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Constructors Quarterly
A news update from National Steel Constructors
and its Steel City Erecting division.
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Welcome to Constructors Quarterly!
A note from Bob Dunn. . .
Dear friends and colleagues,
 Welcome to the second edition of Constructors Quarterly, your inside scoop on National Steel Constructors and our Steel City Erecting Division. We appreciate your taking a moment from your busy schedule to browse through this edition and see how our performance and success are driven by best practices in safety, quality and project management all combine to make National one of the nation's leading specialty steel constructors.
At the 11th Annual Electric Power conference held May 12-14 in Chicago, much of the showfloor chatter centered around the challenging economic times and the survivability of many companies during this unprecedented downturn. Three straight days of the same conversation became old, and I began to think about how National and Steel City have forged phenomenal partnerships through the years based on trust, a solid commitment to our principles, practices, policies and people.
The floor conversation tended to be so skittish and bearish that my core beliefs as a pragmatist and optimist were only reinforced. Challenging economic times ultimately reflect a company's true strength, financial viability, and durability of its relationships with partners, suppliers, vendors, and most importantly, the customer.
In this edition of Constructors Quarterly, our Power Play section spotlights our completion of construction and erection of SCR reactors and ductwork for the City of Lakeland. Our Spotlight on Safety section reviews a recent Manager's Meeting Roundtable discussion by Jim Stanley on incorporating Safety as a value and not just a priority as priorities can change. In our Spanning the Nation section, enjoy reading the latest news on our success constructing ThyssenKrupp USA's multi-billion dollar state-of-the-art carbon steel processing facility in Mobile, Alabama.
Economists tend to cite the Construction industry as among the last to feel the effects of a recession, and among the first industries to benefit when economies improve. But at the end of the day, we simply can't be distracted by quick-read trends, spot analysis or macro-economic forecasts and predictions.
Ultimately, National Steel Constructors and Steel City Erecting will weather the storm of economic uncertainty, and grow stronger than ever by continuing to deliver for our customers with laser-like focus each day.
From all of us at National and Steel City Erecting, have a terrific summer and all the very best for continued success!
~Bob
Robert J. Dunn
President, CEO
National Steel Constructors LLC |
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Energy Today
POWER Engineering
Watch this recently-featured POWER Engineering video tech tour of NV Energy's 1,100 MW Chuck Lenzie plant, North America's largest air cooled power plant - proudly built by Steel City Erecting. Click here to watch!
Industrial Info Alerts
NSC/SCE Completes Construction, Erection of SCR Reactors, Ductwork for Lakeland, Florida. Click here for more info.
IIR Radio
Join Bob Dunn, President and Chief Executive Officer to learn more about National Steel Constructors for more on this dynamic and rapidly growing company, and their ability to meet your construction needs.
Click here to hear this or any of the more than 280 previous "Industry Today" webcasts. |
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POWER PLAY
National Completes Construction, Erection of SCR Reactors and Ductwork for the City of Lakeland
At the 11th annual Electric Power Show in Chicago, National Steel Constructors announced completion of the City of Lakeland's McIntosh Unit 3, a coal-fired power plant in Lakeland, Florida. The project resulted in the erection of 2,100-plus tons of SCR reactors and ductwork and 1,750-plus tons of structural steel based on a total of more than 200,000 man-hours of expert boilermaker and ironworker craftsmanship.
"Steel City Erecting has delivered for the City of Lakeland with boilermakers and ironworkers that specialize in SCR's and structural steel erection," said Steve Marshall, Project Manager. "Steel City's commitment to safety, quality, and project completion deadlines is exceptional."
National's year-over-year growth and success has been fueled by the construction of turnkey Air Quality Control Systems (AQCS) required by various environmental mandates affecting the Power industry. National established its footprint and reputation in the construction of AQCS following its acquisition of Birmingham, Ala.-based Steel City Erecting (SCE). Through its 50-year history, SCE has built an outstanding reputation for diverse mechanical equipment installation, including heavy duct, precipitators, SCRs and air-cooled condensers.
"We salute our team of outstanding boilermakers, ironworkers and project managers who safely and responsibly completed this important power project ahead of schedule for the City of Lakeland," said National Steel Constructors President and Chief Executive Officer Robert J. Dunn. "At our core is a top-down companywide commitment to safety, excellence in project management, industry-leading best practices and quality control that has helped us deliver for customers on every project awarded."
