With its light weight and easy installation, Josam Company’s Pro-Plus trench drain system not only minimized hassle for Miinc Mechanical Contractors of Dallas, TX, but it also saved them labor and installation time. Instead of using three or four workers to install the trench drain, Miinc needed only one or two workers laying the Pro-Plus system during a recent project for Southwest Airlines.
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.
Jay Baer at MSCA CONNECT 2017 – It’s Possible to Hug Your Haters!
Take a sneak peek at Jay’s video to you above.
Jay Baer, author of Hug Your Haters, the world’s first modern customer service manual, shows how companies large and small can benefit from the enormous increase in online complaints and customer feedback. If it feels like there are more complaints than ever, and that you’re spending more time and money dealing with negativity and backlash, you’re right. But the rise of customer complaints is actually an enormous opportunity. In this eye-opening presentation, Jay reveals brand-new, proprietary research into The Science of Complaints – why and where your customers complain, how to embrace your complainers and turn impossible, negative situations into positive, possible solutions. Jay has spent 23 years in digital marketing and customer experience, consulting for more than 700 companies during that period, including 32 of the FORTUNE 500.
Don’t miss Jay’s enlightening session on Wednesday, October 18! Register today for MSCA 2017 using the button below.
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:
DEWALT Industrial Tool Company
DEWALT announces the new FLEXVOLT® 60V MAX* 2.5 Gallon Cordless Air Compressor (DCC2560). Made in made in Jackson, TN with global materials, it is part of the growing FLEXVOLT® System from DEWALT.
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!
Only EVAPCO, Inc. had cooling towers with a small-enough footprint, yet large-enough capacity, to meet WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital’s need for upgraded towers that would lend themselves to future expansion. Manchester, PA-based James Craft & Son Inc. worked closely with EVAPCO to find the perfect solution to a challenging installation.
Need More Solutions for Challenging Installations?
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.
Metropolitan Mechanical Contractors (MMC) of Eden Prairie, MN, found that using Uponor’s AquaPEX® crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) piping for the risers and the unit piping in a new hotel saved crews about two to three days of installation per floor. On a 13-story project with 50 units per floor, that adds up to almost a month of installation time savings.
Looking for More Solutions for Quick Installation and Maximum Savings?
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.
MCAA’s Safety Management for Supervisors Training Video follows a seasoned mechanical construction supervisor as he leads a new colleague through the skills that are critical for effective safety management on mechanical construction projects.
The video, which was produced specifically for mechanical industry project managers, foremen and other jobsite supervisors, describes the key management skills that enable supervisors to keep employees safe and help maintain project profitability, including:
• Pre-task planning;
• Leadership;
• Hazard recognition;
• Auditing for compliance;
• Addressing safety concerns;
• Loss control;
• Recordkeeping; and
• Conflict resolution.
Bringing The Possible to Life: Influencing Decisions Across Your Business
Julie Williamson, Vice President of Strategy & Research for Karrikins Group (founded by Peter Sheahan, a popular presenter at MSCA conferences) has worked nationally and internationally with companies both large and small, helping them execute a strategy for transformation.
Have you ever found yourself frustrated by people not getting aligned behind an investment or a strategic direction you want to make for your business? Perhaps you have a modern technology to implement, but people continue to find ways to use the old system. You need to get people to make different decisions about their everyday behaviors – how they show up, and what they do to deliver on your organizational commitments. That means you need to disrupt the ‘same old / same old’ thinking that drives most of their decisions, and you need to create new responses that are better aligned with your business goals.
In Julie’s engaging and energizing Education Session, she will dive into the 5 Drivers of decision making and how you as a leader can use them to drive your strategy forward bringing “The Possible” to your business.
Take a peek at Julie’s message below:
For additional information, click on the buttons below:
Mechanical, Inc. of Freeport, IL has contributed an additional $5,000 to the Mechanical Contracting Education & Research Foundation (MCERF). This contribution brings Mechanical, Inc.’s total MCERF contribution to $22,500. President Brian Helm said this contribution is a “…show of support for the the Foundation’s efforts to support industry education, especially those in career development and internships.”
Mark Rogers, MCERF’s President, thanked Brian for Mechanical, Inc.’s support.
For more information on MCERF, contact Dennis Langley (dlangley@mcaa.org).
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:
Anvil International Gruvlok® Hydronic Hook-Up Kits are Pre-engineered taking the guess work out of HVAC Connection Systems. Speedy Installation & Superior Efficiency resulting in a Labor Savings up to 80%! At Anvil we are Building Connections That Last.
Metraflex Company Metraflex energy-saving LPD-Y-Strainer dramatically reduces pressure drops. ROI within 1 year. Larger screen with more holes. Re-engineered to reduce turbulence.
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!
Contracted to design and install the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems for a massive renovation, Arden Building Companies faced a tight timeline, a tight space, and a tight budget—all of which made welding a poor choice for completing the mechanical room. Using Victaulic’s easy-to-install grooved connections, Arden joined, hung, and installed pipe quickly and efficiently once it was lowered into the mechanical room. Arden estimated that the speed of installation reduced overall costs by approximately $100,000.
Looking for More Solutions that Speed Installation and Maximize Savings?
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.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) internet reporting rules and overtime pay regulations are under review by the Department of Labor, but two other Obama Administration rules of interest to the industry remain in uncertain status—the non-discrimination and affirmative action requirements for registered apprenticeship programs and the paid sick leave (EO 13706) rules for direct federal prime contractors and subcontractors.
The registered apprenticeship program rules remain only partially in effect awaiting additional guidance from the Labor Department. The Obama paid sick leave requirement was set for implementation in federal contract solicitations issued on or after January 1, 2017. So far, MCAA contractors have not encountered the required EO 13706 contract clause required in project specifications – so it remains unclear what course the Administration will take with respect to the new paid sick leave requirements.
