MANUFACTURING

Equipment & Capabilities

Whirlwind Steel offers you over 65-years of operational experience combined with the best manufacturing technology available to deliver world-class metal buildings and components. Whirlwind has invested over $10 million in plant and equipment upgrades to ensure outstanding quality for all of your projects.

Starting with our primary manufacturing plant in Houston, Texas and extending throughout our facilities in Claremore, Oklahoma, Lithia Springs, Georgia and Freeport, Minnesota Whirlwind Steel has a combined total of 455,989 -square feet of manufacturing capacity turning out over 100,000,000 pounds of exceptional steel products every year.

EQUIPMENT HIGHLIGHTS

Beck Connex

All of Whirlwind’s roll form production lines feature Beck Controllers. The Connex integration system eliminates the need for manual data entry by providing an interface that can download jobs with material verification. The system is also able to process automatic job closures. This ensures that our entire product line of steel panels offers unparalleled and consistent quality

Bradbury QTR

The Bradbury QTR is used for all cold form manufacturing at all four of our manufacturing facilities. This includes the ability to roll eave struts, as well as producing Cees & Zees and even custom shapes. The improved efficiencies and enhanced quality provided by the Bradbury QTR are self-evident when inspecting any of our full line of finished products.

Double High Sheet Line

Our Houston facility offers production using the Bradbury Double High Sheet Line. We have enhanced the capabilities of our High Sheet Line with the addition of rafts, stands and a new set of Super Span roll tooling and new Low Rib tooling for these popular panels offering purlin-bearing legs.

WELDING AND PRIMARY FRAMING

Automatic Beam Welder

Our Conrac-branded automatic beam welder ensures better productivity and faster throughput on both straight and tapered beams. The Conrac automatically welds both flanges of the beam at once, delivering the penetration you need on up to 1/2″ web and 1 1/2″ flange, up to 50' long — all in one operation, one pass, and from one side. Additionally, this system can also produce a fillet weld between the web and flange. Welds are uniform and exceed the quality demanded by most construction codes. Paired with the use of our Ultrasonic weld examination program, you can ensure the welds will last.

Panel Roll Formers

Our roll formers are industrial strength, highly calibrated machinery that use multiple sets of rollers to bend and form metal sheets, strips, rods and even custom-shaped steel products. Whether you need wall panels, purlins or standing seam roof panels, Whirlwind has the best equipment to handle any job.

XXL Ras Folder

The XXL Ras can efficiently make metal sheets and strips that have complex profiles. Using programmable back gauges, strips move through a series of variable top and bottom jaws to allow folding in up or down directions. This metal folder is available in all four of our manufacturing facilities.

Plasma Cutters

Plasma cutters are the most effective way of cutting both thin and thick sheets of steel and other metals. Where laser cutting relies on a focused beam of light, high definition plasma cutters use a torch, mixtures of gases, and concentrated electrical currents to make a precise cut. Our computer-controlled torches can cut steel up to 38.1 mm (1.5 in.) thick while eliminating molten material at the bottom of the cut.

Project management

Quality Control

Whirlwind Steel takes quality control very seriously and uses a cohort of fully certified managers during all production shifts.

Professional certifications include:

• AWS CWI
• AWS CWE
• ASNT NDT Level II (Shear Wave Ultrasonic Testing, Magnetic Particle Testing, Dye Penetrant Testing, Film Interpretation)

Paint

Color, coatings and substrates are an important part of production so Whirlwind has invested heavily in a complete line of Col-Met industrial paint, oven, and finishing equipment. We offer tough, durable solutions for a wide variety of coatings and finishing requirements.

Coil Inventory

Our dedicated procurement professionals work overtime to ensure we maintain a complete inventory of steel coil in a wide range of gauges, widths along with a multitude of colors, coatings, and substrates. We can source material for most needs and applications.

Shipping & Transportation

Whirlwind can deliver your project complete and on time by using electronic tracking tools and video-taping the preparation and loading of every job. Our Ferrari forklift modified with spread forks for loads up to 40 to 60 thousand pounds means we can load even the biggest jobs quickly and efficiently.

Conestoga

When you see one of our branded Conestoga 18-wheeler trailers, you’re looking at a finished project heading to a job site secure in weathertight, center-strap tie-downs. The sliding tarp prevents damage to your buildings, components and finishes when loading and unloading to ensure a flawless delivery.