Over the years Scottsdale Construction Systems has worked closely with clients to establish best operational practices to increase volume output. One of the key focus areas is ensuring roll-forming operators and their teams have clear and accurate instructions and understanding of how to best manage production output. One of Scottsdale’s experienced team members, Lance Curry, explains the importance of sharing knowledge and working closely with clients to improve productivity.
“What I find is rivet teams must be instructed in the correct way from the very beginning otherwise they revert back to what they know and it will be hard for them to change. A good team will try to keep up with the roll former as they like to think they can keep up and therefore it becomes a race between man and machine. It is important not to run the roll formers too fast at the beginning but to start slow and then build speed as the team gets more comfortable and faster. When products are rolling fast and teammates are falling behind, then items are piling up causing them to realize there is no hope to ever catch up with the machine’s pace therefore teammates actually start working slower.
The roll-forming operator is the key person in setting the pace. Getting cold-formed steel members out on time and in the correct orientation is key for the operator, in addition to stepping in to place a rivet by hand for the riveters when they begin to fall behind. Most roll-forming operators hesitate to press the pause button unless it is absolutely necessary. The roll-forming operator would often have to place the next frame’s bottom and top plate on the floor and then place the first stud and nog on the ground in the correct orientation while the riveters are finishing off the last frame. Once the frame is removed then it’s just a simple case of placing the 3 new cold-formed steel members on the stands and the team can catchup quickly from there.
Another problem some rivet teams may have is the presence of too many workers. It is generally easier to get the hole lined up by one teammate rather than when a second teammate moves the cold-formed steel member thinking they are helping. The general rule of thumb is to have 1x roll-forming operator and 2x riveters.
Lastly, there are so many techniques that experienced riveters can pass on to a company that have let their technique either slip or were not given proper instruction from the start. It is important to consult with professionals to learn techniques and assemble faster.
If there was a cold-formed steel fabricating race against our competitors, we would without a doubt win the competition.”
Over the years Lance and the rest of our team have proven how their experience can significantly increase roll-forming output. Our team connected with a customer in the Bahamas and helped them take their business from rolling between 400 – 600m per day to doubling their output almost immediately. Our team has worked closely with companies such as Dragonfly and Ecofast to identify weaknesses, refine operations and significantly increase volume.
As a business, we believe that success comes from partnerships and sharing of knowledge. To learn how your business can increase roll-forming output, please contact us at sales@scottsdalesteelframes.com or call us at +1 (888) 406-2080.
