THE BUSINESS OF STEEL ERECTION

Description:

This film in the "This is Your Market" film series promotes Harnischfeger Corporation cranes and heavy equipment, and dates to the late 1950s or early 1960s. The film highlights the rapid growth of the steel erection industry and the increasing demand for efficient construction equipment. It emphasizes how modern cranes have replaced older methods, improving speed, safety, and precision in large-scale projects. Contractors value mobility, reliability, and advanced features like hydraulic control and Magnetorque systems. The industry’s expansion in both urban construction and mining creates strong opportunities for those with the right machinery. Harnischfeger Corp., originally Pawling and Harnischfeger, was a Milwaukee-based company that specialized in electronic motors, crane design and production, and later the manufacturing of mining equipment. It is now part of Komatsu Limited.

00:00 Main titles. Overview of steel erection industry and demand for construction equipment.
0:44 - Rapid growth in steel erection creates major opportunities.
0:55 - Advances in high-strength steel improve efficiency and cost.
1:11 - Demand expected to increase significantly.
1:25 - Thousands of machines currently used in steel erection.
1:33 - More will be needed.
1:40 - Equipment sellers must understand contractor needs.
2:06 - Modern crane technology replaces old school towers and derricks.
2:12 - Cranes provide faster and more efficient steel placement valued by contractors 2:41 - Cranes sort and manage structural components on-site.
2:48 - Materials are labeled for precise placement.
2:58 - Efficient stacking allows quick retrieval.
3:07 - Accurate positioning is critical for vertical construction.
3:12 - Structural members are secured into foundations and columns.
3:19 - Girders and beams positioned by crane.
3:28 - Structure assembled piece by piece.
3:37 - Riveting is being replaced by bolts and welding.
3:45 - Steel crews operate as highly coordinated teams.
3:58 - Crane operator plays a central role in efficiency.
4:04 - Operator praises P&H cranes for performance and control.
4:11 - Magnetorque improves swing speed and responsiveness.
4:19 - Hydraulic controls give precise handling.
4:30 - Power lowering improves accuracy in difficult lifts.
4:37 - Stability is crucial when lifting heavy loads at height.
4:46 - P&H cranes maintain smooth operation under load.
4:52 - Safety is a top priority in crane operations.
5:05 - Contractors enforce strict safety standards.
5:13 - Cranes must be structurally reliable under real conditions.
5:28 - Mobility is a key factor in equipment selection.
5:44 - Large cranes face transport and regulation challenges.
5:51 - Road and bridge limits affect equipment use.
6:06 - Clearance restrictions influence job planning.
6:14 - Contractors need adaptable, transportable machines.
6:29 - Equipment must be easy to assemble and move.
6:38 - Contractors must consider multiple job and equipment factors.
6:48 - Introduction to mining project engineer in Arizona.
6:55 - Large open-pit copper mine operation described.
7:07 - Massive earthmoving operations move 100,000 tons daily.
7:19 - Heavy equipment transports material from pit to dump sites.
7:32 - Cranes assist in structural steel erection at mill site.
7:48 - Cranes also install large pipeline systems.
8:01 - Overhead cranes operate inside processing buildings.
8:14 - Cranes handle concrete and construction tasks.
8:22 - Excavators prepare conveyor support structures.
8:31 - P&H equipment widely used across major projects.
8:48 - Contractors report strong satisfaction with equipment reliability.
8:56 - Equipment used in both mining and construction applications.
9:08 - Steel erection and construction industries continue to grow rapidly.
9:19 - Demand for office and residential buildings increases.
9:28 - Industry expected to double in coming years.
9:36 - Opportunity exists for contractors with the right equipment.

