Backend Category: Construction Technology Initiative

2023 MEP Innovation Conference Tours Are Selling Out – More to Come!

Event Dates: January 11 – January 13, 2023 | Austin, TX

2023 might seem like a far way off, but early registrants are not only taking advantage of the early-bird rate, but also spots in the facility tours. After a week of registrations, contractors have nearly filled the first release of tours at MCAA and SMACNA member Dynamic Systems Inc. The tour will include an explanation of DSI’s VDC operations and its integration to its sheet metal, plumbing and piping fabrication.

Our facility tours are a new feature of the MEP Innovation Conference scheduled for January 11-13 in Austin, Texas. Attendees have the option to go offsite before the Opening General Session, or to participate in a set of optional pre-conference sessions at the hotel including product demonstrations, case studies, and hands-on workshops. Once the conference begins, it will bring together approximately 500 of the most innovative MEP contractors from around the country for the next two days. If you missed out on the initial release of the tours, don’t worry. More are being developed as we get closer to the conference and will take place at manufacturers, software developers, training centers and other contractor facilities.

VIEW AVAILABLE TOURS

Register now to network with peers from multiple trades across the country and learn about industry advancements for the future of the MEP trades. Secure early bird pricing and register today!

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Event Contact
Have questions or need assistance? Contact us at eventregistration@mcaa.org or 301-869-5800.

Thank you to our conference sponsors:

MCAA’s 2022 Fabrication Conference Offers a Look Into the Network of Shops Approach

As fabrication progresses towards manufacturing, a new approach is being taken that mirrors industrial manufacturing. The approach is known as distributed manufacturing for many industrial producers. For mechanical and plumbing contractors, it involves a network of fabrication facilities, VDC resources and jobsite construction crews that work together to design and build projects as efficiently as possible.

The 2022 MCAA Fabrication Conference, powered by MSUITE will be hosted by McKinstry Company, who will share insight into their network of shops approach. It involves coordination and balance of both fabrication and VDC resources across their multiple locations. In order to do this, it takes ample resources in software, VDC personnel and fabrication tools & equipment.

It begins with the people. VDC operators need to be able to not only have expert knowledge in drawing, but codes for multiple jurisdictions. They also need to be able to coordinate between offices and remote workers to allocate portions of the job and track progress. Once drawn and approved for fabrication, manufacturing and supply chain operations takes center stage and a determination must be made for where to fabricate based on final location and specialized equipment for each fabrication facility. Final installation is then performed by construction crews distributed over a wide geographical area around multiple office locations.

While this technique might be seen as only approachable by large contractors with multiple locations, it can actually be used by small contractors that are looking to outsource parts of their operations. Many contractors use multiple VDC resources outside of their operations when coordinating and designing. The same goes for outsourcing parts of their fabrication from other trades or specialty firms.

To learn more, attend the 2022 MCAA Fabrication Conference, November 2-4 in Seattle, Washington.

UPDATE: Registration is temporarily sold out while we secure additional hotel rooms. If interested, please fill out the waitlist registration form below and submit it to MCAA.

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Registration is Now Open for the 2023 MEP Innovation Conference

Event Dates: January 11 – January 13, 2023 | Austin, TX

Once again, MCAA has partnered with NECA and SMACNA to host the MEP 2023 Innovation Conference. Known as the best technology conference for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, service and sheet metal contractors, this year’s conference will provide educational sessions led by contractors from all three trade associations. This three-day event will include innovative presentations, collaborative roundtable discussions and hands-on exhibitor demonstrations highlighting the recent technologies that can improve MEP contractors’ productivity and profitability. The most cutting-edge contractors from the industry will be there to share their solutions, learn from thought leaders and position their companies for future success.

As part of the joint partnership, conference attendance is open to all members of MCAA, NECA and SMACNA and their union counterparts. Register now to network with peers from multiple trades across the country and learn about industry advancements for the future of the MEP trades, January 11-13 in Austin, Texas!

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Event Contact
Have questions or need assistance? Contact us at eventregistration@mcaa.org or 301-869-5800

Thank you to our conference sponsors:

Model-to-Machine Fabrication Will be a Focus of MCAA’s 2022 Fabrication Conference

Registration is now open for the 2022 MCAA Fabrication Conference, powered by MSUITE. The conference is returning to Seattle, November 2-4, 2022 with a tour of one of the country’s most dynamic mechanical contractors – McKinstry Company. It will feature how innovative contractors are integrating digital information throughout their fabrication process by using a “Model-to-Machine” approach.

