You don’t have to be reminded that you are on a tour of PL Steel Services, a Jet Park, Gauteng-based company that has been in business for 32 years. Every employee on the shop floor wears a T-shirt or other form of garment or head gear that has the company’s logo imprinted on it. It’s not only one of company owner Peter Elsmore’s gestures of giving back to his staff but also his belief that they should have a sense of pride and passion when wearing the branded apparel of the company. Other than benefits such as business image, it helps create a team environment and client confidence also comes into play. But it is the investment in the employees that is the reason why the majority of the staff at PL Steel Services have been with the company for many years.
PL Steel’s company owner and Managing Director Peter Elsmore
Like many others, Elsmore had been working in the steel industry with experience at major corporates such as Macsteel before establishing a business with a partner because he could not see any future at the company he was with at the time and also because of the desire to run his own business. Like many others there were humble beginnings with a handful of clients but with much determination to succeed and through many hours of hard work the business is the success that it is today.
“When we started in 1993 the metal processing and fabricating world was not as wide open as it is today in terms of opportunities. We could not invest in the equipment that is available today and of course the industry was not as educated as it is today. What I mean by being educated is being well-informed with knowledge and information on hand at the push of a button. We were skilled in those days, with many being regarded as craftsman, but today that human craftsmanship is being displayed in machinery, systems and automation.”
“Laser cutting machines were unheard of. It was about that time the first laser was imported into the country by the late Robert Skok and was operated by Paul Dreyer. It certainly was a major development in the industry yet many were sceptical at the time. And of course, the advancement in laser machines is phenomenal. That first machine was a CO2 machine and those are virtually obsolete now.”
PL Steel has two buildings where they process materials. Laser cutting and bending is housed in one of these buildings
“If you look at our first investment in metal processing equipment – a profile cutting machine – there has not been much advancement in the technology except in the CNC controls. Likewise for the plasma cutting machines.”
“Essentially what you are getting off a profile or plasma cutting machine today is what you were getting off them 30 years ago. The big technology changes have come in the laser machines. That has been huge.”
“And now the market is shifting from a plasma cutting perspective. You are now able to purchase fiber laser cutting machines with 30, 40 and 50 kilowatt laser outputs that can cut much thicker material that has been the domain of the plasma cutting machine in the past. So plasma cutting machines are becoming redundant because the fiber lasers are replacing them.”
“Additionally, I think South Africa’s home market has shifted because it has become very competitive. I am sure this trend is not unique to South Africa but we feel it because we started the company when cutting and bending material, on manual equipment, was what a company could survive on. Additional services or processing was done by the client or another service provider and then the client would do the assembly or fabrication.”
“There is no such term as a metal service centre anymore. There are many reasons why but one of the biggest contributing factors is that the price of the fiber laser cutting machines has dropped considerably and a big influencing factor here has been the emergence of the Chinese OEM. I think they have more fiber laser cutting machine manufacturers than the rest of the world put together.”
PL Steel has three Bystronic fiber lasers. The one Bystronic machine has a 12kW source and 4m by 2m bed, another has a 6kW source with a 4m by 2m bed and the third Bystronic is a 4kW machine also with a 4m by 2m bed size
Installed last year was a DNE fiber laser that has a bed size of 4m by 2m and a 12kW power source
“As a result, a company that relied on the old ‘service centre’ for the cutting of his sheet and plate now have their own machines. In many cases they can’t fill the capacity of the machine so they look for outside work, which puts even more pressure on the company that relied solely on cutting sheet and plate.”
“You also have to take into account how fast the latest generation of fiber laser cutting machines are and the thickness of material they cut. There is also the cost pressure on you to try and produce the components. Companies are now laser cutting base plates, gussets and girders for what used to be a profile cutting price.”
“So that’s where the pressures have come and are obviously a challenge that you have to deal with.”
“We have all had to adapt over the years and thank goodness we started planning many years ago.”
“One area we specifically saw an opportunity in was in quick response. It seems that many shops have a tough time managing lead times and making lead times predictable. Quick, predictable delivery is what clients want. Some key tenets of quick-response manufacturing are that the philosophy aims to shorten the order-to-cash cycle by focusing not on machine utilisation but on job processing time – how long it takes for a job to make its way through the entire business.”
All of PL Steel’s bending machines are from Bystronic. They range from 150 ton bending force up to 450 ton on the older machines and up to 4m bending width
The most recent bending machine to be installed is a Bystronic Xpert 40. The Bystronic Xpert 40 is a small-scale press brake that can be assembled to be portable and can be integrated into almost any production environment. Although compact, the Xpert 40 still features an impressive 40 ton bending capacity and can carry out 1 028 bends an hour
“Time has always been a priority. However, it has become the essence today. Additionally, 10 years ago companies loved to keep stock on their shelves. Now the whole industry has shifted to a just-in-time thinking.”
“The companies who can do the best price, the best service, the best quality, they get the work.
And companies have got spoilt so they demand more.”
Services
“Our services include CNC laser cutting, high-definition CNC plasma cutting, CNC profile cutting, CNC bending, rolling and we offer other value added services such as polishing, brushing, drilling, chamfering and bevelling. We also drill and tap up to a M24 hole and can countersink different grades and thickness.”
Laser equipment
“Currently we have four fiber laser machines on the floor. Our top of the range machines can cut a range of materials with thicknesses from as thin as 0.5mm up to 35mm thick.”
“Three of them are Bystronic fiber lasers and the more recent one is from Bystronic’s sister company DNE Laser. This machine was only installed last year and has a bed size of 4m by 2m and has a 12kW fiber power source.”
