As Seen in Arkansas Money & Politics
Jan. 17, 2025
Throughout the history of the United States, various technological thresholds have enabled quantum leaps in productivity and quality of work. The Industrial Revolution ushered in the dawn of modern manufacturing, and the Digital Revolution saw the deployment of computers to troubleshoot processes and handle repetitive tasks with better speed and efficiency.
In today’s Arkansas, industries from health care to heavy industry are continuing to refine their processes through the use of computerized applications that are pushing the limits of what is possible on the manufacturing floor or in the surgical ward.
Ryan Walmsley, president of Lexicon Fabrication Group, said the Little Rock-based steel giant has always prided itself on using the latest in technology.
Ryan Walmsley
“I would say no doubt about it, we are on the cutting edge of fabrication technology,” he said. “We have the luxury of being one of the bigger fabrication shops in the country, which means we handle a lot more volume and a lot more steel. I feel comfortable saying that in our industry, we have the most robots in the country.
“We’re also very careful, and we do our homework. We watch and we see what is happening with that technology, and what we’re watching for is to see what a machine can handle as far as volume and weight. We see it debuted the first few times at some of these fabrication shows, and we’re studying it to make sure that it’s where it needs to be before we actually purchase it.”
Lexicon’s technology has improved both productivity and safety.
New machinery at Lexicon is just the latest piece added to a work environment that is unlike anything the steel industry could have imagined a generation or two ago. Digital technology once thought to be the stuff of fantasy is merely par for the course at just about every stage of the steel fabrication process, Walmsley said.
“We start every one of our projects with a 3D model, which is itself pretty technologically advanced but pretty common in the industry at this point,” he said. “Almost every piece of our machinery at this point in time, from the saws to the drills to the robots, everything in the shop takes that 3D model and direct-downloads it into their programming.
“That piece is cut to length due to the 3D model. It’s drilled and etched from the 3D model. If it goes to our fit-and-weld robots, they’re currently fitted and welded from the 3D model. All the parts that go onto the beams with the columns are basically programmed and cut from that model. Nothing is drawn out on paper anymore”
The near-constant deployment of new hardware and new software not only enhances the existing system in terms of capacity and processing speed; the company also looks at ancillary steps that can be improved using targeted equipment.
“Last year, we added a parts-sorting robot to the line that takes pieces that go on a beam, such as clips or clip angles or things like that, scans them from the model and it checks them for quality and conformity,” he said. “It checks that the holes are in the right place and are the right size. As those parts roll through that robot, it kicks it out if it’s bad, and if it’s good, it puts it into whatever system you have to sort it.”
Walmsley was quick to note the steady addition of technology has nothing to do with replacing human workers but helping employees do their work with more precision and safety.
“The biggest fear from a lot of the people in the shops and a lot of the craft people is that technology is going to replace them,” he said. “What it did for us was actually increase our labor pool because we’re able to push more tonnage through the shop. Not every piece can go through all this technology, so it actually increases the amount of labor we have to have.
“When you talk about safety, there’s no doubt technology makes the environment safer. We’re replacing a multiperson job with one person standing at a machine, which reduces the risk of accidents. Since we have added these robots, we have not had any recordable incidents.”
Another significant benefit to the addition of the technology is on the staffing side, Not only do the machines enhance productivity of existing staff, but they open up prospective labor pools of people who have a computer background versus a trade background in certain applications.
“We’re looking for a different level of craft person for some of these jobs. We’re looking for the kids who know how to move those controllers around and know how a machine operates,” he said. “We’ve got a portable machine right now, which is new technology, basically a welder that is the size of a standard suitcase. If you can set it up and if you can run a tablet, you can run this welder.
“I mean, we’re always going to need the certified welders and people who really know their craft, but I also think our needs are changing to where we need programmers and gamers and people who can program a tablet and run a program that does the welding for them. I think we’re moving toward a hybrid.”