Digital integration has been driving a lot of productivity increases to the industry. With VDC coordination, a lot of time, energy and expense is spent building a BIM model. Fabrication has already been one of the best ways to make up ground by improving the productivity and safety on projects. Up until new software was developed, information from the BIM model could only be used to generate detailed spool drawings. It created an immediate disconnect as soon as spool drawings left the detailing department and went to the fabrication facility.

Modern contractors have begun using software that is not only used in design and coordination, but also fabrication, communication, and manpower tracking. Fabrication facilities now use computers and large displays that can manipulate the latest drawings in 3D, track progress, update the team and even drive some manufacturing tools to cut, prep and even weld-assist on projects.

“What we are finding is that people are driving efficiency by being able to go directly from model to machine. They are able to also actually measure their efficiency directly from the machine and the shop floor using software”, as Benny Baltrotsky, COO of MSUITE puts it.

This means that the software can now directly drive tools that can measure and cut pipe like TigerSaw or Razor Gauge. This can be applied to copper, med gas, PVC and soil pipe. The same software can also push cuts and bevels to plasma cutting CNC machines or sheet metal manufacturing equipment. It can track status on anything produced in the fabrication shop so that project managers and foremen can be kept up to speed without constantly calling the fab shop foreman.

Many of these workflows will be demonstrated as part of the McKinstry tour, as well as in the education for the conference itself. McKinstry’s Seattle headquarters is a multi-building campus that includes fabrication, design, coordination, facility maintenance, incubator space and a public showroom for some of their services.

This is one of MCAA’s most popular conferences and it sells out quickly. Registration is limited to 2 people per company, including those from multiple locations.

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Registration Now Open for MCAA’s Fabrication Conference

The MCAA Fabrication Conference, powered by MSUITE, is going to Seattle this November 2-4 with a tour of one of the country’s most dynamic mechanical contractors – McKinstry Company.

Founded in 1960, McKinstry has grown into one of the largest MCAA members in the country. They design, build, fabricate, install and maintain buildings across the U.S. with locations in 10 cities across the West, Mid-West and South. Their headquarters located in Seattle, Washington is a multi-building campus that includes fabrication, design, coordination, facility maintenance, incubator space and a public showroom for some of their services.

This conference is one of MCAA’s most popular conferences and it sells out quickly. Registration is limited to 2 people per company, including those with multiple locations.

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Learn About the Next Evolution of Infrastructure from Our Clean Energy: Geothermal Energy Exchange Webinar

Thermal Energy or Clean Energy is the reduction or elimination of carbon dioxide from energy sources. For example, heat pumps are a clean energy source for water heating and comfort cooling and heating. A heat pump water heater captures heat from the surrounding air and transfers it to the water inside the tank. Moving the heat instead of generating heat allows the system to operate more efficiently. This type of work is the everyday work of MCAA contractors.

Installing and servicing heat pumps will lead to significant state and federal financial incentives such as rebates, tax credits, loans, grants, and more. MCAA members are in the unique position to help reduce the carbon footprint of any city or state.

MCAA President Robert M. Bolton will be joined by subject matter expert on geothermal HVACR technologies, Jay Egg. Egg began a career in mechanical design engineering & contracting. As an expert consultant, Jay sits on several technical code committees internationally; notably the technical committee for the IAPMO Uniform Mechanical Code. Jay has co-authored two McGraw-Hill Textbooks focused on geothermal HVAC technologies, and continues to write curriculum and lecture on the merits of Clean Heating and Cooling technologies.

Join us on Thursday, August 18, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s The Next Generation of Data Security

MCAA’s The Next Generation of Data Security provides guidance and insight on current tools and techniques to protect your data and operations. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The bulletin includes product recommendations and addresses the following topics that are critical to defending your company’s data:

Digital Rights Management
Identity Management
Dark Web Monitoring
Password Management
Penetration Testing

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For a full list of available Management Methods Bulletins, visit the Management Methods Bulletins page.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall.

Prepare Your Business for Possible Cyber Attacks

As the world watches the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, we here in the United States are unfortunately not immune from the situation and neither are our businesses.

As President Biden and our western allies level sanctions on Russia, options for cyberwarfare against Russia are being planned and executed against Moscow. Official Russian government websites have already experienced outages and disruptions and the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is warning of retaliatory cyber-attacks on U.S. infrastructure and businesses. Now is the time for your business to prepare for this possibility.