“The one Bystronic machine has a 12kW source and 4m by 2m bed, another has a 6kW source with a 4m by 2m bed and the third Bystronic is a 4kW machine also with a 4m by 2m bed size.”
In the second building the high-definition plasma machines and profile machines are housed. Welding, fettling, fabrication and assembly also take place in this building
The high-definition plasma machines cut a standard dry flame cut finish as well as a water-based, clean-cut, finish. The machine boasts a 14m by 3m bed and can accommodate large cutting needs
Bending machines
“All our bending machines are from Bystronic. They range from 150 ton bending force up to 450 ton on the older machines and up to 4m bending width.”
“The smallest of which is a Bystronic Xpert 40. The Bystronic Xpert 40, a small-scale press brake that can be assembled to be portable and can be integrated into almost any production environment. Although compact, the Xpert 40 still features an impressive 40 ton bending capacity and can carry out 1 028 bends an hour.”
Plasma and profile
“Our high-definition plasma machines cut a standard dry flame cut finish as well as a water-based, clean-cut, finish. The machine boasts a 14m by 3m bed and can accommodate large cutting needs.”
“Our profile machines can cut up to 300mm thick. We use multi-head torches and can cut several items at a time. The bed size is 6 500mm by 2 700mm and has the ability to cut double cuts with ease.”
Value added fabrication
“After the Covid shutdown, many customers in the industry started turning towards a ‘One Stop Shop’ – suppliers who can not only offer a cut-to-size service but a full fabrication service too. This was when we decided to open that service to the customers who are looking for it, with our PL Fabrication department offering full and partial assembly, drilling, painting and other services as required.”
“Value adding, beneficiation, whatever you want to call it, should be a priority in any company and encouraged by governments. In our business we call it fabricating and assembly. Usually, it would involve welding but not always.”
“Our welders are qualified to give an outstanding standard of product and are coded to the American weld spec of D1.1. The AWS D1.1 helps participants understand and apply the AWS D1.1 for structural welding code of steel. It covers material specifications, design, fabrication, inspection, and qualification procedures for steel structures, providing essential knowledge for those working with D1.”
In between the two buildings where processing, fabrication, welding and assembly takes place is a large storage area
PL Steel’s services include CNC laser cutting, high-definition CNC plasma cutting, CNC profile cutting, CNC bending, rolling and they offer other value added services such as polishing, brushing, drilling, chamfering and bevelling
Manufacturing area
“We have two buildings that we process our materials in with a large uncovered area between them where the material handling takes place. The total square metre size is about 10 000 square metres.”
“In the one building all the laser cutting and bending machines are housed and in the other building the high-definition plasma machines and profile machines are housed. Welding, fettling, fabrication and assembly also take place in this building.”
Tekenso’s eTrack
“When we established PL Steel Services the administration and paperwork and the accounting system were antiquated when you consider what is on offer today. It has taken some time to be offered a product that would remove the complexity from any manufacturing environment by creating order and the ability to track any item(s) throughout the organisation, be that in an office, shop floor, or anywhere where it matters.”
“We have now found this solution in Tekenso’s eTrack, which we are busy implementing. eTrack is a complete management system that incorporates finance, sales, production, logistics, HR and IT (CAD/CAM/nesting software, CRM/ERP).”
“To be successful businesses require effective management and oversight of various operational inputs from sales to pricing, orders outstanding, and tracking work-in-progress on the shop floor, to ensure the production and delivery of product – on time and within budget – for the end-customer.”
The company also does welding, fettling, fabrication and assembly for customers
The profile machines can cut up to 300mm thick. PL Steel use multi-head torches and can cut several items at a time. The bed size is 6 500mm by 2 700mm and has the ability to cut double cuts with ease
“When I think back, we were drowning with the daily changes that were coming from our customers, and you got to manage all that. And we basically said, there’s got to be a better way to do this. We wanted something where human interaction is very minimal and ultimately something that would transform the shop floor in the form of prioritised work orders by department or operation.”
“We can see it. We are already making much better use of our machine time and capacity.”
Investing in human capital
“It is an old cliché but if you don’t surround yourself with good people you are going to have stress and trauma. Just like we have invested in clothing and apparel we have also invested in the people themselves.”
“30 years ago you would have 10 interviews and you could employ at least 8 of them. Nowadays you are lucky if you get 1 out of 30 to employ. The world has changed in many ways and mostly for the better. But the skill of interacting in a face-to-face situation is not what comes easily to many youngsters these days.”
Various components processed by PL Steel
“After the Covid shutdown, many customers in the industry started turning towards a ‘One Stop Shop’ – suppliers who can not only offer a cut-to-size service but a full fabrication service too. This was when we decided to open that service to the customers who are looking for it, with our PL Fabrication department offering full and partial assembly, drilling, painting and other services as required.”
“We have made sure that our staff get the necessary training for working with steel, for example, but also to be driven by sales, personality and relationships that complement technical skills. To get that balance is difficult but it is worth it.”
“When we came out of Covid there was a complete mindset change because everything was office bound. We had to learn how to cope, how we can diversify, what we can do and what we can’t do.”
“We came up with a saying of ‘An island of excellence in a sea of chaos’.”
“Because of the chaos that was out there we tried to create this feeling of, not only with our staff but also with our customers, where we are going to try and give you a service of excellence, despite what the industry is doing, despite the decisions that our governments make and despite that we know the world is chaotic.”
For further details contact PL Steel Services on TEL: 011 397 3873 or visit www.plsteel.co.za
