Nucor Gallatin automatic racking system
Ghent, Ky.
Merit Award
Sent by: JGM Fabricators & Builders LLC
Owner: Neck
Main design company: Janus Automation
General contractor: JGM Fabricators & Builders LLC
Structural Engineer: CEC Inc.
Spanning 396,000 square feet, Nucor’s state-of-the-art tube mill will have a capacity to produce 270,000 tons of steel tube per year. This includes structural hollow section tubes, mechanical steel tubes and galvanized solar torque tubes.
This automated storage and retrieval system is one of the largest in the world, according to the owner. During construction, the contractor fabricated and erected more than 4,600 tons of structural steel frames, erected and erected six fully automated overhead cranes, and placed and aligned more than 3,100 feet of crane rail.
All the steel had to be erected within a building of minimal height. The contractor designed a template that allowed crews to lay out and install more than 3,500 post-installed epoxy anchors for all frame columns. Through a collaborative effort, the team made structural design changes to enable the use of modularization throughout the project. This process also eliminated 20,000 field bolted connections by welding the rack system arms in the shop with the help of a custom fabricated mounting jig. On-site crews developed a system to bolt half of the assemblies to the ground, eliminating a lot of overhead work, and used remote hooks for assembly and assembly.
The project employed more than 500 artisans throughout construction and created 72 new high-paying jobs upon completion in November 2023. The entire project was completed with zero recordable injuries.