Nick Espinosa, MCAA’s Chief Security expert, advises the following steps be taken as soon as possible:

Update all operating systems and defensive technologies within your company (and homes). Any firewalls, Windows/MacOS/iPhone/Android operating systems, Antivirus, Endpoint Detection Response Systems, infrastructure equipment such as wireless access points, and other software should be up brought up to date. The CISA has published a list of the top hardware and software that Russian intelligence tends to exploit. Consider any of these products a top priority for updating:

FortiGate VPNs
Cisco routers
Oracle WebLogic Server
Kibana
Zimbra software
Exim Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
Pulse Secure
Citrix Servers
Microsoft Exchange
VMWare (note: this was a zero-day at time.)
F5 Big-IP
Oracle WebLogic
Microsoft Exchange Servers

Enable Multifactor Authentication wherever possible, including Microsoft Office 365, other cloud logins, backup systems (if possible), financial institutions and anywhere else critical information is stored for your business. Free authenticator apps include Authy, Microsoft, Google and more. Ideally planning for an Identity Management solution is recommended, however given the timeframe of possible attacks, using the free options are significantly better than doing nothing.
Ensure that all computers and devices are accounting for and have your Antivirus or Endpoint Detection Response installed. A computer missing this critical software could become the entry point for an attacker to gain access into your data and network or shut you down.
Double check all backups. Make sure they are current and actually work. Studies have shown that many company miss critical data when they backup. Also, restorations of data need to be tested as well. Finally, having a backup that is ideally in the cloud (or at least off-site) will ensure that if you need to restore data in an emergency you have a safe copy.
Alert all employees of these possibilities and make sure they maintain heightened vigilance and on the lookout for suspicious emails, odd behavior from their computer or devices, unusual slowness of the internet and more. Let them know that it’s important they notify IT or a manager as fast as possible if they suspect a problem. In a cyberattack we want accurate information as much as we can, but what is worse is the employee who experiences a problem and doesn’t say anything. In an emergency, shutting off the possibly infected computer and also the internet will help stop an attack or the spread of an infection.
If your business has next generation firewalls and/or Identity Management solutions, enable as much logging as you can and also enable geo-blocking for all incoming internet traffic except for traffic originating in the USA. This will help immediately drop any foreign internet connections attempt to look at your infrastructure or logins. Make sure to account for any employees that workout from outside of the United States or are traveling abroad at this time.
If your business has industrial control systems, conduct a test of manual controls to ensure that critical functions remain operable if your network is knocked out or known to be compromised.

These seven points are by no means comprehensive to a complete Cybersecurity solution, however these are the most critical points that need to be addressed as soon as possible.

It is important to note that a cyber-attack in which foreign intelligence agencies are involved, tend to not look like the traditional ransomware attacks we hear about in the news. The primary goal for Russian intelligence would be to be as disruptive to infrastructure as possible. They won’t take the time to lock out your data and ask for money. They will simply attempt to either kill your infrastructure, destroy your critical data, or plant dormant infections in your network for later activation and then quickly move on to the next target.

Their first goal, however, is disruption of the overall infrastructure of the United States. In this vein, it is important to note the following could be possible disruptions for your business:

Loss of internet via your Internet Service Provider due to attack on them.
Loss of electricity.
Loss of water and waste water availability.
Loss of traditional communication systems such as telephone lines.
Disruption of satellite services (TV, GPS, Communication etc.)
Disruption or outages of apps and services (i.e., airline/travel apps, credit card machines at local retail stores, video streaming services, financial/banking access etc.)
Disruption of local government services (paying bills, 911 call centers, traffic infrastructure etc.)

MCAA will continue to provide guidance to help safeguard your businesses, and homes from cyber attacks.

MEP Conference Honors Jeff Elwell, E.M. Duggan as Innovator of the Year

The MEP Innovation Conference honored members from each association for their contributions to innovation and research with a new award – The MEP Innovator of the Year. Leaders from MCAA presented the inaugural award to Jeff Elwell, Director of Innovation and Technology from E.M. Duggan Company in Boston, MA.

