John W. Danforth Company wanted a lean jobsite for its new hospital project, so it worked closely with Zurn on packaging materials and delivery schedules long before any materials were needed, saving time and money in the process. The new Wynn Hospital of Utica, NY, part of the Mohawk Valley Hospital System, opened in October 2023 on time and on budget.
Wynn Hospital is located on 25 acres, and the 702,000-square-foot, 10-floor facility offers 373 beds, plus a helipad for easy air transport to and from the emergency department. It is expected to support 90,000 visitors per year. New York State Department of Health Commissioner James V. McDonald, M.D., said, “The opening of this new hospital not only brings expanded medical services, enhanced patient engagement, and greater access to high-quality health care, it’s also part of a community renaissance that will continue to improve the health and well-being of all Mohawk Valley residents.”
Read more about New York’s investment in the new Wynn Hospital here.
From the outset, Danforth set their sights on managing the packaging of materials and cadence of delivery so products were delivered as needed, pallet size requirements were met, products could be easily identified, and a lean jobsite was maintained. The Zurn team immediately established a partnership with Danforth and invited them to tour the Zurn Cary Innovation Center in Cary, NC. Representatives from Danforth evaluated high-volume pack outs, met Zurn team members, and reviewed the schedule months before any material was needed.
Zurn Product Manager Bob Carter noted, “Continual direct communication between Danforth and Zurn via phone, email, and text ensured expectations were met.” Weekly, biweekly, or monthly calls were held internally (depending on the speed of the project at the time) between customer care, operations, sales reps, and product management to coordinate material movement. The Zurn contractor team also held calls with the contractor, area manager, and product manager to get pertinent project information straight from the contractor. “It’s very evident that Zurn was willing to help us out whenever we needed it,” said Casey Hopkins, project manager at Danforth.
Zurn staged pallets at a local representative’s warehouse, ensuring pack outs were ready 
for shipment at a moment’s notice and within a day’s transit time. This approach meant that less material sat at the jobsite, lowering the risk of costly product misplacement or damage. Zurn’s efficient and accurate deliveries contributed to the on-time and on-budget opening of the state-of-the-art health care facility.
The project employed more than 1,500 Zurn plumbing fixtures, including dual flush manual valves for water closets, sensor hard-wired flush valves for urinals, bed pan washer flush valves for patient rooms, stainless steel sinks, sensor faucets, manual faucets, and Zurn drains.
Zurn One Systems took the guesswork out of mixing and matching different manufactured plumbing parts. As Hopkins explained, “Zurn does this awesome thing called a Zurn One Package. Everything you need to install a fixture in one box, ready to go.”
Zurn One delivered everything Danforth selected in a completely organized package—including labeled products, accessories, and clear assembly instructions. Danforth was able to preassemble products at their offsite facility and deliver them to the Wynn Hospital jobsite ready to install, saving both time and money.
Zurn describes best practices for ensuring safe, clean water in health care projects in a series of white papers here.
Danforth chose Zurn because they were confident Zurn would make their job easier. By managing the organization and delivery of product to the jobsite, clearly labeling deliveries, maintaining continual communication, and customizing pallets to Danforth’s specifications, Danforth’s confidence in Zurn proved to be well placed. “Working with Zurn will save you money. Simple as that,” said Hopkins.
For more information, visit www.zurn.com.
