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.
With Victaulic Couplings, Arden Meets Tight Timeline, Saves $100,000 on Overall Costs
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.
Message from Bill Tavenner, MS/C Chairman: Productive Partnerships
MCAA and our Supplier Partners know contractors aren’t just looking for solutions, you’re looking for Smart Solutions.
Craft & Son Find EVAPCO Cooling Towers a Perfect Fit for Gettysburg Hospital
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.
Flo-Tron Tackles Outdated Business Processes with Jonas Construction Software
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.
Atomatic Investment in High-Quality, U.S.-Made Wheatland Tube Pays Off
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.
Metropolitan Mechanical Contractors Cuts Installation Time in Half with Uponor’s PEX Pipe
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.
Erickson’s Aircrane Cuts The Hill Group’s Installation Time Down to Hours
In the summer of 2016, The Hill Group called on Erickson Inc. to lift and place cooling towers and chillers by air into a building in crowded downtown Chicago, accomplishing the goal in hours compared with weeks needed for other methods. The project was located at East Randolph Street in a crowded landscape with multilevel streets and nearby residential buildings, so land crane equipment was not an option. Using Erickson’s precision capabilities, aerial crane operators placed chiller equipment through a hole in the roof, with inches to spare, and then set it 15’ below the roof level.
IMI Empowers Foremen With Rhumbix, Improves Productivity in the Field and Home Office
Manual collection of paper time cards in the field is prone to errors, takes too much time, and, most importantly, takes attention away from important jobs in the field. Since rolling out Rhumbix so their foremen could go paperless, Independent Mechanical Industries, Inc. (IMI) has found, “Foremen use the Rhumbix app on their iPhones to record time cards in just minutes, [which] allows them to clear their minds and attack the work in front of them,” said David Reynolds, IMI vice president.
Bennell, Inc., Overcomes a Tight Squeeze Thanks to Anvil International’s Creative Gruvlok System Design
Savvy design from Anvil® International allowed Bennell, Inc. to install all the needed systems in the very small mechanical room of a new residence hall and bookstore at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Because of the creative design, which included Anvil’s Gruvlok® connections for the heating and cooling pipe, Bennell managed to “make 10 pounds fit in a five-pound bag,” said President Craig Hosler.
Anderson, Rowe & Buckley Shaves Hours, Speeds Up Cash Flow With MobiliForms From iBusiness
Anderson, Rowe & Buckley (AR&B) deployed MobiliForms from iBusiness Technologies, cutting labor costs and going paperless painlessly. “Our 100+ field techs are shaving time each day, and I’ve personally recaptured eight hours per week,” said Darin Sheridan, HVAC superintendent, who is tasked with overseeing the solution.
Commonwealth Plumbing Finds Viega Double Drop Elbows Are Perfect Fit for Historic Building
While renovating a historic building, Commonwealth Plumbing found that Viega’s double drop elbows were the best solution for accommodating new bathroom sinks in a tight space with limited design options. By using pressed fittings, Commonwealth not only saved time on installation but also avoided soldering in an old building with a lot of wood.
John E. Green Company Saves Installation Time, Ensures Energy Efficiency With an Array of Johnson Controls Products
John E. Green Company (JEG) trusted its longtime partner, Johnson Controls, to help them meet the demands of Detroit Medical Center’s (DMC’s) new tower and identify products that could save the contractor installation time. YORK® YMC2 centrifugal magnetic drive chillers paired with the Metasys® building automation system (BAS) with Central Plant Optimization 10 (CPO10) optimized energy efficiency, while using YORK Solution Air Handling Units and SimplexGrinnell’s addressable notification system ensured speedy installation.
SPX Donates Cooling Tower to Steamfitters Trades School
When the Steamfitters UA Local 602 Mechanical Trades School needed equipment to use in its apprenticeship program, SPX Cooling Technologies donated a Marley® NC cooling tower, enabling the school to present students with a real-world environment. Instructors use the complete new cooling system to teach students how to troubleshoot and fix problems with HVAC systems.
Egan Realizes Rapid ROI with KEY2ACT’s MobileTech
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.
Daikin Rooftop Units Paired With Intelligent Equipment Protect Museum’s Collections
To meet the stringent standards for climate control required to protect its treasured artwork and artifacts in storage, the University of California Berkeley’s Regatta Museum installed Daikin Rebel® commercial rooftop systems, paired with the Daikin Intelligent Equipment® solution that provides real-time data. Using the software solution saved time and money during the 6-week startup and commissioning process of a critical control application where rooftop package units are seldom used.
JH Kelly Keeps Tabs on Tools with Milwaukee Tool’s TICK
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.
Jay R. Smith Crafts Speedy Solution for J.W. McClenahan’s Drainage Dilemma
Faced with new, more stringent building requirements mid-project, J.W. McClenahan Co. got a boost from the engineers at Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co.,® who rapidly designed new trench drains and had them verified by a third party to satisfy city inspectors—all in just four months.