Complete Record: Help us preserve, scan and post more rare and endangered films on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCddem5RlB3bQe99wyY49g0g/join Website: https://PeriscopeFilm.com This film in the "This is Your Market" film series promotes Harnischfeger Corporation cranes and heavy equipment, and dates to the late 1950s or early 1960s. The film highlights the rapid growth of the steel erection industry and the increasing demand for efficient construction equipment. It emphasizes how modern cranes have replaced older methods, improving speed, safety, and precision in large-scale projects. Contractors value mobility, reliability, and advanced features like hydraulic control and Magnetorque systems. The industry’s expansion in both urban construction and mining creates strong opportunities for those with the right machinery. Harnischfeger Corp., originally Pawling and Harnischfeger, was a Milwaukee-based company that specialized in electronic motors, crane design and production, and later the manufacturing of mining equipment. It is now part of Komatsu Limited. 00:00 Main titles. Overview of steel erection industry and demand for construction equipment. 0:44 - Rapid growth in steel erection creates major opportunities. 0:55 - Advances in high-strength steel improve efficiency and cost. 1:11 - Demand expected to increase significantly. 1:25 - Thousands of machines currently used in steel erection. 1:33 - More will be needed. 1:40 - Equipment sellers must understand contractor needs. 2:06 - Modern crane technology replaces old school towers and derricks. 2:12 - Cranes provide faster and more efficient steel placement valued by contractors 2:41 - Cranes sort and manage structural components on-site. 2:48 - Materials are labeled for precise placement. 2:58 - Efficient stacking allows quick retrieval. 3:07 - Accurate positioning is critical for vertical construction. 3:12 - Structural members are secured into foundations and columns. 3:19 - Girders and beams positioned by crane. 3:28 - Structure assembled piece by piece. 3:37 - Riveting is being replaced by bolts and welding. 3:45 - Steel crews operate as highly coordinated teams. 3:58 - Crane operator plays a central role in efficiency. 4:04 - Operator praises P&H cranes for performance and control. 4:11 - Magnetorque improves swing speed and responsiveness. 4:19 - Hydraulic controls give precise handling. 4:30 - Power lowering improves accuracy in difficult lifts. 4:37 - Stability is crucial when lifting heavy loads at height. 4:46 - P&H cranes maintain smooth operation under load. 4:52 - Safety is a top priority in crane operations. 5:05 - Contractors enforce strict safety standards. 5:13 - Cranes must be structurally reliable under real conditions. 5:28 - Mobility is a key factor in equipment selection. 5:44 - Large cranes face transport and regulation challenges. 5:51 - Road and bridge limits affect equipment use. 6:06 - Clearance restrictions influence job planning. 6:14 - Contractors need adaptable, transportable machines. 6:29 - Equipment must be easy to assemble and move. 6:38 - Contractors must consider multiple job and equipment factors. 6:48 - Introduction to mining project engineer in Arizona. 6:55 - Large open-pit copper mine operation described. 7:07 - Massive earthmoving operations move 100,000 tons daily. 7:19 - Heavy equipment transports material from pit to dump sites. 7:32 - Cranes assist in structural steel erection at mill site. 7:48 - Cranes also install large pipeline systems. 8:01 - Overhead cranes operate inside processing buildings. 8:14 - Cranes handle concrete and construction tasks. 8:22 - Excavators prepare conveyor support structures. 8:31 - P&H equipment widely used across major projects. 8:48 - Contractors report strong satisfaction with equipment reliability. 8:56 - Equipment used in both mining and construction applications. 9:08 - Steel erection and construction industries continue to grow rapidly. 9:19 - Demand for office and residential buildings increases. 9:28 - Industry expected to double in coming years. 9:36 - Opportunity exists for contractors with the right equipment. 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Transcription

