KERN 8/7/08 2:55 PM Page 116

profile k e r n s t e e l f a b r i c at i o n i n c .

“Our business philosophy stress-

es the importance of approach-

‘Steel’ing the Show ing each contract as a relation-

ship-building opportunity.”
> Gene Panelli, vice president
+ Kern Steel Fabrication maintains a long list of repeat
clients by focusing on delivering a high level of service
and projects customized to their needs. By Staci Davidson

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Kern Steel Fabrication Inc.
www.kernsteel.com
Headquarters: Bakersfield, Calif.
Services: Structural steel design and erection
Employees: 85
> In January 2005, officials at Travis
Air Force Base (AFB) in California dis-
covered that one of its C-5 isochronal
(ISO) maintenance stands could not be
placed in service because it didn’t com-
ply with OSHA standards or Air Force
Occupational Safety regulations.
The loss of this stand – a structure
used for the maintenance of the C-5 air-
craft – meant longer ISO inspection
times, increased maintenance down-
time, production efficiency losses and
various mission-readiness impacts.
Because the Travis base handles more
cargo and passengers than any other
military air terminal in the United
States, it needed to remain efficient.
Time was critical, so Air Force officials
started looking for a commercial con-
tractor that could repair the stand
quickly.
After reviewing many contractors,
the Air Force says, officials at Travis AFB
determined that Kern Steel Fabrication
Inc. of Bakersfield, Calif., was the only
firm that could devise a plan, implement
repairs, complete the entire job and
return the stand to use in less than 150
days. Using design/build, Kern Steel was
able to deliver the project a full month
ahead of schedule; wing officials and air-
craft maintenance staff reported no
errors, according to a statement from
Travis AFB.
“Kern Steel has made exceptional
efforts to complete the modifications
ahead of schedule, with quality work
and customer service as their main pri-
orities,” said one official in a statement.
“In addition, Kern Steel has repaired
other defective welds in the areas of the
modifications at no additional cost to
the government in order to facilitate the
best possible modification effort for
these stands.”
Because of its success at Travis AFB,
Kern Steel was hired to construct a C-5
empennage stand for the Air Force. This
was a design/build project, and to deliv-
er the job successfully, Kern Steel stud-
ied the stand’s base and worked with the

116 b&c southwest fall 2008