Peddinghaus Steel Fabricators' Review Spring 2008

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

MANUFACTURAS METALICAS AJAX, INC

GEORGE STEEL FABRICATING, INC.

Rising to New Heights in Latin America

Building Powerful Fabrication Team

By Connecting All The Parts George Steel Fabricating Inc. is located in Lebanon, Ohio, not too far from Columbus—home of the Ohio State Buckeyes (alma mater of CEO John George).

As every collegiate football fan knows, Ohio State is synonymous with a consistent winning football tradition. Their program became very successful playing “POWER FOOTBALL” where you consistently use strength, technique, and speed to succeed.

(L-R) Ms. Angeles Martin Rodriguez, Mr. Jorge Martin Sebastia and Mr. Jorge Martin Rodriguez of Manufacturas Metalicas Ajax, Inc.

See full story on page 4

To be considered a pioneer in any venture is a great testimony to determination, attitude, and an inexhaustible work ethic. The employees and management of Manufacturas Metalicas Ajax set the pace and then continually raised the bar for supplying fabricated structural steel in Latin America. Mr. Jorge Martin Sebastia, General Director, is joined in the management of the firm by his son, Mr. Jorge Martin Rodriguez, General Manager and daughter Ms. Angeles Martin Rodriguez, Purchasing Manager.

Nucor-Yamato To Introduce “Supersized” Beam For Long Spans The deepest sections of hot rolled wide flange beams manufactured in the Western Hemisphere are expected to be introduced in the coming months.

Nucor-Yamato Steel Co. is conducting mill trials in 44-inch deep sections. The deepest sections currently available are Nucor-Yamato’s Steel W40x431 sections.

See full story on page 18

See full story on page 24

WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE?

IN THIS ISSUE George Steel Fabricating, Inc. Building a Powerful Fabrication Team by Connecting All The Parts

Global structural fabricators who engage in plate fabrication share their views in a roundtable discussion beginning on page 6.

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What’s On Your Plate A Global Roundtable

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(L-R) Mr. John George, CEO and Mr. Kevin Nickell, V.P. Production of George Steel.

Yet Another Winning Project

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AceCad Software and Peddinghaus

Nucor-Yamato Introducing a “Supersized” Beam

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Getting To Know…

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Jim Magnuson, Vice President of Peddinghaus Engineering

Tekla Structures Getting It Done Faster and With More Accuracy

Manufacturas Metalicas Ajax Inc. 24 Rising to New Heights in Latin America

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Design Data

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Driving the Fabrication Process

Northern WeldArc Ltd.

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STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

SPRING 2008

The STEEL FAB REVIEW welcomes you to AISC: Industry Mobilizing to Promote Steel Construction Essentially, the AISC mission is to increase the market share of structural steel— now the AISC is asking the industry to assist in their mission on a much broader scale.

Talk Up Structural Steel for Buildings Lyle Menke

Take One for the TEAM! I’m sure most of you have heard that expression. Whether in an athletic or business competition, you may be called on to sacrifice something for the “greater good”. Did you ever think of taking one for the Steel Construction team? Yes, OUR industry–the same one that supports your company (and your family)–appreciates your help and mine.

The AISC is instituting an Industry Mobilization effort for every participant in the steel construction industry. It’s quite simple, really. Everyone in our industry, whether we are structural engineers, fabricators, architects, software firms, service centers, steel mills, bolt people, machine tool guys, paint companies–or any industry participant–needs to look at the BIG PICTURE!

Talk it up! No matter your profession, when you engage developers, contractors, owners, really anyone considering a construction project—TALK STEEL! When a construction project chooses structural steel, everyone in our industry benefits; don't just leave the promotion task to the AISC.

Steel is the SAFE Construction Choice What Every Building Professional Wants: Reduced Risk—Controlled Costs—Sensitivity to the Environment Building with structural steel is the obvious and SAFE decision

S USTAINABLE: A VAILABLE: F AST: E CONOMICAL:

the most recycled material on the planet huge national inventory means short lead times and lower exposure to risk to fabricate and erect resulting in reduced schedules and early revenue return to install and maintain resulting in an improved bottom line

Remember that Steel is the LEEDer for “green” construction and building projects, as we are the original recycler.

How Do I Get Mobilized?

Here are a couple of simple ways to learn more about construction projects in your particular area: • Join your local chamber of commerce. Not only will you make new friends and find a new social outlet, but you'll also get first-hand knowledge of what's being planned in your community.

• Subscribe to your local newspaper. Check out the business section for information on land zoning, upcoming projects, and ongoing development. They usually provide the name of the developer, architect, etc.

A new website www.whysteel.org will be up and running in a couple of weeks. This will serve as a great educational and promotional tool for our industry.

The NASCC is the perfect venue for kicking off this new AISC project. Chris Moor, the AISC Director of Industry Mobilization would be pleased to discuss with you. Contact Chris at moor@aisc.org or telephone 813-472-9264.

Let’s work together to promote steel construction and mobilize our industry to greater heights…

Continued on page 14

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FROM THE CEO Spring is in the air!

As I write this, the temperature is just below freezing and the weatherman is predicting snow. But rest assured, this rugged winter will soon be over so we can all enjoy some beautiful warm weather. Here in the Midwest we can always look forward to Mother Nature working her magic by converting snow and ice into green grass and flowers.

Anton Peddinghaus

Spring to me always means one thing—the annual North American Steel Construction Conference (NASCC) sponsored by the AISC. I offer my congratulations to Katey Preston, Scott Melnick, and the entire AISC organization for their fantastic job in preparing each conference.

“In Nashville, you never know who will turn up at the Wildhorse Saloon” I am looking forward to seeing all our industry friends and partners at the NASCC in Nashville.

I wish to thank each of you for your contributions to our success this past year. As previously stated, we have just completed our best year ever, and we can only thank and acknowledge our wonderful customers and industry friends for placing their trust and confidence in Peddinghaus Corporation’s products and people.

As a small gesture of thanks, we are hosting a special thank-you dinner on Wednesday evening, April 2, at the landmark Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville.

The evening will be complete with great food, Nashville-style music, and a big surprise! As the locals say, “You never know who will turn up at the Wildhorse!”

The venue can only accommodate a limited number of guests, so please contact your Peddinghaus Distributor or Regional Sales Manager. You can also send an e-mail to tami-day@peddinghaus.com for your VIP pass.

We look forward to seeing you there.

What’s the Real Challenge for our Industry?

In the past twelve months, I have had the opportunity to visit steel fabricators on almost every continent on the earth. Everyone has told me about how “crazy busy” they have been this past year with many new and exciting projects of which they are especially proud. Some of these structures are truly remarkable in their scope and design. It is a great tribute to our industry for creating such magnificent skylines in today’s world.

During my discussions with fabricators, it seems that the most often discussed problem is the lack of skilled labor. For example, in Dubai, UAE, many of their construction workers are from India and Pakistan, but more and more workers are returning home due to improving economic conditions in those countries.

Similarly, last year upon visiting a fabricator in Ireland, I observed shop signs in the Polish language. Those signs are steadily disappearing, as the Polish workers are also returning to Poland.

You Will Never Make a Machine to Replace People Warning! Some people in our industry want to make machines to replace people! It is their thinking that systems can be integrated to

perform fabrication functions like lay-out and automated welding. You should avoid purchasing a product based solely on theoretical operation; it may sound interesting from a sales presentation, but the simple truth is that this method of fabrication can be slow, tedious, and unproductive overall. For many fabrication shops, a dozen of these types of machines would be needed in order to maintain daily normal production.