Metropolitan Mechanical Contractors (MMC) of Eden Prairie, MN, found that using Uponor’s AquaPEX® crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) piping for the risers and the unit piping in a new hotel saved crews about two to three days of installation per floor. On a 13-story project with 50 units per floor, that adds up to almost a month of installation time savings.
Bob Wolf, MMC’s project manager for the Radisson Blu hotel project, said, “We started out with a three-man crew, which took three days to complete each floor,” he says. “Installing copper would have been double that time.”
Miles of Piping Required
From south of the Twin Cities, you can see the Radisson Blu Hotel at the Mall of America on the horizon. This 570,000-square-foot, 13-story, 506-room structure sits on a two-acre site in Bloomington, MN. It is the first hotel to be connected to the Mall of America—the second largest mall in the world. The $137-million structure opened in March 2013.
The hotel sports more than 1.2 million pounds of structural steel, 24,000 cubic yards of concrete, and 23,000’ (nearly 4 1/2 miles) of Uponor PEX pipe for the plumbing system. The PEX pipe was selected for the in-suite potable-water plumbing and the floor-to-floor riser piping.
On learning that the project required having the product files in the Trimble Building-Data database, Uponor’s Design Services Manager Mike Rivers and .NET Developer Chris Bertsch responded rapidly, getting the product information into the database within two weeks.
Saving Time at Every Step
When the product landed at MMC’s shop, workers learned how to make 2″ ProPEX® expansion connections to prefabricate the risers. The unique shape memory of Uponor’s PEX allows the pipe to be expanded before inserting a higher-flow fitting. As the PEX shrinks back down around the fitting, it creates a solid, strong connection without the need for torches, solder, or open flame.
“With the experience we’ve had with the [Uponor] PEX pipe saving us a couple days of install time per floor, I know we’re going to be using it more and more in commercial plumbing applications in the future. It just makes sense.”
—Bob Wolf, Project Manager, MMC
Wolf was on the project from the beginning and found the plumbing installation with PEX to be very efficient. “I started installing PEX in small retail applications several years ago, and I really like how the flexible tubing makes it faster to install because we don’t need as many fittings,” said Wolf. “The Radisson Blu project has been my first experience using large-dimension PEX in riser applications, and I really like the additional labor savings it provides.”
Mark Montgomery, MMC foreman, said the PEX pipe’s flexibility is one of his favorite features of the product. “I’ve been working with PEX pipe in residential structures for about five years now, but this has been my first experience using it in a commercial application,” he said. “I like the 2” PEX for the risers. It works really well. And the flexibility of the pipe for in-suite distribution makes it faster and easier to fish through the walls.”
MMC prefabricated the risers and installed them during the cast iron installation. Then, the crew hooked up the unit piping for all 50 units on each of the 11 occupied floors (third through 13th floors).
Chris Dent, MMC assistant project manager, examines the ProPEX expansion fitting connections in the Radisson Blu hotel. Dent and his coworkers found that Uponor’s PEX piping shrink-to-fit fittings, the piping’s flexibility, and multiport tees made installation faster and easier.
“When you’re talking about 50 units on one floor, you can whip through it pretty fast with PEX and the multiport tees,” said Chris Dent, MMC assistant project manager. “The multiport tees also help save time by reducing the number of fittings required.”
Multiport tees are made of engineered polymer, a highly durable material that is resistant to corrosion and can withstand high temperatures and pressures. The multiport tees offer an ideal parallel piping fitting solution for hospitality and multifamily applications, and they require about 60-percent fewer connections compared with a piping system using traditional elbows and tees.
The fewer connections offered by the multiport tees not only save significant installation time, but they also reduce potential leak point liability. For a 506-room hotel, the fewer potential leak points, the better.
“With the experience we’ve had with the PEX pipe saving us a couple days of install time per floor, I know we’re going to be using it more and more in commercial plumbing applications in the future,” said Wolf. “It just makes sense.”
JH Kelly recognizes how much time and money it stands to lose when tools are lost or stolen. To avoid delays on the job or, worse, the cost of replacing expensive equipment, they adopted Milwaukee Tool’s One-Key™ system, the first digital platform for tools and equipment. Now, with the addition of Milwaukee Tool’s TICK™ equipment tracker, they can manage inventory, recover tools quickly—and even locate lost items.
With One-Key, JH Kelly can track tools in real-time and customize compatible products. Through the One-Key inventory management functionality, a contractor creates a central place to manage all of their tools and equipment across their network of jobs and operators by using a free web and mobile app. By putting the information where it can be easily accessed, JH Kelly keeps a pulse on the location of tools and equipment at all times.
The TICK—a professional-grade Bluetooth™-enabled tracking device, takes One-Key’s tracking technology to the next level. Designed to withstand the harshest jobsite environments, the TICK is just over 2” in diameter and can be easily attached and hidden from sight on any product, so JH Kelly can track anything in their inventory. A more cost-effective solution than RFID tracking, the TICK pairs with the One-Key app, providing tool records and locations whenever any device with the app comes within 100 feet of the Bluetooth range of the piece of equipment to which the TICK is attached.
JH Kelly employs close to 800 employees across a variety of trades, from carpenters to electricians. Jack Vanderford, electronic tool technician, is responsible for managing the company’s vast array of tools—quite an undertaking given the sheer footprint of the company, which operates throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Vanderford noted that one of the biggest contributors to tool loss within the company is the fact that employees move around a lot—from state to state—and often tools are never checked back in after use. With the assistance of TICK and One-Key-enabled tools, Vanderford can now actively keep an eye on where everything is or was last seen.
