<p>While battling a labor shortage created by the largest expansion in U.S. industrial construction in decades, <a href="http://www.mc-industrial.com">MC Industrial</a>&nbsp; earlier this month completed its one millionth self-performed manhour in the construction of the new Holcim (US) Ste. Genevieve cement plant in Bloomsdale, Mo.<br /><br />MC Industrial, a McCarthy company that serves the industrial construction market nationwide, is general contractor for the silos, conveyors and tunnel portions of the $900 million greenfield site project.<br /><br />"Besides the sheer challenge of managing 500 or more workers at peak at any one time, we have faced the very real challenge of obtaining and maintaining a workforce on this project," explained Will Chipley, project director for MC Industrial.<br /><br />The 13 silos completed earlier this year, in particular, posed major labor challenges, as the project competed for workers with other industrial mega-projects under construction in the Midwest at the same time.&nbsp; Since local unions were tapped out, the call went out to other states for tradesmen and women interested in traveling to Bloomsdale for work.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;<br />Although the majority of "travelers" are now back in their home states, a total of 90 contributed to the 700,000 manhours required to build the cement plant's silos.&nbsp; These ironworkers, cement masons and millwrights were recruited from 16 states, some as far away as New Mexico, Florida and Michigan.<br /><br /><strong>Labor shortage reported</strong><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />Almost two-thirds of industrial contractors nationwide have experienced labor shortages, according to a new study reported in the November issue of Midwest Construction.&nbsp; "The study said that demand is particularly strong for ironworkers," says Chipley, "which we have definitely found to be the case."&nbsp;&nbsp; This summer and fall, ironworkers in particular were in short supply due to several large power plants currently under construction in the Midwest, he explains.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />Once MC Industrial assembled its large crew, it took careful planning to manage worker safety, as well as to keep everyone productive. "For two and one-half months, the project was running 24/7, with 13 silos constructed in just 72 days," says Chipley.<br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br />In addition to the 13 raw meal, clinker and cement silos, MC Industrial has completed a limestone reclaim tunnel, will soon wrap up work on two 60-foot diameter, 155-foot tall harbor silos which will hold the finished cement for barge loading, and by June 2009, will complete material handling conveyors from the clinker silos to the cement mills.<br /><br />When the plant comes on line in late summer 2009, the new Holcim facility will be capable of producing up to four million metric tons of cement annually&nbsp; Holcim (US) Inc. is one of the largest suppliers of Portland and blended cements and related mineral components in the United States.<br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/38977.html"></a></p>