The simple truth is this: steel construction neither encourages nor designs “cookie cutter” structures; that’s for our competitors in concrete. Structural steel construction throughout the world requires distinctive designs with unique Open the doors to youth, like connections. More importantly, it requires these eager youngsters who visited Peddinghaus recently. special welding to particular sections. There is little repetition in today’s sophisticated architectural designs.

Don’t get me wrong though, because Peddinghaus believes strongly in engineering, research, and development (our staff has more than doubled in the past couple of years). We have always been the leader and pace-setter in new technology that not only works for your toughest job, but makes you profitable as well.

But the fact remains the same: the human factor simply can’t be eliminated from our industry.

Humans are equipped with the brainpower to perform complex tasks that machines will never be able to do on their own.

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STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

SPRING 2008

GEORGE STEEL FABRICATING, INC.

Building A Powerful Fabrication Team

By Connecting All The Parts There is a great similarity between Ohio State’s winning, power-oriented football team and George Steel Fabricating, Inc. George Steel is a fifty four year old structural fabrication firm that has been a consistent winning performer on their own playing field— the Midwest structural market.

Their game plan includes performing in many varied markets including office buildings, warehouses, retail, manufacturing facilities, and public buildings such as schools and churches.

Lately, George Steel has increased the level of competition to include larger multi-story buildings with heavy fabricated columns that include many complex connections. They have added a lot of “power” to their fabrication methods and practices—and this power philosophy is paying off for them.

Two Brothers…Succeeded by Two Brothers George Steel Fabricating, Inc. traces its beginnings to two brothers operating a Marathon gas station and a farm implement sales and repair company, out of a small building in Lebanon, Ohio in 1954. Robert and Harold George specialized in selling and repairing farm implements in, what was then, a very rural farming community.

In 1960, the brothers split their company into two parts—a welding shop and a machine shop.

By 1964, their focus was solely on operating a repair and light fabrication metal shop. The company continued to serve the area until 1977 when John George joined the firm fulltime as Vice President. This gave George Steel the chance to diversify into more production and sales opportunities using their steel and metal experience.

In 1985, John’s older brother, Dan, joined the company. He brought with him a Welding Engineering Degree from Ohio State, which— complemented and improved the company’s current line of business.

Flexibility Serves George Steel George Steel’s business continued to grow with the production of light poles being a major source of work. At this time, they began to broaden their efforts with a goal of entering the structural steel business. It was thought that this would be an excellent opportunity to complement their repair and light fabrication.

This calculated move would soon become a major part of their success in the future.

“We started to focus more on structural fabrication,” says CEO, John George, “It was a prudent decision at the time—as the light pole business evaporated.

George Steel purchased their first Peddinghaus machine in 1990—a Peddimax 88/120 ironworker. It was used for detail work, along with a couple of Peddinghaus hydraulic portable punches.

The first Peddinghaus CNC machine purchase was an AFPS 623 Anglemaster in 1997.

“It opened our eyes to automation,” says Kevin Nickell, V.P. Production, “We saw the potential automation could give us.”

Taking a Tour Which Opens Your Eyes John George chose to participate in a Peddinghaus tour of the UK and Ireland. It was during this tour that John observed fabrication practices there, and saw how he could apply some of those principals to his firm.

“One operator does it all—load outdoors, process and unload. I didn’t know if we could keep such a big machine busy, but we did... with NEW business!”

“I was amazed to see the emphasis placed on material handling, and using effective lift and carry transfer and roller conveyors to eliminate crane handling. It opened my eyes to the costs associated with moving a beam.”

-John George, CEO

George invested in Peddinghaus equipment as the company grew: • 2000 Peddinghaus multi-spindle drill and saw line • 2007 a second Peddinghaus multi-spindle drill and saw line • 2007 a complete lift and carry/conveyor material handling system • 2007 an FPDB 1800 Plate Processing System (The Powerhaus)

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Can you elaborate how the Peddinghaus system has enabled you to increase overall productivity?

NICKELL: “When the fitter gets the beam, it is already cut and drilled, with all detail plate and angle connections ready for bolting.”

We were able to promote a person from processing small detail parts to layout due to the efficiency of our FPDB 1800 plate machine.”

BAUSMITH: “We have used our system to handle material more efficiently, and we now have the capability of having the detail pieces when we need them. We use the drill line to mark location for fit up, reducing our layout time even more.”

An effective material handling system, observed on a Peddinghaus tour, gives us efficiency to fabricate many sections in one day.

GRAHAM: “The Peddinghaus FPDB has eliminated hand burning, hand layout, and hand drilling on heavier and complicated plate components.”

It All Adds UP for John George, CEO In his career, John has been “hands-on” and has worked in every department or position within the shop. Additionally, he holds an accounting degree from Ohio State. When John reviews an investment he takes a critical accountant’s eye to the bottom line: “In two years, we have DOUBLED our tonnage, reduced man hours per ton by 50%, created new markets, and improved our bottom line profitability—with the Peddinghaus equipment and software technology.”

The Peddinghaus drill and plate investment enabled us to accurately fabricate heavy columns—which took us into an entirely new, profitable market.

“It doesn’t get much better than that.”

What is the Future of Fabrication?

Similarly, George invested in new software technologies as well—FabTrol Production Software and Tekla detailing software.

BAUSMITH: “We needed to increase our production to continue to grow and the Peddinghaus system was a perfect fit.”

Listening in on a Team Meeting

GRAHAM: “Efficiency, Accuracy, having control of material availability when needed, especially if there are design changes or quick fixes that occur.”

Sitting with the George Steel management staff, lends itself well to the spirit of unity and teamwork that prevails at this firm. They give their unique perspective, from their particular point of view, as they tell it in their own words: John George, CEO Kevin Nickell, V.P. Production Tom Bausmith, V.P. Operations Jim Graham, Project Manager

What was the justification for purchasing the complete Peddinghaus Processing system?

GEORGE: “Accuracy, increased production, less dependence on suppliers.”

NICKELL: “Being able to start cutting on the job the same day we get drawings.”

How has technology helped George Steel Fabricating?

GEORGE: “We process quicker and faster with increased accuracy—and that sells steel.”

NICKELL: “We fabricate much more tonnage with a lot less handling; the CNC files provide all the data for each piece as it goes through the shop.

BAUSMITH: “Technology has helped tremendously. The lead time from shop drawings to production has decreased substantially. Also, the quality and accuracy of the parts have improved”.

GRAHAM: “Technology has greatly increased shop efficiency, accuracy, and our overall capabilities”.

“In the post 9/11 and seismic world we now live in, all structures are going to be bigger and stronger—our Peddinghaus investment assures us of having the capability for processing the truly “big jobs” that are out there.”

NICKELL: “Our Partnership with Peddinghaus has enabled us to become more efficient as we head into the future of steel production”.

The Peddinghaus equipment, especially the new FPDB 1800, The Powerhaus, lend themselves well to the production capability of George Steel. They follow the same tenets of a successful football program—solid team members, new technology, good practices, and a “POWERHAUS” ground game.

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STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

FROM THE CEO SPRING IS IN THE AIR!

SPRING 2008

WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE?

Continued from page 2

Working in Steel Construction is Pretty Cool At Peddinghaus, our average shop employees can make a very good living for their family. New college graduates don’t achieve this pay level for many years. How can we offer these young people the chance to start earning a living in our rewarding, innovative field?

The editorial staff of the STEEL FABRICATORS' REVIEW polled global structural fabricators who engage in plate fabrication for their opinions on the present state and future projections of the plate market.