“Before One-Key, if someone took a tool without proper documentation to a jobsite, we were at a loss as to where it was,” said Vanderford. “With tracking capability inside One-Key power tools, and now with the TICK tracker, we have been able to manage inventory and recover tools and equipment easily.”
Milwaukee Tool’s TICK tracker technology is “priceless for the insight it’ll lend our entire company. If I could put one on everything one day, I would.”
—Jack Vanderford, Electronic Tool Technician, JH Kelly
Most often Vanderford will find these tools were taken to the next jobsite without being checked back in. Thanks to Milwaukee Tool’s technology, however, he could also find tools that were taken somewhere they should not have been—like a user’s garage.
“This extra layer of communication is vital. Currently, we have a system to check tools and equipment in and out of the shop, but it’s up to employees to update us on where tools are,” said Vanderford. “Now, if I’m uncertain about the location of equipment or an employee hasn’t checked in with me, I can do some quick research on my phone through the One-Key app to have visibility into what’s going on.”
Vanderford plans to bring more than 800 more TICK tool and equipment trackers into his company, but he said that is just a drop in the bucket for a company of JH Kelly’s size.
“That amount [of TICK trackers] is only going to cover a certain percentage of our overall inventory—forklifts, cranes, scissor lifts, chain falls—but in the end it’ll be priceless for the insight it’ll lend our entire company,” said Vanderford. “If I could put one on everything one day, I would.”
However, JH Kelly’s experience has shown the value of the trackers and the app even when they are not incorporated into every tool. The company reports that in one situation, they recovered stolen tools with the tracking app. They were able to reclaim seven cordless tools and 14 batteries, even though only one item was a One-Key-enabled tool.
Egan Company installed the MobileTech solution from KEY2ACT, slashing billing time and eliminating time-consuming paperwork. Jeff Hawthorne, Egan’s senior vice president, estimated that Egan will see its return on investment (ROI) within 18 months of implementing MobileTech, which connects field staff to the back office, providing instant access to information and enabling both sides to easily manage service calls and appointments.
Taming the Paper Demon
Egan belongs to a peer group of similarly sized companies located throughout the country whose members share best practices and help each other identify potential areas of improvement. An evaluation by that group a few years ago provided valuable insight. “The feedback we got back was ‘paper, paper, paper,’” said Hawthorne. “There’s just a lot of paper. We needed to help streamline our processes here and ultimately provide a better customer experience along with a better experience for our field staff. That’s what led us to start to look at mobile solutions.”
In addition to Egan’s problems with having too much paper, the company often had a disconnect with getting information back and forth to the service technicians, details like whom the tech needed to contact at the site and any extra equipment needed. The only way staffers could communicate with technicians in the past was to actually call techs and provide all the information necessary, which takes up time in a busy dispatch center.
When Egan decided to look into mobile solutions, company leaders knew that whatever they chose had to be able to fully integrate with their accounting system. “Our requirements were that we wanted a complete solution that’s going to tie right back in to our home office for all of our payroll services, all of our labor costing, all of our material. A place where all of our expenses can be captured,” Hawthorne said.
MobileTech “has streamlined things so much, it’s just incredible. It’s made all the difference in the world.”
—Tim Miller, Technical Support, Egan Company
MobileTech Fits the Bill
MobileTech enables a free flow of information from the office to field staff and, ultimately, to customers. Technicians can see a full description of work to be completed; access customer information, including service and equipment history; record and update details about a job; and enter and track expenses. Because technicians can enter their own time directly into payroll, dispatchers no longer have to do so for them back at the office. This feature alone is saving Egan at least two hours per day for each of the company’s four dispatchers.
“We have been on the product for less than a year. We are looking at eight hours a day, 40 hours a week that we’re saving on payroll entry,” Hawthorne said. “It will definitely have an ROI of less than a year-and-a-half.”
Not only is MobileTech saving time for the dispatchers, it has also helped Egan cut days off their average days-to-bill. The time savings provided by MobileTech extend to the field as well. Egan’s techs have found that completing all the steps necessary to close out a work order is now much faster.
“It takes 50 percent less time to fill out a report using MobileTech.”
—Dave Benkowski, Service Technician, Egan Company
“It takes 50 percent less time to fill out a report using MobileTech,” said Dave Benkowski, an Egan service technician. “Out in the field, it’s definitely quicker than manually writing or getting out the laptop and typing it up that way.”
Responding to Customer Needs
Service technicians can also create their own jobs on their devices while in the field. “If they’re on a planned maintenance service call, and there is an item that the customer needs to have repaired, they can automatically create their own service call,” Hawthorne said. “They don’t need to call back into the office to request another job number.”
Using MobileTech, technicians can also capture images of work done and attach those pictures both to the call summary report, which is e-mailed to the customer, and to the customer’s account within Egan’s KEY2ACT system. In addition, they can turn around proposals in record time.
“If there is a customer that has a request for a quote or needs an additional proposal, we can get that information to our inside account management staff to have a proposal turned around and back to the customer sometimes that same day,” Hawthorne said.
And the “too much paper” issue that first led Egan to MobileTech? “We don’t touch nearly as much paper as we used to,” said Tim Miller, Egan Company technical support.
“It has streamlined things so much, it’s just incredible,” Miller said. “It’s made all the difference in the world.”
With its light weight and easy installation, Josam Company’s Pro-Plus trench drain system not only minimized hassle for Miinc Mechanical Contractors of Dallas, TX, but it also saved them labor and installation time. Instead of using three or four workers to install the trench drain, Miinc needed only one or two workers laying the Pro-Plus system during a recent project for Southwest Airlines.
