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Customer Case Study

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FOUGHT & COMPANY:Bridgetown’s Best

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYLocated in the Pacific Northwest United States, the Portland metropolitan area is nestled against the Williamette and Columbia rivers. Near the base of the Cascade Mountain Range, the combination of clear blue water and lush green mountain ranges provide breathtaking views for tourists, and opportunities abound for fabricators such as Fought & Company - a structural steel and bridge fabricator located in Tigard, Oregon.

For over 40 years Fought has fabricated heavy structural steel and bridges for the surrounding area. Focusing on complex fabrications, Fought maintains a diverse portfolio of projects including the canopy design of the Portland International Airport, the retractable roof of Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington, and the Sauvie Island Bridge - a bridge entirely assembled and installed with the use of an ocean-going barge!

Since their inception, Fought & Company has relied on technology to remain competitive. Due to stellar maintenance practices, Fought has had much of their equipment last longer than 30 years. Although still very functional, fluctuations in the market for structural steel postponed planned upgrades to their production. During the turbulent years of 2006-2008, Fought & Company (like many others) had to make adjustments to weather changes in business. Upon the recovery of the

CUSTOMER NAME: Fought & Company

INDUSTRY: Fabricating Steel for Bridges

LOCATION: Tigard, Oregon, USA

CHALLENGE: Find quality, automated machinery for their unique way of ordering steel and nesting programs

SOLUTION: Installed the HSFDB-2500/B plate processor, Advantage-2 drill line, DG-1250 band saw, and the MultMaster

RESULTS: Fought & Company can process 18,000 to 20,000 tons in a given year using two shifts (40 hours each) per week

Terry Weir, Director of Operations at Fought & Company, with his Peddinghaus Advantage-2 and MultMaster.

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market, however, Fought understood the need to modernize production, increase capacity, and decrease labor costs using the latest technology.

After the Downturn - Modernizing Facilities to Compete in a Different Marketplace“We looked at upgrading our equipment for several reasons,” began Terry Weir, Director of Operations for Fought & Company, “one being the equipment we had, had been in service for over thirty years, and to be competitive today that technology just wasn’t fast enough. It seems that once a job goes beyond the bid stage, and becomes reality, steel is needed immediately, and you just don’t have as much time to do it as you used to. We were looking at simplifying our processes, combining our methods and streamlining our shop.”

Terry and his team explored all options available in today’s machine tool marketplace, but they had several requirements that had to be met:

▪ Automation - All of their current equipment was driven by TV camera and NC operation. The more automated for the future, the better for Fought & Company. ▪ Technology - The technology had to be the most advanced on

the marketplace. Fought is a firm that makes machines last, and for the equipment to continue to pay dividends now and into the future, it has to be on the very cutting edge of modern design. ▪ Quality - Beyond just the build of the machinery, the back-up and

support had to be available when needed. A machine that isn’t in operation just doesn’t make money.

A Difficult Decision - What Technology is Right for THEIR Application? ”Years ago, we had installed a Peddinghaus plate machine. It was a used FDB-600 plate machine that drilled, and cut flat bar. It was a great machine, it was built like a tank, and we used that machine for decades. With the good experience we had with Peddinghaus, obviously we had wanted to look again,” stated Terry about their initial dealings with Peddinghaus, before the upgrade.

Fought & Company had a dilemma, however. No matter how much they admired Peddinghaus’ American made quality, they had a concern over the measurement and nesting philosophies of the Advantage-2 Drill line and DG-1250 band saw.

This was due to the fact that the bulk of structural steel is purchased directly from the mill, and Fought designs their production prior to

Complex seismic connections are commonplace at Fought & Company

Short stub connections are no issue with Peddinghaus

Fought & Company utilizes the HSFDB-2500/B plate processor for all plate connections, large or small. The Roller Feed measurement system of the machine allows for Fought to process an array of lengths with no restriction.

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detailing the structure sometimes. “This means we know roughly what the programs will be beforehand, and we will buy specific lengths from the mill as opposed to warehousing different stock lengths that don’t fit our production,” described Terry. When Fought purchases 50’ long sections, they are never just 50’ long, they are 50’ - 2” in length, or 50’ - 4” in length. Fought was skeptical of the standard Peddinghaus method of measurement due to their unique way of ordering steel and nesting programs. Little did they know, Peddinghaus’ engineering department was already working on an answer to their unique concern...

The MultMaster - A Unique Solution for a Unique Application”99% of the time our nesting approach and measurement design is the best solution for structural steel fabricators. It is flexible, and adaptive to their needs. However, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution in our world, and as a result, Peddinghaus has designed the MultMaster for specialty applications such as Fought & Company’s installation” describes Ken Coulter, Vice President of Engineering for Peddinghaus Corporation.

The MultMaster allows fabricators to change the arrangement of machinery, placing the drill before the saw in production. As parts pass through the machine, they are drilled and sawed sequentially.

The MultMaster process is simple:

1. Material is advanced into the system, and the operator engages the machine

2. The saw automatically creates a trim cut on the leading end of the section

3. The machine then drills and saws parts sequentially using the Roller Measurement system of the drill line until the material has nearly exited the machine

4. Before the material exits the drill (which would result in the machine losing automated measurement capabilities) the MultMaster is lowered to conveyor and enters the machine

5. Once inside the machine, the MultMaster adheres to material6. Once adhered to material, the drill line clamps the MultMaster,

and releases material, thus transferring Roller Feed measurement to the MultMaster, which works as an extension of the material in production

7. The MultMaster then extends to the saw for the final cut 8. Once material is clamped in the saw, the MultMaster releases

material, and returns to its station above the infeed roller conveyor

9. While the saw is cutting, and the operator is capable of

The Advantage-2 drill line and DG-1250 band saw at Fought & Company is capable of single-handedly processing an 1,800 ton job, which in thepast would have required two drill lines to accomplish.

The MultMaster retracts from the machine once the saw is engaged, and allows the operator to stage thenext section with no stop in production.

The ABCM-1250 oxy-fuel coper uses three torches, and is ideal for cutting both flanges of a section simultaneously - expediting production.

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positioning the next section for production - streamlining operations

The Peddinghaus Solution Yields ResultsUsing their new Peddinghaus equipment, Fought & Company can process 18,000 to 20,000 tons in a given year using two shifts (40 hours each per week). In addition to processing more steel than ever before, the firm remains lean as staffing levels remain at post-recession numbers.

“The difference in productivity with our new machinery is easily 50% better than before, plus we are benefitting from the CNC accuracy. We just finished up an 1,800 ton job and almost every piece has gone through our new beam line, whereas before we would have relied upon two separate drill lines to do the same work,” describes Terry.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

To learn more about Peddinghaus Corporation visit:www.peddinghaus.com

PRODUCT LIST: ▪ Beam Drill Lines ▪ Angle Masters ▪ Plate Processing ▪ Coping Machines ▪ Thermal Cutting ▪ Automated Layout Marking ▪ Structural Band Saws ▪ Ironworkers ▪ Material Handling

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