Both large and small

The Peddinghaus

fabricators were

customers interviewed

asked plate fabrication

are industry professionals

Just like the AISC says, we need to “Mobilize the Industry”! Open your doors to young people! Invite them into your shop for regular tours.

Tell them about welding. Show them about the computers on the machines and what it is like to be a part of “making a monument,” which is what steel construction is all about. We are building edifices that will long outlive each of us, and we create skylines for future generations to enjoy.

This is a dynamic and rapidly-growing industry, so it is essential that we spread the word!

questions relevant to their

just like you—and the

day-to-day operations and

Peddinghaus machine

weighed in with their

production rates are

industry expertise. As you

accurate. Simply put,

will see, they provided

these are “real world”

invaluable insight in

questions generating

The recent popularity of reality shows on cable channels like Discovery, History, and TLC shows the impact on young people in career selections.

We need to find a way to add steel construction to that selection list.

Keep in mind that welders can also be artists; let’s keep the art of steel construction at the top of our industry.

regard to plate machines:

responses based on actual results. We think you will

• Today’s Demanding Requirements

find this information interesting and useful,

• Accuracy

especially when you find

Keep The Industry Glass “Half Full”

• Quality

yourself facing a similar

Think spring! See you in Nashville at the show! You have read it here before, but I will say it again: always think and talk positively about our industry— remember that the glass is always half full!

• Labor Savings

bridge to cross.

• Return On Investment

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A GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE RKO Steel, Inc. 85 MacDonald Avenue Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B3B 1Z8 Canada Tel 902-468-1322 Mr. Arnold McIntyre, Operations Manager

RKO Steel is a premier fabricator in the Atlantic region of Canada, and processes over 10,000 tons of steel annually. They engage in commercial and industrial work—ranging from healthcare and schools to manufacturing and energy production. They perform all of their own erection, which leads us to a main point for them.

REDUCE MATERIAL HANDLING Peddinghaus FPB and FDB series steel plate fabrication machines can drastically reduce your material handling costs which is one of the most expensive tasks associated with any steel fabrication process. The steel plate needs only to be loaded on one machine to do your punching/drilling and plate cutting. The FPB and FDB series steel plate fabrication machines automatically unloads the parts from the machine allowing you to continue cutting more parts. Most typical burn tables have to stop and manually remove these parts. The best part of the loading process is that you can use a fork lift to load while most other steel plate fabrication machines may require use of your overhead crane further increasing your material handling and safety costs.

Save precious floor space with outdoor loading and an efficient machine installation—only available without using carriage, wagons or grip type conveyance devices.

(Requirements) “Plate connections for steel construction are bigger and thicker than ever before—thus plate handling is important as well. We only want to move it one time.

(Accuracy) “Most important is the high degree of accuracy that the Peddinghaus plate processor gives us. We have seen a significant increase in the number of X Braces or Knee Braces, and these gusset plates.

Conservatively, we have saved over 15% in site erection costs because everything fits properly.

(Quality) “The overall quality of our plate production is much improved. As we never monitored plate costs in the “old days”, I don’t have a barometer to gauge how much we have saved in plate inventory costs, but we feel it is substantial.

(Labor Saving) “We operate on two eight hour shifts weekly; conservatively, we have saved the labor costs of 3 1/2 men with the purchase of the Peddinghaus.

(Return) “I would say that the Peddinghaus plate machine paid for itself in many ways—but probably in about 24 months.

Dream Machine: At RKO, we refer to the Peddinghaus FDB 2500 has the “Dream Machine”. It is accurate, rugged, and runs consistently—a great investment for our shop.

Schuff Steel 420 South 19th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85009 Tel 602-417-8824 Mr. Rick Vogt, Plant Manager

Widely acclaimed as a leader in the global steel construction industry, Schuff Steel operates multiple fabrication shop facilities throughout North America. Dedicated to technology and providing some of the world's largest, most difficult steel projects, Schuff's reputation in the industry is unparalleled. Among their many accomplishments are major hotel/casino projects in Las Vegas, the University of Phoenix stadium (home of Super Bowl XLI), and similar high profile projects.

(Requirements) “We do a lot of seismic work on the West Coast; naturally all the plate work is getting heavier and thicker. What used to be 1/2" is now 5/8" or up to 3/4", and we are seeing more heavy stuff called out by architects and detailers all over the country.

Buildings all over the world are getting bigger and stronger. We also see a lot more brace connections that require accurate splice plate.”

Continued on page 8

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WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE? Continued from page 7

(Accuracy) “Perfect Accuracy for all plate thicknesses—even the heavy stuff; here’s an example: “We ran a huge truss job that had seven trusses, measuring 280 ft long, 28 ft deep, and weighed an average of 240 tons each. There were literally thousands of holes. We had to bolt together in the shop, tear it down, and re-assemble at the job site—no holes were reamed—every bolt fit perfectly!

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

SPRING 2008

TRUE 1 PASS PROCESSING The Peddinghaus plate machine comes standard with this unique machine design which saves you the hidden labor, inventory, and material handling costs.

On the Peddinghaus Plate lines cutting, measuring, part marking, part drilling, and part punching are done in one continuous flow.

Carriage, wagons or grip type devices require intense operator interaction—from properly loading to freeing parts/grip devices. Note the skeletal remains.

(Quality) “Our Peddinghaus FDB Plate machine is “Invincible”—we have not had any problems at all—only a couple of minor items that were easily addressed by our staff. (P.S. our new PCD drill is FANTASTIC!)” (Labor Saving) “We run multiple shifts at our location, and conservatively, I can say that we have easily saved the labor of four (4) men in our plate fabrication shop. The FDB machine is that efficient.”

(Return) This Peddinghaus machine has seen a lot of multiple shift work since we installed it, payback is about 18 months. Vintage FPB 1500 runs 20 hours/day for years. Schuff has a facility in nearby Gilbert, AZ, and they have operated a Peddinghaus FPB 1500 for over ten years running 20 hours a day. It just runs and produces parts. Awesome!

Markle Manufacturing Company 10619 I.H. 35 North San Antonio, TX 78233 Tel 210-655-7130 Mr. Sigfried Friese, President

Markle Manufacturing Company is well known in the Southwest for its precise and timely delivered structural fabrication work. Many larger fabricators, such as Central Texas Iron Works, perform joint contracts with Markle for their quality craftsmanship and software technology. With 45 shop employees, Markle currently fabricates about 11,000 tons annually.

Markle produces structural work for the petro-chemical and energy/power markets in the Southwest. However, they are proficient in the commercial building market as well.

(Requirements) “With the type of work that we do in the Southwest (petro-chemical and energy) we see a lot of plate work. It is typically 1/2" and up, but we have processed down to 1/4" and as thick as 2".

The pattern for the future, though, seems to be heavier plate connections. We estimate that about 20% of our total tonnage is plate fabrication.

(Accuracy) We did things the “old way” we always experienced some type of fit up issue that required more labor or time to correct. But the new FDB 1500 has changed all of that—it is very accurate and efficient.

(Quality) The accuracy and quality of the Peddinghaus machines has increased the quality of our fabrication work. Our Peddinghaus investment has made us a good source for other fabricators seeking assistance on contracts. We can exchange drawings because of common software and equipment hardware. The Peddinghaus is a great sales tool for us.

(Labor Saving) “Before the Peddinghaus FDB 1500, we processed our plate on a burn table and laid out the holes, and punched or radial drilled by hand. Four years ago, we bought a Peddinghaus Fabripunch F1170, which worked well creating all the holes in the exact location, which speeded the process.

