Amidst the high and low cycles of the steel construction market, one thing that has remained constant and growing within the United States is the industry-wide shortage of skilled workers. In 2010, the American Welding Society (AWS) reported a shortage of 200,000 welders in the U.S. and projects by 2026 that number will double at 372,000. AWS further noted approximately 500,000 skilled welders are, on average, in their mid-50s and will soon retire at a more rapid rate than replacements can fill the vacancies. Patrick Schueck, President of Lexicon, Inc., and the team at Prospect Steel solved their labor shortage issue with an investment in automated robotic welding technology distributed by Peddinghaus. They are the first fabrication firm within the United States to introduce a groundbreaking robotic steel beam assembler into their Little Rock, Arkansas facility.