In an industry faced with labor shortages, tight timelines, and stretched budgets, company leadership is looking for ways to bring solutions to market quickly and more efficiently. To do this, you have to look beyond traditional solutions like welded structural steel. Sikla siFramo is a modular, weldless, reusable metal framing system that is improving the efficiency and flexibility of steel structural support systems. Using Sikla in place of welded steel will help you complete projects faster and improve worker safety all while being the more sustainable and cost-effective option. 

Quicker Speed to Market

The most notable aspect of a Sikla solution is the speed to market. Simply put, a Sikla rack can be built 300% faster than a traditional welded steel structure, often in just a few hours as opposed to days or weeks. 

When working with Sikla, you’re working with an off-the-shelf product. Sikla parts come standard hot dip galvanized, as opposed to a welded steel project which requires finishing after the weld. By working with a finished good, your team can start building the solution within minutes of receiving finalized designs. There are no additional freight charges or time allowances, vastly shortening your overall lead time. 

For assembly, Sikla’s innovative self-forming screw technology doesn’t require welding to form connections, meaning your skilled laborers, who are in short supply these days, can be on other projects while unskilled members of your team assemble Sikla racks. Sikla assembly requires minimal training and we’ve seen teams go from having no experience with Sikla to flying through assembly unsupervised in the course of an afternoon. Sikla provides a catalog with detailed instructions on properly formed connections, torque limits, and more, and the Unistrut Midwest team will work with your fab shop to assemble your first few projects. This allows your team to truly save manpower, leveraging your unskilled laborers to complete projects parallel to your skilled laborers, allowing you to take on multiple projects at a time. 

The time savings continue with installation. Reality doesn’t always match the engineering drawings, and while welded steel would require cutting and rewelding for even a minor adjustment, Sikla’s stepless connection and reusable screws take a hiccup like out-of-level concrete from an hours-long fix to a 10-minute adjustment.

Improved Employee Safety

Worker safety is a critical aspect of any build. Reducing risk and occupational hazards keeps your team safe and productive and affects the bottom line. An insurance claim from an on-the-job injury can shut your work site down for weeks, pushing back timelines and adding medical bills to the final cost of the project. The Sikla system was built with safety in mind, with the modular nature of the product designed specifically for prefabrication. 

Prefabrication has inherent safety benefits, with less strain on workers by assembling at ergonomic work stations instead of at height on the job site, but the advantages of working with Sikla can be appreciated whether your team is installing a fully prefabricated solution or building themselves. Lighter pieces, ease of use, and simple adjustability go a long way in reducing strain on a worker. And of course, the lack of welding greatly reduces injury risk. No welding means no arcing, no environmental hazards, and no extra safety gear or permits required for building. 

Taking Sustainability Seriously

Corporate sustainability is a growing concern in today’s world, and Sikla takes those considerations seriously. Sikla manufacturing is committed to ecologically and socially responsible corporate management, and the company supports the UN Global Compact. With goals of climate neutrality and the highest possible recycling rate, Sikla is taking measurable steps towards sustainability at the corporate level. 

Sikla’s sustainability is noticeable at the project level as well. With a welded steel support structure, a measurement being off by even a fraction of an inch can mean cutting and rewelding, creating waste. The Sikla system allows for easy adjustments with existing beams and fittings and even the ability to reuse the same screw. Even without precision cutting, nothing in a Sikla build needs to be wasted. Minimizing waste at each project adds up over time. 

A Cost-Effective Solution

The bottom line is, of course, cost. While traditional welded steel remains a budget-friendly option when comparing raw materials, the hidden cost of welded steel is adjustability. Whether it’s making changes during installation or reconfiguring to accommodate for growth in the future, adjusting a welded steel frame is expensive and time-consuming. 

A finished system is more than just raw materials. Sikla’s modular nature allows for easy adjustments at any point in the lifetime of your system, often reusing existing parts to cut down on costs. Starting with a system that can seamlessly grow with your operations saves time, money, and complications down the line. A fully engineered and installed Sikla solution has a 15-20% premium over welded steel supports, for a system that is lighter, stronger, easier to use, and can be installed in a significantly shorter time frame. 

With Sikla’s quick lead times, simple assembly, and endless adjustability into the future, you have a priceless solution. To learn more about what Sikla can do for you or to get started on your project, contact the Unistrut Midwest team of experts.