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It seems that during this time of uncertainty in the US Economy, we are returning the 2008 trend where consumers make purchasing decisions based solely on price. If you chose the lowest price, you are opening yourself up to many more "costs" that are not necessarily represented in the quoted price. It might seem like a risk to purchase from a supplier that isn't the "lowest price." The rewards are greater than the risk. What is important to you? Do you want to receive the correct parts the first time? On-time delivery? Communication throughout your project? Proper documentation? Billing Procedures? The price of a competitor might be below ours, but when you add up all of the actual costs to receive and install the material, is there really a cost savings? If you chose the lowest price, you may deal with late delivery, poor quality or incorrect parts and a lack of or delayed communication. If you choose the lowest price, you will get what you pay for.

The AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction) has introduced an exceptional resource for architects, general contractors, building owners, structural engineers, code officials, and for anyone who wants to know Why Steel is the better choice for building! Log on to AISC.org and click on your respective position to learn of the benefits of specifying steel. The benefits of using steel as your primary building material are vast, and there are even more benefits to specifying curved steel on your next project! You can check out our "Why Curved Steel" page to gather more information.

Albina recently completed bending 16" OD X .625" WALL A500 GR B material for a new bridge at the San Diego Zoo.  A total of 24 lens x 48 feet weighing 118,350 pounds were required for this job.  Albina used a combination of induction bending and cold increment bending to complete this project to meet AESS standards. Radii on the projected ranged from a 20 foot center-line-radius to a 350 foot center-line-radius. We are not a stranger to bending bridges for California Zoos! See below for a few examples of curved steel bridges and custom signage that we completed for the Happy Hallow Zoo in San Jose.

Albina has successfully completed bending various HSS and angle for the Fort Bliss Hospital in Texas. We induction bent and roll bent with internal support, materials to meet AESS standards. TS 16" X 4" X .500" WALL A500 GR B was induction bent to a spiral configuration down to a 29 ft plan view radius for the stringers. We also roll bent (with internal support) the same material, the easy way, down to a 29 ft radius for landing materials. Other materials required for this project included TS 10" X 4" X .375" WALL A500 GR B and 3" X 3" X 3/8" ANGLE A36. Just another project that proves distance is NOT a deterrent. If you want high quality bending, on-time, with great customer service, call us today!

We have purchased new tooling to go on our new 6” Coast Wallace bending machine. This new tooling will allow us to bend 6” Sch10 and 6” Sch40 carbon and stainless steel to an 18” CLR and a 30” CLR. This new tooling allows us to offer high quality bends without wrinkles or unacceptable levels of ovality. We have plans in 2017 to purchase additional tooling sets to continue to meet your needs and increase capacities. [caption id="attachment_977" align="aligncenter" width="1632"] Tooling for 6" Coast Wallace Rotary Draw Bending Machine[/caption]

Albina has purchased a new plate roll to add to our capabilities! This new plate roll is a Lemas Hydraulic 4-roll, 3/8” capacity over 6 feet long. The diameter of all rolls measures 7.87”. This machine will allow us to roll material tighter then we could previously roll. It will also allow us to roll thinner material then we could previously roll. We had a recent project requiring us to roll some very tight cylinders which prompted the purchase of the machine, but we are excited to take on more new work that we previously had to turn away.

The NCSEA (National Council of Structural Engineers Association) 19th Annual Awards for Excellence in Structural Engineering were announced in September and featured in the December issue of Structure Magazine.  The facade system for the Petersen Automotive Museum Renovation was awarded Outstanding Project in the "special use structures" category.  The exterior of the building was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox as a series of freeform stainless steel ribbons flowing over the structure.  The ribbons are supported by treelike structures, bent by Albina Co., Inc., which were designed to resemble engine manifolds. This project faced many structural concerns and the design team was able to come up with a solution that met all the structural needs as well as meeting the architectural vision. For a full list of winners click on the STRUCTURE magazine article. Photos courtesy of Zahner. [caption id="attachment_729" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Peterson Auto Museum Exterior[/caption] [caption id="attachment_728" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Peterson Auto Museum Bent Pipe Supports[/caption] [caption id="attachment_727" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Peterson Auto Museum Bent Pipe Supports[/caption]

Albina Co., Inc. is teaming up this year with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve ‘Toys for Tots’ program to help bring smiles to children in our community this holiday season. If you would like to participate, please bring a new, unwrapped toy to Albina Co., at 12080 SW Myslony St. in Tualatin. We will be collecting toys through December 14th. Albina Co. will match the total dollar amount collected at our location in toys, to assist the U.S. Marine Corps.    

This year's NASCC Show: The Steel Show will take place March 22-24 in San Antonio, Texas at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The Steel Conference is the place for engineers, fabricators, detailers and erectors to learn about structural steel design and construction, to interact with their peers and to see the latest products for steel buildings and bridges. Technical sessions and educational seminars are offered throughout the week in addition to the trade show. Albina Co., Inc. will be exhibiting and we are excited to share information on curved steel and why it is the better choice in architectural design. Just a brief glimpse on why you should specify curved steel on your next project:

• Reduced Risk
• Controlled Costs
• Sensitivity to the Environment
• An award winning project that stands out from the rest

R.O.L.L.-I.T. R: Recycled Material & Reduced Schedules O: On-hand & Odd Shapes L: Look & Laurels L: Less Labor Intensive & Lower Design Costs IT: Information Technology & Information Sharing: For more information, check out our "Why Curved Steel" information guide on our website and sign up for the NASCC Show today at AISC.org.

As 2016 comes to a close, we take a look back on some of the improvements we have made as a company to help better service the steel industry and our customer base. Equipment and tooling upgrades to increase capacities and product offerings. We added two new rotary draw benders, a 6" Coast Wallace with a carriage assist and overhead clamp.and a Pines #6 with a customized back boost, to our current inventory of equipment. We plan to fully tool these pieces of equipment allowing us to offer countless new radii options for our customers growing needs and demanding lead times. Shop floor redesign to maximize workflow efficiency and utilization of space. Before our new machines arrived, we completely restructured our shop allowing us to group similar machines in common areas. The result is improved material flow, increased production, and more efficient production. Welcomed Stu Hasman as an additional Regional Director of Sales. We are confident Stuart's commitment to quality, customer service and his integrity will make him a valuable resource as our company and your business continue to grow. Energy Efficient Lighting in Shop & Office. Solar Panel project coming in 2017. As Albina Co., Inc. continues to try to reduce our carbon footprint and be environmentally conscience, we completely retrofitted our entire production shop and office facility with energy efficient lighting this year. We are examining the potential to add solar panels on the South side of our building roof to reduce power consumption in early 2017.