But I can tell you this, the new Peddinghaus FDB 1500 is at least 50% faster than the older methods we tried. The productivity is truly remarkable.

Conservatively, we have saved the labor of 3–4 skilled people.”

(Return) “The FDB 1500 paid for itself in about 14 months. It has been a great investment.

Humongous! I can’t think of a better word to describe the labor saving with the Peddinghaus machine.

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COMMON CUT LINE— ELIMINATE YOUR SKELETON SCRAP NIGHTMARE Dealing with large scrap remnants can be a nightmare. Especially when you consider your cost to purchase each stock plate, unusable remnants generated by the skeleton design which ends up in the scrap hopper and the labor/crane handling costs to manually remove from the machine.

Schuff Steel Company 5055 Ken Morey Drive Bellemont, AZ 86015 Tel 928-773-1200 Mr. Pat Denbo, Plant Manager

COMMON CUT LINE SAVES TIME Programming with a thermal common cut line means continuous processing with one single torch operation—via plasma or oxy-fuel. The parts are continually cut, the table drops and parts fall into your container—ready for the next operation. It’s fast, efficient and the BEST method for producing plate components. No more heavy skeletons that create scrap and are hard to dispose of.

(Requirements) “At Schuff, we do many large, complex fabrication projects. Many have earthquake or seismic designs, so naturally we are seeing much bigger and thicker plate connections than in the past 3 or 4 years.

Everything seems to be 1/4" to 1/2" thicker, so we routinely see 1", 2", 3"+ connections routinely.”

(Accuracy) We see a lot of knee and brace connections that are thicker, but require exact hole placement—when you are in the field at the job site, the erectors can’t afford to ream holes. Erection back charges are the worst thing that can happen to a fabricator.

(Quality) The Peddinghaus FDB 2500 plate machine has totally exceeded my expectation level. It is a solid design that is 100% dependable. It brings consistency to our plate fittings area—we have confidence that every plate is 100%.

(Labor Saving) “We run the Peddinghaus plate machine 2 shifts daily; conservatively, we save the labor of 4 men.

They are now free to do other, more profitable work for us like welding.”

Continued on page 10

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WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE? Continued from page 9

(Return) We installed the FDB 2500 ten months ago, I don’t have an accurate calculation, but I would estimate that payback on the machine is about 16 months, based on our current levels.

“Dependability and Service” If I can describe the Peddinghaus equipment in two words, it is Dependability and Service.

The machines run consistently, and I know the Peddinghaus commitment to customer service.

Apex Structures Ltd. Kings Close Charsfleet Industrial Estate Canvey Island, Essex SS8 OQZ U.K. Tel (44) (0) 126 866 0820 Mr. Scott Jarvis, Managing Director

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

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REDUCE COST FOR PRODUCING PARTS Accurate and dependable, Peddinghaus plate machines yield consistent parts, reduce material handling costs by loading or removing scraps, save time, run for hours on end and are nearly independent of operator involvement once programmed.

38 HP HIGH SPEED CARBIDE SPINDLE The Peddinghaus Powerhaus Plate lines come standard with a 38 horse power motor. This high speed carbide capable drill allows the Peddinghaus Plate machines to surpass your every expectation.

INTEGRATED CARBIDE MARKING The integrated Signoscript carbide marking system provides legible part identification to any height or depth. Automated in the DSTV and DXF import process mark your parts quickly and easily.

This automated marking process eliminates those handwritten headaches.

POWER OF PLASMA This Peddinghaus Plate Machine comes power packed with a powerful Plasma unit delivering high speed, accurate contoured cuts.

Equipped with a high speed HPR 260 Plasma Unit the Peddinghaus Plate Lines offer exceptional speed and accuracy.

EXTREME PUNCHING POWER The proven triple tool assembly accelerates parts production...adding to your bottom line.

Apex Steel Structures specializes in the design, fabrication and erection of structural steelwork, with core expertise in complex projects such as structural steel façade support systems. The company prides itself in its ability to innovate through an in-depth understanding of clients’ requirements. Apex Steel Structures is located in Canvey Island, Essex serving the South East, Home Counties and Greater London.

Capable of punching round, square or slotted holes, this inline Punch saves countless material handling steps by punching your material at the same time it is cut and marked.

OXY-ACETYLENE FUEL CUTTING TORCH The automated Oxy-Acetylene fuel cutting torch delivers unparalleled speed and proven CNC accuracy even on heavy plate up to 3" thick.

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HIGHER “ARC ON” PERCENTAGE What exactly does this mean? Arc on percentage is a factor of how long you spend burning (adding value to the part) on your steel plate fabrication machinery compared to all other tasks associated with creating your steel plate parts. Because of the drastic reduction in material handling, Peddinghaus FPB and FDB series steel plate fabrication machines can almost double your ARC on percentage time. This means you are still burning parts while most of those with typical burn tables are spending their time removing scrap, removing the skeleton, laying out and punching/drilling holes.

(Return) “Our Peddinghaus plate machine is about 6 months old, so it is a bit hard to calculate, but based on early analysis of our costs, we anticipate a very fast payback: perhaps 12–20 months.”

High Performance: The Peddinghaus FDB plate machine is 50% faster than other methods, and consistently delivers a quality plate fitting for Apex. The nesting software, dropping multiple parts simultaneously, is a key advantage for our application.

Eversendai Engineering L.L.C. Al Qusais Industrial Area #1 P.O. Box 29537 Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Tel (971) 4 267 3738 Mr. R. Damodharan, Operations Manager

CHAIN CUTTING Peddinghaus FPB and FDB series steel plate fabrication machines can maximize consumable life by using continuous plasma cutting. This may look like only a small savings until you realize how often you replace consumables, how long it takes your machine down and how much it is actually costing you in manual labor.

(Requirements) “In the U.K., as a general rule, all plate fittings and connections are generally stronger and more robust with heavier plate being fabricated.

This is an industry pattern that we see now from detailers and new architectural designs.”

(Accuracy) “The accuracy of the Peddinghaus plate machine is fantastic! When you couple our FDB 1500 machine with our BDL 1250 beam drill line, we have an excellent “hole producing” tandem that is always within tolerance. Accuracy counts at the job site, and that is where we excel.”

(Quality) “The design of the FDB 1500 is superb—robust and strong. We especially like the quickness of the high speed drilling, the productivity of the drop table, and the efficiency of the nesting software.”

(Labor Saving) “We previously purchased our plates from an outside vendor. The plates were always very expensive to purchase, delivery was questionable, and our shop production—and our profitability— were affected.

Eversendai Engineering was established in 1984 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as a Structural Steel Contractor. From a small engineering concern with only a handful of dedicated staff, Eversendai Engineering has grown to become a reputable, highly sought after international structural fabricator and erection organization with a large workforce of over 3000 around the world. With a reputation for impeccable quality and reliability, Eversendai’s dynamic and resourceful organization continues to be a powerhouse in the fast growing structural steel engineering sector.

Continued on page 12

A G LO B A L R O U N D TA B L E A GLOB AL ROUNDTABLE A G LO B A L R O U N D TA B L E A GLOB AL ROUNDTABLE A G LO B A L R O U N D TA B L E

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WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE? Continued from page 11

With their current fabrication facilities, Eversendai projects over 40,000 metric tons of fabricated structural steel in 2008.

Counting among their projects are the current world’s tallest building, the Burj Tower Dubai, the famous “sailing ship designed” Burj Al Arab 7 star hotel and the world’s largest indoor Ski Dome in Dubai, as well as Petronas Tower 2 in Malaysia. Eversendai is truly one of the world’s premier fabricators.

