Smart Solutions – Summer 2025 Issue

Transforming Coordination Through Automation featuring MSUITE

Speed and accuracy are critical in the design phase of construction, and building information modeling (BIM) has improved teamwork and visibility throughout projects. However, support system layout remains a challenge. Despite significant advances in BIM workflows, contractors lose time and productivity because of inefficient manual processes in placing and coordinating hangers and supports. Software solutions like MSUITE Hangers can accelerate BIM modeling efficiency and transform MEP coordination through automation.

MSUITE

Matching Material to Application for Better Results: Advice from NIBCO INC.

In commercial plumbing and mechanical systems, material selection is far more than a matter of preference or budget—it directly impacts system performance, longevity, and reliability. Standards offer a framework, but truly effective practice requires that you match the materials to the specific demands of the application.

NIBCO INC.

Saving Time & Increasing Safety with MILWAUKEE TOOL & 1901 Inc.

After using MILWAUKEE TOOL’s cordless M18 FUEL™RINGER™ Roll Groover from start to finish on a recent project, 1901 Inc. of Madison, WI, estimated saving 40–50 hours of labor, thanks to faster setup time and easier mobility compared with traditional electric grooving machines. Jeremy Baillies, a steamfitter foreman at 1901 Inc., said, “It’s way more efficient, much faster, much safer; it saves all kinds of time.”

MILWAUKEE TOOL

Exceeding Stringent Standards with SLOAN & Murray Company

To meet green building standards for a new basketball stadium, Murray Company Mechanical Contractors counted on SLOAN’s sustainable products but also ensured close collaboration and coordination among all the “players” in the building process to secure the win. Murray Company made sure it could accommodate others working simultaneously; meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), state, and LEED requirements; and ensure that the plumbing worked under peak demand.

SLOAN

Jobsite Safety Spotlight with MCAA’s Safety & Health Committee & BuildOps

Falls. Tools. Mental health. The jobsite dangers haven’t changed much, but some contractors are changing how they respond—and who they involve in the process. MCAA Safety and Health Committee members Ricky Reams (Murphy Company) and Rebecca Medaris (Pan-Pacific Mechanical), joined BuildOps to discuss the challenges contractors are facing today and what’s working in the field—from simplifying fall protection to reshaping the tools that get people hurt.

BuildOps

Delivering Lasting Value with Daikin Applied and Bartingale Mechanical

Speed and efficiency were top priorities for Bartingale Mechanical in renovating a Wisconsin jail, and the company successfully installed a customized Daikin Applied chiller in just one week, with inmates remaining in place throughout the project. Daikin’s ability to deliver the unit on time, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, helped the team avoid delays with using the specialized crane and contributed to a smooth and successful startup.

Daikin Group

Fueling Efficiency Through Automation with SIEMENS & Marble Distilling Co.

Because SIEMENS automation equipment and software worked well to optimize room temperatures efficiently in their boutique inn, Marble Distilling Co. owners were open to a novel use of the technology to improve the distilling process—and they were rewarded with a 75-percent increase in efficiency as a result. The Carbondale, CO, destination is home to a craft distillery, tasting room, private club, and inn—all designed to make every guest feel as though they are a part of Marble’s mission to become the most sustainable, zero-waste distilling operation in the world.

Siemens

Optimizing Operations & Fan Experience Simultaneously featuring Johnson Controls

When the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club™ committed to making improvements to its ballpark, now known as American Family Field™, the organization looked to its long-term partner Johnson Controls to help provide fans with an outstanding experience while ensuring the ballpark operates at peak performance and efficiency. As a result, the team increased attendance significantly.

Johnson Controls

2 New Management Methods Bulletins Now Available

MCAA recently released two new Management Methods Bulletins designed to support its members with free, in‑depth guidance on critical aspects of mechanical contracting.

Creating Attractive Cost Estimates in Eight Ways featuring McCormick Systems, Inc.

