Category: Imperial Steel Winnipeg

Categories
Imperial Steel Winnipeg

Workplace Safety in the Manufacturing Industry

Workplace health and safety is key to the success of any manufacturing business. Not only do manufacturers want to ensure their employees function in the best possible environment, but workplace health and safety is also key to their financial success as worker productivity increases exponentially in a safe environment. Most importantly, workers in a safe and healthy environment produce the highest quality products.

The keys to workplace health and safety are found in the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety standards. Guidelines include fire safety, first aid and emergency plans. Since implementing these standards in 1970, workplace injuries and illness have decreased by 40 per cent. But manufacturing, construction, engineering, welding and other physically-demanding workplaces require more specific standards.

Risk hazard assessments, appropriate tools and other equipment are some examples and the use of personal safety equipment such as helmets, gloves, face and ear protection, appropriate clothing and safety footwear is paramount to their success,.

inspection_2

Worker compliance is a necessity for ensuring the safety of workers. These standards can be achieved through communication and education. Well-trained managers and floor staff understand the importance of safety wear and can share information through both verbal and written reminders. Posters and other written notices should be prominently displayed throughout the workplace. And managers should meet regularly with workers to ensure they understand the importance of workplace safety.

Beyond safety gear, equipment must also comply with safety standards. At Imperial Steel, we ensure that not only our workplace is healthy but that our products, developed for the automotive and agriculture industries, are produced with the highest quality and care. Our tubing lines include galvanized, aluminized, welded, hot rolled and cold rolled and our products are rust-protected to the best degree possible using ZAM® alloy coated steel. For more information on our products visit us at imperialsteel.com

Categories
Imperial Steel Winnipeg

TPP could threaten North American steel industry

north-america-globe_NAFTAThe Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is under negotiation and the impacts for the auto-parts manufacturing industry in North America are of great concern. Under the current North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) requirements, a regional value content (RVC) of 62.5 per cent must be attained for automobile parts and light-duty vehicles and 60 per cent for other segments of the auto industry. This could be decreased to 50 per cent under the TPP.

The impact for not only steel and other auto parts manufacturers but for the automobile industry itself would be extremely detrimental. The decrease in RVC would offer an advantage to producers whose primary supply chain is outside of the TPP region. For steel producers providing products such as tubing and piping to the automotive industry, an RVC disadvantage within the TPP would encourage off-shore sourcing and supply, creating devastating consequences for North American economies.

The Canadian Steel Producers Association has issued a joint press release together with the American Iron and Steel Institute and Mexico’s CANACERO to make governments aware of the impact of this potential decision. A strongly worded letter was released on September 22 addressed to Ed Fast, Canadian Minister of International Trade, Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal, Secretary of Economy of Mexico; and United States Trade Representative Mike Froman, outlining their concerns.

At Imperial Steel, we support these efforts to ensure a healthy steel industry. Imperial Steel produces piping and tubing products for both the automobile and agricultural industries. These include galvanized, aluminized, welded, hot rolled and cold rolled steel tubing. For more information on our products visit us at imperialsteel.com

Categories
Imperial Steel Winnipeg

Manufacturing: The Key to a Healthy Economy

The manufacturing industry is vital to Canada’s economy, contributing 14 per cent to the GDP, creating millions of jobs, and being progressive in developing innovative and green technologies. While newer “high tech” and service industries, move into the spotlight, manufacturing is the backbone that bolsters these industries as a consumer of their products and services. The health of the Canadian manufacturing industry is a gauge upon which to judge the economy as a whole.

Canada-Manufacturing-IndustryUnfortunately, industry statistics show that manufacturing in Canada suffered a sales decrease of 1.5 per cent in September over August, due to lower sales in the vehicle assembly industry as well as coal and petroleum products. These statistics are particularly important as a weakened manufacturing sector was a key factor in the global recession of 2008-2009, spurring many countries to take measures to strengthen their manufacturing base.

Government policy is one way to encourage a healthy manufacturing industry. Canada must maintain and develop government policies to ensure that the manufacturing sector remains not only stable but continues to grow in the “new” economy. Measures such as tax cuts, the federal government’s Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance, and allowances for training have worked in the past to bolster the manufacturing industry and should therefore be continued. Measures considered in the TPP must reflect pro-manufacturing priorities advocated for by all three NAFTA countries.

Seventy-five per cent of all products contain steel–making it a critical part of the manufacturing industry. At Imperial Steel we look forward to Canada making the right decision to strengthen its manufacturing base, particularly in the automotive industry where many of our tubing and piping steel products are used.

Categories
Imperial Steel Winnipeg

Imperial Steel – Dates of 2015 Holiday Closure

Merry-Christmas-Happy-New-Year

All departments at Imperial Steel, including our office and manufacturing services departments, as well as shipping & receiving, will be closed effective December 24, 2015 so that our staff can enjoy the holiday season with their families.