(Requirements) “For our projects In the Far East and Middle East, we definitely see thick plate. We do a lot of multistory work, and this requires many jumbo sections with heavy, strong splice plate connections. The heavy plate has to match the jumbo columns to meet the engineering requirements for the building.

(Accuracy) The fabrications that we provide are very complex and geometrically critical shapes. To meet the complexity of the design, simple connections cannot be used. We see many, many more complicated and intricate plate connections.

The Peddinghaus FPDB 2500 is the perfect machine for these complex connections. The software provides all the geometry for these contoured cuts and produces parts accurately on a continuous basis.

The FPDB 2500 at Eversendai Engineering averages 1,500 tons of plate per month (Quality) The machine is so big and strong that it has little difficulty. We have service locally here in the UAE, which is a big help to us.

(Return) “We Process 1500 tons of plate per month with the FPDB 2500. Payback is much less than two years for us.”

(Labor Saving) “Before we bought the Peddinghaus FPDB 2500, we would use up to 30 people with burning tables, mobile cutting torches, and magnetic drills. If we had a tight deadline, we would even send some to outside vendors to process. We do it all in house now with one operator for each shift.”

“The Heart of our Fabrication” “We are very much satisfied with the Peddinghaus FPDB 2500 CNC plate processor. We treat this machine in our shop as it truly is—The Heart of our Fabrication.

A GLO B A L RO U N DTA BLE A G LO B A L R O U N D TA B L E A GLOB AL ROUN DTABL E A G LO B A L R O U N D TA B L E A G LO B A L RO U N DTA B LE

APRIL 2–5, 2008 NASHVILLE CONVENTION CENTER NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

VISIT US IN BOOTH #101

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Yet Another Winning Project With AceCad Software and Peddinghaus!

The ever increasing population in cities has encouraged developers to look to less crowded suburbs for their next big projects. Developers are now looking for an alternative to city life that still offers all the same benefits.

All around the world contractors are starting to develop mini-cities in the suburbs surrounding large cities.

A prime example of this has occurred recently in Dublin, Ireland. Over the last five years Dublin has seen a tremendous amount of growth and expansion. Where once Dublin city was the place to congregate, overcrowding due to the number of jobs the city was producing has resulted in people becoming more hesitant to move into the centre due to the congestion.

Davy Hickey Properties, the developer for this innovative project, decided it would be a tremendous benefit to recreate the city atmosphere but on a smaller scale, by creating a shopping center right outside of Dublin's city center that would draw attention away from what is has been traditionally considered the major focal point of Dublin. The shopping center would consist of all the necessities that the surrounding communities would need and allow them the luxury of avoiding the crowds.

You might be thinking at this point, “Well is this just another shopping mall” but you would be wrong. In order to set itself apart from the everyday shopping malls that are often very unappealing, the Citywest Shopping Center’s design incorporates a curved canopy which both curves aesthetically around the structure and slopes upwards at the same time. The developers wanted to create a building that would be both visually appealing and draw people into the crescent.

This prestigious project was detailed and fabricated by Walter Watson Ltd who use AceCad Software’s world leading 3D structural steel detailing system, StruCad and their StruM.I.S .NET fabrication management system alongside fabrication machinery from Peddinghaus Corporation.

... under construction with steel from Walter Watson Ltd.

The complex construction details are reflected by the AceCad model.

Difficult connections are no problem for the Peddinghaus equipment.

Dublin’s new Citywest Shopping Center in concept...

Newly completed, the shopping center itself is a total of 150,695 square feet and is anchored by a 72,118 square foot supermarket/department store called Dunnes Stores. The remaining space contains 32 shops (fashion, sports, pharmacy, books, jewelry and a choice of restaurants), 8 offices and 600 parking spaces (350 below ground and 250 above). Since its opening in September 2007, the center has provided over 500 jobs to the local community and the area has seen considerable migration.

The Citywest project won high marks in the StruCad drawing competition.

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TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM! Continued from page 2

Economic Stimulus Package Includes Powerful Tax Incentives for Investment

Build Your Business—Take a Fab Shop Tour with Peddinghaus

The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, signed into law by President Bush on February 13, 2008 includes two significant business related tax incentives that may lower your cost of investing in your business.

What is better than traveling with old/new friends? Together you can enjoy local cuisine, visit natural wonders, exotic sites, AND learn how to improve your business along the way.

We travel by air, motor coach, motorcycle— even camels! Don’t listen to us, here’s what participants have to say:

No, Peddinghaus is not a travel agency, but we understand the value of building relationships that turn into business partnerships. That is why we sponsor educational tours of fabrication shops around the world. We have sponsored tours in various locations in the USA - from Maine to California. Also, we have sponsored over eight visits to Europe, and most recently a tour of the Middle East.

“I learned more new shop techniques and methods in seven days than I had in seven years.”

Increased expensing limits for small businesses and a 50% “bonus” depreciation provision will provide a benefit to businesses of all sizes. This generally applies to capital equipment purchased and placed in service during 2008, and is available to all companies, regardless of the size of investment.

Under this provision, companies are eligible for a “bonus” first year depreciation totaling 50 percent of the cost of the investment and can depreciate the remaining basis of the asset under the regular depreciation rules.

We urge you to speak with your tax advisor or CPA to review how this would affect your firm, but certainly, 2008 is a great time to invest in your future.

“The real value is comparing notes with other fabricators on how they attack similar problems.”

“I patterned my shop addition after picking up some tips overseas—what a great experience.”

“My wife and I have developed life-long friends as a result of your Peddinghaus tour—thanks for a great time.”

“Thanks to Peddinghaus, I developed new business contacts, and we are sharing a common job now—perfect.”

We are all in it together and for the long haul— a virtual family. So let’s work together, rely on each other and help each other reach our goals together!

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YET ANOTHER WINNING PROJECT WITH ACECAD Continued from page 13 Walter Watson Ltd was founded in 1967 in Dunmore, Ballynahinch. The growth of the company encouraged management to move to an 8 _ acre site and later become incorporated. Walter Watson Ltd has had 30 some odd years of diversification and expansion and now operates in structural fabrication; rebar services, stockholding and cranes and hoists.

Today Walter Watson Ltd operates from a 16 acre site which includes 132,170 square feet of covered manufacturing and storage facilities and a state-of-the-art purpose built 5,000 square foot administration block. Walter Watson Ltd is one of the leading structural steel fabricators in Ireland and incorporates continual investment in state-of-the-art fabrication technology coupled with an innovative approach, dedicated technical staff and an experienced workforce. Involved in many prestigious projects, Walter Watson’s have been responsible for fabricating airport facilities, schools, factories and office buildings.

The Citywest Shopping Centre project was recently highly commended in the AceCad Software International StruCad drawing competition. This EU 1,400,000 (approximately US$2,043,795) project consists of 610 tons of structural steelwork being principally beam, column, truss and curved member construction.

According to Senior Structural Detailer Mr. Michael Armstrong, StruCad was most beneficial in detailing the complex and critical curved steelwork, which was easily set up in the wireframe environment. This enabled the full size frames to be set up in the workshop with complete accuracy and confidence. StruCad's easily integrated CAM data files were used in conjunction with the StruCad freeware, StruWalker, being particularly useful across the project.

Through the combined help of AceCad Software and with Peddinghaus machinery this project was completed on time and with outstanding results.

The new center is generating more interest in the surrounding communities and it is anticipated that more projects like this will be commissioned around the world.

