roll forming machine

It isn’t too late to register for the three premiere construction industry events for 2016. Besides having a booth or other marketing presence, you can leverage conferences for lead generation, thought leadership, education, and reconnaissance of the competition. Done well, attending conferences and events is a good investment in your business. Arrange to speak and grow your reputation. Collect business cards and sign-up sheets for follow-up after the event. Learn about new technology and techniques. Network with other contractors. Take full advantage of what these events have to offer and build a stronger business this year. Technology continues to advance in the metal construction industry. If you are not leading the charge, you need to be keeping up. TOP TIPS TO MAXIMIZING YOUR TRADE SHOW EXPERIENCE Promote Your Presence: trade shows often offer email lists of registrants to vendors. Let those who matter know you will be there. Announce on your website and in other cont

In 2014, 4,251 workers were killed on the job. About 20% of those (874) were in construction. OSHA has a so-called “Fatal Four” that account for a majority of those fatalities: Falls (39.9%) Electrocutions (8.5%) Struck by Object (8.4%) Caught-in/between (1.2%) Those are fatalities.The number of injuries is many times higher and is likely under-reported. What does this translate into for you? Higher medical costs Higher insurance premiums Lost work days Possible fines from OSHA (Note: These are expensive) Safety on the jobsite should be the number one concern of any construction business because unsafe work conditions reduce morale and make it difficult to hire quality talent. FALLS William Trehame, Director of Engineering and Administration for Midwest Steel, agrees that fall protection is the greatest challenge in steel erection projects. OSHA records show nearly 40% of construction fatalities occur due to falls; falls from equipment platforms, from roofs, from steel

The idea of constructing a prefabricated steel building could sound like an industrial version of buying at IKEA. Once the parts are on the job site, will you have problems putting it together? After all, this is a large complex product that is created off site, shipped to the site in pieces that must fit with each other and fit embedded items in the foundation or match up with an existing structure. You can’t eliminate variation in a product with so many makers and moving parts. The manufactured building industry has spent years finding ways to make erecting a steel building faster and easier. With today’s prefabricated structures, technology and steel meet to create a precision product that is cut, rolled, punched, and ready to be put together by skilled workers in short order. Steel associations and societies have identified the critical variations, determined the right limits for those variations, and providing guidance for managing variation. STANDARDS The American Institu

Metal building manufacturers prefer metal building assemblers that maintain an IAS AC478 accredited inspection program. Why? Because it indicates that the assembler, be it business, contractor, or individual, believes in quality workmanship and safety. The desire for premanufactured metal buildings continues to rise and, with it, the complexity of the structures. As we have said before, metal buildings have gone far beyond the metal box. Prefabricated metal buildings are produced in a plethora of shapes, sizes, and configurations. The workers erecting them must become more highly skilled in order to maintain exceptional quality and safety measures for building owners. As a metal building contractor, you want to show that your company has those skills and required safety documentation, which has been verified by an impartial third party. Obtaining accreditation from the International Accreditation Service (IAS) with the AC 478 Metal Building Assembler Inspection Program provides y

Subcontractors are common on jobsites; they are resources to help you complete projects and provide specialized skills when needed. In other words, they are a flexible solution to labor.  They keep you profitable and, in return, you keep them in business. However, they can also bring risks to the jobsite if they are not managed properly. What they do (or do not do) reflects directly on your business. Pay attention to these five areas for successful subcontractor management. QUALIFY YOUR SUBCONTRACTORS Check out your subs ahead of time so you know what you are getting. Check out their previous projects; confirm required licensing and insurance before they start any work; and learn about any previous worker’s compensation claims. Screen thoroughly. Look at: Previous work experience Previous supervisory experience Safety records Business management Legal history Their processes on and off the jobsite If you use subs from previous projects be sure to requalify them by che

While the price of gasoline is currently on the low side, energy costs for heating and cooling buildings continue to rise. In warmer areas of the US, it is common for residential homeowners to pay over $300 a month for cooling. In the meantime, heating oil and natural gas prices in colder climes take a chunk out of the Christmas Club account. Imagine the bills for a commercial building; it will make you shudder. Choosing to build with pre-fabricated steel construction can lower those costs, some of them up to 40% or more. ENERGY REDUCTION STARTS WITH STEEL PRODUCTION… Over the past 40 years, the steel industry has reduced, recycled, and reused its way toward substantial energy and resource savings. Steel production now uses over a third less energy than in 1976 Water is reused at a rate of 95% 100% of scrap steel is recycled into new steel …AND CONTINUES WITH RECYCLING Further savings are found in recycling steel, which takes less energy to do than producing virgin steel. I

OSHA regulation 29 CFR 1926.35 requires all contractors to develop "site-specific" emergency action plans. If you do not have such a plan, not only are you out of compliance, but you could be setting yourself up for a big fine. Emergency plans, things to have ready “just in case,” are not typically top of mind with anyone but on a the jobsite, that lack of preparation and communication during a crisis could prove deadly, opening your company to lawsuits, insurance increases, and license suspension, as well as the plain rotten feeling that someone in your charge got hurt or killed. What do you need to do? Let’s get started. BASIC EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN REQUIREMENTS Just to meet the OSHA requirements outlined in the standard, your Emergency Action Plan, at a minimum, must contain all of the following: Emergency escape procedures and emergency escape route assignments Procedures to be followed by employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they ev

Fast track project delivery is meant to save owners money by limiting the amount of construction time and getting a completed facility that will begin to generate revenue quickly. It seems to make sense that the faster it can be built, the less time it sits there not generating revenue to return the investment. However, fast track delivery can degenerate into a finger-pointing free-for-all if it is not handled intelligently. Everyone involved in the project, especially the owner, must understand the constraints this delivery method will impose. It is critical to select members for the project team that have experience relevant to the project at hand and who are prepared to collaborate closely and communicate constantly. FAST TRACK ADVANTAGES Of course, the main advantage to fast track project delivery has already been stated. Save money by getting the building into revenue-producing mode as quickly as possible. If all goes well, this is, indeed, a major advantage, and one that is

Cooling energy reduction of up to 25% or more has been attributed to cool metal roofing materials. Municipalities are embracing them to mitigate the urban heat island effect that can make daytime temperatures within the city higher than normal and prevents heat dissipation at night. Cool metal roofs can decrease the demand on the energy grid during the summer by lowering peak demand. A cool metal roof is a crucial part of an energy efficient structure, one that receives the majority of the sun’s rays and has the maximum impact on solar heating. Since energy-efficient construction is now in the mainstream, codes and standards are being developed to ensure quality and to encourage further adoption. WHO IS DEVELOPING THE CODES AND STANDARDS? EPA: Energy Star The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the voluntary Energy Star program in 1992 and it continues today, providing information on saving energy and conferring Energy Star certification and recognition to home and bu

Nothing goes better with a steel structural frame than metal wall panels. When compared to other construction materials such as wood, concrete, brick, or rock, metal panels win every time. WHAT IS A WALL PANEL? A wall panel is defined as a non-structural element used to form a curtain wall but must be structurally designed. Loads must be transmitted from the wall panel to the structural frame. It must allow thermal movement and must not restrain the structural system from deforming as designed under lateral and gravity loads. PERFORMANCE CRITERIA FOR WALL PANELS Wall panels are subject to a variety of performance criteria that must be considered during the design phase of any project. They include: Wind loading and air infiltration Seismic design and deflection Water test performance Performance criteria for air and moisture barrier or rain-screen Panel flatness and tolerance Thermal movement criteria Fire resistance ratings Insulation and sound transmission APPLICATI