MANSFIELD — A local custom steel fabricator may add eight to 10 employees, thanks in part to a zoning variance granted Tuesday by the city Planning Commission.
The commission voted unanimously to allow reduced frontage for a new addition planned by R.G. Smith Co., 166 W. Sixth St.
“We can easily add eight to 10 more employees,” said Rick Reece, vice president of operations for the company. “Currently, we have 30. But when we get into the busy time of the season, we’ll blow up to 80 to 100, so it’s kind of seasonal.”
The company, based in Canton, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016. It has had an operation in Mansfield for more than three decades.
“We service a lot of the heavy industry within about a 60-mile radius,” Reece said. “So steel mills in particular, but we’re kind of a specialty contractor. We engineer, design, fabricate and install.”
The addition will be 60-feet wide and 98-feet long, according to plans submitted to the Planning Commission by Reece and architect Jim Evans with Portal Associates, also based in Canton.
The two-acre-plus property is located in an I-1, limited impact industrial district, under the city’s zoning code.
That code requires 50 feet between the front of the building and the road. The planned expansion will be 28.25 feet from the road and the Planning Commission granted a variance of 21.75 feet.
The proposed addition will match the existing front of the current building along West Sixth Street.
“We have an existing 10-ton crane and we’re going to add an additional 10-ton crane,” Reece told the commission. “We’re getting into larger weldments so we need a larger indoor facility and we need more capacity on the cranes.”
A weldment is when several pieces of metal — like plates, pipes, or beams — are welded together to form one solid structure. Once joined, they act as a single, strong frame.
The final piece includes the welded areas, the metal affected by the heat, and the original metal parts all working together as one unit.
According to the company website, “R.G. Smith is a one-stop shop for all steel services. We provide the skills, expertise, and materials needed to build any equipment or facilities you require. In addition to high-quality workmanship and materials, we also work with you closely to ensure your equipment meets your needs, budget, and timeline. We build lifelong relationships with our clients and our exceptional customer service is a large part of what has fueled our development into an industry leader in steel services.”