Saving Boston's Bridge, Ocean Machinery and AISC - Peddi-TV - Summer 2016

Hello, everyone, and welcome to Peddi-TV. I'm Ashley Novak bringing you the latest in structural steel news.

Let's see what's heating up this summer edition of Peddi-TV.

What does Massachusetts do when historic Longfellow Bridge is in desperate need of restoration? They call Atlantic Bridge.

Utilizing an old-fashioned riveting technique paired with Peddinghaus machinery, Atlantic Bridge is able to maintain the classic look of the bridge and allow over 100,000 daily commuters safe passage between Boston and Cambridge.

Let's head to Boston and check out this iconic piece of history.

Hi. I'm Lindy Casey, here on location at Atlantic Bridge & Engineering in New Hampshire. I'm here with Paul today. Paul, thank you for joining us.

You're welcome. Glad to have you.

We are currently here to visit the Longfellow Bridge project, which is a pretty noteworthy project going on right now in Boston, Massachusetts. Can you tell us about your involvement with this?

So our scope of work includes furnishing the spandrel columns using hot riveted construction, as you guys saw down in the shop a little bit earlier today. And we're also responsible for the arch rib repairs on the entire project.

So as far as equipment goes to get this job done, we've utilized the Peddinghaus 3 Spindle Drill.

We have a Peddinghaus High Speed Plate Processor that we've purchased just a few months ago.

And we also have a Peddinghaus Anglemaster that we all use for this project.

How have all of these machines benefited the projects?

They've allowed us to increase our schedule, produce better quality parts, and ultimately, give the customer a better product.

For this project, Atlantic Bridge & Engineering has fabricated approximately 120 tons of structural steel. We've installed over 35,000 rivets, and that number is going to increase over the next year by probably another 15,000.

Hi. I'm suited up and on-site here at the Longfellow Bridge Reconstruction project in Boston, Massachusetts. With me, we have George from Atlantic Bridge & Engineering. George, thanks for being with us today.

No problem.

What will be some of the benefits for commuters once the bridge is completed?

Aesthetically, it'll look a lot better. The lighting will be better. The whole structure will just look a lot nicer, because it was just all rust.

Two, there won't be anymore lead paint that'd be falling in the water. So safety will no longer be a concern once the erection is completed. Yeah.

Would you say that restoring the historic value of the bridge has posed a challenge in this project?

Most definitely, it has. There's a lot of challenges trying to line up new holes with old holes, and trying to make everything work the way it did back in 1901.

Did you know that Peddinghaus and Ocean Machinery are longtime partners?

Danny Steyn, Hunter Fry, and Karen Castorina of Ocean Machinery tell us how the company was founded and the unique partnership they've created with Peddinghaus as well as some interesting memories that they've created along the way.

Prepare yourself for some fun in the sun.

Hi. This is Lyle Menke for Peddi-TV. We're here with Ocean Machinery. Hunter Fry, Karen Castorina, and Danny Steyn, welcome to Peddi-TV.

Hey, Lyle.

When was Ocean established?

Ocean officially was established in 1991. I moved to Florida in 1989 from the Chicago area where I was in the same industry up there.

And the structural steel end of it has been a passion ever since.

So, Danny, how did you and Hunter ever hook up?

I'd just sold out of the previous business that I was involved in, and he told me he had this machine that he was interested in selling. And I took a look at it, did a little bit of research, and I realized he might be spot on that this machine would have legs.

And we struck up a partnership almost immediately, and in 2002, we became 50/50 partners. And for the last 15 years, this is what we've been doing.

Karen, how do you fit into the organization with these two guys?

Well, I came in to Ocean Machinery as a previous business owner. Two good guys that had a passion for structural steel. And I just wanted to help.

Now, Hunter, what is the top product that Ocean sells?

Well, the top product is the Ocean Avenger. It was the machine we started with, with Peddinghaus, and it always has been, and probably will continue to be that way for the coming future. It's a number one seller, close to 700 machines worldwide in nearly 60 countries.

So, Danny, how does Ocean and Peddinghaus complement each other?

Well, I think, for the most part, the Ocean products are a small fabricator's first step into the world of CNC automation.

And this is a big step for most of them. But if we exceed their expectations with the products, the after sale service, the follow up, as these guys grow up, the obvious choice is, when they upgrade their machines, to step up and buy a green Peddinghaus machine.

