Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/178290
The Structural Value of Steel Finding solutions in a tough economy has been the focus for the structural steel industry by Tiffany Sloan "O ver the last two years for sure – although it had already been trending that way – margins have been getting tighter and tighter," says Eric Miszczuk, president of Cooksville Steel, of Canada's structural steel industry. With locations in Mississauga and Kitchener and 60 years of experience to its name, the steel fabrication company has been feeling the pinch on the Ontario economy, where the manufacturing industry was hit hard in the recession. With fewer projects available for bidding, competition is stiff among fabricators – leading to lower bids and tighter margins, says Miszczuk. "Obviously, everyone is looking to see where they can make operations more ef icient and squeeze more out of a dollar" – and to that aim, Miszczuk sees a trend in automation and machinery consolidation. "Automation has always been there, but I think there have been changes in automation that have reduced the number of machines you have to use to do the same operation." A robotic thermal coper, for example, can process in one pass-through what would otherwise require changing conveyers between separate beam lines, saw lines and angle lines. Consolidating the functions of three or four machines into one means having a single footprint on the shop loor, saving both space and capital outlay for new machinery. And the more automated a process is, the less potential for human error. Plus, "the more you handle a piece of steel, the more expensive it is," explains Miszczuk. "And the more human involvement you have, the longer it's going to take to do, so consequently the more expensive it's going to be." The advent of the Girder-Slab system, a hybrid loor system that marries structural steel and precast concrete, is another cost-effective answer from the steel industry. The eight-storey, 178,000-square-foot Courtyard Marriott at the Edmonton International Airport is the irst Girder-Slab application in the country – and a groundbreaking milestone for the Canadian steel industry, says Peter Timler, Structural Steel p.40-43Structural Steel.indd 41 Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Provencher Bridge, Winnipeg, MB. Photos: Terri Boake. corporate business development of icer and vice-president of engineering for Supreme Group, parent company of project fabricator Supreme Steel Edmonton. Conventionally, hotel projects like this are not done in steel framing, says Timler, but the Girder-Slab system can accommodate the low loor-to- loor height structures required. Moreover, it is a rapid and nearly all-dry method of construction suited to cold-weather construction. Shoring isn't necessary and a single trade can do the installation of the hollowcore loor slabs, meaning fewer people on site and inishing trades can follow more quickly behind the structural trades. "It doesn't eliminate heating and hoarding, as that depends on the time of year, but it certainly reduces the impact of the restrictions of a cold-weather environment." Cost-competitive and faster to erect than conventional methods, Timler expects a strong interest in Girder-Slab construction. On another front, Supreme Steel is progressing in an initiative to offer full modular construction for industrial sector clients, including piping, equipment, instrumentation and electrical it-out mostly located in northern Alberta. The company had more than 150 modules on the books as of February 2012, with some already in fabrication and assembly in its module yard adjacent to its newest fabrication plant in Acheson, Alberta. Meanwhile, B.C. fabricator George Third & Son has developed a niche in working with wood-steel hybrid jobs, beginning with the Brentwood SkyTrain station in Burnaby in 2002, and including the recent iconic speed skating oval in Richmond built for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. "We're drawn to that type of work," says director Rob Third. "We're comfortable bringing the wood into our steel-fabricating plant and working it to the steel right here, marrying the two parts together." Combining steel with wood – a very soft material in comparison – de initely brings some challenges and requires a lot of extra care, says Third. "There's a bit of special handling required, knowledge of the wood and how it reacts and how it receives the fasteners." Working the wood requires caution to avoid blistering or damaging it, or even setting it on ire. Nylon slings and softeners are used to pick up the wood beams, as opposed to chains and hooks, and wood pieces destined for the interior of the building must be protected from the elements in transport and during setup on the site. APRIL 2012 /41 3/26/12 2:23:52 PM