Creating clear, competitive, and professional plumbing estimates is key to securing projects. Whether it’s small installations or large commercial projects, the accuracy and presentation of your estimates can set you apart in the highly competitive plumbing industry, which has more than 70,000 contractors in the United States alone.

McCormick Systems

Expanding & Improving the Community with Trane and Brandt Companies

Brandt Companies is familiar with the unique challenges and strict requirements around working on a correctional facility, so when the opportunity to renovate and expand the Rockwell County (Texas) jail arose, Brandt chose Trane. “It was very intentional that we wanted to work with Trane,” said Scott McMillan, senior mechanical engineer at Brandt. “Trane has great resources on the controls side and smoke control projects, in particular. Ultimately, Trane delivered and was instrumental in the success of this job.”

Trane

Tool-Integrated Software’s Business Benefits featuring Ridge Tool Company

Would you like to make the back-office side of your plumbing business more efficient? Tool technology has changed the way we work on jobsites, but it can also simplify business management. From staying ahead of needed tool maintenance to streamlining recordkeeping, integrated tool technology in drain cleaning, pressing, and diagnostic tools can make your business run more efficiently. Here are a few examples of how tool-integrated software from Ridge Tool Company and others can boost your business operations.

Ridge Tool Company

Optimizing Pipe Quality to Improve Efficiency featuring Wheatland Tube

In an evolving industry where quality, labor shortages, safety, and environmental impact are top-of-mind, mechanical contractors are faced with critical decisions when specifying materials for their projects. Choosing domestically manufactured standard pipe over their imported equivalents can increase the quality, safety, and sustainability of any project.

Wheatland Tube

Designing for Efficiency with Belimo Aircontrols & Arden Building Companies

Arden Building Companies knew that a pressure independent (PI) HVAC system would help a new Massachusetts high school meet its long-term sustainability goals, but there were concerns about the cost. Belimo Aircontrols’ PI control valve offered the perfect balance of performance and affordability, and Belimo went a step further, providing piping packages that cut up to 80 percent of labor costs.

Belimo Aircontrols

Transforming Operations with Real-Time Visibility with Access Coins & P1 Construction, LLC

P1 Construction, LLC replaced its outdated legacy enterprise resource planning (ERP) system with Access Coins ERP and quickly started saving money, increasing productivity, and improving service delivery. Morgan Lassise, P1 Construction accounting manager, explained, “Access Coins has been perfect for us because it meets all the needs that we have as a contractor. We’re seeing increased job productivity across the board.”

Access Coins

Streamlining Invoicing Skyrockets Revenue with ServiceTitan & L.J. Kruse Company

Until two years ago, L.J. Kruse Company, a fourth-generation plumbing and HVAC shop in Berkeley, CA, was still using paper for invoicing. With ServiceTitan, the company’s service side boosted revenue by $1 million. “I don’t know how many companies are left on paperwork orders, but if there are any, you have to make the switch, and you’ve got to make it yesterday,” said Will Kruse, vice president and service manager at L.J. Kruse Co. Switching to ServiceTitan “was night and day.”

ServiceTitan

Profiling Software Optimizes Efficiency featuring HGG Profiling Equipment, Inc.

Designed in-house, ProCAM software leverages HGG Profiling Equipment Inc.’s 40 years of 3D profiling knowledge and synthesizes it into a software system designed to maximize throughput and material usage, saving users time and money. ProCAM and ProCAM Lite are the only software specifically designed for HGG profiling machines.

HGG Group

Designing for Success with Victaulic & Heffron Company

Thanks to Victaulic’s grooved mechanical pipe-joining technology, Heffron Company overcame constraints of scale, space, and time to meet the demand for a cutting-edge 260,000-square-foot life sciences facility in Maryland. With patient safety and global medicine supply chains depending on rapid completion and a reliable system, Heffron Company took on the ambitious project and its aggressive nine-month schedule.

Victaulic

Summer 2025 Issue

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