roll forming machine

Construction was challenging before the economy tanked; now pent-up demand is exploding into multiple concurrent projects wherever you look. The Orange Barrel Festival has definitely hit town. It’s unfortunate you can’t be in more than one place at a time…or can you? What’s that in your hand? Why, it’s a smartphone! And maybe you have a notebook computer or tablet you carry around with you as well. These are the tools that are going to turn your construction company into a lean, mean, competitive machine. BIG CHALLENGES IN THE INDUSTRY Everything is bigger in construction, even the challenges. These days you have to contend with: The real estate market in general Civil engineering coordination Environmental concerns Energy costs Inventory and logistics management Utility and transportation management And, of course, the weather Plus, there is all the paperwork involved: blueprints, timesheets, requirements, contracts, and on and on. Today’s construction manager needs to

The roof of a steel building, or any building for that matter, provides protection from rain, reflects solar radiation, and is part of the aesthetic of the structure. How it is shaped can depend on anything from regional custom to regional weather. When the wind comes up and the hail comes down, the roof is the part of the building that takes the beating. The roof has a big job. In order to meet it, you need your roof to be installed properly. The trick is to learn what makes a roof installation successful from the beginning. ANATOMY OF A METAL ROOF A metal roof is made of panels supported by the purlins that make up the secondary frame structure. The panels are generally 22 to 24 gauge galvanized steel or aluminum and are fastened to the purlins with clips at pre-punched holes. These clips will typically allow for panel expansion and contraction without damage. The seams between metal roofing panels can be lapped or standing; a standing seam roof is an excellent configuratio

When a building is demolished all most people see is roll forming machinery a heap of rubble with dust rising up through the air around it. But smart contractors and owners are starting to see that recovering construction and demolition materials has more benefits than drawbacks. Dahezbforming LG10 light gauge steel roll forming machine Waste reduction was big in the 1970s, put on the back burner in the 1980s and 1990s, but at the turn of the new century, it became big news again. Now there is even more incentive to reduce, reuse, and recycle construction waste than ever before. There are over seven billion people on Earth and they need room and fresh air. Today there is more demand for recycled materials than ever before, making the materials recovery business very attractive. CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION RECOVERY PROJECT TYPES Construction and demolition recovery projects come in several flavors beginning with outright destruction to complete dismantlement. Demolition

Construction can be considered a high-risk industry. There is the light gauge section machine risk of bodily injury and fatalities on the jobsite, the risk of financial loss due to negligence, and the risk to your reputation should you become involved in a problematic project. Appropriate risk management takes all these into consideration and provides a pathway to eliminate or mitigate as much of the risk as possible. When you must take responsibility, risk management processes help you take care of the loss and shore things up for the future. Risk management for a specific project begins with the construction contract. RISK MANAGEMENT 101 Risk management is everyone’s problem; therefore, everyone should be involved in developing a risk management process, implementing it, promoting it, and using it. Your team must come together to identify risks early, during the bid phase if at all possible. Communication is imperative to timely identification of risks, reduces unexpected

Insurance coverage is somewhat fractured; it seems like light steel structure machine you need a different kind for each type of activity. Builder’s Risk Insurance, aka Course of Construction Insurance, is a special type of property insurance to cover buildings while they are under construction. Wikipedia explains it this way: Builder’s risk insurance is “Coverage that protects a person’s or organization’s insurable interest in materials, fixtures, and/or equipment being used in the construction or renovation of a building or structure should those items sustain physical loss or damage from a covered cause.” WHO BUYS IT? There is a good argument for the property owner to buy the builder's risk insurance; an unscrupulous contractor could abscond with funds that should have gone toward repair, replacement, or reimbursement by the owner. It depends on your reputation and relationship with your client whether this is the case. Otherwise, the custom builder or general contr

As handy as all these digital gadgets are for roll forming machine china your contracting business, there is one area that, without your strict attention, could cost you a lot of money as well as your reputation. We are talking about cybersecurity. As easy as it is for you to use these devices, hackers, and other bad actors can just as easily break into your systems. You need to be alert for the types of problems a lack of digital security can cause, not just you, but your customers, employees, and vendors. Not to worry, though. There are ways to protect yourself and your business. WHAT IS CYBERSECURITY? If your business is like many others, you use a number of digital tools to streamline your workflow, store documents, and information, scheduling … the list gets longer every day. Some of these tools may only reside on your computer but increasingly, the tools you use for these activities live in the cloud. This means you need an internet connection to use them. Once you hook

