Reinforcer Newsletter - aSa Rebar Software

TECHNOLOGYLEARN MORE ABOUT aSa EVENTSON THE WEB @ www.asarebar.com/aboutasa/events.aspxNew aSa Innovations to Debut in VegasVisit aSa at World of Concrete—Booth N2720.Use CRSI’s unique codeA25 when registeringand SAVE BIG:Free Exhibits-Onlyregistration*$10 off 3-hour and/or90-minute seminars$20 off the MasterCertificate Super Passoptions 1 & 2*Restrictions may applyWant to see some exciting next generation products from aSa? Then you‘llwant to visit aSa booth N2720 at World of Concrete - February 5-8 in LasVegas, Nevada. We will showcase our entire line of aSa software, hardware, and shopautomation solutions, plus some exciting new innovations that we’re planning.In addition to our coreproduct line, aSa will befeaturing a preview of its nextgeneration CAD/Detailingproducts—ProConcrete andProRebar. ProConcrete, is apowerful new 3D modelingtool for concrete and rebar.It is the only rebar modelingpackage designed to workwith both AutoCAD andMicroStation.aSa ProRebar is the newaSa add-on to complimentProConcrete. It enablesyou to take off directlyfrom your model to the aSadatabase. Once taken off,bar information is availableto the entire suite of aSamodules.The new aSa Opto-ShearConsole will also be ondisplay. One of aSa’s goalsin redesigning its industrystandardOpto-Shear is tobring it onto the MicrosoftWindows platform. It alsoenables you to run standaloneor connected to youraSa database. The newconsole has a clean, modernlook and feel, with an easierto-readtouch-screen, plusmany other features.With our new dashboardstyleapp you can displaysnapshots of real-time datathat is most important to yourbusiness. The “dashboard”can be integrated into youraSa menu or accessedthrough a web browser on aPC or mobile device.Stop by Booth N2720 forhands-on demos of ourComplete Rebar Solution®.4 R E I N F O R C E R WINTER 2013MORE INFO ONLINE www.asarebar.com

“Thank you to all of theaSa team for a wellplanned out learningexperience. Youhave such a talented,professional group ofemployees that work sowell together and alsolike to have fun.”Brenda SchulerBarker SteelAre you ready to rock?The theme for aSa SoftwareForum 2013 is Rock’nRebar. This means that inaddition to hours of valuabletraining and great networkingopportunities, we’ve gotsome really fun activitiesplanned around the world ofmusic. The forum is March18-20, 2013, at the SheratonStation Square in Pittsburgh.About the forum. Every twoyears, aSa invites all clientcompanies enrolled in theaSa Subscription Plan to theaSa Software Forum. Weuse this time to review oursoftware, provide training,exchange ideas, and planfor future development. Theevent features more than 40training sessions to help youbecome more productivewith aSa products. (This is agreat bargain compared toregular training rates!) Yourparticipation will help youto get the most out of yoursystem, both now and intothe future.New in 2013. At this year’sforum, we’re taking skillstraining to a higher level.We’ll still have dozens ofclassroom-style sessions,plus, we’re adding several“workshops” to the mix. Inthese sessions, computersloaded with aSa softwarewill be set up at roundtables, giving you and agroup of your peers thechance to practice theskills you learn together.Workshops includeEstimating, Production, andProConcrete/ProRebar.Another new elementwe’re introducing this yearis the Technology OpenHouse. We’ll have scannersTouchTrackers, tag printers,6 R E I N F O R C E R WINTER 2013 MORE INFO ONLINE www.asarebar.com

