Project Overview

When Woodward Inc., an international aerospace and energy technology company, builds a new manufacturing and office building, they think big — 462,393 square feet to be precise. The project required the erection of 3,350 tons of structural steel including long-span structural trusses, structural steel beams and columns, a metal deck and shear studs.

The Challenges

Because steel schedules are critical to all other aspects of a major construction project, staying on track with steel erection is critical to keeping the whole job running on time. Because the job was not only large but also complex, a top-notch erection plan would be needed to meet the timeline.

Given that the erection phase of the job was occurring in the middle of an especially cold winter, the plan also had major implications for budget — as extra heating is an expense that the owner didn’t need.

The Solutions

From the very early phases of the project, the JP Cullen team was conscious of the fact that the steel erection phase of construction would need to be completed quickly in order to stay on track with future building phases. The project team immediately put together a detailed plan for the steel erection, and it wasn’t long before JP Cullen’s expertise as a self-performing steel erector and the general contractor started to pay big dividends. By effectively managing the schedule, the team was able to cut weeks out of the project timetable. Realizing this, they immediately contacted the steel fabricator, Zalk Josephs, to expedite the steel fabrication and meet the compressed schedule Savings didn’t stop with the planning. As the project progressed, foremen met weekly to find new ways to improve processes and increase value. Because JP Cullen self-performed masonry on the project, the Masonry Division was able to coordinate with the Steel Division to drive even greater schedule efficiency, saving heating bills during a cold winter build.

The Results

Ultimately the team decreased the schedule for steel erection by three full weeks. As a result of preplanning, the team was also able to identify and resolve issues between the concrete and steel that resulted from the original bidding, as they were bid as separate packages. Working together, the JP Cullen Steel and Masonry divisions were able to revise work phases and save the owner $30,000 in on-the-job heating costs.