Steel is the most popular construction materials, and for good reason.  It’s being used more and more in construction lately, from the humble agricultural sheds, to the world’s tallest skyscrapers. So what are its advantages? Some of these are:

•    Steel is durable, cost efficient, and easy to work with.
•    Steel can be manufactured to tight tolerances.
•    Steel, once manufactured to correct specifications, is easy to install.
•    Steel is a very cost effective material, and global prices are relatively stable.
•    Steel requires less maintenance.
•    Steel has excellent safety features.

We’ve seen why someone would want to construct with steel. Now, what possible difference could it make who your partner is if you decide to construct a steel building? Lets take an easy scenario. In its simplest form, steel manufacturing involves the construction of beams and columns for erection on the building site. These beams and columns are delivered with welded flanges and pre-drilled holes ready for assembly. This all sounds simple and straightforward, but what isn’t evident is all the work and planning that goes on behind the scenes. The beams and columns have to match up perfectly when delivered, for obvious reasons. A building site may appear to be chaotic, but everything happening there has been perfectly planned, down to the last detail. For instance, the right materials must be delivered just in time, when needed, so construction can proceed smoothly. If they are delivered early, there may be no storage space to put them, and they may restrict movement on the construction site by being in the way. Delivering materials late is just as bad. Workers sit idle, heavy lifting machinery that was hired for the job of hoisting the materials into place sits idle and rental costs accumulate. Even worse, the machinery may have been rented to another project on a tight schedule and may have to be moved before assembly can be completed. That can lead to huge project delays, cost overruns, and lawsuits. Worse than a lawsuit, is the reputational damage that can be suffered by all parties.

Steel Fabrication in Newton Abbot and Devon

So, you can see why it’s so important to be reliable in this type of business. That’s why RB Engineering works closely together with its clients, manufacturing to our well-known tight tolerances, using quality materials, tracking what is being manufactured, labeling all parts correctly, and ensuring that deliveries are on time.
So how exactly do we do it? We’ve already seen in our other online articles that we accept CAD files directly from our clients, which they can upload directly on our web site. Using the client’s own files, which can be in any of the well known formats including DWG, IGS, CADKEY, CDL, HPL and DXF, we can use our own CNC enabled machinery to produce quality results. What types of projects have we taken on? We have experience constructing stainless steel storage tanks, mezzanine floors, steel buildings and staircases.

To the casual reader, these projects may seem like straightforward affairs, but in reality, each has its own hidden complexity. For instance, storage tanks may have many different uses. Specialty tanks are needed depending on whether it is intended for dry bulk, energy and power, construction, or some other application. Mezzanine floors may be intended for a variety of uses, like manufacturing, office space, or storage. Steel buildings can be used for agricultural storage sheds to high-rise office buildings.  Every application has its own intricacies, which is where experience and reputation comes into its own.