their fabricating needs and have also used StruCad since 1997. As one can see StruCad was an undeniable asset to this project. With the use of StruCad, automatic drawings were produced accurately for both fabrication and seamless erection. The use of StruCad saved both time and money; and enabled all project team members to evaluate the model and collaborate efficiently. Without the use of StruCad significant time would have been wasted with needless editing and reporting.
Complex models are processed easily on Peddinghaus CNC equipment via state-of-the-art technology.
Article information provided by AceCad Software www.strucad.com or sales@ strucad.com.
CORPORATE HEAD OFFICE P.O. Box 38, 112 - 4 Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta Canada T2P 2V5 T: (403) 269-8100 F: (403) 269-6200 Email: info@ suncormail.com Website: www.suncor.com
M & D DRAFTING LTD. 3604-76 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T6B 2S8 CANADA Tel: 780-465-1520 Fax: 780-469-9178 Email: info@ mddrafting.com Website: www.mddrafting.com
ACECAD SOFTWARE INC. Whiteland Business Center 825 Springdale Drive Exton, PA 19341 Tel: 610-280-9840 Fax: 610-280-984 Email: sales@ strucad.com Web: www.strucad.com
Sustainability—Theme for the Future of Steel Construction
Challenges for our Industry:
As editor of the Steel Fabricators’ Review, I have enjoyed the opportunity to engage our industry colleagues in Europe and the USA on the current “state of the industry”. One fact remains common–sustainability of structural steel will play a dominant theme within the coming years.
• Labor
UK and North American Fabricators Agree
• Green
It is becoming increasingly evident that more structural fabricators (steelwork contractors) are becoming more pro active in spreading the message that steel is the best construction choice. It is especially the preferred building framing material when considering the growing challenge of meeting the emerging global sustainability challenges. The world is becoming smaller, and environmentally sound building practices will become more prevalent. Carbon footprint will become a common term for all industry participants.
WAIWARD STEEL FABRICATORS LTD. Suncor Site Operations Manager Andy Abriotti Tel: 780-792-3628 Email: andy.abriotti@ Waiward.com
is still a major issue. When the construction industry ranks 247 out of 250 in job safety (ahead of rodeo clowns and crab fisherman), it is evident that a task lies ahead. But there are answers –tapping into new employee sources, and utilizing industry advancements–such as modern machine tools that are efficient and minimize labor. designs are here to stay! An upcoming symposium in Washington, DC this December will provide a glimpse of the future today. As noted, carbon footprinting will become a common term– the future looks green to all of us!
• The
challenge of concrete construction remains steadfast and dedicated. They are also exploring new technologies to minimize the “green effect” of concrete buildings. This competition will remain involved for the foreseeable future.
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Design Data
USERS GROUP CONFERENCE Design Data hosted its 2007 Users Group Conference August 22–24 in Lincoln, Nebraska. The annual Users Group Conference is a three-day event at which SDS/2 users attend learning sessions that range from general topics, such as tips and tricks, to higher level classes, like parametric programming. During the conference, SDS/2 users have the opportunity to communicate directly with Design Data employees, from sales and support to engineers and programmers. This meeting gives users a chance to meet each other and share their tricks of the trade as well as have an impact on the future development of SDS/2.
Doug Evans and Barry Butler of Design Data discuss SDS/2’s new version 7.1 with Mark Selvaggio of Selvaggio Steel.
Design Data customers discuss SDS/2 before the session begins.
Design Data President, Jim Dager addresses the crowd to present the Connector Club Award to Mark Selvaggio.
The Users Group Conference includes more than just learning sessions. Each year, Design Data holds the Solid Steel Competition, which recognizes companies that utilize SDS/2 in challenging projects. Users are invited to attend the annual Users Group Banquet as well, where Design Data inducts one member of its user base to the Connector Club each year, to thank them for their contribution to SDS/2, Design Data and the steel industry.
The Users Group Banquet dinner was held this year at the Strategic Air & Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska. The museum houses all types of aircraft from a MiG-21F to a B-52 Bomber. Though the aircraft collection was impressive, at least a few detailers were spotted inspecting the heavy truss work that held up the hangar's roof. At the banquet, the 2007 Connectors Club Award was presented to Mark Selvaggio of Selvaggio Steel in Springfield, Illinois. The Connector Award recognizes individuals within the SDS/2 Users Group who are dedicated and committed to the development of SDS/2.
