North American Bridge Fabricators Declare
Ficep Corporation's European Bridge Fabricators Tour A
"Once in a Lifetime Experience"
On May 30 some of the leading bridge fabricators from North America joined Ficep Corporation on a "once in a lifetime experience" as the group visited some of the most significant bridge fabricators in the U.K. and Italy. The plants visited generally ranged with annual bridge girder capacities of 20,000 to 50,000 tons. Each tour typically lasted several hours and included a detailed presentation by each company visited with a follow up question and answer period.
The fabricators were all focused on welding practices in the different shops. |
The spans and weights of the girders that were produced in the different bridge fabrication shops were in line with many of those projects in North America. |
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CNC technology was prevalent in the shops viewed which ranged from plate drilling and burning, angle lines, detail punch/drill systems to plate girder drills. |
At the end of the week the group viewed various Ficep and other related products under power for demonstration. |
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Even if it was in concrete, the array of historic bridges was overwhelming in Venice. |
The group enjoyed Verona and the Arena which added to a memorial evening. |
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We experienced some free time during the morning in Venice, and the group scattered in all directions to explore all the beauty and history that Venice had to offer. |
The group took advantage of the opportunity to visit four of the Ficep facilities including one of the machining units that runs "lights out". |
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Automated fixturing and welding systems for girders were viewed in extensive use. |
Perhaps the following quotes from two members of the group sums up the experience best! "I would like to thank you for a wonderful and memorable trip; your hospitality was outstanding. Everything was very well planned and the accommodations were great. The plant tours and presentations were very informative. I enjoyed meeting all of you and the opportunity to participate in such a wonderful event". "I am so glad that I attended the event as it was fantastic. In addition, my three largest competitors are here as it turned out so I could not afford to miss this event." If you missed this year's bridge tour and would like to have us contact you about future events, please let us know and we will keep you informed of future tours. |