,Register Nowwww.asarebar.com/forumdata backup solutions, andmore on display throughoutthe forum. Stop by at yourconvenience. Representativesfrom our IT and Reinforcingteams will be on-hand todemonstrate aSa solutionsand answer your questionsone-on-one.Innovative and exciting. Atthe last forum, we previewedan early developmentversion of ProConcrete, the3D modeling tool developedby aSa and Bentley Systems.At that time, ProConcreteworked exclusively withAutoCAD. In 2013, we’llhave in-depth trainingfeaturing the MicroStationversion of ProConcrete.Additionally, you’ll learnabout ProRebar, theaSa add-on for drawingtakeoff and integration withdownstream operationsmodules.Another initiative you’ll getto preview at the forum isaSa Insight, a new trainingmodel that lets you takecourses on the web, testyour knowledge with onlinequizzing, and practice yourskills with follow-alongtutorials.Reinforcing sessions willinclude demonstrations ofScheduling and Productionenhancements, such asdrag-and-drop trailerscheduling and bend classassignment. We’ll alsoshow off prototypes of our“next generation” solutions,including the new aSa ShearController. We’ll ask foryour ideas to help guidefuture development of aSaproducts.Networking opportunities.Breakfasts, lunches, andhospitality nights — allincluded in your forumregistration — provide plentyof chances for you to makefriends and share ideaswith your industry peers.Tuesday afternoon, plan toattend the Industry Expo,where rebar equipmentmanufacturers and contractestimators and detailers willshare information about theirsolutions and services.Rockin’ entertainment. Thisyear, we’re cranking up thevolume with rock ‘n roll-themed activities. We’vegot a big room and somemusical fun planned forMonday night’s hospitality.On Tuesday evening, we’llhead over to the HardRock Café (only steps fromthe Sheraton) for a greatdinner surrounded bycool artifacts from rock’nroll history. Guests willgo on a scavenger hunt tolocate specific items withinthe venue’s incrediblecollection of memorabilia.The acoustic rock bandPyro Gel — featuring aSa’sown Dominick Ciccone,Victor Choltco, and MattFerris — will perform live onthe Hard Rock stage. Wearyour favorite concert T-shirtTuesday evening!Visit asarebar.com/forumto get all the details and toregister online. We hope tosee you in the ‘burgh!Why You ShouldAttend the aSaSoftware ForumSee our newestinnovations.Next generation shearconsole, drag and drop trailerscheduling, and ProConcrete.Great bargain on skillstraining.Your registration includesdozens of productivityboostingworkshops.Provide feedback.Help design aSa tools thatwill make you more efficientthan ever.Network and have fun.Hospitality nights, liveacoustic rock concert, anda special dinner at the HardRock Café are all included.“This was myfirst time at anaSa SoftwareForum and itwas immenselyinformative.To learn aboutthe productfrom some ofyour brightestconsultantsand staff wasincomparable.Being able to putfaces with namesof people I havespoken with overthe phone orthrough e-mailwas also great.I also got to meetpeople who arealso in the field Iam in. Overall, Ihad a wonderfulweek. Thankyou for thatopportunity.”Scott MarkAPS SupplyThe Complete Rebar Solution ®WINTER 2013 R E I N F O R C E R7

CLIENT SPOTLIGHTVIEW THIS AND OTHER CLIENT SUCCESS STORIESON THE WEB @ www.asarebar.com/aboutasa.aspxThree Generations of Rebar FabricationFamily-owned McNish Steel continues to make an impact in western Canada’sreinforcing steel market.Canadian fabricator, McNish Steel Ltd and aSa recently celebrated their 30thanniversary of working together. Both family-owned businesses have foundthat customer loyalty and longevity come as a result of excellent customer service.p McNish Steel Founders.Bill McNish (left) and son Wallaceestablished McNish Steel in 1978.Wallace credits hard work andtechnology with the business’sgrowth and success over the years.McNish Steel, now in its thirdgeneration as a family-ownedbusiness, uses nearly every modulein aSa’s software suite.When Bill McNish, oneof the founders of McNishSteel Ltd, was growing upin Dumfries, Scotland, thebusiness climate was a littledifferent than it is today. Itwas a time when workinghard was the best way to getyour projects done on time.While hard work is still veryimportant, working smarterand using technology to itsmaximum potential has beenthe proven combinationfor McNish Steel’ssuccessful history.In 1958, Bill moved hisfamily from Scotland to joina friend in Alberta, Canada,to work in construction andon drilling rigs. Twenty yearslater, McNish Steel wasstarted by Bill and hisson, Wallace.In those early days, Wallacepushed for the companyto use more technologyto increase productivity.While Bill didn’t alwaysagree with his son’s ideas,he often accepted them8 R E I N F O R C E R WINTER 2013MORE INFO ONLINE www.asarebar.com