The innovator award was based on Elwell’s willingness to collaborate, share research and present at meetings like the MEP Innovation Conference. Elwell was selected for the award through his work on the MCAA’s Innovative Technology Committee and his multiple presentations at the MEP Innovation Conference. As Director of Preconstruction Services at The Waldinger Corporation and the committee’s chair, Stacy Zerr, described in her presentation, “[Jeff] has been great about not only giving clear and honest feedback on the phone, in meetings but also has stepped up repeatedly at conferences like this to present to the industry at large.”

NECA and SMACNA also presented innovation awards to members that exemplified similar attributes. Jared Christman from Big State Electric and Steve Hunt from Dee Cramer both earned the NECA and SMACNA awards, respectively.

If you would like to nominate a colleague for the award in the future, please send submissions to Sean McGuire at smcguire@mcaa.org.

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Exposed: Keeping Your Data to Yourself After an IT Breach

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s Exposed: Keeping Your Data to Yourself After an IT Breach. This resource explains what company executives can do to protect their companies if their website is hacked and defaced, their files are held for ransom, or their Data Center goes offline with no estimate for restoration.

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Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Sean McGuire.

Collaboration and Shared Insights Featured at the MEP Innovation Conference

With modern building practices, mechanical, plumbing, electrical and sheet metal contractors must coordinate precisely in their design and building for jobs to be profitable. In Tampa, Florida this week, members from MCAA, NECA and SMACNA extended that collaboration at the MEP Innovation Conference where they came together to learn from each other how new technologies are impacting their businesses.

From left, MCAA Innovative Technologies Committee Chair, Stacy Zerr, talks with MCAA President, Armand Kilijian, on stage at the MEP Innovation conference.

This was the first time all three associations have collaborated on the in-person event. It brought together 450 attendees from the MEP trades to better understand different viewpoints, roles and responsibilities. The benefits of having innovators from across the industry were immediate. MCAA Innovative Technologies Committee Chair Stacy Zerr commented, “At Waldinger, we work all MEP trades and already knew how similar the challenges and solutions are between them. At this conference, I learned just as much from the electrical and sheet metal presentations as I did from the mechanical presenters.”

Sharing insights and team building went further than the presentations. As Travis Voss, Helm Group’s Leader of Innovative Technologies put it, “For years we have brought project managers and estimators from the mechanical and plumbing side to this meeting. This year, we were able to bring in people from across all of our company to learn, cross train and team build. When they attended sessions together, it gave them a better understanding of the process beyond their focus.”

Plans are underway for the 2023 MEP Innovation Conference, and further education is in the works to bridge the gap between conferences. Many of the sessions from the 2022 conference were recorded and will be repackaged into educational videos later this year. These will be released online and available exclusively to MCAA members.

VDC Webinar Mini-Series: Explore ITM Content Solutions for Autodesk Software

Utilizing Autodesk’s BIM software for fabrication like CADmep, CAMduct and ESTmep, can provide your company with significant productivity improvements, accuracy and coordination gains. To operate with fabrication level precision, it takes precise ITM content that doesn’t come with the software out of the box. Contractors need to create their own catalog of ITM components or work with third-party providers to purchase ITM-managed databases.

In this third and final installment of MCAA’s VDC Webinar Mini-Series, U.S. Engineering’s Director of Virtual Construction, Ryan Frazier, talks about how the company has approached both options and chose to use Trimble Managed Content. U.S. Engineering’s case study examines factors in their decision like cost, manpower, productivity and software integration. Ryan is joined by Seth Greenlund, Product Manager at Trimble, responsible for Trimble Managed Content.

Meet the Webinar Speakers:

Ryan Frazier – Ryan Frazier is the Director of Virtual Construction for U.S. Engineering and has been in the BIM industry for 17 years. Ryan has held various roles from detailing to management and has primarily focused on the MEP trades. In his current role, he oversees all things related to VC at U.S. Engineering, helping guide their team from a strategic and progressive perspective. Ryan is always looking to leverage BIM capabilities from design and coordination to fabrication and installation.

Email – ryan.frazier@usengineering.com

Seth Greenlund – Seth has been in the MEP industry since 2002. He started as a detailer using Autodesk Building Systems and in 2005 moved to Fabrication CADmep, ESTmep and CAMduct. During his time with various contractors, Seth did everything from digging trenches for underground plumbing, estimating, detailing, database management and project management. He moved over to the software side of MEP in 2012 and has worked as a trainer, support manager, content group manager.

Email – seth_greenlund@trimble.com

This webinar was recorded on January 10, 2022.