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Nucor-Yamato To Introduce A “Supersized” Beam If the latest mill trials are successful, production on W44 sections will be available within the next few months. Future production is expected to introduce W44x230, W44x262, W44x290 and W44x335 sections.

This could greatly shorten lead times for these products, which until now have had to be imported.

These beams are of particular interest to the highway bridge market for use as “stringers” (primary bridge beams), horizontal load carrying members that carry the bridge deck and roadway surface.

Deeper rolled beams, such as the W40 sections, have been getting increasing use in bridges, particularly in the Midwest. Some highway departments, such as the Kansas Department of Transportation, have used Nucor-Yamato Steel deep rolled beams since the mid-1990s.

Many others are just now beginning to take notice of the benefits.

The new W44 “Supersized” Beam will provide quick solutions for long span bridges such as this one in the Colorado Rockies.

Using these deep rolled beam sections provides simple and continuous span bridge solutions, eliminating the need for the type of fabrication that would normally be required for welding plate girders. The use of deep rolled beams for bridges could be competitive with alternative materials in terms of cost and schedule—and could provide the benefits of accelerated bridge construction.

Companies such as Roscoe Bridge that specialize in modular steel bridge construction have been using deep rolled beams in the construction of their pre-engineered & pre-fabricated steel bridges. The deep rolled beams provide advantages of accelerated bridge construction with low cost, easy installation and long term performance.

Beams from Nucor-Yamato Steel—along with an innovative design—played a critical role in reducing the cost of a new bridge crossing Box Elder Creek on US 36 near Denver. The two-lane, 470foot-long bridge, with equal spans of about 77 feet, replaced a structure built in 1930.

The Colorado Department of Transportation designed the bridge using simple-span-made-continuous construction, in which the steel girders were connected together at the piers. This technique simplified the project and saved labor costs, holding the cost of the superstructure to only $1.1 million. This works out to $53.20 per square foot of deck, or 97 cents per pound of steel erected.

And the Missouri Department of Transportation has used deep-rolled beams in bridge construction, including twin bridges over 63rd Street in Kansas City in a rehabilitation of 6.5 miles of Route 350.

“We chose steel beams because we could use smaller girders,” said Dan M. Smith, P.E., structural projects manager for the state Department of Transportation. The beams helped the project achieve maximum clearance for the lowest cost.

“If we had used concrete girders, we would have had to raise the grade on route 350, and that would raise the overall cost of the project.”

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GETTING TO KNOW…

JIM MAGNUSON, Vice President of Peddinghaus Engineering

What engineering contributions to Peddinghaus are you the most proud of?

The Ring of Fire, I think. My Engineering team and I have a patent on the entire concept of the Ring of Fire. The whole concept revolves around a revolutionary method of steel fabrication, and it's a product that I have developed and refined over a number of years. The steel fab market now demands this kind of machine, and a refined version is now ready for production.

How many Global Patents does Peddinghaus have?

EDITOR’S NOTE: In this issue, we start a new column dedicated to interesting people engaged in various positions in the steel construction and heavy plate fabricating industries.

We start “Getting to Know” Jim Magnuson, the Vice President of Engineering for Peddinghaus Corporation, who carries twenty six (26) years of seniority experience in designing structural fabricating machinery for the company.

My Team and I have a patent for the concept of the coping machine and FPB/FDB/FPDB one pass plate processing machines, and a couple of patents on different facets of the 623 and 823 Anglemasters. Almost all of the machines that I have contributed to and have patents for have become successful products. Between the Peddinghaus global facilities in the United States and Europe, we have over 50 patents to the Peddinghaus name.

How did you first come to Peddinghaus?

I lived in Addison, Illinois, and had just graduated from college.

I started work as a service technician, installing machines for three years, and was then promoted to Service Manager. I held that position for another four years.

As Peddinghaus grew, I was assigned to a special project: we had to build a very large machine off-site. We rented a local building, and my team and I began the assembly process. I was the liaison between assembly and engineering, so I oversaw the building and installation of the machine.

I also trained the operators and wrote the technical manual for it. It was a very successful machine, and from then on, my career as a Peddinghaus engineer began.

What lessons from your service tech days do you apply now as VP of Engineering?

I got a good understanding of the environment that our machines live in and the skill level and aptitude of the people who were going to maintain and operate them. I also attained a really good feeling for how rugged the machine had to be, the circumstances that it had to run in, and the production levels.

Probably the best lessons I learned were the machine expectation levels that our customers wanted.

Since you joined the Engineering department, how much has the department grown?

In my 26 years here, the department has grown at least 100%. In the past few years our engineering staff has increased by 72%. Currently, we have a staff of 26 engineers at our United States facilities. We have a great group of degreed engineers, coming from many prestigious universities, and all of them have knowledge and experience in machine tool design. We have a great combination experience levels from senior people to recent college graduates which gives us many different perspectives on machine design.

Peddinghaus has full-time software engineers working with a variety of systems, including Tekla, Design Data (SDS2) and AceCad. Continued on page 22

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STEELFAB, TEKLA STRUCTURES AND PEDDINGHAUS: GENERATING PRODUCTION

Getting It Done Faster And With More Accuracy Project schedules are tighter. Finding skilled shop labor is tough. Electronic exchange of detailing information directly to machines on the shop floor is crucial to keeping project delivery on track. These issues are not unique to just a few fabricators—they are a problem for many.

Charlotte, North Carolina based fabricator, SteelFab, Inc. found that the automatic CNC information from the Tekla Structures 3D model has drastically increased the volume and speed at which they feed their Peddinghaus beam lines, angle masters, and plasma punch tables. The benefits resulting from this step up in production convinced SteelFab to require all detailing be done using Tekla Structures.

Russell Barngrover, Executive Vice President of Production, says “what used to take days or sometimes weeks to process 2D paper drawings into CNC programs, is now reduced to a day or two. We have found that Tekla Structures CNC downloads not only helps push through large volumes of simple punch beams, but also saves time and increases accuracy for tougher fabrication items including weld preparations, skewed cuts, and copes.”

Jamey Cox, SteelFab Design Manager adds, “we trust and depend on the automatic CNC output from the Tekla Structures 3D model and the strong production capacity of the Peddinghaus machines. The combination of the software and the machines assures we meet schedule deadlines.”

Today many fabricators take advantage of the automated drilling, punching, saw cutting, and cope/torch cutting that Peddinghaus machines offer. Peddinghaus and Tekla both continually invest in new technologies and processes to extract even more information from the data rich 3D Tekla Structures detailing model and feed it to Peddinghaus future generation machines.

In the past year Peddinghaus and Tekla have collaboratively worked together using the open Tekla Structures.NET Application Programming Interface (API) to directly extract the 3D geometry of an assembly from the model to automate fit up, welding, and part marking with Peddinghaus machines.

This technology not only increases the accuracy and production, but also brings the steel industry even closer to a paperless fabrication environment.

Spending less time feeding information to the shop floor and automating fabrication process allows you to focus your energies on other issues.

Project schedules will continue to be tight but the speed at which the information can be fed to your CNC machines will continue to increase with today’s technology.

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JIM MAGNUSON Continued from page 19

Siemens products are advanced and well suited for our industry, and they have worked very well for us. In addition to all that, they provide great local service and parts anywhere in the world, something that we greatly appreciate.

Peddinghaus Engineering recently spread to its newest facility in Andrews, South Carolina—What benefits can we expect from this expansion?

Peddinghaus has software engineers dedicated to working with all the latest design software to insure 100% BIM integration.

