Category: Uncategorized

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Guide to Human Resources Policies

A company’s employee manual sets expectations and delivers information. MCAA’s Guide to Human Resources Policies provides guidance on human resources policies to help MCAA members design their own employee manuals. It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The guide includes information to help your company:

  • Define policies
  • Set expectations for conduct
  • Outline benefits
  • Detail a company’s drug-free workplace policy, including its drug and alcohol testing policy
  • Provide information and resources for complaints about harassment, discrimination, and retaliation
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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.

Noreen Cournoyer Will Join the MCAA Staff

MCAA extends a warm welcome to Noreen Cournoyer, who will be joining the staff as MCAA’s new Associate Director, Conference Services starting April 4. Noreen previously planned events for the New Jersey Association for Justice and the National Association of Attorneys General. She graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and has since earned the Digital Event Strategist (DES) and Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) credentials. She holds leadership roles with the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Capital Chapter and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Research Foundation. MCAA is pleased to welcome Noreen to the staff and to the MCAA family.

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.

icon Mechanical Gets Ahead of Schedule by Adding Trimble SysQue to Revit

After losing a large project because they did not work in Revit, icon Mechanical made the switch to Revit, later adding Trimble SysQue. Tim Riedle, vice president of engineering for icon, credits the addition of SysQue with helping icon get ahead of schedule on their projects. (Trimble is a benefactor of MCAA22.)

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Looking for More Smart Solutions?

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website! You’ll see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with productivity-enhancing and cost-saving applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

Rand Construction Relies on U.S.-Made ASC Gruvlok Products to Keep Hospital Project on Track During Pandemic

Renovating an active hospital is challenging in the best of times; to complete a transplant hospital’s new unit in the midst of a global pandemic, Rand Construction needed products that could be delivered on time and installed quickly and safely. Gruvlok® grooved couplings and fittings from ASC Engineered Solutions were the perfect fit. ASC is a major sponsor of MCAA22.

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Looking for More Smart Solutions?

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website! You’ll see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with productivity-enhancing and cost-saving applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

MSUITE–TigerStop Integration Helps Gallo Mechanical Automate Fab Shop Operation, Cutting Costs and Increasing Productivity

Gallo Mechanical, the Gulf Coast’s leading mechanical and plumbing contractor, saw an opportunity to eliminate paper and automate its fabrication shop with advanced technology. After a competitive bid, Gallo selected MSUITE’s FabPro for its ability to integrate with TigerStop and track time and production in the fab shop. “From the start, the integration between MSUITE and TigerStop saved our firm $4,000,” said Ray McDonald, Gallo’s general manager and fabrication coordinator.

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Looking for More Smart Solutions?

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website! You’ll see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with productivity-enhancing and cost-saving applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

Resource Highlight: NCPWB’s General Welding Guidelines

NCPWB’s General Welding Guidelines provide background information and supplementary instructions to contractors and welders who are using National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau Welding Procedures Specifications (WPS). It’s just one of MCAA’s educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership.

The resource includes both mandatory and recommended practices.

Mandatory Practices are considered part of the requirements stated on the welding procedure specification (WPS).

Recommended Practices provide additional information on variables not covered in the WPS. NCPWB recommends these practices be followed unless the welder’s supervisor provides other direction.

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Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Nick Nikpourfard.

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Business Transition Options for the Mechanical Contractor

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 Business Transition Options for the Mechanical Contractor bulletin and podcast, which reviews the various options for transferring ownership of a company and showcases the advance planning and analysis needed for a successful transfer.

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WEBBOOK

In the related podcast, host Bob Lindbloom and co-host Rob Armistead discuss Exit Strategy Planning with Mario Vicari, business advisor to privately-held companies at Kreisher Miller. Play the podcast directly from the WebBook, or listen and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Google Play.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Frank Wall.

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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You Might Also Like These Resources

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Sean McGuire.

Connect With the Latest Training from Parker Hannifin and The Harris Products Group at MCAA.org

The Manufacturer/Supplier Training area of MCAA’s website connects our contractor members with training opportunities available from the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Participating companies highlight and link to new webinars and training opportunities across their product lines, services, solutions or web pages. Here are just a few of the recent additions:

Parker Hannifin
Learn how ZoomLock MAX press technology for HVAC will improve your efficiency, adding to your bottom line. ZoomLock MAX fittings delivers secure, braze-free connections in a few simple steps while providing a safer environment for your team.

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The Harris Products Group
Harris Products Group, maker of brazing and soldering equipment and consumables, provides NATE training on the basics of brazing, base and filler metals and fluxes, and torch safety. Includes brazing demonstrations and hands-on practice.

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Interested in More Training from Our Supplier Partners?

Be sure to visit the Manufacturer/Supplier Training area for all the latest offerings.

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Resource Highlight: NCPWB’s General Brazing Guidelines

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 NCPWB’s General Brazing Guidelines. These guidelines provide background information and supplementary instructions to contractors and their brazers who are using National Certified Pipe Welding Bureau Welding (NCPWB) Brazing Procedure Specifications (BPSs).

Your workers will learn about:

  • Mandatory practices that should be followed during the process of making brazed joints
  • Recommended practices that should be followed during brazing unless the brazer is otherwise directed by their supervisor
  • General information of interest to brazers, such as tables of copper tube and fitting sizes
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Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact NCPWB’s Dariush (Nick) Nikpourfard.