All services will resume on Monday, January 4, 2016 at 7:00am.

Imperial Steel would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Categories
Imperial Steel Winnipeg

FABTECH 2015: METAL MAKES LIFE MORE CONNECTED

FABTECH2015_STDFABTECH 2015 is just 3 days away! The event, held in Chicago in 2015, is all about metal.

Co-organized by the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Intl. (FMA), SME, American Welding Society (AWS), Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), and Chemical Coaters Association Intl. (CCAI), the show is a one-stop shop for metal fabricators to browse metalworking tools and technology; network with other manufacturing professionals; and learn about technical and leadership concepts via educational conferences, panel discussions, and forums.

More than 1,500 exhibitors and 40,000 attendees will occupy 650,000 square feet of floor space from November 9th thru November 12th at McCormick Place in Chicago. This event is North America’s largest collaboration of technology, equipment and knowledge in the metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing industries and has come to be known as the place where some of the best minds in manufacturing come to share their perspectives.

FABTECH will next be held in Canada at the Toronto Congress Centre from March 22nd thru 24th, 2016. Visit FABTECH Canada’s website to learn more.

Imperial Steel is proud to be part of an industry that makes products to improve daily life – providing safety, convenience, comfort, energy and more!

To learn more about FABTECH, visit their website: http://www.fabtechexpo.com/

Categories
Imperial Steel Winnipeg

ZAM® – The Steel Coating of the Future

Steel is a near-perfect building material. Strong, inexpensive when compared to the alternatives, and durable. The invention of steel ushered in the industrial age – it’s the material that transformed the world, and formed the basis for the technologically advanced society that we enjoy living in today.

Steel has a downside, however. When exposed to oxygen and moisture, it rusts. In a few short years, the natural corrosion process can transform a strong and durable structure into a veritable piece of “Swiss cheese”.

ZAM logoThere are many ways to slow the formation of rust. Some are more effective than others, and some require constant maintenance. Introducing ZAM®.

ZAM® is a hot dip coating for sheet steel comprised of a Zinc-Aluminum-Magnesium Alloy. It’s more effective than other steel treatments (like Galvanizing), and far cheaper than more expensive alternative materials like aluminum and Stainless.

ZAM® is exclusively produced by Wheeling-Nisshin, and we at Imperial Steel Products Ltd. use steel with this coating extensively in our steel tubing products.

We are particularly excited about the potential of ZAM® in agriculture. Because it’s particularly resistant to extreme climates (are you listening, Prairie winter?) and high chloride and ammonia environments like those used to house livestock, we see it as an ideal material for use by our agriculture customers.

Besides superior cost-effectiveness due to its lower installation costs (there’s no need for other coatings or treatments), longer service life, ZAM® has many advantages over competing technologies. ZAM®’s corrosion resistance is superior on both drawn and bend processed parts, and the cut edge rust protection is better than any competing coating’s. All of this performance is coupled with the advantage of being thinner than other metallic coatings, reducing manufacturing, transportation, and construction costs while benefitting the environment.

To find out more about ZAM® products, contact Imperial Steel Products online. Stay connected by signing up for our emails, or request a quote. To speak to a representative directly, call us toll-free at (866) 791-2179

  • ZAM® is produced according to Designation: A1046/A1046M Standard Specification for Steel Sheet, Zinc-Aluminum-Magnesium Alloy-Coated by the Hot-Dip Process
  • ZAM® is a registered trademark applied to the hot-dipped zinc-aluminum-magnesium-alloy-coated steel sheets developed by Nisshin Steel Co. Ltd.
Categories
Imperial Steel Winnipeg

Imperial Steel and Samuel, Son & Co. – A Relationship that Works

Prior to 2008, Imperial Steel sourced a great deal of its raw materials from Namasco, a company that we had established a good working relationship with, who provided us with good raw materials with which to construct our pipe, tubing, and other steel products.

Samuel, Son and CoNamasco was acquired by Samuel, Son & Co., a Canadian company that began operation in 1855 in Toronto, and has been continuously operated by the Samuel family ever since. Because of their long history, deep Canadian roots, and our level of satisfaction from Namasco, Imperial Steel decided to become a customer of Samuel. In doing so, we continued to receive our coil steel from the same facility.

We couldn’t be happier with our decision.

Imperial’s relationship with Samuel has helped us to grow into our status as one of Western Canada’s premiere suppliers of steel tubing. Like Samuel, Imperial has a decades-long tradition of excellence in manufacturing and customer service, and like us, Samuel is constantly striving to offer more versatile products to their customers.

Samuel has supported Imperial in many ways, making their extensive resources available to us. They are a truly full-service company, focused not on short-term profit through increased sales, but on long-term relationship building, in helping their customers use their products in the most effective and efficient manner, serving their own clients in the best way possible.

When two Canadian companies align themselves like Imperial and Samuel have, the customer wins in the end.