Could you tell us more about that?

Why did Peddinghaus make this a priority?

These kinds of software are the most widely used in our market. Our customers are going to stick with then, so we want to be able to be proficient with these products and offer quality service no matter what program they are using. When our customers order and receive our machines, they have the ability to directly download data from a building model (BIM) to make their jobs more efficient, and our staff here at Peddinghaus is fully equipped to help them with any software questions they may have.

What type of software does the engineering department use to design Peddinghaus machines?

We used 2-D AutoCAD for many years, and then we went with AutoCAD’s 3-D version called Inventor. Then we implemented Solidworks design software as it works successfully with large projects. All of our engineers are familiar with Solidworks, and we are always upgrading to the latest version. All of our engineers undergo frequent training to use the software to its best advantage.

The Solidworks program contains many great design features that enable to verify hole clearances, stress points, tension in a true three dimensional (3-D) format. It is a great tool.

As Peddinghaus has grown, we decided to expand the scope of the engineering department to our fast growing facility in Andrews, SC. We thought that it made sense to have some engineers on site, and because of their involvement, and their own growth, all of the production and efficiency issues can be immediately addressed. We currently have two full-time senior engineers based there, with two more on the way in the near future.

How does Peddinghaus ensure that its products are kept up to date and productive for customers?

Our engineers are always aware of the global steel market. They attend trade shows, seminars, and discussion panels, and they are frequently in the field visiting our customers and monitoring our products. Both our engineers and service technicians have been all over the map in the past year—Brazil, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Mexico, China, South Africa, Australia, among others as well as all over the USA. All of this travel and service keeps our engineering staff current on our customers' needs in many different areas.

A question from our customers: Why do Peddinghaus machines have such big frames?

Why did Peddinghaus choose Siemens Electronics for all your machines?

We had a variety of controls over the years, but ideally we wanted to have one powerful control and electronics package that works well for domestic and global customers. Since we wanted to work with one of the top control companies, Kirk Kempen, Peddinghaus Software Engineering Manager, thoroughly investigate what he would want to go with if he had the freedom to pick anything. We narrowed it down to about three choices, and after working with all of them we finally decided that Siemens would work best for our diverse needs.

Using cutting edge design software enables the Peddinghaus Engineering Team to build big, strong machines.

Continued on page 26

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Manufacturas Metalicas Ajax Inc.

RISING TO NEW HEIGHTS IN LATIN AMERICA Manufacturas Metalicas Ajax, Inc. was founded on January 15, 1953, with eight employees making folding aluminum portico and entrance portals. In 1964, Mr. Jorge Martin Sebastia joined the administration, and has helped lead the firm ever since. By 1969, they started production of light metal structures; by 1975, almost half of the production was devoted to metal construction. By 1985, Ajax was providing steel components for taller buildings in Latin America.

A few of the plates generated from the Peddinghaus FPB plate machine at Ajax.

Putting Peddinghaus to Work

Manufacturas Metalicas Ajax is one of the premier structural fabrication firms in the Americas.

From Industrial to Commercial…

Their first customer for processed structural steel was the new Volkswagen plant in Puebla, a first step into the industrial market. Commercial markets soon followed with a contract in 1970 for department store buildings for Aurrera, a leading Latin American retailer. This soon opened markets for other retailers such as Bodegas commercial Mexicana, Wal Mart, Gigante, Office max and California Restaurants.

A foremost client for Metalicas Ajax has been Cadena SER Comercial Mexicana, and its various subsidiaries. Ajax is one of the main manufacturers for their stores and shopping centers.

…and into High Rise Construction In 1989, the market was right for Metalicas Ajax to participate in the emerging multi-story or skyscraper market in Latin America. With their fabrication skill, Ajax soon became pioneers in this field for Mexico and Latin America. They soon made investments in production lines for all types of fabrication equipment—saws, drills, plate machines, painting, and welding systems.

In 1996, Metalicas Ajax started providing fabricated structural steel for buildings form than 100 meters (328 ft) high. Their first building was “La Jolla 3” designed by architect Ricardo Sanz, the first markedly energy-efficient skyscraper in Mexico.

Their main markets are now multi-story buildings (10 stories or more)—they have fabricated more than 30 of these in the last 5 years. They have also produced a number of shopping centers throughout Mexico.

“We worked closely with the prominent engineering office of Sr. Enrique Martinez Romero (EMRSA) whose engineering designs and principles paved the way for new methods and progress in the steel construction industry.

For example, we recognized the value of maximizing plate connections in steel construction.”

“We have been able to move into new markets because the Peddinghaus equipment gives us the advantages of an efficient production system, enabling us to provide an accurate, quality, and economical fabricated steel for our clients,” advises Mr. Martin Sebastia.

The first Peddinghaus purchase for Metalicas Ajax was an FPB 1500/3 CNC plasma plate punching machine. The justification included labor saving and inventory cost saving, but the prime reason was the speed and efficiency of the FPB 1500 plate processor.

“The machine design lends itself to productivity— one plate follows another into the machine.

The connection parts are punched, plasma cut to any shape or length, and then dropped into a container. It is very simple and efficient.”

The FPB 1500 was so productive that Metalicas Ajax purchased a second FPB 1800 in 2006. They now average about 190 tons of plate connections per month.

The Peddinghaus machines are strategically positioned in the shop to maximize efficiency.

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Peddinghaus Tour Helped Educate Us Mr. Martin continues,“Peddinghaus invited us on fabrication tours to different installations around the world—USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany—where we were able to compare different productive control systems, shipment, and assembly, and give us the chance to compare and improve our own system.”

Peddinghaus Service “First of all, the Peddinghaus machines are very strong and dependable, but if we need assistance, Peddinghaus always has someone available to come and work on our machines.

Parts delivery is always very fast.”

Promoting Steel Construction in Latin America

The Peddinghaus FPB 1800 produces many plates with punched slotted holes which speed the construction erection process.

“Our plant has been a wonderful example for many manufacturers in Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Venezuela, Santa Domingo, and other countries. Many fabricators have visited our plant and have asked for ideas on how to improve the market and production on our continent. We firmly believe that the more manufacturers or fabricators, that can provide dependable and economical metal structures, the greater the market and the future demand for steel construction throughout the region.”

“Today, we have an extremely efficient plant that produces approximately 30,000 tons of finely processed structural steel annually, and we employ 60 people Ajax production bay features a Peddinghaus ABCM 1250 coping system and BDL 1250/9 structural drill.

for each shift we run,” -Mr. Jorge Martin Sebastia,

“It was a great way to modernize our production by increasing our efficiency and quality,” advises Mr. Martin Sebastia.

Soon Metalicas Ajax purchased more Peddinghaus equipment to increase productivity, speed, and quality in their processing: • BDL 1250/9 structural drill line in Spring, 2006 • ABCM 1250 CNC coping system in Spring, 2006 • A second ABCM 1250 coping system in Fall, 2007

Why Buy Peddinghaus?

Here Mr. Martin's response to this question: “For us, the justification for purchasing the complete Peddinghaus processing system was our desire to create a new, progressive system of steel fabrication and erection in Mexico—one that was more dependable and fast.

“A system that could make reliable structural steel for skyscrapers, and that could also lower our cost, increase efficiency, and insure compliance with local building codes.

“Thanks to this system, we could offer our customers what they wanted—quality and accuracy.

“The Engineering and Sales Departments at Peddinghaus have been greatly involved in helping us design layout, and purchase the machines and systems that work within our requirements—and our budget.”

