MSE Builds Capacity

A single operator can control the beamline processes at the control station. Photo courtesy of MSE.

A single operator can control the beamline processes at the control station. Photo courtesy of MSE.

MacDougall Steel Erectors (MSE) has a history of building. From the eastern province of Prince Edward Island, it has earned a reputation that makes it an erector of choice across the country and down the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. Services include in-house engineering, detailing, fabrication, and installation of standard commercial structural steel, heavy industrial steel, heavy plate, large span trusses, conveyor frames, drilling equipment components, and custom projects. The company also supplies and installs miscellaneous steel items such as stairs, custom handrails, and other architectural elements.

When the company was established 18 years ago, steel was cut and fabricated in the field. Today the multimillion-dollar company covers 65,000 sq. ft. with 47,000 sq. ft. dedicated to fabrication, employs 170 people with the majority in the field, and keeps an eye on continuing the growth that has averaged 20 per cent a year over the past five years.

The most recent of the company’s four expansions, only two years ago, was prompted by the desire to increase capacity by investing in automated equipment and growing the day and night shifts.

“We chose to invest in technology to increase productivity,” said Ron MacDougall, owner. “We wanted to increase the amount of steel we could cut by automating processes and finding a more efficient way to lay out steel.” At the time the layout process involved what was considered too much manual measuring.

Making Room for More

Prior to the last expansion, fabricating equipment filled the existing space and included a saw, a CNC ironworker, mag drills, a laser table, pipe fabricating equipment, and an analog beamline with some automated features. Once the steel was cut on the beamline, an operator had to advance it to the drill. The drilling process was automated, but when the holes were completed, the material had to be manually moved to the transfer tables.

Since existing equipment was to remain, finding square footage for new equipment was a problem. The company started by identifying the technologies it wanted and the space that would be necessary. The solution was a new structure designed specifically to house the new equipment. Before the project was completed, $5 million was invested in a new building, two fully automatic beamlines, and a shotblaster.

A single operator can control the beamline processes at the control station. Photo courtesy of MSE.

A single operator can control the beamline processes at the control station. Photo courtesy of MSE.

“We call the building our cut shop. It takes in the steel and processes it,” said Chris Willis, director of operations. “That’s where we have the Voortman beamlines. Both beamlines feed into the shotblaster that is located in the original shop building.”

One Voortman beamline includes the V808 robotic thermal cutting machine beamline that uses a plasma cutting head to cut and cope material. The second includes the V630 drilling system that has three independent drills, each with a five-tool ATC, and a VB1250 automatic measuring mitre saw.

Both beamlines feed into transfer tables that move the material across the courtyard to the VSB1500 shotblaster. Accuracy is within 1/16 inch over a 60-foot length.

Managing Information and Work Flow

A variety of software packages designed specifically for steel fabrication companies streamline projects from estimating through billing. Tekla is used to manage detailing, fabrication, and erecting, and it integrates with Voortman’s VACAM software. FabSuite guides projects from estimating and order entry through inventory control and billing.

“At the beginning of the job, our detailers use Tekla model-based software to submit an advanced bill of material from the 3-D model. When they are detailing the job, the software provides center-to-center grid lines,” Willis said. “Project managers use FabSuite to see what inventory is in stock and what needs to be ordered. We bring the material in and trace the whole process using the same software.

“When the model advances and we are getting into approvals and final drawings, the Tekla software gives us the NC1 files that communicate with the production equipment. Our fabricators load raw material into the intake transfer of the Voortman equipment, press a button, and the material loads to the drill. The equipment drills it, spits it out, cuts it, and sends it on to the shop for welding, assembly, or to be loaded for shipping.”

Willis said they have an operator on each line, but the automation has allowed them to “put a lot more steel in the shop with only two or three operators when it used to take a lot more manpower.”

Each of the three independent drilling heads in the V630 has a five-tool ATC. Photo courtesy of Voortman.

Each of the three independent drilling heads in the V630 has a five-tool ATC. Photo courtesy of Voortman.

About 300,000 pounds of steel is processed in an average week, but MacDougall said that the shop is not running at full capacity or with a full night shift. When they hit a production peak about a year ago, they produced nine or 10 60,000 loads per week. The company is ready to do that again as work demands.

Growing Again

The next growth spurt isn’t far away. Another 20,000-sq.-ft. expansion to make space for another Voortman line is in the planning stage. “Our desire is to add a V320 plate processing machine and a V505-160M punching and shearing machine. These machines will help us control our just-in-time delivery style to supply our pre-issue parts,” said Willis.

“The automation lets us take on a lot more work. It has put us in an entirely new arena compared with 10 years ago when we used a saw and mag drills and everything was laid out by hand,” he added. “And we know that a cut list that used to take us eight to 10 hours can be accomplished in about three to four hours.

“I like to compare the new beamlines to a printer. You put the paper, or in our case the steel, in one side. Press the button. And the finished product comes out the other side.”

Associate Editor Sue Roberts can be reached at  sroberts@canadianfabweld.com.

MSE Inc., 902-855-2100, www.mseinc.ca

Voortman USA Corp., 708-885-4900, www.voortmancorp.com

About the Author

Sue Roberts

2135 Point Blvd

Elgin, IL 60123

815-227-8241

Sue Roberts, associate editor, contributes to both Canadian Metalworking and Canadian Fabricating & Welding. A metalworking industry veteran, she has contributed to marketing communications efforts and written B2B articles for the metal forming and fabricating, agriculture, food, financial, and regional tourism industries.

Roberts is a Northern Illinois University journalism graduate.