Coming up with an estimate for a construction project china c z purlin machine often seems to include everything (even the kitchen sink). As well it should since a number of factors can impact that estimate. Plus, the estimate will have its own impact, including whether you get the job and whether you make money on it if you win the bid for the project. Experience is the best foundation for a realistic bid and within that experience, you will find there are factors that you need to look at for every estimate. You might even have a checklist of sorts to help you wrap your head around each project as you develop your bid. FOUR COMMON TYPES OF ESTIMATES Not every estimate is the same. Different restrictions and understanding apply, and certain estimates are more like estimates of estimates, just to get things started. Planning estimate aka ball park estimate Just like it sounds, this is a pretty loose estimate providing a rough approximation of the costs. It should only be used

What could be more fun than learning about some of roll forming machine the great gadgets available on the market to make construction go more smoothly? Technology specific to the industry is becoming more and more available as vendors begin specializing in tech specifically for construction. Both specialized hardware and software applications have been developed to help keep the construction project on track while not getting destroyed by the environment in which you work. Take a look at these three products and let us know about any you are using that you couldn’t do without. DEWALT CONSTRUCTION SMARTPHONE Dewalt is getting into the smartphone business with a toughened phone for construction and outdoor sports enthusiasts. (Dewalt isn’t the first construction equipment maker in the market; it is competing with Caterpillar, which also has a smartphone out there.) The Dewalt smartphone is an Android-based phone built to survive a two-meter drop onto concrete and operates at

Drones are (if you will pardon the pun) flying off the shelves. Hobbyists dearly love them, and they are fun to play with. However, it didn't take long before someone thought of attaching a camera. Aerial drone photography is rapidly, and less expensively, taking the place of other forms of aerial photography while offering more benefits to your construction business. From planning to completion, the ability to visually document and monitor activities on the jobsite can streamline the building process and improve safety. FIRST, THE RULES OF THE ROAD…ER, SKY The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is in the process of developing regulations for drone traffic.  The first rule is that you must have FAA permission to fly drones for commercial purposes, which is defined as “anything that benefits your business or could potentially benefit your business, whether or not you are receiving income from it.” Since you will be using drones to plan your projects, monitor progress, an

Running a business is difficult at best. Add in the complexity and expenses of construction and the job just gets harder. It doesn’t seem to matter whether the contractor is big or small, is new to the business or has been around awhile, contracting companies go under all the time. They aren’t even too big to fail. Something to remember is that contractors do not have the insurance coverage to buffer them if they go out of business like there is for their subcontractors or for owners. Plus, oddly enough, these businesses often fail during an economic recovery rather than during a recession. There are many reasons for contracting companies to fail. They can be split into three controllable areas, and it isn't unusual for more than one issue to be involved in the failure. LACK OF EXPERIENCE Lack of experience affects more than new contractors because it isn’t necessarily the lack of financial or business experience that causes a problem. Unrealistic growth expectations It

So many things can impact a construction schedule, some of them out of your control. For the things you can control, there is Lean Construction. You may have heard the term “lean” in manufacturing terms where it means reduced waste and efficient processes. Those same principles and techniques can be applied to construction for the same reasons. If you think about it, construction is a form of manufacturing; it just doesn't happen on a production line. You can create efficient processes and find ways to eliminate waste for any construction project. Using lean construction techniques, you can deliver value through a lower total project cost as opposed to paying the lowest price for each element. The quality will be better as well. DEFINING LEAN CONSTRUCTION A more complex definition of lean construction is this: it’s a production management based approach to project delivery. The idea is to maximize value and minimize waste at the delivery level and creating an improved produc

As much as we wish it weren’t, substance abuse is found in every industry including construction. However, the risk to life and limb in construction is higher than many other industries. The number of accidents while working at height, using dangerous tools, and moving heavy equipment are demonstrably greater when substance abuse, whether it be alcohol, illegal drugs, or prescription medications. THE SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, 70% of nearly 15 million drug users in the United States are employed. In addition, businesses are estimated to lose over $80 billion annually due to drug abuse in the workplace due to lost productivity and related health and crime issues. In 2007, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration stated that 3 million full-time workers aged 18 to 64 met the criteria for illicit drug abuse or addiction; males were twice as likely to meet that criteria. Furthermore, 8% of workers 18

The construction business grew steadily over the past couple of decades, and the number of contractors tripled. However, the effective net amount of construction has barely budged. How do you stand out from the crowd to win projects and grow your business? DIFFERENTIATION You need to differentiate your company and literally be so different you stand out. In a good way. You aren’t going to get there by parroting the one-time, on-budget, construction-meister spiel that everyone has heard a thousand times and that all of your competitors are saying. Instead, find a way to make your company into the only one your prospects can imagine doing business with. FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMER First, you may need to change your perspective. Over the years we have all gotten in the habit of protecting ourselves and our businesses from those who would take advantage. The thing is, most people aren’t really trying to take advantage of you. Turn it around and ask yourself, “How can I protect the