Avoiding the Hassle Factor
Most contractors do not enjoy working with trench drain. “Finding a trench drain system that, first, is not broken into pieces when you receive it; second, doesn’t require an advanced degree to determine the proper way to install it; and can also withstand extreme weather conditions and temperature changes is not an easy task,” said Alan Milby, director of preconstruction at Miinc. “In such a competitive environment, we need to avoid as many delays and potential issues in the field as possible that can cause increased labor costs on a job. Installation of trench drain is no different,” he added.
Miinc was awarded the Simulator Office at Southwest Airlines Headquarters Building adjacent to Love Field in Dallas. The company spearheaded the five-story expansion, which included office space, a flight training building, and central plant expansion. The scope of work included three trench drain runs that were 8” wide with a C class load rating. In search of a trench drain system that would prove to be different than previous experiences, Milby turned to Miinc’s long-time cast iron drainage supplier Josam Company for a solution. Josam Company was up for the task of proving to Milby that working with a trench drain system does not need to be a dreaded task.
Surviving Texas Heat
The Josam Company Pro-Plus trench drain system is the only system made of glass-reinforced polyester pressed from sheet molded compound, or SMC/GRP. The product is 1.5 times stronger than polymer concrete, yet it is 70 percent lighter, a big plus in handling and labor. Similar systems made of polypropylene experience 4.4 times more thermal expansion than SMC/GRP, and trench drain systems made out of high density polyethylene (HDPE) experience 10 times more. In the heat of Texas, thermal expansion is a big deal. Milby noted, “When we put the Josam Pro-Plus in, it stayed nice and straight on the install. We didn’t have to do anything special with bracing or blocking to keep it that way like we would have with other manufacturers’ products that we used. It went in really nice.”
To meet the specifications, Josam Company shipped their 8” nominal-width trench drain with a class-C ductile iron grating and the innovative Starfix grating system. “While the Starfix design results in a much nicer-looking finished installation, we were even more pleased with the simplicity of simply securing the grates by pushing down on them with your hand and locking them into place as opposed to the timely process of securing the grates with a traditional locking bar system,” said Milby. “It is little features like this that can help keep our labor costs down and be a benefit to our client down the road from a safety and ease-of-cleaning standpoint.”
“The reduced weight of this product allows me to use one to two men for laying out and installing the run, as opposed to three or four men for the heavier products we’ve used.”
—Alan Milby, Director of Preconstruction, Miinc Mechanical Contractors
Easy Installation
Milby further noted, “The channels were received at the jobsite with no breakage, and all channels were easily marked with a numbering system for easy installation. I have a few larger projects coming up where I fully intend to take advantage of Josam’s no-charge service to provide an installation layout drawing which tells you exactly where each channel is to be placed for longer and more complex runs. The reduced weight of this product allows me to use one to two men for laying out and installing the run, as opposed to three or four men for the heavier products we’ve used. Again, this cuts down on my manhours and ultimately reduces labor costs.
“Lastly, when I received my quotation from Josam Company, I questioned why they quoted product to meet a class-C load rating without quoting a rail to support the load,” Milby stated. “Josam advised us that, unlike other manufacturers, they are able to achieve up to and including a class-E load rating without needing to add an additional rail system like other manufacturers we have used. This not only is a material cost savings, but once again a labor-savings feature.”
Although Miinc has a longstanding relationship with Josam Company, they often never thought of Josam when it came to trench drain. “Working with the Josam Pro-Plus system was an enjoyable and profitable experience for us, and we fully intend to use it whenever we encounter a trench drain installation” said Milby. “We are always searching for quality products that we can provide to our clients. The Josam Pro-Plus system not only is a quality product but one that offers a variety of labor savings features that enables us to remain profitable in our competitive environment.”
Implementing a fully automated, integrated software solution from Jonas Construction Software helped Flo-Tron Contracting streamline their business, enhance efficiencies, and reduce payroll processing time by 50 percent. “The software we were using prior to Jonas was very limited, and we found ourselves having to regularly pay for external services and consultants to handle many of our business processes. With the fully-integrated nature of Jonas, we could handle all facets of our business in-house, which truly helped us meet all of our needs in a single software solution,” said Kari Cordell, controller at Flo-Tron.
With Jonas eTimesheets, Flo-Tron experienced an immediate impact. As Cordell explained, “With eTimesheets, I no longer have to manually type in hours for our office staff and technicians. Instead, everyone logs their own hours, and all I have to do is upload and review, which has truly changed the way I do my job for the better.”
The office staff is much more productive as well, so employees can focus on more meaningful tasks and even redistribute the workload more efficiently. Flo-Tron has reduced the time it takes to complete union remittances, which used to take half a day. Now, they can be done instantly with the simple push of a button.
Seamless Transition
Having trainers who walked through the process many times ensured that Flo-Tron migrated to the new system proficiently, minimizing staff training time. Jonas Construction Software trainers understand construction, accounting, and technology, which made the transition the best experience possible, from Flo-Tron’s perspective. Jonas trainers were also flexible about meeting Flo-Tron’s needs, and staff members were able to learn the software at their own pace.
Pruning Paperwork
Since partnering with Jonas Construction Software, Flo-Tron has significantly reduced their manual processes as well as the amount of physical paperwork in the office thanks to Digio, Jonas’ document management system. “With Digio, we are not only able to scan and upload documents, but we are also able to quickly locate and open any document as well. The drill-down functionality, however, is what impressed us the most, as we can go into the details of any given project and instantly view the purchase orders and committed costs in actual dollars, which has been great for us and our project managers,” said Cordell.
“We found ourselves having to regularly pay for external services and consultants to handle many of our business processes. With the fully-integrated nature of Jonas, we could handle all facets of our business in-house.”
