Visit to HE-MAN Steel Fabrication Unit

Classroom learning should always be supplemented with practical knowledge - this is proven beyond doubt in Engineering, especially for subjects like Design of Structures. The third semester M.Tech Structural Engineering and Construction Management students from our campus made an Industrial Visit to He-man Steel Fabrication Unit at Mookkannoor on 28 Sep 2022. He-Man is well know for their robotic parking system, they have patented the technology and is one of largest steel fabrication units in the state. They undertake very large projects including Robotic parking systems, Prefabricated steel structures, Industrial Buildings, Steel Brides and so on. This visit was arranged as part of the course Design of Advanced Steel Structures, an elective offered in the third semester. The course is very practical oriented and involves design of gantry girders, industrial buildings, cold formed structures, towers, masts, brides etc. 

The visit provided the students with a great opportunity to get a real feel for steel fabrication and the various aspects of prefabrication using steel. It was indeed an enriching experience for the 23 students from this batch. They interacted with Mr. K T Jose, the MD of the firm who himself took the students for a tour of the facility. The facility is housed in a 35m high heavy industrial building with multiple gantries and fabrication facility. The students got to experience the gantry cranes, girders, heavy hydraulic press, robotic welding and cutting systems, drilling and milling machines. The automation that He-Man is able to implement in their facility is quite appreciable not common in our region. This makes their facility more efficient. Mr. Jose also spared some time to share his experience of starting up this unit and how challenging it was for scaling to this level. He encouraged the students to take up challenges as engineers and cultivate a daring spirit.