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March 2022

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Brock University Residence 8, St. Catharines, ON M A R C H 2 0 2 2 | 31 Structural Steel P H OTO G R A P H Y BY S T EP H EN L EI T H WO O D/CO U RT E S Y B EN S O N S T EEL L I M I T ED Experts in the structural steel sector are making compelling arguments that could positively shape the future of the industry by ROBIN BRUNET W ith supply chain issues still prevalent in the New Year, some experts in the structural steel sector are calling for manufacturing to be brought back to North America, or at least as much as is feasible. That is very much a mandate of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC), which last year launched a Built by Canadians initiative that advocates accelerating infrastructure projects to revitalize Canadian industries and strengthen the country's manufacturing sector and capabilities. CISC president and CEO Ed Whalen in the lat- est issue of his Institute's Advantage Steel argues if government ensures that infrastructure is built by Canadians, it not only fosters a resilient middle class but also results in the lowest carbon construction projects possible. As an example he cites the B.C. government in 2020 awarding the steel work for the new Vancouver Pattullo Bridge project to China: "As it stands today, the steel will be at least one year late and likely to cost much more than the Canadian design assist steel bid. In addition, China's steel has three times more greenhouse gas potential per ton than North American steel … governments advise us carbon has a cost and needs to be taxed to change behaviour; what carbon tax will the B.C. govern- ment be paying for this outrageous, unnecessary carbon purchase?" By contrast, the CISC in illustrating examples of projects using North American steel cites New York's David Geffen Hall renovation, which involved moving the stage 25-feet forward, creating a new Welcome Centre, and reconfiguring the second- floor Grand Promenade to become one of the largest performance venue spaces in the city. The steel fabricator for the $550-million project was Hamilton-based Walters Group Inc., and Gary McCluskie, principal architect at Diamond Schmitt told the CISC that because he was essentially con- structing a new building within an existing building, "the delivery of the structural elements through small openings in the existing envelope is only possible with steel." The renovated facility is slated to open this fall, nearly two years ahead of schedule. And while work- ing in an empty building during the pandemic helped fast-track the project, the ability for elements of the structural components to be prefabricated off-site and shipped directly as partially completed solutions was instrumental in the project's success. For his part, Walt Koppelaar, executive VP, sales and U.S. operations at Walters Group, is enthused about how the market is shaping up in 2022. "It appears to be robust in terms of opportuni- ties to price," he says. "This, in combination with higher input costs – freight, consumables, and fuel – will continue to trend prices upwards and hope- fully margins will follow suit. Also, material price increases from the steel mills may level off a little with the U.S. infrastructure bill not passing." Koppelaar acknowledges that supply issues will have to be dealt with. "There will be longer or some- times excessive lead times on some consumables and materials, some predictable, others just ran- dom," he says, adding that uncertainty will continue "as it relates to cross-border freight with vaccine mandates in place." But he echoes the sentiments of Whalen by stressing that "with advancements in technology and automation, there are great opportunities to bring manufacturing and production back to North America for many sectors. This creates opportuni- ties for investment, as well as for construction and operating employment. We ourselves continue to adjust our process and reduce cycle times as we build safety and consistency into our products. Working smarter is our mantra each and every day – we need to not only be good, but better, and on a journey to be great." For the record, Koppelaar cites as some of Walters' most significant Canadian work the Bay Adelaide Centre – north office tower project; the new Bombardier manufacturing facility at Toronto Pearson International Airport; Kingston's Third Crossing; and One Bloor, which is destined to become the country's tallest building. The latter is noteworthy with regards to struc- tural steel use in that groups of large diameter caissons stretching 37 metres are located on each of the building's four sides and support reinforced concrete basement mega-columns. Since it was impossible to install each piece of 55 millimetre diameter rebar on site, Walters pre-installed the reinforcing steel onto the composite columns in a fabrication shop prior to being shipped out. All told, the company was responsible for 4,500 metric tons of heavy structural steel for the project, and while most components were very heavy (some were 60 metric tons) they were fabricated within a couple of millimetres of accuracy. When supply shortages are mentioned to Steve Benson, president and CEO at Benson Steel Limited, he replies, "So far they're not as severe as I thought they would be compared to the roll- ercoaster year of 2021, and they're not as bad compared to other sectors. Most of the basic sec- tions are available through pre-order, and we're coping despite large demand increases." Part of Benson's pragmatic view of the market is due to the fact his company tends to be awarded projects one or even two years in advance of actual groundbreaking. "Companies that get projects only six months in advance may have issues, so we count ourselves lucky," he says. Benson is looking forward to "a very busy year with lots of infrastructure work, including subways and light transit in the Greater Toronto Area alone. Plus, lots of hospital projects are com- ing, which we love: we've built 10 of them in the past 15 years." Bring It Home

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