The following was in todays online edition of The Daily Iberian.
iberianet.com
New slip at UNIFAB gives capability to preform larger jobs
By KENNETH HICKSON / The Daily Iberian / May 26, 1998
UNIFAB at the Port of Iberia is scheduled to open a new dredged slip today to give the company the capability to perform larger jobs.
According to Dailey Berard, president, CEO and chairman of UNIFAB, the company had budgeted $7 million for facility improvements. The new
slip cost $2 million of the budgeted $7 million.
"It (the slip) is a tremendous improvement," said Berard. "It will allow us to go from 3,000-ton packages to 6,000-ton packages."
After the $7 million improvements are complete, UNIFAB probably will have the largest and most advanced facility at the port, said Berard.
According to Berard, other improvements from the budgeted $7 million are expected to be completed in the near future. A $4 million pipe-rolling mill will be completed in June, he said.
The remaining $1 million will be use to automate the company's pipe shop, according to Berard. The automated pipe shop also is expected to be completed this summer.
"Because of the shortage of skilled workers, we have to automate as much as possible," said Berard. "We would rather have the people instead of making the capital investment, but we don't have the skilled workers available."
According to Berard, these improvements were needed to give the company the tools to handle the growing oil field industry. |
