Steel Manufacturing & Factory Grade Production Of Buildings & Why It Matters

Producing quality products should be a top priority for all steel fabrication facilities. All materials should be held to the highest quality standards with an assurance system to guarantee performance and reliability for customers.

This is especially true for prefabricated metal buildings because the steel panels must be cut and drilled to precise measurements for assembly.

In addition to providing quality products, fabricators should also have high safety standards to ensure the safety of their employees.

To ensure the safety of steel factory workers, managers can spend time on the shop floor to observe practices, hold formal training programs and conduct safety audits.

Additionally, consider looking into the factory’s reputation. Here are some basic questions:

• How long have they been in business?
• Are they transparent with product information on their website and support materials?
• Are they audited by a third party quality assurance body?
• Have they been involved in any major projects?
• Do they have high reviews and ratings?

Steel can be supplied either to a minimum or nominal thickness tolerance based on building requirements.

For minimum thickness orders, the under tolerance is always zero and over tolerance is as specified in ASTM A924 (Standard Specification for General Requirements for Steel Sheet, Metallic-Coated by the Hot-Dip Process).

For nominal thickness, the tolerance listed in A924 is split equally for under and over tolerance.

Typically, customers will want to order using the minimum practice as the steel mill will roll as close as possible to the ordered minimum without falling below.

Buying from a supplier that uses minimum thickness coil steel is critical to ensure that your building performs to the required specifications of your structure.

A warranty on your steel building will help you protect your investment.

Though steel buildings are built to last a long time, on very rare occasions things may happen and your building might require repair or replacement. A mill-backed warranty can cover the cost of making an expensive repair stress-free.

A mill backed warranty on your building material will make sure your building will be covered for years to come and that you’re working with a reputable supplier.

When you make a purchase, the manufacturer makes a promise to stand behind the product warranty.

However, not all steel building companies offer warranties for one simple reason: they don’t believe in their product enough to make that promise.

Some companies have warranties on the building’s coating. For example, Galvalume coating has a 25.5 year warranty, while Galvalume Plus has a 40 year warranty. Regular galvanized buildings do not have warranties like this.

Although it’s not required by law, written warranties come with most major purchases. If the company you’re purchasing from does not offer a warranty, it’s hard to know what you’re getting into if you ever need support for your product.

There are several ways to minimize problems when it comes to warranties:

• Read the entire warranty. Understand exactly what protection the warranty gives you. Print it out when you make your purchase and keep it with your records.
• Consider the reputation of the company offering the warranty. If you’re not familiar with a business, look them up on credible sites like the Better Business Bureau to see if they have any unresolved complaints against the company. A warranty is only as good as the company that stands behind it.
• Use the product according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Abuse or misuse of the product may void your warranty coverage.

In the early 1940’s the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) came up with a coding system for the classification of different types of steels.

AISI/SAE Steel Designation System uses four digits to designate the chemical composition of carbon and alloy steels. The first two digits determine the type of material, while the second two digits determine the amount of carbon in steel.

The creation of the code has proven beneficial to help designers, heat treaters, draftsmen and engineers get specific information on the type of steel, as well as its grades.

Definitely! Steel is already the most easily recycled material, and factories are constantly working to make it become even more sustainable.

This means getting ready for the most significant long-term environmental and social trends that are evolving over time.

It also means outlining what factories need to continue to do research to produce innovative steel products and solutions while still maintaining exceptional operational standards.