Gerdau Ameristeel

Gerdau Ameristeel is a mini-mill that melts scrap steel into billets and turns those billets into rod configurations for re-bar. The project consisted of three buildings. The largest unit alone, at 68’ by 108’ long and 55’ from grade, houses an 8 million BTU/hr billet re-heat furnace, a “walking floor” to move 3-ton billets and a 10-ton overhead crane for furnace maintenance.

Halfway through the project, the client realized they needed to revamp the project and cut costs, even though the foundation for the more costly design was already in progress.

• Hance was brought into the middle of this project to reverse engineer the design and use construction methods tailored to the client’s budgetary restrictions.

Our approach to this complex project included:

•  Re-designing and scaling down the building to blend seamlessly with the freshly laid foundation
•  Minimizing downtime to meet a tight 90-day schedule
•  Working alongside multiple contractors, including a special crew to build the furnace
•  Organizing two project coordination meetings a day to ensure the project remained on time and on budget