National's SCE division has qualified for the American Institute of Steel Construction's Certified Advanced Steel Erector. SCE's lift engineering capabilities not only enhance the safety of critical projects, but also augment the value engineering applied to every project, producing the desired results for its customers in the most effective and efficient manner. SCE has served a broad cross-section of industrial customers including Bechtel, CIBA-Geigy, Fluor Constructors, Georgia Pacific, Georgia Power, Kimberly Clark, Kerr-McGee, Exxon-Mobil, IPSCO Steel and Siemens Westinghouse. |
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SPOTLIGHT ON SAFETY
Steel Erection Safety Expert Jim Stanley Cites National as 'Model' Safety Organization
 At the NSC/SCE Managers Meeting, held in March at The Peabody Hotel in Orlando, steel erection safety expert James W. Stanley moderated a broad and insightful roundtable discussion on the critical importance of safety not just as policy but as practice at every level.
"When it comes to safety, companies need to view it as a value and not a priority - priorities can and do change, while values are entrenched," Stanley said. "From senior executives and project managers to foremen and craftsmen - safety has to be a value driven from the top down."
Stanley praised NSC's commitment to safety through the years, describing a recent project in which an excess of 28,000 tons of steel was erected without a scratch as proof of National's 'phenomenal safety record.'
"People and companies in general tend to depend solely on their safety people, when technically they are just referees on the football field," Stanley said. "The people who make the difference are the frontline foremen who have to know about OSHA requirements."
According to Stanley, many companies simply don't understand the importance of safety as a fundamental practice.
"In many situations we see companies addressing safety issues, training and policies, but sadly not until it's too late," Stanley said. "Companies that 'get it' make sure their foremen get it."
The bottom line, says Stanley, have a plan in place well in advance.
James W. Stanley serves as President of Brentwood, Tenn.-based FDRSafety (www.fdrsafety.com). Prior to FDRSafety, Mr. Stanley served nine years as Vice President of Safety and Health at AK Steel. Mr. Stanley also served in the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for nearly 25 years. In 1994, Mr. Stanley was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for OSHA in Washington, D.C. Mr. Stanley has served on the National Safety Council's Board of Directors as well as the National Safety Council's Executive Committee as Chairman of the Trustees. He can be reached at jstanley@fdrsafety.com. |
Sweet Home Alabama, for ThyssenKrupp and Steel City Erecting
Mobilized in July 2008 and scheduled for on-time completion next month, National's Steel City Erecting (SCE) division is erecting structural steel for the CC stainless portion of the project new star. SCE contracted with Cives Steel, the supplier of approximately 23,000 tons of steel.
The facility will allow ThyssenKrupp Steel AG to bring its nearly two hundred year old metallurgical expertise, technical support, and successful business model based on long-term customer relationships and support to the NAFTA region.
Based in Mobile, the buildings include: Cold Roll Mill, Cold Anneal Pickle Line and Hot Anneal Pickle Line, Roll Grind Shop 10 and 20, Skin Pass Mill, Finishing bays, and the Connection Bay building for transfer of coils from the hot strip mill to the pickling and cold rolling facilities.
"SCE is utilizing six crawler cranes and two rough terrain pickers to perform the steel erection, which includes the use of engineered high tensile guide cables to stabilize the structure of the building during the erection process," said Scottie McClure, SCE Senior Project Manager.
Manpower peaked at 120+ employees. SCE utilized a variety of craftsmen, including ironworkers from Local Union 798, Operating Engineers from Local Union 653, and Laborers from Local Union 70 to support the erection requirements, McClure added.
In addition, SC has designed and engineered assembly and lifting frames to assist in the erection of the buildings. These frames and lifting devices, McClure said, allowed SCE to erect large portions of the building roof system and wall systems in one pick.
"Through this approach, we were able to minimize the total man-hours spent above ground and thus minimizing the risk of injury, particularly at elevated heights."
McClure added his team is on or ahead of all erection schedules. ____________________________________________________________________________
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For more information on National Steel Constructors or its Steel City Erecting division, or to suggest news-feature topics for future editions of Constructors Quarterly, please contact:
Jim Engineer, e-Rainmaker PR for National Steel Constructors, Steel City Erecting
Donnie Hill, Vice President, National Steel Constructors, Steel City Erecting
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National Steel Constructors LLC
14650 Jib Street, Plymouth, MI 48170
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