b'A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWNTo erectsomething like The team stood the columns and girts first.that in a day was Pioneering methodsat Sulphur Point Next, it laid out all of the roof structure on theunheard ofbackground in modules, building rafts. Then, fourthen. It reallyIt all started at Sulphur Point. Dixon &huge cranes lifted the entire preassembled roof Haddon won a significant subcontract to buildstructure up into position. The team erectedwas quite two substantial cargo sheds for the Port ofthe entire building in four lifts over one day. revolutionary.Tauranga. When completed, they would be Those cargo sheds were massive the largest single-span portal-frame sheds in structures, says Mike. The 160m-long shedsMIKE SULLIVANNew Zealand. boasted an impressive clearspan width of 65m.It was work that the company badlyIn those days cherry pickers didnt play needed but competition was fierce. Mike anda big part in steel erection, so riggers would Bob, with the help of Rod McIntyre, won thetypically walk the steel. The practice came tender thanks to the smarts they applied towith inherent dangers. With Mikes approach, analyse the job.a considerable amount of work could be done It was another big Steltech project. Rod builton the ground, more quickly and more safely. gains into the fabrication process and theAnd the skill level of those people doing the workshop aptly deliveredits productivitywork neednt be as high. It even allowed for exceeded the contract budget. Gains werethe sprinkler systems to be mounted under also realised on site with a clever erectionthe purlins and lifted at the same time.methodology that Mike had developed. To erect something like that in a dayHe pioneered the new technique at Sulphurwas unheard of back then. It really wasPoint and led the on-site execution.quite revolutionary.He and the rigging crew travelled downThe project saw the company through the from Auckland to Tauranga and lived on site recession and it even turned a profit, whenRight: All in a days worktheDixon & Haddon team pioneers a in caravans while the work was underway. profits at that time otherwise did not exist. new erection technique for the cargo sheds at Sulphur Point, as shown in this series of stills from a Steltech video of the build in 1992.58'