One of the areas that we take particular pride in is finding solutions for companies and solving problems or issues that may have seemed too difficult to solve quickly and efficiently. Our team at Craftco was able to tackle one such challenge a few years ago, and it involved the use of structural steel.
We were asked to help build a structural steel package for a large water treatment plant in Montana. Leaders at the structural steel fabrication approached us for this project for a very valid reason: they were in the midst of a boom in building in their area of Montana and had more work then they could do while still maintaining their tight delivery schedules and high level of quality and standards. This would also be taking place in late fall and early winter, around the time of the holidays.
A family-owned company that went back three generations and 50-plus years, these fabricators were seeking help that would also conform to those high standards, and we were up to the challenge, especially as we could use the treatment plant as a chance to experience with process flow for a project of that size.
A big project with a big opportunity for change
When the bidding process began, it became clear what the size and scope of this project was: developing 55 tons of structural steel in just four weeks. This is where our planning and experience went into action, as we developed a special workflow just for the project, figuring out the best way to have material placed in our shop and the process for passing it through machines.
We also worked to establish efficient yet meticulous quality control at every stage of the project, ensuring that sign-offs would also be as thorough as our process. All of our components for the Montana plant project, as well as every other project we participate in, are built to AISC standards and certified in-house by one of our AWS D1.1-endorsed welding inspectors.
The end result was beyond everyone’s expectations. Craftco fabricated the steel ahead of schedule with delivery in just one shipment, even though we were erecting the project on location. We were told by the Montana team that it was the smoothest construction project in their recent memory.
What we learned for use in the future
It wasn’t just an ahead-of-schedule delivery that helped us with future structural steel projects. Because we needed to alter our processes, we found a way to streamline our actions while still applying the best quality control possible, and with techniques that we still use years down the road from this particular project.
Craftco is able to work on any kind of project for businesses, from smaller jobs to large turnkey projects like the plant in Montana. We can build-to-order common structural steel components or work with you to design and execute plans for a custom solution to any challenge. Learn more about what we do at our website.