—Kari Cordell, Controller, Flo-Tron Contracting
Streamlined for Success
The continued support Flo-Tron receives has also been a huge benefit to their business. With a full internal support team at Jonas, Flo-Tron gets the help they need on an ongoing basis, which keeps their business running as efficiently as possible with no downtime. Being primarily a service-based construction business, the dispatch scheduler in Jonas has helped Flo-Tron manage their technicians better and has made the lives of their dispatchers much easier. Flo-Tron is now able to schedule the nearest technician to the closest service job by leveraging GPS. They can dispatch more quickly with all information stored in a single system, and they have been able to reduce error-prone double entries as well.
The decision to partner with Jonas Construction Software has already proven to be a great fit for Flo-Tron Contracting and has helped them transform their business. Flo-Tron has been able to streamline their business in all aspects. By eliminating time-consuming manual processes and reducing physical paperwork, Flo-Tron’s back office is able to operate in a more efficient and organized manner. With Jonas Construction Software, Flo-Tron is confident they have the right software solution to help their business continue to grow and improve going forward.
Only EVAPCO, Inc. had cooling towers with a small-enough footprint, yet large-enough capacity, to meet WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital’s need for upgraded towers that would lend themselves to future expansion. Manchester, PA-based James Craft & Son Inc. worked closely with EVAPCO to find the perfect solution to a challenging installation.
No Room for Error
Civil War-era physicians and nurses could only have dreamed of the contemporary health care facility that now stands within sight of the Gettysburg National Military Park. WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital was first constructed in 1921 and has since undergone several facility improvements and enhancements to patient care. Today, it is a nationally recognized acute care community hospital.
According to Joe Lehigh, a 27-year member of the facility’s engineering team, the hospital needed “to modernize mechanical systems that would assure reliability of critical patient care functions. High on the list was cooling equipment that had close ties to operation of our clinical and catheterization labs, sterilizing, the critical care department, operating rooms, and maternity ward functions—all with no room for errors that could lead to downtime.”
Maintaining reliability of the hospital’s indoor environments—and the ability to shed heat from cleaning and sterilization—took precedence over energy efficiency. But, said Lehigh, “We needed unerring dependability of critical patient care. We expected the rest to follow suit.”
Cooling Towers Top the List
“Replacement of the towers was a five-year effort,” explained Lehigh. “Early on, we identified a need and began preparations. At first, we considered a retrofit to the existing, 30-year-old cooling towers. Another approach would be to replace some of the evaporative coolers. But after careful evaluation, in an effort that actually took several years and through many budget cycles, it was clear to us that we needed to replace the old evaporative coolers.”
Lehigh said that the team of managers and outside experts tasked with finding a solution to the hospital’s needs all focused on the importance of improving cooling tower operations. Then, related mechanical equipment challenges would need attention as well.
“It felt at times like trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle, not knowing if we had all the pieces,” added Lehigh. “The old cooling towers, with 900 tons of cooling capacity, were reparable—at least some of them were—but at considerable cost. Plus, there was the need for ongoing maintenance. New cooling towers offered many advantages, yet the higher price tag became the obstacle.”
Through the years of studying all aspects of the project’s “pieces,” the completed puzzle began to take shape when the hospital considered the many long-term advantages of improved energy efficiency, greatly reduced maintenance, improved operational performance, the ability to have redundancy, and capacity for hospital expansion.
Finding the Right Fit
The existing cooling towers were contained by brick walls on all sides, defining the footprint. WellSpan Health Engineering managers formulated a plan to replace the failing equipment in the same footprint and provide additional capacity for N+1 redundancy. Only one manufacturer, EVAPCO, had products that would meet the need for 1,200 tons of evaporative cooling equipment and also fit within the limits of the space. The existing cooling towers were connected to three, 300-ton York/Johnson Controls centrifugal chillers. The new coolers would have to have additional capacity for a new, 300-ton chiller needed for the hospital’s anticipated expansion.
“At EVAPCO, we were introduced to a team of folks who took our challenges seriously, and helped us find just the solution we were looking for. . . . No other manufacturer could do this for us.”
—Allan Jordan, Jobsite Supervisor, Craft & Son
Valuable Visit
Craft & Son brought a healthy attitude to the project. “Sure, there were challenges, but what job doesn’t throw a surprise occasionally?” said Allan Jordan, jobsite supervisor with Craft & Son. Furthermore, Jordan said, “We’ve worked with [EVAPCO] systems a lot in the past, and their ability to offer a custom solution to meet the hospital’s needs went a long way.”
A visit to EVAPCO’s plant in Maryland provided Craft & Son new insights and a source of solutions. “At EVAPCO, we were introduced to a team of folks who took our challenges seriously, and helped us find just the solution we were looking for.” said Jordan. “EVAPCO was able to offer a modular approach that permitted greater cooling capacity within the given footprint.
“The day we spent there was so valuable,” Jordan continued. “After seeing the complexity of the challenge, to find the answers so close to home, and with all of the professionals on our team nodding in appreciation . . . that was the moment when we knew we’d be able to accomplish the task we’d set out to do.
“No other manufacturer could do this for us,” Jordan noted.
Evaporative Solution
Specified for the hospital were two EVAPCO AT series, induced-draft, counterflow cooling towers, rated for 2,063 maximum gallons per minute (gpm), each with two modular, 300-ton (six-million BTU) cells, for a total of 1,200 tons or 14.4 million BTUs of evaporative cooling capacity. A key advantage is that these coolers have the smallest footprint in the industry for their size.
