Ford Motor Cleveland Engine - Roof Jacking

Photo of Ford Motor Cleveland Engine - Roof Jacking

Size: 370,000 Square Feet (Raised Roof Four Feet)

Duration: Five Months

Location: Cleveland, Ohio

How does a company raise a plant’s roof to accommodate new, state-of-the-art equipment for a new Engine Manufacturing process? Ford Motor Company Cleveland Engine Plant I contracted Indiana Bridge-Midwest Steel to do just that - - raise the plant’s roof four feet, increasing the clear height of the plant from sixteen (16) feet to twenty (20) feet. There were three sections of roof, equaling 8.49 acres that were lifted - - with 175 lifting points in the first 3.3 acres, and 114 lifting points in each of the other two sections.

The lifting process required the use of the “CribPost” Jacking System that utilizes a series of post shores that can be extended to lift a load to a higher elevation. Midwest Steel managed the placement and lifting procedures for the CribPost system which synchronized each lifting point by monitoring the relative movement of each point, providing an accurate measurement of each point. The first 3.3 acres weighed over seven million pounds (7,100,000lbs.)

Midwest Steel’s management and coordination responsibilities included…

  • Management of the demolition contractor that disconnected the existing roof from the walls,
  • Engineered the Erection stability plan
  • Reinforced trusses to handle the lifting loads
  • Fabricated and installed the new structural steel columns
  • Managed the concrete scope of work for foundation changes.

Safety was a key concern in this operation, and the Midwest Steel Team remained proactive with daily and hazardous safety training throughout the project.