VDC Webinar Mini-Series: Using Trimble® SysQue® and Connect2Fab

Contractors cannot afford to be hindered by old processes in an industry more under pressure than ever to deliver projects on time and on budget.

Dustin Allen of Trimble and Trent Station of J.W. McClenahan discuss the advantages of using cloud-based collaboration tools that allow you to leverage your investment in BIM to streamline Revit prefabrication workflows and make data-driven decisions that boost overall efficiency.

This webinar explores J.W. McClenahan’s journey to a digitally integrated fabrication process with the VDC team. The session explores how they have evolved their VDC projects to utilize Autodesk Revit through Trimble®SysQue® for design and Connect2Fab for fabrication shop integration. Dustin and Trent will demonstrate how enabling accurate, actionable information to flow through your organization will result in enhanced communication, easy status tracking, efficient spool prefabrication and material procurement. The ability to leverage your model throughout your prefabrication and project execution processes is no longer a luxury; it’s a requisite and primary source of competitive advantage.

This webinar was recorded on December 9, 2021.

Don’t forget to register now for the 2022 MEP Innovation Conference, powered by Trimble. This year, MCAA, NECA and SMACNA have teamed up, bringing you over 60 of the most innovative contractors to present January 24-26 live in Tampa, Florida at the Tampa Marriott Water Street.

Meet the Presenters:

Trent brings 26 years of experience in process/mechanical and plumbing piping systems construction and detailing; expertise in multiple facets of semiconductor, industrial, healthcare, commercial and pharmaceutical construction. With in-depth knowledge pertaining to design, fabrication, and installation of industrial and commercial MEP systems. Trent is a senior member of J.W. McClenahan’s team, proficient in working with BIM modeling and project coordination tools, he oversees the implementation of software solutions and related construction processes for our company.

Dustin is a Technical Sales Engineer for VDC Products at Trimble MEP, North America. His mission is to empower contractors with cross-functional workflows across the Trimble MEP product portfolio, specializing in BIM. As an experienced tradesman, project manager, Estimator, and VDC Technology Leader, he leverages real-world experience and expertise to create and improve workflows and processes to benefit the MEP Construction Industry. Dustin lives in Indianapolis, IN, with his wife and five children.

Resource Highlight: 2021 MCAA 3D Scanning Technology Research Report

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s 2021 3D Scanning Technology Research Report. The report assesses various laser, non-laser scanning and photogrammetric hardware and software tools used by mechanical contractors. MCAA members stand to benefit from these and other rapidly evolving technologies that can expedite work, increase precision and prevent mistakes.

In addition to scanning, the MCAA’s Construction Technology Research Series explores tracking, layout, design and fabrication technologies using BIM and other tools.

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You Might Also Like These Resources

MCAA’s Innovative Technologies Initiative offers a wealth of resources and information for those interested in exploring new technologies. Visit the initiative’s web page to explore them all.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Sean McGuire.

More than 65 Leading Contractors Presenting at MEP Innovation Conference

Innovation comes from hard work, grit and the successes and failures that go along with it. If you are fortunate, you can improve your processes from the trials and errors of your peers. The MEP Innovation Conference, powered by Trimble, has developed into the most in-depth conference on construction technology and innovation.

The conference is now a partnership with MCAA, NECA, and SMACNA and will bring in the best innovators from across the MEP spectrum to Tampa, Florida, January 24-26 2022. With the inclusion of over 65 MEP contractors as presenters, each session will present a case study from your peers on how they integrated the latest tools, technology, hardware, and software.

Registration is exclusive to MCAA/MSCA, NECA, and SMACNA members as well as their union affiliated partners.

Registration is open!

COVID restrictions have limited the capacity of this event and it will sell out fast.

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VDC Webinar Mini-Series: How to Successfully Make the Journey from CAD to Revit

As we approach the MEP Innovation Conference in January, MCAA is scheduling a mini-series of VDC webinars to help get the discussion going. Each of these sessions features a contractor’s case study as they have adapted their processes to compete in the age of digital construction.

The CAD to BIM software evolution has brought tremendous benefits for MEP contractors – creating less re-work and better coordination. Many contractors want to reap those benefits however making that shift can be challenging. Often, the transition is the toughest part. Detailers must unlearn engrained AutoCAD processes. It takes time to get the efficiency gains touted by the software. During the implementation stage, processes often take longer before they eventually improve. In this first webinar with icon Mechanical’s Vice-President of Engineering, Tim Riedle, shares valuable insights and first-hand experience with that transition.

