2025 Mountain States Best Projects
Best Manufacturing: Fineline Steel Fabrication
Fineline Steel Fabrication
Centerville, Utah
BEST PROJECT
Submitted by Hogan & Associates Construction
Owner Fineline Steel Fabrication
Lead Design Firm Frank N. Murdock Jr. & Associates
General Contractor Hogan & Associates Construction
Civil Engineer Benchmark Engineering
Structural Engineer Calder Richards Structural Consulting Engineers
Encircled with a blazing red stripe, Fineline’s new 900-ft-long, 113,000-sq-ft structure houses the manufacturer’s automated steel fabrication line. Situated on 9 acres, the facility provides its employees with a better workplace and elevates industry standards. Part of what dictated the building’s length was the robotic machinery to be housed inside, which impacted the layout and site location as well. However, the new facility is also located within feet of Fineline’s old buildings, so the occupied site and robotic machinery’s space requirements made building placement critical. The team carefully navigated around these spaces so steel production could continue throughout construction of the new facility.
Additionally, because of the robotic machinery requirements, the space doesn’t have many interior walls, which created challenges for trades working in the same space.
Because of the building’s unique requirements, the team timed the placement of each component as closely together as possible to finish the floor, steel erection and envelope nearly in tandem.
Photo courtesy Kyle Aiken Photography
Material delays presented a challenge from the beginning, and halfway through the project, the team changed the roof structure from joist and deck to I-beams. Since the steel fabrication shop has high power demands, the team selected in-stock items to mitigate electrical gear lead times and delays while meeting the building’s power requirements.
As part of the owner’s goal to improve the working environment for its employees, the facility will be using a different wire that burns more efficiently, creating less smoke and no sulfur. The project team also placed air systems that constantly circulate and separate welding air to ensure smoke doesn’t go through the hoods.
This new facility will increase Fineline’s output sixfold, speeding up the steel fabrication process. Meanwhile, as the market shifts toward automation, Fineline is helping some welders and material handlers become engineers. They’re now operating robotics instead of welding or driving a forklift. It has also allowed Fineline to lower operating costs, add jobs to the community and increase its staff by 63%.
