High Tech laser equipment used at Star Buildings System

Photo by Rick Harris Workers for Star Buildings Systems use innovative technology to cut down the man-hours per ton.

By Lesley Jenkins
star staff
ljenkins@starhq.com

   With industry struggling to survive tough economic times, at least one local industry has been growing in the past three years of the businesses locating in Carter County.
   Star Buildings System, member of the Metal Building Manufacturing Association, began production in July 2000 and has been growing ever since. Elizabethton Plant Manager Mark Fritz employed 115 workers in March 2002 and increased that number to 148 presently. He expects to hire about 10 new employees by the end of 2004.
   Star is a leader in the metal buildings manufacturing industry and is owned by Robertson-Ceco Corporation in Chicago, Ill.
   When the Elizabethton location was built, it was designed to be the "most efficient plant in the country." Fritz said the plant is not at that point yet, but with a little more experience in workers, he hopes this location will soon reach that goal.
   To meet this objective, the plant boasts some of the high tech equipment with lasers and machines that precisely cut the metal piece needed.
   "It allows people to be much more efficient and keeps operation costs lower," Fritz said.
   They build primary structure, secondary structure, walls, roof panels, trim and accessories. These structures are marketing to the non-residential industry, focusing on strip malls, factories, warehouses, aircraft hangars, churches, fire stations, office buildings and numerous large agricultural buildings.
   Computers determine the exact specifications that the laser will cut resulting in precise, accurate pieces.
   Director of Marketing Bud Warford said, "When making primary structure frames they are made so the columns and rafters are tapered. Next they take large plate steel and place it in two laser cutting machines.
   "During the order processing, we design and detail and send by computer coding and downloads the plate size to the machine. The machine cuts out tapered sections with clips, similar to paper dolls. The laser is extremely accurate and only the width of a pencil mark."
   Because of the extreme computer control, blueprints are bypassed and considered unnecessary. "The accuracy of the laser is 10 times better than the previous ways of cutting steel plates," Warford said.
   The Elizabethton plant, which cost $23.9 million for the entire facility and technology, is rated at 1,000 tons of steel output per week, which equals roughly 500,000 square feet of metal buildings systems.
   Warford said, "With the technology of the plant and the excellent Elizabethton work force, the plant produces metal building materials at approximately six man-hours per ton," one of the lowest man-hours of all the Star Buildings plants.
   Choosing to locate the plant in Elizabethton was based on the "excellent Industrial Development Authority." Star looked at several locations in South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
   "We looked at the existing metal building market and we drew a 450-mile circle and the point in the middle was Johnson City and Elizabethton. The location was ideal geographically because of the radius," Warford said.
   Star Buildings System has been in business since 1927. Last year the company sold 3,850 building units and gained $131 million in revenue. Nine hundred fifty (950) general contractors across the United States are licensed through Star to erect the metal buildings. The Johnson City contractor is Walt Tittle Construction Company.