In this webinar, Tim Riedle features a case study detailing icon’s progression to Revit using Trimble SysQue. Viewers will learn how to begin their journey to Revit and best practices to implement along the way.

More than 60 of Our Industry’s Best Contractors and Thought Leaders Will Present at the 2022 MEP Innovation Conference

MCAA has developed the most in-depth conference on construction technology and innovation to date. MCAA first launched the Technology Conference for MCAA members back in 2016 as a way to share knowledge and spark ideas and innovation through collaboration, demonstration and peer-to-peer instruction. The event has continued to grow year after year. In 2021, the conference was renamed and pushed further with the inclusion of NECA and SMACNA contractors providing a broader depth of experience. This year, MCAA, NECA and SMACNA have announced a joint partnership, bringing over 60 of the most innovative contractors to present January 24-26 at the 2022 MEP Innovation Conference, powered by Trimble.

Sessions at this year’s conference will be led by the country’s leading mechanical, plumbing, electrical, sheet metal and service contractors. The MEP Conference will provide a comprehensive view of the solutions digitizing our processes, using VDC software, fabricating all trades, coordinating projects with new software and using new tools to improve productivity. Sessions will be geared toward Operations Managers, VDC teams, Project Managers and Fabrication Managers.

Conference registration will be limited due to COVID restrictions. Registration will be open to MCAA/MSCA, NECA and SMACNA members as well as their union affiliated partners. For more information, visit the MEP Innovation Conference Website and register today!

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MCAA22 Reunite: We’re Going to Party Like It’s 1989

Reunite with your MCAA family and dance the night away with the Spazmatics! Come enjoy all the awesome sounds, styles and way cool dance steps from the 1980’s decade we’d love to forget, but are happy to remember. Complete with skinny ties, fashionable hairstyles, and horn-rimmed glasses, the Spazmatics recapture the best of the worst. Outstanding musicianship combined with creative flair and style makes for an evening of pure energy and entertainment. Don’t miss the Spazmatics at MCAA22’s Opening Party on Sunday, March 17th.

Registration is now open. Save your spot today!

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NECA Recognizes MCAA with the 2021 NECA Industry Partner Award

Since 1996, the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) has presented their annual Industry Partner Award to individuals or organizations who are allied with the electrical construction industry. This year, NECA presented and recognized MCAA with the 2021 NECA Industry Partner Award at their annual Convention in Nashville.

In early 2021, MCAA, NECA and The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC) joined forces in a strategic alliance agreement to collaborate on issues impacting the construction and maintenance industry on a national and regional level. Through this alliance, the associations conduct joint meetings and share information of mutual interest relating to environmental health and safety, industrial relations, government affairs, innovation and technology. The associations work to develop products and practices to jointly benefit their respective memberships, increase membership awareness of industry issues and more.

Earlier this year, MCAA and NECA also partnered together to put on the 2021 MEP Innovation Conference, held virtually this past April. Registration is already open for the 2022 MEP Innovation Conference held jointly with MCAA, NECA and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) for January 24-26, 2022. This annual event will be held in-person, showcasing the industry-defining innovations being seen across the mechanical, electrical and plumbing contracting industries.

MCAA thanks NECA for this recognition and looks forward to many more years of joint collaboration in order to advance the unionized construction industry.

Five Spots Remain for MCAA’s Fabrication Conference

The Baker Group will host the 2021 MCAA Fabrication Conference, powered by MSUITE, in Des Moines, Iowa November 8-10. The conference combines a full day facility tour of The Baker Group’s fabrication facility with education and programming on new processes, tools and techniques to improve your productivity and fabrication.

While the conference originally sold out when it first opened, limitations were made based on COVID protocols at the time. With final protocols in place, five additional spaces have been opened to allow for attendees to participate.

The fabrication conference offers a unique experience to attendees – a full look inside the operations of a contractor peer to get some direct insight on how they perform their work. You will learn how The Baker Group expanded their facility in order to improve their fabrication capacity and flexibility so that they can compete on new projects and go after new market segments.

Attendees will also learn how they tie in their VDC operations, the software that allows them to digitize their workflow and leverage that data to improve accuracy and speed. Projects are designed, coordinated and built in-house which allows The Baker Group to work beyond their local jurisdiction with contractors around the country.

For more information, visit the registration page to download the brochure or register.

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