Each AT cooling tower provides external access to fully enclosed motors and belts. Attached to the motors is the company’s heavy-duty Power-Band drive system with aluminum alloy sheaves and pillow block bearings that provide a minimum guaranteed life of 75,000 hours, as well as and an aluminum alloy, statically-balanced, variable-frequency-drive-controlled, 25-horsepower fan.
The Gettysburg cooling towers also have galvanized steel access ladders and platforms, ideal for service and maintenance work. They provide easy access to fan motors and water distribution components.
“With EVAPCO, the ease of service and maintenance is a big improvement over our previous system. Before, we had to crawl into our old units to maintain them. Now, everything’s available from the exterior,” said Lehigh.
Craft & Son had done so much prefabrication that they needed only one welded joint on the day they installed new EVAPCO cooling towers for the WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital, saving time onsite. EVAPCO towers were the only products with a small-enough footprint for the defined space yet large-enough capacity to meet the hospital’s current needs and anticipated expansion.
Prefabbed and Prepped
Despite unexpected warm weather on installation day in September of 2016, Craft & Son was prepared. “Allan [Jordan] informed me that, because of all the prefab work they did at the shop, they needed only one welded joint on installation day,” said Lehigh. “His technicians had already prepared and installed as much of the 14” condensing system supply-and-return piping, onsite, as they could, with every other component considered for prefab,” he continued. “They also installed most of the necessary piping for expansion of the hospital—ready for when that day arrives.”
Redundancy Plus Efficiency
“In reality, there are four [new] cooling towers, not two,” said Jordan. “Each ‘module’ acts as its own system. They’re identical, separate, and singly functional. There are four fans, four sets of valves, and four level controllers.”
On a given day, the facility may need only 900 tons of cooling capacity, but a full cell is available for redundancy, as well as to ensure peak efficiency of the entire system by modulating the fan speeds. Electric controls connect all facets of the mechanical system, and they constantly assess the variables and make decisions to ensure dependability.
The control system also selects system function for maximum energy efficiency. For instance, conditions may call for operation of one cell (or modular evaporator section) at 100 percent. Instead, two cells are tapped at 50 percent each. In addition to energy savings, tower fan speeds can be lowered to reduce wear on motors, belts, and bearings.
EVAPCO’s independent water level control and isolation valves allow operators to easily lock out individual towers as needed and to generate an alarm to the building management system. Each module can be isolated easily, allowing other systems to ramp up to replace any part of the system that is shut down temporarily for routine maintenance. In a failure scenario, the control system can automatically shut that cell down, lock it out, and then notify technicians that service work is required.
Systems Come Together
In the bowels of the hospital are the chillers and water treatment equipment and the pump stations that circulate fluids to and from all of the connected equipment. Included are three 945-gpm Taco base-mounted cooling tower condenser pumps and three 756-gpm base-mounted pumps to govern constant flow of chilled water to and from the hospital’s 22 air handling units, from 10 to 120 tons in size.
“Important, sometimes life-saving work goes on every day in any of the floors above us,” noted Lehigh. “Yet, down here—and, now, out on the rooftop—are the new and improved systems that make it all possible. A lot of planning, and a lot of work, and the right systems all came together.
“Now we know that the facility’s ultimate mandate—no downtime—is as close to a full guarantee as we can make it,” he concluded.
In 2015, Atomatic Mechanical Services won the bid to install a large chiller plant in a renovated office building in Chicago’s West Loop and chose Wheatland Tube pipe for nearly every part of the project. Atomatic knew that reliable, high-quality, domestic pipe is easier to weld then imported pipe and much less likely to deteriorate or cause leaks—so it would save Atomatic time both onsite and after installation. As expected, the system has had no leaks, which helped allow the chiller plant to become operational two weeks ahead of schedule.
Counting on Quality
The loft-style high-rise building, now known as the Gogo Building, is home to high-profile tenants such as Gogo, Twitter, and Uber. Atomatic used a total of 1,600 tons of Wheatland Tube cooling pipe in sizes ranging from 1/2” to 16”. The crew set up a pipe fabrication station onsite for cutting, threading, and welding and made more than 200 screwed joints. With eight pipefitters working six days a week, plus overtime, they completed the project in just five months.
Atomatic’s focus on total quality has always been the key to its success and steady growth. While other HVAC providers try to cut costs by using imported pipe, Atomatic remains loyal to high-quality domestic pipe from Wheatland Tube. “We’re growing because we put quality first and always use the best pipe,” said Nick LaMonto, construction manager at Atomatic. “That’s how we’re different from our competition. And I think our customers respect that. We do it right the first time, so they don’t need to call us back to fix leaks. They call us back for more new projects.”
“So we might spend a little more on materials by buying Wheatland pipe, but we make up the difference in labor savings during installation. It’s more than worth it.”
—Nick LaMonto, Construction Manager, Atomatic
Perils of Inferior Pipe
Because Wheatland Tube’s pipe is made of high-quality steel and does not have hard and soft spots, Atomatic finds it easier to work with onsite and much less prone to leaks than imported pipe, so it saves the contractor money and time overall.
LaMonto has seen a lot of pipe since he entered the industry nearly 30 years ago. He has seen the welding process cause inferior pipe to split along the seam and develop leaks. He has seen imported pipe deteriorate over the span of a year when exposed to the elements. And he has seen a substantial difference in quality when using pipe from Wheatland Tube, especially when welding, threading, or cutting Wheatland’s SureThread™ continuous weld standard steel pipe.
“Import pipe acts funny sometimes when you weld and thread it, because the steel can be inconsistent,” LaMonto said. “But SureThread is made of quality steel, so it doesn’t have any hard and soft spots. It’s annealed during the manufacturing process, which makes it much easier to work with.”
