A century of structural steel in Aurora.
Garbe Iron Works has detailed, fabricated and erected structural steel since 1919. Today we run a 32,000 sq. ft. CNC shop on North Broadway and serve repeat clients across the upper Midwest.
From 1919 to the CNC floor.
Frank B. Garbe founded the company in 1919. For its first 31 years it worked out of several sites around Aurora. In 1950 Mr. Garbe bought land on North Broadway and put up the first building, then 12 additions that grew into a 27,000 sq. ft. fabrication facility by 1973. His son, F. James Garbe, became president during those years and guided the expansion.
In 1976 a new fabrication building went into operation. It was one of the most advanced steel shops in the area, with a material handling system that was rare for its time. Over the next few years the American Institute of Steel Construction in Chicago regularly brought foreign trade delegations to GIW to see it.
The equipment has changed many times since. Today the 32,000 sq. ft. shop runs Peddinghaus CNC lines for sawing, drilling, plate and angle work, with a plate laser and a new shop layout on the way.
Garbe Iron Works, the early years- 1919Founded by Frank B. Garbe
- 1950Moves to North Broadway
- 197327,000 sq. ft. shop
- 1976New shop opens
- TodayPeddinghaus CNC lines
- NextPlate laser + new shop layout
One point of responsibility.
We offer single-point responsibility for the entire Division 5 scope of a project: detailing, fabrication and erection of the structural steel, joists, deck and miscellaneous metals. You deal with one company from shop drawings to the last connection. That cuts the coordination and scheduling work on your side, and you always know who is responsible for the steel.
Design-build
We have arrangements with several structural engineering firms, so we can offer design-build as well as the traditional design-bid-build approach. You get a shorter lead time on the design, and the steel design is worked out for economy from the start.
The field team
We subcontract the on-site work and bring the erector, decker and miscellaneous metals subcontractors onto our own project team. We work with the major erectors, deckers and miscellaneous subcontractors in this market, including several AISC Certified Erectors, and we only bring in companies that take safety and customer service seriously.
Quality
GIW holds continued certification from the American Institute of Steel Construction. Each year we take part in an AISC quality assurance audit performed by Quality Management Company, and we are certified for Steel Building Structures and as a Component Manufacturer – Bridge. Every welder is certified by the American Welding Society, and we run nondestructive tests in our shop when contract specifications require them.
Who we work for
With an annual production capacity of more than 5,000 tons, we meet the quality and schedule requirements of repeat clients throughout the upper Midwest. That includes other fabricators, who send us a good share of subcontract work.
We look forward to working with you.
Have a project coming up?
We quote full Division 5 packages and fabrication-only work. Tell us about the job and we will get back to you.