And we're very proud of the fact that over 40% of all Ocean customers now have at least one or more green Peddinghaus machines on their factory floor.

So for me that says, this relationship really works.

So, Karen, if I'm a small fabricator, and I buy an Ocean Avenger, why is the service aspect so important to me?

I think it's critical. Most of the small fabricators, they're owners and they're operators themselves. And for many cases, these small fabricators don't have designated maintenance, or designated service, or a designated electrician. So it's real important that the inside tech support steps the customer through, steps the operator or the owner through the process, clearly communicating what needs to be checked and done to complete the service.

So, Danny, you mentioned about how the Avenger--how your equipment can give life back to a customer who may be struggling for some reason or another. Do you have any examples of that?

We have many stories about customers. But one that comes to mind is Adam of A&A Ironworks in the northeast.

He has a small six-man shop. Spending most of his day there, sometimes six or seven days a week. We convinced him to embrace the Avenger. Not only did he suddenly get his life back by having some free time to go and do the things he wanted to do, but he's ended up moving up from this tiny hole in the wall into the now massive, large fabricating facility. And he said, it's not so much the money I made, but it's the fact that I got my life back that was the benefit of this Ocean Avenger.

Scott Melnick and Elizabeth Purdy from the American Institute of Steel Construction sit down with Lyle Menke at the AISC headquarters to talk about all things steel.

What does it take to run the AISC and the NASCC?

Let's hear how they continually strive to improve the steel industry.

Hi, this is Lyle Menke for Peddi-TV. I'm here with Scott Melnick, vice president of the American Institute of Steel Construction in Chicago. Scott, welcome to Peddi-TV.

Great to have you here.

So, Scott, tell me a little bit about the dynamic of the staff here at the American Institute of Steel Construction.

When I started, it was a bunch of people who were close to retirement, or they had retired from one of the mills, or from a fabricator, and now they were in their second career.

We've transitioned to a very young, very aggressive very, very bright staff, and they're moving the industry forward.

So if I'm a structural fabricator, how does that translate into the future of structural steel?

We focus on the market as a whole. So our job is to increase the market share of structural steel. So we're trying to increase the use of steel throughout the industry.

And as we grow that pie, then each fabricator has a chance to compete for more work.

So how does the AISC interact with steel construction companies or organizations around the world? You know like the BCSA in the UK.

We have very close working relationship with CISC, the Canadian Institute, as well as the Brits. We have good relationships with New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.

Back in 2004, we actually formed a group of English-speaking steel associations to get together, because a lot of the issues we face are very similar.

And so it's truly become a global steel construction marketplace. It really is, and you'll see fabricators from around the world at the steel conference.

I'm here with Elizabeth Purdy. She's director of Meetings and Conferences. Elizabeth, welcome to Peddi-TV.

Thank you. It's good to be here.

This year's show in Orlando was great for Peddinghaus. What's the AISC assessment of the show?

We thought it was a fantastic success. We had almost-record-breaking numbers that were in line with where we were in Nashville, which was through the roof for us in terms of attendance.

We had 234 exhibitors, which was an increase of about 4% from last year. We had 63,000 square feet of exhibits. The sessions were fantastic. The keynote speaker was wonderful. The conference dinner, we had lots of positive feedback about that. And the welcome reception is always a fun time to kick off the show.

The welcome reception is always very good for Peddinghaus as well. We enjoy seeing all of our customers and everybody in the industry. It's like a family reunion, if you will.

So the NASCC conference moves from location to location throughout the country. Why is that?

We like to try out different places. The city in itself is a draw for people, and our membership is located all across the country. So we like to be in locations that are easy to access in terms of flights as well as people who want to drive to the show. We want the conference to make sense logistically and economically for everyone.

So, Elizabeth, if I'm a fabricator, how do I obtain more information on attending the next NASCC conference?

It's a great question. We have our advanced program that will be out in the Modern Steel magazine. I think it's the November issue. Registration opens in December.

And so once that event's program is out, our website is full of information. So they want to visit aisc.org backslash NASCC. So transportation, hotels, conference agendas, all that information--It'll all be in our website and in that program.

That's all for this installment of Peddi-TV.

Feel free to check out our past Peddi-TV episodes, YouTube videos, or head over to our website for all things Peddinghaus.

Until next time, I'm Ashley Novak bringing you the latest in structural steel news.