LaMonto never gives quotes involving any other pipe, and he works with a supply house that keeps Wheatland Tube’s product well stocked. Occasionally, though, the supplier runs out, and Atomatic has to use imported pipe to meet a deadline. Such a situation happened recently, when Atomatic needed to install gas piping on a roof. Workers tried to use the imported pipe that the supplier provided but had such a hard time with the threading that they gave up and replaced all the pipe with product from Wheatland Tube when it was back in stock. Atomatic finished the job easily and knew the pipe would perform well for their customer.
By using Wheatland Tube pipes, “we do it right the first time, so they don’t need to call us back to fix leaks. They call us back for more new projects.”
—Nick LaMonto, Construction Manager, Atomatic
Higher Quality Means Lower Labor Costs
Because the team at Atomatic understands the quality difference between Wheatland pipe and imported pipe, they also understand the cost difference. Imported pipe is cheaper upfront but costs more in labor when workers have to recut inferior pipes, rethread or clean up uneven pipe ends, and fix leaks.
“We obviously want to be competitive and make a profit on every job, but we don’t want to use inferior product. Leaks are embarrassing and a pain to repair,” LaMonto said. “So we might spend a little more on materials by buying Wheatland pipe, but we make up the difference in labor savings during installation. It’s more than worth it.”
Contracted to design and install the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems for a massive renovation, Arden Building Companies faced a tight timeline, a tight space, and a tight budget—all of which made welding a poor choice for completing the mechanical room. Using Victaulic’s easy-to-install grooved connections, Arden joined, hung, and installed pipe quickly and efficiently once it was lowered into the mechanical room. Arden estimated that the speed of installation reduced overall costs by approximately $100,000.
Rhode Island’s Largest Construction Project
Built in 1912, the two-story, 58,000-square-foot South Street Landing Power Station in Providence, RI, provided electricity to jewelry, textile, and machinery manufacturing firms through the early 20th century. The historic power station, decommissioned in the 1990s, has since been transformed into an impressive seven-story, 265,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art nursing education and administrative office complex, which opened in April 2017. It is now home to the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center and Brown University.
Partnering with Victaulic enabled Arden to meet the tight timeline for the transformation of the Rhode Island’s South Street Landing Power Station—the state’s largest economic development project in 2016—and saved Arden an estimated $100,000 in overall costs.
Arden joined the project in 2016 and recognized that the sheer size and scale of the expansion efforts magnified the complexity of the project. In fact, South Street Landing was Rhode Island’s largest economic development project in 2016, as determined by the manpower needed, the amount of money invested, and the amount of materials used.
John Puniello, vice president of Arden, recalled the difficulties his team came across—specifically with the top-floor mechanical room. “Not only did Arden have just six weeks to complete the large mechanical room, but the space was tight, making maneuverability and installation difficult, and, since the mechanical room was saved for last, it required each section of pipe be installed in a specific order,” he said.
Timeline, Budget Call for Efficient Solutions
After closely analyzing the timeline, the budget, and the scope of work ahead of them, the Arden team quickly realized that welding the condenser and chilled-water piping would take too long and had the potential to drive the project over budget. So, they called Victaulic. Having used Victaulic on previous projects, Arden saw firsthand how Victaulic’s innovative piping technologies reduced installation times and increased efficiencies without sacrificing safety or reliability.
According to Puniello, the Arden/Victaulic partnership led to an “erector set” approach. Arden designed and prefabricated 90 percent of the piping systems at its facility, relying on Victaulic’s grooved connections for installation onsite.
The entire mechanical room was delivered to the jobsite, and the installation went directly from the truck to the hanger. Arden designed and prefabricated nearly all of the systems in-house, using their 33,000-square-foot facility, located just seven miles from downtown Providence. Once onsite, they used a crane to lift each piece of equipment into the mechanical room through a large hole in the roof.
Overall, it took less than two months to put the entire mechanical room together once the pieces were prepped and delivered onsite—an unachievable feat with a welded solution.
“Given the nature of the project, I knew the condenser and chilled piping job was well-suited for the Victaulic portfolio,” said Don Forsythe, Arden’s senior foreman. “Their solutions provide ease of installation and time savings, which was just what we needed to complete the job.”
“Their grooved solutions, couplings, and valves enabled us to work quickly and efficiently, exceeding our expectations and saving us money.”
—Don Forsythe, Senior Foreman, Arden
Victaulic QuickVic™ Style 107N rigid couplings and QuickVic™ Style 177N flexible couplings were used to make the 2 1/2” to 12” connections on the condenser and chilled water lines, along with Series 732 Wye-Type Vic-Strainers®, Series 761 Vic-300 MasterSeal™ butterfly valves, the corresponding fittings, and IMI Hydronic Engineering TA balancing valves. Victaulic was used exclusively on the building’s fire protection system. An added benefit to Victaulic’s grooved solution is its ability to accommodate building settlement, seismic movement, and thermally induced expansion or contraction of the piping.
“Victaulic’s products were a huge complement to our own prefabrication capabilities,” explained Puniello. “With a project of this size and on such a compressed schedule, our partnership provided us the needed resources and solutions to get the job done on time.”
In addition to reducing installation time, Victaulic’s solutions played a large factor in the overall savings of the project. Forsythe said using Victaulic grooved products reduced overall costs by approximately $100,000.
“Their grooved solutions, couplings, and valves enabled us to work quickly and efficiently, exceeding our expectations and saving us money,” said Forsythe. “The condenser and chilled water systems have been tested and are running nicely.”
Just one year after investing in the BuildingAdvice Energy Services Delivery platform, T.H. Eifert Mechanical Contractors has generated in excess of $400,000 in new preventive maintenance (PM) contracts and pull-through sales, providing a sizable, early return on investment. The energy assessment and tracking tools from BuildingAdvice help T.H. Eifert make a solid case for installing and maintaining energy-efficient products.