General Director

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JIM MAGNUSON Continued from page 22

A solid steel frame removes much of the shock and vibration during operation and makes for a robust machine. Our machines have a fantastic reputation for longevity, and much of that is thanks to the security provided by our strong frames.

Do you always design with the customer in mind?

Absolutely, that is Peddinghaus’ mission statement: “Quality Minded and Customer Motivated”. We design equipment to make it easy to operate with “spot on” accuracy.

We use the latest state of art technology from vendors to assure durability, simplicity and quality. For example, the linear bearings that we use on our machines have improved dramatically in the last ten years, and the motion they provide has become much more fluid. They have motion feedback built in, they're really robust and self-cleaning, and they hold up in a rough environment.

The Siemens electronics are fantastic! They're immune to the electrical noise that plague some other machines, and they withstand extreme temperatures very well. That is a big positive for us and for our customers.

What do these design enhancements mean for your Service Department?

Our service department here at Peddinghaus is now able to inspect every machine installed in the field from right here in Bradley, Illinois.

Thanks to the addition of internet connection ports which we have installed on our machines.

Using Remote Diagnostics, our service techs and computers can run a check on your machine and help our customers solve problems quickly and accurately. Every day, all of our different departments are working to make Peddinghaus machinery even more easier to operate and maintain.

Magnuson says, “We always design with the customers in mind—we understand their application and work tirelessly to help them.”

What exciting things can we expect from the Engineering Department in the coming year?

We’re releasing some improved methods for processing all structural shapes—plate, beams, columns, angles, channels, tubes, you name it.

We’re just going to keep growing and putting more new ideas out there for our customers.

One final question—Is it true that you are a race car driver?

I am now officially “retired”, but I did own—and drove—a modified “rail” for drag racing. I broke the 200 mph barrier in the 1/4 mile at the Joliet Raceway last year.

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Design Data, Central Texas Iron Works and Peddinghaus

Driving The Fabrication Process In the early 90s, using CNC files to fully automate shop equipment was talked about by most fabricators, but implemented by few. At Central Texas Iron Works in Waco, Texas, this was becoming a groundbreaking reality. Through the collaboration of Design Data and Peddinghaus in the 80s, the first CNC files were generated by SDS/2 and automatically uploaded by Peddinghaus shop equipment. This was just the beginning for CNC communication between SDS/2 and Peddinghaus equipment.

CTIW's involvement in the 90s added the real life experience needed to improve CNC, making it a necessary tool to drive the fabrication process.

The Crystal River Power SCR project, shown in the 3D world of SDS/2.

Crystal River Model provided by Mike Kasberg, CTIW Engineering.

With their history of working with technology providers, CTIW continues to be one of the world’s most progressive fabricators in the use of the electronic production process. Using SDS/2 detailing software and Peddinghaus shop equipment, CTIW works on large-scale projects with the confidence that their work produces nothing but the highest quality. CTIW’s demand for quality has raised the bar for Peddinghaus and Design Data.

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DRIVING THE FABRICATION PROCESS Continued from page 29

The Crystal River Power SCR project, in the real world, being erected in Boca Raton, Florida. Progress photos provided by Bruce Monroe, CTIW Project Manager.

The Peddinghaus BDL 1250 drill at Central Texas Iron in Waco, TX, is an integral part of pioneering new technology that is driving the steel construction industry.

Many large successful projects under the control of CTIW’s numerous SDS/2 stations have benefitted from CTIW’s ability to team up with other partners also using SDS/2. As a result, they have been able to join together many fabrication partners on large projects, such as the 18,000 ton Crystal River Power project. Fabricating the 18,000 ton SCR Unit would have been a challenge for many fabricators, but CTIW has the knowledge, experience, and the right tools to make this happen seamlessly. CTIW’s management over the detailing gives them the power to control the production, performance, schedule and product quality from start to finish on every project.

As the lead fabricator on the Crystal River Project, CTIW generated all the detailing using SDS/2. With the use of SDS/2, CTIW was able to control all the electronic production files provided to their fabrication partners involved on the project. The controlled information includes: all electronic drawings/gather sheets, KISS files for the material cutting, and CNC hole/ DXF plate files, along with all tagging and marking files that are linked to CTIW's barcode tracking system, which provides complete control of the fabrication process and shipping activities. “When the details and CNC files are controlled through SDS/2, we know everything is going to fit up in the field when using our partners that we have on board with this production technology,” said Roy Eaton, Vice President of Operations at CTIW. “The most complicated part of the fabrication process is ensuring that all holes are in the right location and are of the required size, all the steel is cut to the correct lengths and that copes/blocks are in the right place. Dividing the fabrication between multiple fabricators can make this even more complicated. Producing CNC information you can trust and sharing that information with your partners helps us to control the most critical part of fabrication and directly contributes to our success. This process provides the ultimate link to the control of quality in the prefabrication process that is the key to making a project happen for the production of structural steel,” Mr. Eaton added.

The plates and braces were fabricated by different companies and had to fit up perfectly during erection.

For the Crystal River Power Plant expansion, CTIW joined together two partner fabricators. Each fabricator supplied different assemblies simultaneously to meet the project's demanding schedule. All of these components have come together in the field without misfits, in part due to the control that the SDS/2 3D modeling system allowed CTIW to maintain over the project. As a result of 3D modeling, more and more companies have the ability to provide quality work and on-time delivery.

CTIW, Design Data and Peddinghaus all have their unique role in the history and the future of CNC information in the steel detailing and fabrication industries. With their innovation in the past and their continued focus on providing complete and high quality solutions, all three companies have molded CNC into what it is today. Peddinghaus and Design Data, with CTIW's help, have made CNC technology a necessary tool for successful and competitive fabricators in today’s industry.

SPRING 2008

STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

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SEE WHAT’S GOING UP.

Once you’ve experienced the power of SDS/2, you can see what’s going up much more clearly.

Design Data is moving above its last 25 years and the groundbreaking advancements we pioneered with SDS/2. The new innovations we’re building into the next generation of SDS/2 will heighten your productivity and connect you to your partners in exciting new ways. Check out the foundation we’ve built at www.sds2.com/history and get ready to see what’s going up at Design Data.

www.sds2.com Copyright © 2007 Design Data, Inc. All rights reserved.

800.443.0782

402.441.4000

e-mail: info@sds2.com

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STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW

SPRING 2008

NORTHERN WELDARC, LTD

NORTHERN WELDARC LTD is based in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, and has been serving the industry as a fabricator of structural and miscellaneous steel since 1971. Northern Weldarc is a family run business proud to hold family values at its core.

EDITOR’S NOTE: In our next issue of the Steel Fabricator’s Review, we will take a closer look at Northern Weldarc, to chart their tremendous growth “Then & Now”.

VOLUME 26 STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW Washington and Grove Street Bradley, IL 60915

L-R) Zeljko Lepki, Shop Superintendent; Gayle Saprunoff, Secretary/Treasurer; and Shayne Saprunoff, General Manager of Northern Weldarc are proud of their Peddinghaus PCD/DG 1100 saw drill system.

Northern Weldarc specializes in the oil and gas, pulp and paper, and petro chemical industries. They are committed to the highest standard of workmanship, customer satisfaction and above all, the health and safety of all employees, customers and contractors.

They continue to strive to manufacture the highest standard of quality products possible and are committed to constantly improving their products, services and training to meet their customer's requirements.

NEWS FOR THE STRUCTURAL STEEL & PLATE FABRICATOR

www.peddinghaus.com PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

PAID PERMIT NO. 157 Joliet, IL