Gibraltar Strip Steel has selected Avon Engineering Limited to design, engineer, and build a new coil packaging system to complement and support the present slitting operations at the company’s Cleveland (Cuyahoga Heights) Division.

The new coil packaging line will be a fully automated system that Avon Engineering will engineer, build and install. Project completion and start-up of the new line is targeted to commence in October 2004.

“Being selected for this project is such a great opportunity for Avon.” comments Robert Nanovsky, U.S. Representative for Avon. “Any time you’re chosen over some pretty tough competition to work with one of North America’s leading metal processors, makes this a tremendous honor.”

Jack Bronson, Plant Manager at Gibraltar Strip Steel’s Cuyahoga Heights facility, comments, “We at GSSI are excited about having the opportunity to work with Avon Engineering on a project of this magnitude. The purchase of this packaging line not only exemplifies to our customers and employees the confidence Gibraltar Corporate has in our facility, but will enable us to continue to provide our customers with a world class product, on time, with the highest level of quality possible.”

Headquartered in Waterdown, Ont., Canada, Avon Engineering Limited, an ISO 9001 : 2000 registered company, designs and manufactures fully and semi-automated packaging systems for metal coil producers and processors. Avon also designs and builds heavy-duty material handling equipment used worldwide and throughout North America for a variety of industries.

Gibraltar manufactures and distributes more than 5,000 residential and commercial building products. The company is one of North America’s leading metal processors, and North America’s second-largest commercial heat treater, serving approximately 10,000 customers in a variety of industries in all 50 states, Canada, and Mexico. It has approximately 4,000 employees and operates 70 facilities in 26 states, Canada, and Mexico. Gibraltar Strip Steel Inc. (GSSI) is a leading processor of value added steel products consisting of cold-rolled steel strip, heavy duty steel strapping, galvanized, Galvalume and pre-painted steel sheet products.