Structural Steel Fabrication in Ontario
Structural steel fabrication at WeFab in Leamington, Ontario, serves data centre, warehouse, industrial, and heavy-industry builds, with fabrication planned backwards from your erection sequence.
Our structural fabrication capabilities support projects ranging from individual steel components to complete structural systems. Combining advanced manufacturing equipment with experienced fabricators, we deliver accurate, high-quality assemblies built to meet the demands of commercial and industrial applications. By integrating fabrication with design, engineering, and project coordination, we help improve efficiency, maintain quality, and keep projects moving from production through installation.
What We Fabricate
WeFab fabricates primary structural members, built-up assemblies, and the connection details that tie them together: the full steel package cut, welded, drilled, and marked for the field.
- Beams and columns in standard mill sections up to 40 ft
- Structural frames for industrial and commercial buildings
- Built-up members (plate girders, trussed columns, box sections), 5 ft design depth standard, deeper on request
- Base plates, stiffeners, gussets, and connection plates cut on fiber laser
- Stairs, ladders, platforms, guardrails, and canopies
- Dot-peen part marking where the project calls for it, so field crews match steel to drawing without guesswork
Open-web steel joists are sourced from established suppliers such as Canam and coordinated into the structural package, so the general contractor keeps one point of contact for the full steel tier.
Materials, Standards, and Shop Capacity
Structural steel at WeFab is fabricated to CSA S16, welded under CWB W47.1 Division 2 with 60+ qualified weld procedures, and inspected by an on-staff CSA W178.2 Level 1 Certified Welding Inspector inside a 208,000 sq ft facility.
| Capability | Specification |
|---|---|
| Fabrication standard | CSA S16 |
| Welding certification | CWB W47.1 Division 2 (DENDE1, held by parent company South Essex Fabricating Inc.) |
| Qualified weld procedures | 60+ WPS |
| In-house weld inspection | CSA W178.2 Level 1 Certified Welding Inspector |
| Monthly throughput | 1,000,000+ lbs (500+ tons) |
| Maximum column length | 40 ft (mill-length and shipping limit) |
| Maximum built-up depth | 5 ft standard, deeper on request |
| Main crane | 88,000 lb overhead bridge crane (truck load-out) |
| Facility | 208,000 sq ft under roof + 70,000 sq ft staging yard |
CWB W47.1 Division 2: Canadian Welding Bureau certification for companies that fusion-weld steel. Division 2 requires a documented welding engineering authority, qualified procedures and welders, and recurring CWB audit, so weld quality is governed by a national standard, not shop habit.
CSA S16: Canada’s design standard for steel structures. Fabricating to CSA S16 keeps the shop’s tolerances and practices aligned with the code the structural engineer used to design the building.
The Erection-Sequence-Aware Fabrication Process
Fabrication at WeFab is planned backwards from the site’s erection sequence. Pieces are grouped, marked, and shipped in the order the crane needs them, so field crews are not sorting a laydown yard to find the next lift.
Step 1: Drawing intake, engineering, and sequence planning
Shop drawings arrive from the project’s engineer of record, or WeFab delivers a design-build package with sealed drawings through its retained licensed structural engineer. The drafting team reviews connection access, weld sequence, and shipping size, then groups members into shipments that match the install order through Project-Ready Coordination.
Step 2: Automated cutting
Plate parts, base plates, and gussets run on BLM and Bystronic fiber lasers up to 12 kW. Structural tube and pipe process on BLM CNC tube lasers with holes, copes, and weld prep cut in a single setup. An OMAX waterjet handles plate too thick for laser.
Step 3: Forming and fit-up
Bystronic and BLM press brakes up to 250 tons produce bent and flanged sections. Parts arrive at the weld table self-locating, because the cut file already placed every hole and cope.
Step 4: Welding and inspection
Nineteen welders work 21 MIG, 2 TIG, and 2 laser stations plus a custom NRTC robotic truss-welding cell. New parts receive first-article inspection, and weld quality is checked by the on-staff Certified Welding Inspector, with third-party inspection and NDT arranged when the specification calls for it.
Step 5: Verification, marking, and sequenced delivery
On request, members are checked against their 3D model with HoloLens 2 before shipment. Pieces are dot-peen marked as the project requires, then shipped in erection order on WeFab’s owned flatbed and step-deck fleet through Logistics.
Why Project Teams in Ontario Choose WeFab for Structural Steel
WeFab brings 32 years of fabrication history (as South Essex Fabricating since 1994, rebranded WeFab in 2026) with 500+ tons a month of capacity, a 208,000 sq ft shop, and $30M in bonding capacity through Hub International.
- CWB W47.1 Division 2 welding with 60+ qualified procedures
- On-staff CSA W178.2 Certified Welding Inspector for weld inspection
- 208,000 sq ft under one roof, with cutting, forming, welding, assembly, and QC on one site
- $30M bonding capacity, sized for industrial and data centre work
- WSIB clearance current
- 88,000 lb overhead bridge crane and a 29 ft clear-under-hook main bay for oversized assemblies
- Owned trucking fleet, no freight brokers between the shop and your site
Service Area: Ontario First, US Projects by Arrangement
WeFab delivers fabricated structural steel across Ontario. Our core service area is Windsor-Essex, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton, and the Greater Toronto Area, direct from our Leamington shop, with US deliveries arranged through a customs broker.
Ontario oversize-load permits are handled in-house, and the owned fleet runs flatbed and step-deck trailers, so delivery timing stays inside WeFab’s control rather than a broker’s. Field erection is available through Field Installation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CWB certification does WeFab’s welding operate under?
Welding at WeFab operates under South Essex Fabricating Inc.’s CWB W47.1 Division 2 certification, Company Code DENDE1. WeFab is SEF’s fabrication division, and the certification covers weld work in the Leamington shop, subject to recurring Canadian Welding Bureau audit.
What is the largest structural member WeFab can fabricate?
Standard column length is 40 ft, set by mill lengths and road shipping, and built-up members run to 5 ft deep as standard, deeper on request. An 88,000 lb overhead bridge crane handles lifting and truck load-out for heavy members and assemblies.
Can WeFab provide engineered, sealed drawings?
Yes. WeFab offers design-build and delegated-design packages, with sealed drawings provided through its retained licensed structural engineer, typically within two weeks. Projects with their own engineer of record can send stamped drawings, and WeFab fabricates to that design under CSA S16.
Which sectors does WeFab fabricate structural steel for?
Data centre, warehouse and distribution, manufacturing, power and utility, agricultural infrastructure, industrial, and heavy industry. Food processing is not supported, since it carries specialty fabrication requirements outside WeFab’s setup.
Request a Structural Steel Fabrication Quote
Send a drawing package, a 3D model, or an early scope to the WeFab estimating team for a structural steel fabrication quote and budget schedule. Drawing packages are accepted as DWG, DXF, STEP, IGES, or IFC.
Call 548-919-0125 or email sales@wefab.ca to start a project.
Related capabilities: Capabilities overview · Welding and assembly · Structural engineering
