Roll Form Group Receives Welding Award
The award recognizes an innovative inline system that enables raw material to pass directly from rolling to GMAW welding to cut-to-length to finished product with two better longitudinal welds per rolled section.
Posted: October 30, 2014
Samuel, Son & Co., Limited (Canada) is pleased to announce that one of its divisions, the Roll Form Group (RFG), has received the distinguished 2014 CWA Productivity Award. This award, presented by the Canadian Welding Association (CWA), recognizes creativity and process improvement in the Canadian welding industry.
The award was received for the innovative inline installation of a Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) process at the RFG facility in Cambridge, ON, that manufactures heavy roll formed product. A team led by Emad Assaad, an engineering and welding specialist, spearheaded the project.
The new addition to the mill has significantly improved production of strong floor sections. The results speak for themselves: a 56 percent throughput improvement, 57 percent less labor, and 15 percent less scrap on welded floor sections.
“This project had a small footprint and required extensive problem-solving with equipment supplier ESAB, in both Canada and Sweden,” said Rob Whitmore, the corporate vice president of manufacturing technology and process improvement for Samuel. “Our congratulations go out to Emad and the entire team for successfully navigating this complicated project.”
The previous system involved raw material passing through a multi-stage process of rolling, submerged arc welding (SAW) welding, and back cutting, with manual handling in between each stage. SAW welding on lighter gauges caused excess scrap issues due to auxiliary burn.
The new components allows for raw material to pass directly from rolling to GMAW welding to cut-to-length to finished product. The new process yields better welds, with two longitudinal welds per rolled section.
“We’re very proud to win this award, especially knowing this project was selected against some world-class competition,” said Lou M. Sartor, the president of Roll Form Group. “This is a significant accomplishment for the RFG team.”
The award was presented at the annual CWA’s CanWeld conference, in conjunction with the International Institute of Welding (IIW) Congress, on Monday, September 29, 2014 in Vancouver, BC.
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