Resource Highlight: MCAA/CNA MICROLEARNING SAFETY VIDEO SERIES: Refraining from Distracted Driving

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 the MCAA/CNA MICROLEARNING SAFETY VIDEO SERIES: Refraining from Distracted Driving. This video will teach your workers how refraining from distracted driving can help prevent motor vehicle collisions.

Your workers will learn:

  • How talking on the phone – even using a hands-free device – takes the mind off the road and leads to inattention blindness, a phenomenon that has proven to be deadly
  • Why it is smart to pull off the road to a safe location before making calls, sending texts, programming a GPS, or similar tasks
  • The importance of taking 60 seconds to clear the dashboard and organize the vehicle before heading out

Together with our partners in safety, CNA, MCAA developed the video, which is part of the MCAA/CNA Microlearning Safety Video Series, a series of easy-to-watch safety videos that are under 3-minutes long.

Download or Play the Video

All the videos in this series are available in our Resource Center any time.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Raffi Elchemmas.

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Website

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 website, home of the latest information and resources from your association, at your convenience.

Use the site to:

The Search feature at the top right of the site can help you quickly find what you’re looking for.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact help@mcaa.org.

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Resource Center

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the 670 business resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s Resource Center, which includes a variety of filters to help you find trusted information and tools, easier and faster.

Our resources are developed by contractors for contractors who understand your unique needs.

To Access the Resource Center

  1. Visit mcaa.org
  2. Use the form on our homepage to find the specific solution to your challenge and advance your business. Narrow down your results by your role, topic of interest, company size, resource type, keywords, or any combination of these
  3. Build your pipeline for success

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact help@mcaa.org with your questions, comments and suggestions.

Resource Highlight: MCAA/CNA MICROLEARNING SAFETY VIDEO SERIES: Proper Material Staging

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 the MCAA/CNA MICROLEARNING SAFETY VIDEO SERIES: Proper Material Staging. This video will teach your pipefitters, plumbers, sprinklerfitters, welders, service technicians and fabrication shop workers how to protect themselves from the musculoskeletal injuries that occur when materials are improperly staged.

Your workers will learn about:

  • How staging materials at waist height can help reduce the amount of bending needed to complete their work, reducing the risk of incurring back pain or back injuries
  • The types of commercially available staging areas
  • What to do when a commercially available staging area isn’t present

Together with our partners in safety, CNA, MCAA developed the video, which is part of the MCAA/CNA Microlearning Safety Video Series, a series of easy-to-watch safety videos that are under 3-minutes long.

Download or Play the Video

Watch for highlights of the other videos in this series in the coming weeks. They are also available in our Resource Center any time.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Raffi Elchemmas.

Marking Services Inc. Makes Hospital’s Documents Easily Accessible, Saving Money and Ensuring Regulatory Compliance

AIM Mobile Technology and Field Implementation Services from Marking Services Inc. (MSI) allow Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) to keep track of documents for thousands of facility assets—which not only helps them comply with rigorous requirements for health care institutions but also saved money by ensuring easy access to warranty information for a failing piece of equipment. The move from paper to digital helps the hospital provide care that aligns with best practices.

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Looking for More Smart Solutions?

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website! You’ll see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with productivity-enhancing and cost-saving applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

Resource Highlight: MCAA/CNA MICROLEARNING SAFETY VIDEO SERIES: Safe Lifting Technique to Help Prevent Musculoskeletal Injuries

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 the MCAA/CNA MICROLEARNING SAFETY VIDEO SERIES: Safe Lifting Technique to Help Prevent Musculoskeletal Injuries. This video will teach your pipefitters, plumbers, sprinklerfitters, welders, service technicians and fabrication shop workers how to protect themselves from the musculoskeletal injuries that occur when materials are improperly lifted and moved by hand.

Your workers will learn:

  • Why it’s important to warm up muscles
  • To assess how heavy and bulky the items are before lifting or moving them
  • To get help with items that are excessively heavy or bulky
  • Proper lifting technique
  • Proper turning technique
  • How to safely place an object down

Together with our partners in safety, CNA, MCAA developed the video, which is part of the MCAA/CNA Microlearning Safety Video Series, a series of easy-to-watch safety videos that are under 3-minutes long.

Download or Play the Video

Watch for highlights of the other videos in this series in the coming weeks. They are also available in our Resource Center any time.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Raffi Elchemmas.

Find the Latest from Orbitalum and Manufacton by ViZZ Technologies in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show

MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show connects our contractor members with the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:

Orbitalum
Orbitalum’s product line includes the industry leading GF series saws, RPG facers, Orbimat power supplies, and Orbiweld enclosed weld heads for precision stainless steel tube cutting, facing and welding.

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Manufacton by ViZZ Technologies
Manufacton is a SaaS (mobile/web) platform that helps construction firms plan, track and manage both prefabrication and regular material handling. The Manufacton platform helps optimize the end-to-end prefabrication process.

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Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Visit the Virtual Trade Show

Speaking of Smart Solutions

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to learn how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!

Visit Smart Solutions

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.

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Jobsite Safety Inspection Checklist

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 Jobsite Safety Inspection Checklist. This checklist can be easily customized to help keep you organized and on track when you perform safety inspections.

Topics covered by the basic checklist include:

  • Ladders & Stairways
  • General Fall Protection
  • Scaffolds
  • Excavations/Trenches
  • Electrical
  • Personal Protective Equipment
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For additional safety-related resources, including training videos and materials, visit the Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Raffi Elchemmas.