VIEW THIS AND PREVIOUS ISSUES OF THE REINFORCERON THE WEB @ www.asarebar.com/aboutasa/asanewsCLIENT SPOTLIGHTand the decision to usetechnology paid off. Itsoon became obvious thateliminating scrap throughoptimimized rebar shearingwas essential for McNishto be competitive. Whileresearching optimizedshearing solutions, theConcrete Reinforcing SteelInstitute (CRSI) referred theMcNish’s to aSa. In 1982,McNish purchased aSasoftware and the relationshipbetween McNish Steel andaSa began.Today, Wallace managestheir Calgary office, wherehe specializes in estimatingand detailing, His sister Bettyhas taken over managing theoriginal Edmonton office andfabrication shop.Betty’s children, Marion andJamie Fyshe, are now thethird generation to join thebusiness, and they’ve alsogained experience with aSasoftware. “It has been a realadvantage having Marionand Jamie on board becausethey have dug into aSa andhave found ways to get moreout of the software. That’sinspiring to see,” says Betty.Both Marion and Jamie spentseveral summers workingin the shop, where theyfamiliarized themselveswith the McNish businessenvironment and dailyoperations.After graduating fromMcGill University, Marionwas hired full-time asProduction Coordinator.She manages shopproduction, deliveries,and trailer load scanning.aSa’s barcoding solutionshave proven valuable toMcNish’s success. Wallaceimplemented optmizedshearing in the 1980s, butMarion has fine-tuned theprocess at McNish. Whileshe uses most of the aSamodules, Marion’s focus isScheduling and Production.Marion says, “The greatthing about aSa is that allthe modules are connected,and we can get data aboutour business in a varietyof formats. To remaincompetitive, you can neverhave enough data aboutyour shop.”During his summers, Jamiegained experience running allof McNish’s shop machinery.Jamie, Shop and SafetyCoordinator, controls allincoming steel and remnants,and manages the safetyinitiative for the company.“Knowing the history ofhow our grandfather startedand ran a successful rebarbusiness, there is a sense ofpride being a third generationMcNish, and that’s whatmotivates me,” says Jamie.Perhaps Wallace sums itup best, “What separatesMcNish from its competitionis easy—technology, excellentcustomer service, and being atight-knit three-generation,family-owned business.”t Long-term relationship.The McNish and Leib familiesrecently celebrated 30 years asbusiness partners as well as agreat friendship.Shown at the 2011 aSa SoftwareForum are (left to right),Mitch Leib, Jim Leib, Josh Leib,Scott Leib, Elena Leib, Cindy Leib,Betty McNish, Wallace McNish,Marion Fyshe, and Jamie Fyshe.The Complete Rebar Solution ®WINTER 2013 R E I N F O R C E R9