[music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Every working day, 16,000 tons of steel are set in place in the United States. In the course of a single year, that's 4 and 1/4 million tons of new steel [music] erection. This spells opportunity. >> [music] >> Far greater opportunities lie just ahead. For according to the American Institute of Steel Construction, the industry has achieved a significant breakthrough in the development of new high-strength steels. This will make the use of steel easier for the architect and contractor, and more economical for the owner. As a result, the market for steel erection is expected to grow by leaps and bounds. Today, some 18 to 20,000 machines are at work setting the steel and doing other erection work. To keep pace with the growth of the market, thousands of new machines will be needed every year. And to serve this market, the man who sells equipment must understand just where his equipment fits into the picture. How the contractor uses it. And what he's looking for when he buys equipment. Until recent years, steel erection was a slow process done with towers and elevators, derricks and gin poles that had to be built up along with the building. Today, most of this work is assigned the mobile truck or crawler crane. And the reason is easy to find. The crane sets more steel with less waste motion. And that's what the contractor wants. More steel set in place quicker, at lower cost. No matter what the size of the job or the crane, time saving begins as soon as the steel is delivered at the site. Each member is numbered at the mill, telling its exact location in the structure. Sitting in one spot, the big crane can shake out the steel for the whole job, sorting it according to where each member goes and when it will be needed. Where ground space is at a premium, the steel is stacked within the structure, from where the crane selects each member as needed. Pinpoint spotting is a big thing in setting vertical members. These are bolted or welded together into columns that are based on piles driven down to bedrock. Between the columns, the crane must ease the girders and floor beams into position. One after another, the members are picked from the pile, swung into position, and fastened together. For many years, the clang of riveting has been the voice of structural steel. But today, that voice is being silenced by the use of bolts and welding. An experienced crew setting steel is a study in teamwork. From the time the ground men hook on the beam until the sky men put it into place. Not a moment, not a motion is wasted. Star of the team is the operator. Or as he'll tell you, the operator and his crane. That's right. And if you want me to say it, I will. P&H is the Cadillac of cranes, the best there is. The boss likes it because it's fast. With Magnetorque and all, it's got the fastest swing cycle going. Me, I like the control it's got. Hydraulic. It really gives you that instant response they talk about. It's like well, the whole job sits right in my hands, easy like. And with power lowering, you just feel your way in, even when you're working blind. And you take stability. When you're working a 7-ton girder out on a couple of hundred feet of stick, you don't want to sit there rocking and thumping and swaying. But with P&H, I can work right up to capacity, and it still works smooth and steady and safe. And I guess safety is the most important thing of all. The contractor agrees with the operator in his concern for safety. Working in close among other buildings as he usually does, often in areas of heavy street traffic, he's constantly aware of what he calls the potential killing capacity of the crane with its long boom and heavy load. He enforces strict safety regulations on the job, and he also demands that safety be built into the machine, that it be structurally sound, and that its capacity not be overrated. He wants safety not under ideal conditions, but under the real conditions he encounters every day on the job. Another factor that counts heavily with the contractor is mobility. These truck cranes have to get around, and they do. That's their great advantage. But it's also a problem, and the bigger the crane, the bigger the problem. However much highway regulations vary from locality to locality, they always figure in a contractor's reckoning. Allowable weight on bridges and overpasses will govern the choice of routes to a job, and choice of equipment to do the job. Clearances through underpasses and utility lines are other limiting factors. These external conditions may force the contractor to work with a smaller crane that he'd like on a job. But what he wants is equipment that helps solve these problems. A rig that can be stripped easily to conform with regulations, then be quickly reassembled on the job. So, many factors involving site, job, and equipment must be taken into account when a contractor bids a job, and when he assigns equipment to do the job. And that's what every builder wants, a rig that will do the job. Now meet Bill Mahoney, project engineer at the Sahuarita mine of American Smelting and Refining Company. Bill, what are you people doing out here in the middle of the desert? The company is developing one of the largest open pit copper mines in Southern Arizona over in this direction. We have large excavating equipment and large truck haulage equipment that is moving the dirt from the pit out to the dump areas. Their production rate is approximately 100,000 tons per day. This is our mill building. Structural steel is practically complete. As you see, the 60-ton crane is erecting bin side plates for the fine ore bin to feed the mill grinding section. That crane is laying the 36-in diameter main water line from the mill reservoir to the mill building. In the mill building, we have five P&H overhead cranes. This crane is pouring the concrete walls for the tailings thickener. This other crane is pouring the concrete roof for our motor control center and our fine crushing building. This is a backhoe that is excavating for the conveyor support structure from our coarse ore storage. It is noteworthy that considerable P&H equipment on this job has been used on other work in the United States and in South America. We have found it very satisfactory to continue its use on our project. We have a high regard for P&H equipment on our jobs of erection, of new construction in the field, and assembly of heavy equipment, which is required in our mining operations. Thank you, Bill Mahoney. In the desert and in the city, the business of steel erection is booming while the race goes on to catch up with the demand for space in modern office and apartment buildings. The industry is predicting an 11% increase in heavy construction contracts this year, and a full 100% increase within 15 years. So, the market's there and waiting. Waiting for the man who has the right equipment to offer, and who knows how to offer it on the basis of what it will do for the contractor. In an industry that's well on its way to doubling in size, there's lots of room to grow. >> [music] [music] >> Wow.

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