To find out more about Imperial Steel and the steel tubing and other products that we provide to the agricultural and automotive industries, sign up for our email list today.

Categories
Imperial Steel Winnipeg

Sustainability in the Steel Industry

Did you know that steel is North America’s most recycled material? Every year, we recycle more steel than paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass combined.

sustainable-text-on-torn-paperVirtually all of the steel we’ve ever used can be recycled, with new technologies expanding our capabilities all the time. When we recycle a steel product, not only are we keeping the material itself from the landfill, but we are also actually recovering a large part of the energy that was used to manufacture the original steel. Steel recycling consumes less energy than making new product from raw materials, so steel recycling is the most effective form of repurposing we can do.

Every pound of steel you own (and, if you’re an average North American, that’s about 2,000) contains some recycled material. Recycled steel is indistinguishable from new product.

At Imperial Steel Products, we support a green economy. We take great pains to tread lightly on the earth, recognizing that it is our responsibility to provide our customers with maximum benefits, without compromising the environment and the world’s resources.

We work diligently to ensure that the raw materials we buy for use in our tubing products has a high content of recycled material. We gear our manufacturing process specifically to minimize waste, and what little unusable material we are left with is sent for recycling at a facility run by Urbanmine, a Winnipeg based recycler with a long history of providing excellent services in our community. Our processes use lubricants, which are filtered and reused as long as possible. When they are worn out, we enlist the services of GFL Environmental to collect them and recycle them, when possible, into new products.

To find out more about Imperial Steel, the products we sell, and our responsible business practices, contact us online. You can sign up for our emails, or request a quote. You can also speak to a representative directly by calling us at (866) 791-2179

Categories
Imperial Steel Winnipeg

Canadian Agriculture – More Important than Ever

Here on the Prairies, we take agriculture for granted. The silos and other farm structures we drive past regularly blend into the landscape. They’re nearly as plentiful as people out here under the wide-open skies.

harvested-field-revised

Farming, particularly the kind that we excel at here in the West is extremely important to the Canadian economy, and the Canadian farmer punches well above his or her weight on the world stage. Here are some facts about Canadian agriculture that you might not know:

  • 1 in 8 Canadian jobs are in Agriculture and Agri-Food Processing.
  • Canada is the 5th largest exporter of Agriculture and Agri-Food products. In 2013, this amounted to more than $50 billion in sales.
  • Food and beverage processing is Canada’s largest manufacturing industry, with $93.7 billion dollars in shipments annually.
  • The beef industry alone contributes $25 billion to the Canadian economy each year.
  • Canada is the number one producer of Canola in the world.
  • The world will need 60% more food by the year 2050. Canada is poised to be a big player in supplying agricultural products to the world.

Farming is a big part of our young people’s future. In 2013, there were 56,000 career opportunities available in the Agricultural industry in North America. This number is expected to climb as production increases over the coming decades.

At Imperial Steel Ltd., we understand the importance of Agriculture to Canadians in general, and the West in particular. The products we sell help build better farms, like ZAM® coated tubing, and we’re proud to be able to contribute to one of Canada’s largest and healthiest industries.

To find out more about Imperial Steel and the corrosion-resistant steel products that we provide to the agricultural industry, sign up for our emails, or request a quote online. You can also speak to a representative directly by calling us at (866) 791-2179

Categories
Imperial Steel Winnipeg

Where is Imperial Steel?

Where-is-Imperial-SteelSteel is essentially used in the manufacturing of major structures. Steel is used in the automotive, agriculture and the real estate industry. So, it is safe to say that you will be seeing a lot of steel tubing components that have been manufactured by Imperial on a daily basis. Nothing is more important than selecting the right kind of steel products, especially when it comes to quality and quantity.

The Automotive and Agricultural Industry
There is no question that Imperial Steel is used extensively in the automotive industry. Using Imperial Steel’s cold rolled and aluminized exhaust tubing in the manufacturing of vehicle components provides long term strength and durability, enabling them to withstand harsh conditions. Similarly, our hot rolled and galvanized steel tubing provides reliability and durability to much of the agricultural machinery, tools and components that you see every day in our fields. Plus, high quality steel tubing is typically easier to maintain throughout its lifespan.

End Users
Imperial Steel’s products are hence much better, more reliable and safer when it comes to the manufacture of farming equipment, cars, big rigs and a plethora of different things that we see in our everyday lives. How about that spiral staircase you’ve been considering for your home? Yep, we can provide tubing for home projects too!

Consumers today look for products that can give them a good value for their money. At Imperial Steel you don’t have to worry about getting something flimsy and unreliable. We provide our customers with economical products made with high grade steel that lasts longer.

Moreover, our products are passed through a strict quality check before being used in construction of cars, tractors, trucks and other applications.

For more information about our steel tubing products, contact us or request an estimate today!