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North American Steel Construction Conference
San Antonio, Texas

The North American Steel Conference is the premier education event aimed at providing structural engineers, steel fabricators, erectors, and detailers with practical information and the latest design and construction techniques. In addition, the Steel Conference offers an extensive trade show, featuring products and services ranging from fabrication machinery, galvanizing, and connection products to detailing and engineering software. It’s a once-a-year opportunity to learn the latest techniques, see the most innovative products, and network with your peers and clients.

This year the conference was held February 8th, 9th and 10th in the heart of down town San Antonio, only blocks away from the historic Alamo.  Dowco staff attending included, Hugh Dobbie, Ewen Dobbie, Wayne Morrison, Ken Mussato, Joselito Manrique from our Burnaby, BC head office, and Eric Lee, Drawing office Manager from our Mississauga, ON office.   

As is the case each year, the Dowco booth was very busy as we juggled our time between networking with customers who visited the booth and also to the many ‘others’ who expressed interested in working with us. 

Throughout the three day AISC sponsored event, we also split our time between ‘manning’ the Dowco booth and attending the numerous educational sessions in engineering fabrication, detailing, erection, seismic and SSRC (Structural Stability Research Council).

This years Conference offered more than 60 technical sessions offering a variety of educational opportunities. Topics ranged from improving detailing business practices to innovative steel design systems to practical information on serviceability design considerations. Some sessions focus on technical engineering issues (HSS Connection Design after 2005), while others focused on fabrication (Economics and Practicality of Bar-Coding), erection (Erection Crisis Management), or detailing (Detailing Considerations for Erection). The conference also offered pre- and post-conference short courses on interoperability, beam bracing, contract termination, and AISC’s new Steel Construction Manual. A pre-conference symposium on “Purging Extras” was also offered.

In addition to the pre- and post-conference sessions I was fortunate enough to have been invited to participate in the Third Annual eCommerce Industry Roundtable designed to improve productivity across the steel supply chain.   This workshop held a day prior to the Conference brought together leading practitioners from participants in and customers of the steel supply chain. Through hands-on work in interdisciplinary groups, the workshop will developed tangible strategies for the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) to help improve the steel supply chain.