September 26, 2012

Canadian industry gears up for SteelDay 2012 on Sept. 28

SOLID ROCK STEEL FABRICATING CO.

Solid Rock Steel Fabricating Co. in Surrey, B.C. opened its doors to visitors for SteelDay 2011 and has another event planned for this year.

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

Steel fabricators, service centres and others are gearing up to celebrate SteelDay 2012, an annual event intended to showcase the versatility, performance and sustainability of steel.

Hosted by the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC), the Sept. 28 event includes shop tours, open houses, 3D modeling presentations and even barbeques. The event is now in its third year.

CISC member firms from across the country have signed up to participate. Architects, engineers, contractors, developers, students, educators and the general public are being invited to attend the various events.

“SteelDay is a great opportunity for the industry to showcase its success, to share best practices and to spread the word about all that is possible with steel — one of the world’s most versatile and sustainable building materials,” said Tareq Ali, CISC’s national marketing manager.

Last year, 27 firms hosted events.

British Columbia is particularly well represented this year.

Eleven companies have signed up, with eight in Alberta, three in Saskatchewan and one in Manitoba.

“We’ve really encouraged our members to get involved,” said Tony Hernandez, sales manager at Canron Western Constructors LP, a Delta-based designer, detailer, fabricator and erector of structural steel and other items.

Hernandez, who sits on an industry subcommittee set up to promote SteelDay in the province, said visitors will have an opportunity to view fabrication processes that occur at Canron before steel is shipped to a site for erection.

“They get to see what it is all about,” he said.

The company recently completed fabrication of structural steel girders for the new Port Mann Bridge. It is currently fabricating steel “for some fairly large projects” including a Canada Post distribution facility in Richmond, B.C.

Hernandez said last year’s visitors included community college and university students from the Vancouver area.

“If we can get even a few engineering students to start thinking about designing in steel, it helps our industry,” he said.

Canron, which has participated in SteelDay since day one, also makes a point of encouraging clients to attend the event. Last year, engineers from the province’s highways ministry were among the attendees.

“This isn’t just to promote our company, although that is one of our goals of course,” Hernandez said.

“It’s also to promote general usage of steel in construction.”

For more information about SteelDay 2012 or to find and register for an event in your area visit www.steelday.ca.

- with files from Bradley Fehr

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