This year’s meeting saw record attendance, with over 200 SDS/2 Users attending the Users Group Conference. Things kicked off on Wednesday afternoon with a new event, the Live Forum. The new Live Forum gave users an opportunity to directly address questions to a panel made up of SDS/2 Users and Design Data employees. The rest of the week was filled by learning sessions that covered a variety of topics from new items in SDS/2 v. 7.1 to holding a User Roundtable. Each year Design Data holds a Solid Steel Competition to recognize the outstanding work of SDS/2 Users. Thursday afternoon, Design Data announced the award winning projects and companies. The Best of Show winner was GENIFAB for their RDU International Airport–Terminal C project in Morrisville, NC. The Commercial Grand Prize was awarded to Quadrant Services, Inc. for their Dos Lagos Outdoor Mall project in Corona, CA. The Industrial Grand Prize was awarded to Innovative Steel Detailing for their Alcoa Warrick Operations Absorber Building project in Newburgh, IN. Design Data congratulates these companies for their award-winning entries.
The 2007 SDS/2 Users Group Conference was a great success and continues to play a vital role in the future development and direction of SDS/2. The atmosphere and of collaboration between SDS/2 users and the Design Data development team continues to push SDS/2 in the right direction. Design Data looks forward to seeing even more customers return for next year’s meeting.
Above: Users Group attendees explore the Strategic Air & Space Museum before the Users Group Banquet gets underway. Left: Design Data Users Group attendees enter the Strategic Air & Space Museum for the Users Group Banquet.
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TEKLA NORTH AMERICA USER MEETING Tekla’s 2007 North American User Meeting was held at the wonderful Marriott Waterfront located in the heart of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Peddinghaus had a direct involvement by sponsoring and presenting there. Peddinghaus proved a valuable resource for the industry attendees by providing an abundance of foresight with respect to steel fabrication in years to come. Attendees were asked what they thought of the role Peddinghaus played in the Tekla User Meeting and the information presented there. Some of their responses are shared here. “Very important, because I’m sure many of us are involved with CNC or other aspects of advanced fabrication. Also, new business applications to come (BIM).” “We thought they were informative and appreciate their time and effort for the sponsorship!!!” “Peddinghaus put together a very good presentation” “Keeps us up to date on the latest equipment and/or software for their field of expertise” “Our company has been associated with Peddinghaus for many years so it was nice to see how far they’ve come”
The Tekla North America User Meeting was a success! The 230 Tekla Users in attendance was double the amount of that from just two years ago when 112 Users showed up in Chicago. Tekla also increased their numbers by 26% over the Vegas User Meeting. In total, the marketing team hosted 299 people. These attendees represented 9 different countries and over 30 states. The state most represented was nearby Pennsylvania with 25 followed by Texas with 16 and California and Maryland both with 11. The morning started with a welcome by Hans Ehrnrooth, President of Tekla, Inc. followed by the keynote speaker, Kristin Fallon, FAIA, whose presentation focused on her involvement as the chair of the American Institute of Architects–Technology in Architectural Practice Advisory Group. Attendees gained an understanding of the effort going into the National BIM Standard as well as sound strategies to participate in model-exchange based projects. After the opening session, attendees formed smaller groups focused on their interest in Breakout Sessions. The Steel Detailers and Fabricators had a choice of attending several
Kirk Kempen (Software Manager); Istok Budic (Tekla Software Specialist); and Steve Farrow (Vice President) all from Peddinghaus addressed the Tekla Conference attendees.
VOLUME 24 STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW Washington and Grove Street Bradley, IL 60915
Steve Farrow, Peddinghaus Vice President different sessions throughout the two day event including the Tekla Development Roadmap, Filters and General Arrangement Drawings, Modeling for Miscellaneous Steel, Drawings for Miscellaneous Steel as well as General Sessions in Integrated Project Delivery and Extended Tools and .NET Development. A full course meal was served for lunch and was sponsored by Peddinghaus Corporation. Steve Farrow, Peddinghaus Vice President, commented on the thriving North American market for structural steel. Additionally he reviewed some of the latest technological innovations from Peddinghaus. Also attending were Mr. Kirk Kempen, Software Manager and Mr. Istok Budic, Peddinghaus Tekla Software Specialist. Saturday was filled with more Breakout Sessions and a wrap-up General Session. During the Wrap-Up session the winners of the User Meeting Model Competition were announced: Dowco Consultants for the Tulsa Regional Convention and Events Center and M3 Engineering & Technology Corporation for the Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory.
NEWS FOR THE STRUCTURAL STEEL & PLATE FABRICATOR
www.peddinghaus.com PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
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