Business View - November 2015 121
“The advances in technology have been really interesting
over the last couple of years. We have made an effort to
be at the forefront. We have a new management software
called Fabsuite; production, estimating, project manage-
ment, and purchasing are all linked through the software.
A few seconds after the saw cuts a piece, it is highlighted
as cut in the software. The same notifications occur after
a piece is fit up, after a piece has been checked by quality
control, after a piece has been checked by welding, and
finally, after a piece is loaded. The whole process can be
viewed in the software.” Another area in which Universal
Steel is ahead of the technology curve is that its fitters and
quality control personal all of tablets. Two years ago Uni-
versal Steel issued tablets to all the fitters to view their
drawings. Paper drawings were almost eliminated from
the shop floor. The transition was smooth and the tablets
ensure the fitter is looking at the latest version of the draw-
ing.
Bourne maintains that Universal Steel is not planning to
expand its business any time soon, but rather intends to
concentrate on “getting better internally. We are happy
with our footprint and the region we cover, but what we are
looking to do is update some machinery. The implementa-
tion and transition to a new piece of machinery in Lithonia
is probably the number one priority at this point,” he notes.
Three generations of Bourne’s have helped make Univer-
sal Steel one of the premier fabricators of structural and
miscellaneous steel in the southeast. “I think my grand-
father would be proud of what Universal Steel has accom-
plished so far, and I am very confident that the team we
have in place will continue Universal Steel’s model for suc-
cess in the steel industry for generations to come.”
PREFERRED VENDORS
Eison Industrial Sales
- Eison Industrial Sales, Inc. was es-
tablished in June 1975, and today is one of the largest in-
dependent industrial suppliers in the South. It provides its
customers with many of the best known brands of power
tools, abrasives, cutting tools, MRO supplies, safety equip-
ment, chemicals, welding supplies, and more. – www.
eisonindustrial.com
Steel Mart, Inc.
–
Structural Bolt
-
MANUFACTURING