Measurement Is Key
“Measurement is the key to overcoming inherent customer skepticism. Our clients are tired of hearing providers constantly making unsubstantiated claims regarding energy savings,” said Jeremy Harrison, T.H. Eifert general manager. “We now use measurement throughout our sales and fulfillment process to build credibility, even measuring savings after completing projects or PM work. Our customers are far more engaged, and it’s showing in the pull-through work we are getting.”
With BuildingAdvice technology, T.H. Eifert can generate reports efficiently using client data. “Prospects really appreciate the way the information is presented. It’s clear, concise, and understandable,” said Justin Jensen, T.H. Eifert energy manager.
According to Justin Jensen, energy manager at T.H. Eifert, his team uses the Energy Savings Potential (ESP) report to discuss energy consumption with prospects and to close new PM sales that include energy savings as a measurable goal. “Prospects really appreciate the way the information is presented. It’s clear, concise, and understandable,” said Jensen.
T.H. Eifert uses the Energy Savings Assessment (ESA) to graphically demonstrate sources of waste and discomfort with existing PM clients. By placing wireless sensors throughout the facility, T.H. Eifert can record the building’s actual performance when occupied and unoccupied. Typically, buildings have issues with occupants overriding controls, cleaning crews leaving lights on, and, due to over-engineering, too much fresh air being introduced on a 24/7 basis.
Clear Data Make the Case
Thanks to BuildingAdvice, T.H. Eifert can demonstrate the impact of its efforts, even tailoring data to reflect recent weather patterns. T.H. Eifert General Manager Jeremy Harrison said, “Our customers are far more engaged, and it’s showing in the pull-through work we are getting.”
Jensen gave an example of the ESA’s effectiveness. “We had been working with a tier-1 automotive client for a year-and-a-half to justify a comprehensive PM program, but couldn’t get it over the finish line. We explained a lot of the issues and did some studies. But no decision. Once he saw the ESA report, our client said he now had what he needed to go upstairs and convince his boss. That resulted in a $76,000 PM and $50,000 in pull-through work.”
Now, T.H. Eifert is using SavingsTracker to track energy savings results at the facility. “Being able to document the impact of our upgrades on their energy consumption is huge,” Jensen explained. “BuildingAdvice actually captures and inputs the utility bills for each month. The utility data automatically populates a web-accessible dashboard that the client can also access. Reports can be generated periodically so we can sit down with our clients and analyze our results.”
Jensen also appreciates how SavingsTracker customizes the data. “One nice thing is the data can be normalized for weather and a number of variables, so we are getting a real apples-to-apples comparison to the baseline BuildingAdvice created for us,” said Jensen. “In this case the client added over 40,000 square feet, and the model took this into account. Having started with the ESP, using the ESA to identify actual waste, and now using SavingsTracker to continuously monitor our progress, we are definitely walking the talk. Our clients’ reactions are really building our confidence.”
In another case, T.H. Eifert assessed a LEED-certified medical facility that was also Energy Star-certified in 2010 with a score over 75. By the time the T.H. Eifert team was invited in by the client, the building’s score had dropped to a 4. The ESP and ESA reports documented that the building was operating quite inefficiently. The ESA showed that the incumbent contractor converted the entire building to a 24/7 schedule to accommodate the operating theater’s schedule.
“We now use measurement throughout our sales and fulfillment process to build credibility …and it’s showing in the pull-through work we are getting.”
—Jeremy Harrison, General Manager, T.H. Eifert
Using the customer’s own data, the T.H. Eifert team educated the client about how their HVAC and lighting systems were losing so much money in energy and utility bills. “They had no idea that the systems our industry installs, maintains, and controls could be such a significant source of waste,” said Jensen. “Rather than inundating them with engineering surveys and calculations, we were able to use simple, understandable graphs to educate them. Once they got it, we had no problem engaging them in implementing our program.”
Jensen continued, “BuildingAdvice enabled us to isolate the largest sources of waste, document these sources in graph form to the client, and provide a clear path to correcting the issues. This generated a new PM worth $46,000 and another $160,000 in projects closed. Because we measure, we win these types of projects.”
Tools for a Changing Business
T.H. Eifert gathers data from wireless sensors placed throughout the facility that record the building’s actual performance during occupied and unoccupied times. The Energy Savings Assessment tool from Building Advice gives a graphic display of energy waste—for example, showing temperature dips and spikes when the building is unoccupied.
While new tools and processes can slow down a sales process, Harrison noted, “BuildingAdvice is actually shortening and streamlining our sales process. Their clear process for approaching building owners and operators positions us as partners that can help measurably lower operating costs. They aligned well with our existing sales process and gave us the tools we needed to overcome the objections and questions that traditionally derailed us. They automated so many steps that we can now efficiently generate reports using client data making the information tangible and believable. This has been the breakthrough.”
Asked about the timing of incorporating energy services into their business, both Harrison and Jensen indicated that the threat from some of the global and national players made it a necessity. Harrison said, “Our customers are getting more savvy; they expect us to be able to partner with them to lower their costs. They know the systems we install, maintain, and repair can be the biggest consumers and wasters of energy. So, we knew we’d either have to step it up and compete with the big boys or watch them take our customers.
“It’s sort of becoming an arms race. With BuildingAdvice we now have the tools to compete with the larger service companies that have all the corporate resources,” Harrison observed.
In addition to BuildingAdvice, T.H. Eifert has invested in technology to continuously monitor their clients’ facilities through real-time information from the control system. Continuous monitoring helps to not only drive new savings opportunities, but also ensures that savings that have been generated in the past continue to grow and don’t regress.
