Featured image: A South Valley Prefab install team prepares to attach an exterior panel at Denver’s Belleview North Tower. All photos courtesy of Mark L. Johnson except where indicated.
Riding in Travis Vap’s Ford F150 Lightning through Denver, you will find a CEO who embraces both technology and tradition. Fielding calls on a massive Apple CarPlay display, Vap discusses family, business and snow skiing with equal passion. Here’s a man who knows how to harness technology while keeping his priorities straight.
Vap, the CEO of South Valley, a Steel Framing Industry Association (SFIA) member, is a well-known champion of innovation. And perhaps nowhere has momentum in automated construction technology been more evident — or moved faster — than in Denver.
South Valley Prefab’s Wayne Munro assembles cold-formed steel (CFS) panels with studs rolled in-house.
Since 2012, Vap and his team have reshaped Denver’s construction landscape. In an industry known for its reliance on manual labor, South Valley Prefab is doing the opposite. It’s pursuing the building envelope market with automation, producing prefabricated exterior wall panels with unprecedented speed and precision.
South Valley Prefab, a division of South Valley, has been on a roll ever since 2012, completing over 60 projects in the Denver Metro Area. Recent high-profile projects — Belleview North Tower, Emerson and One7 — stand as testaments to the division’s success.
Recently, Vap welcomed BuildSteel.org for an exclusive tour of the South Valley Prefab factory and a nearby job site. There was a lot to see and learn.
Automated Manufacturing at South Valley Prefab
What goes into the making of a prefabricated exterior finished wall panel? South Valley Prefab’s work begins with steel coils sourced from SFIA member manufacturers, reflecting a commitment to the SFIA membership base.
Vap and his team have developed several robotic machines for South Valley Prefab and written original software to track production. Most of this technology is patented. Some are available for sale, including a machine Vap has named Irene.
“The Irene,” a roll former developed by Travis Vap and his manufacturing partner, can produce 18 to 68 mil steel framing members. Photo courtesy of Irene Steel.
‘Irene’: A Roll Former for North America
South Valley Prefab roll forms its own cold-formed steel (CFS) studs using a roll-forming machine from Irene Steel. The roll former was developed by Vap and his manufacturing partner and is named “The Irene” (after Vap’s paternal grandmother).
Why give a machine a human name?
“It’s fun to name machines by actual people rather than use technical jargon made up of letters and numbers,” Vap says. “Names honor people. They honor the past.”
South Valley has three Irene roll formers. Additional Irene roll formers can be found across the United States in Boston, Columbus, Dallas, Omaha and New York. Irene roll formers target contractors “focused on light-gauge steel prefabrication and kitting,” Vap says.
The roll former produces AISI and ASTM compliant steel framing members and are fully automated. It can produce 18 to 68 mil steel framing members. Vap’s goal is to have 100 Irene machines operating across North America within the next decade.
Carlos Mendez assembles cold-formed steel (CFS) beneath “Melvin,” a giant CNC machine.
‘Melvin’: An Automated Sheathing Machine
South Valley Prefab fabricators assemble CFS stud panels on a framing table directly beneath a robotic machine called “The Melvin.”
The Melvin (named after Vap’s paternal grandfather, Irene’s husband) is a giant CNC machine that robotically screws off the sheathing, which has a built-in moisture barrier, and routers the sheathing applied to the CFS-framed panels — completely hands-free.
“Our framers assemble the frame from the studs that come off of Irene,” Vap says. “Then, Melvin screws off the sheathing and cuts the sheathing to the framed panel.”
“The Charles” (Patent No. 11,945,062) automates the rasping of EPS foam.
A panel lies in queue after being processed by “Charles.”
‘Charles’: A Robotic Foam Cutter
Next is the robotic manufacturing machine called “The Charles” (named after Vap’s paternal grandfather). The Charles is an advanced digital production system. It automates the rasping of EPS foam, squares the EPS and robotically cuts in architectural aesthetics. It creates uniform EIFS surfaces panel after panel, and it does it automatically.
Foam rasping has traditionally been done by hand, Vap says, but The Charles eliminates that manual step. It’s so precise that it can rasp foam surfaces to tolerances better than 1/64th of an inch.
‘Lorraine’: A Panel Finishing Robot
Named after Vap’s grandmother, “The Lorraine” is an advanced, in-house-developed machine designed to apply precise finishes to South Valley Prefab’s exterior wall panels.
With meticulous control, the Lorraine ensures uniformity, delivering a consistent and high-quality exterior finish that enhances both the durability and aesthetic appeal of each panel. The machine helps streamline production, enabling faster completion times while maintaining exceptional craftsmanship in every panel it touches.
A finished panel that has gone through “the Lorraine” lies ready for transport. Photo courtesy of South Valley.
The South Valley Prefab facility has 75,000 square feet of space.
Reducing Onsite Labor by 90%
With these technologies, South Valley Prefab can enclose buildings 75% faster than traditional construction, while reducing onsite labor by 90%. The facility, a 75,000 square foot space in Centennial, Colorado, is buzzing with the sound of automation, making it one of the most advanced prefabrication sites in the nation.
Vap credits his “secret sauce” to South Valley’s people and to the strong relationships the company builds with customers, openly sharing information and embracing feedback to improve team performance.
By 2030, South Valley, with residential, commercial, prefabrication and glass divisions, would like to be twice the size it is today. South Valley Prefab, the company’s fastest growing division, is leading the way.
Travis Vap credits his “secret sauce” to South Valley’s people and to strong customer relationships.
South Valley Prefab’s exterior finished panels appear on the Belleview North Tower, a Beck Group project.
South Valley Prefab is producing 850 exterior finished panels for the Belleview North Tower project.
The Belleview North Tower crane lifts panels to installers. “We average 75% schedule savings on the building envelope versus traditional construction,” Vap says.
One7, a Trammell Crow property in Denver, has South Valley Prefab panels with 3 different finishes.
About South Valley
Founded in 1976, South Valley, based in Centennial, Colorado, is a wall and ceiling contractor with four divisions: South Valley Drywall for residential projects, South Valley Commercial, South Valley Prefab for the exterior building envelope and DLH Interiors for interior glass systems.
Additional Resources
- Purr-Fect Steel-Framed, Exterior Panels Speed Construction of Catbird
- South Valley’s Tavis Vap Shares Insights on Leadership, Diversity and Growth on “If Walls Could Talk” Podcast
- 7 Reasons Cold-Formed Steel Improves Job Site Safety