HOW TOFIND OTHER HELPFUL TOPICS IN OUR KNOWLEDGEBASEON THE WEB @ www.asarebar.com/supportNeed a Support Login?The Support area of ourwebsite contains numerousdownloads and resources thatare available only to clientsenrolled in the aSa SoftwareSubscription Service. If youare a supported client, youwill need a username andpassword to log into the site.To register, log into ourSupport webpage, then clickthe Register button.D O I T Y OURSELFMatch the Scale of Imported Elementsto Your MicroStation DrawingThe “3 Point Scale” tool enables you to quickly and accurately scale elements copied froman AutoCAD drawing or other third party file to match the scale of your current MicroStationdrawing.1. Place a fence around the area that you want to scale.2. Click Scale on the main toolbar.3. On the Tool Settings dialog for the Scale command:a. Set the Method to 3 Points.b. Check Proportional so the drawing will scale in both the X and Y axes.c. Check Use Fence.4. Select the points to scale by:a. Point 1 – Starting point.b. Point 2 – Reference to known dimension.c. Point 3 – Use AccuDraw to enter the new distance from the starting point (Point 1).Example:1. Place the first point at the origin of the element.2. Place the second point at the current end point of the element.3. Enter the new distance in the AccuDraw Length field.4. Press Enter (third point) to set the new distance from the origin (point 1).O&A with aSa’s ConsultantsNeed Answers?The new and improvedKnowledgeBase in theSupport area of our websitecontains FAQs, videos, andprintable guides.Log into the Supportwebsite, and click Search ourKnowledgeBase.I am a contract estimator, and I want to send my completed estimate to my fabricatorcustomer. What file(s) do I send? You’ll want to talk to your customer for a definiteanswer, but here is some information that might help.If the customer uses aSa Estimating and they want the ability to modify theestimate you create, you will need to export the estimate: Select Activities >Export Estimate. This creates an Estimate Data File (EDF), which you can e-mailto your customer. The fabricator can then import this file into their database andmake changes like any other in-house estimate.If the customer does not use aSa Estimating or they do not need to modify theestimate you create, you can generate a PDF version of the Estimate Report andsend it to them. Simply create the report as you normally would. Then, in thereport viewer, click Export to PDF.10 R E I N F O R C E R WINTER 2013MORE INFO ONLINE www.asarebar.com

DOWNLOAD OUR CONTRACT ESTIMATORS AND DETAILERS LISTON THE WEB @ www.asarebar.com/supportNEW aSa CLIENTSAutomating Bundle InventoryCascade Steel prints CRSI standard 2D barcodes on its stock bundle tags.The first step in any heattracking system is recordingreceipts when bundles arrivefrom the mill. By includingspecially formatted 2Dbarcodes onits mill tags,CascadeSteel makesthe receiptprocess quickand simplefor fabricatorsusing aSaBundleInventory.Developed bythe ConcreteReinforcingSteel Institute (CRSI), the2D standard is a consistentformat for embeddingmaterial and heat data fromeach stock bundle into abarcode. When fabricatorsreceive material, they canload this information intothe aSa database by simplyscanning the tag.Fabricators receiving stockfrom mills that don’t usethe standardized barcodeformat must manually enterreceipt information intothe system, print separatebundle inventory tags, andapply them to each stockbundle. By including the 2Dcodes on their own mill tags,Cascade eliminates the timerequired for data entryand re-tagging.About Cascade Steel. Forover 40 years, CascadeSteel Rolling Mills has beenproviding the Western U.S.and Canada with high qualitysteel products produced fromrecycled scrap metal at itsstate-of-the-art electric arcfurnace steel mill.If your supplier does notinclude the CRSI standard 2Dbarcode on its stock tags, tellyour mill representative thatthis is a value-added servicethat is important to yourcompany.WELCOME FABRICATORS and SUPPLIERSAcier AGF - NewfoundlandLongueuil, QC CANADAGC Steel & Accessories, LLCLaFeria, TXHarMacRebar & Steel Corp.Fryeburg, MENufab Rebar LLCPell City, ALPuget Sound SteelKent, WARC Structures, Inc.Syosset, NYSherman DixieNashville, TNGuaranteed Supply CompanyGreensboro, NCGeer Fabrication ServicesGillette, WYWELCOME CONTRACT ESTIMATORS and DETAILERSForrest BolebruchCape Coral, FLCAD/Detailing LicenseDerrick KrugerRamona, CACAD/Detailing LicenseMitchell SimonJacksonville, FLEstimating LicenseWilliam G. Sebastian, Jr.Williamstown, NJEstimating LicenseCrites Reinforcing Detailing Svcs.Poplar Bluff, MOCAD/Detailing LicenseJohn Strafach & Sons, Inc.Westerly, RIEstimating LicenseTerry M. PlowmanLocust Grove, GAEstimating LicenseDownload theaSa Contract RebarEstimator/DetailerDirectoryThe Complete Rebar Solution ®WINTER 2013 R E I N F O R C E R11