Smart Solutions – Winter 2025 Issue

The Promise of HDPE Pipe: F.W. Webb Explains

As communities face challenges with aging water and underground infrastructure, an increasing number of contractors are discovering the benefits of HDPE pipe to address those challenges. HDPE is a cost-effective, easy-to-install, and versatile piping material for any underground utility project—from communications, electrical, and geothermal to sewer and domestic water. Contractors have used HDPE for over 50 years, yet its applications continue to expand, particularly in water and sewer line upgrades.

F.W. Webb Company

MCAA and Partners Team Up with Virginia Tech to Improve Head Protection

Thirteen years after releasing the first independent safety ratings for varsity football helmets, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab is expanding into the construction industry. This summer, researchers will begin an 18-month study to develop the first ratings system for safety helmets, commonly referred to as hard hats or construction helmets, using their five-star scale. This project is being funded and guided by the John R. Gentille Foundation, ELECTRI International, the American Society of Concrete Contractors, and The Association of Union Constructors in an effort to reduce the number of head injuries in our industry.

Highlighting Plumbing’s Past & Future with NIBCO, INC. & the Rex Martin NIBCO Interactive Museum

NIBCO INC. unveiled the Rex Martin NIBCO Interactive Museum on November 12, 2024, coinciding with NIBCO’s 120th anniversary. The museum offers a unique and enriching experience from a historical perspective, interactive learning, inspiration, community impact, and career opportunities. Not just a place to learn about the past, it’s a place to get excited about the future of plumbing and the opportunities it holds. NIBCO INC. is a major sponsor of MCAA25.

NIBCO INC.

Maximizing Efficiency with Novel Uses with Stratus & Postler & Jaeckle Corp.

Labels have traditionally been used in construction to convey basic information, but Postler & Jaeckle Corp. is applying Stratus labels and weld maps to transform their practices, so their teams work smarter, not harder. Jesse Gorman, vice president at Postler & Jaeckle, recognizes the potential for using labels to communicate more detailed, actionable data. His goal is to build directly from the labels, an approach that maximizes their utility in conveying essential information for installing components accurately, boosting his team’s efficiency. Using technology from Stratus, data are extracted and printed onto labels, providing teams with easy-to-understand guidance onsite.

Stratus

Advances in Oil-Free Compressors: Copeland Explains

In the air- and water-cooled chiller markets, oil-free compression technology is emerging as a more efficient, quieter, more easily applied, and easier-to-maintain alternative to legacy screw compressors. For original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and end-users of mission-critical chillers in large HVAC applications, oil management adds costs and complexities to system designs—which typically result in declining energy efficiencies throughout their lifecycles.

Copeland

MCAA’s New Podcast Available Now

Welcome to Inside MCAA, The Blueprint to Mechanical Contracting, the podcast dedicated to unveiling the strategies and resources that power success within the Mechanical Contractors Association of America. Hosted by renowned Customer Experience Coach and NEI Instructor Frank Favaro, each episode dives deep into the wealth of educational tools, networking opportunities, and advocacy efforts that define MCAA.

Quality & Productivity Soar with Tecnar and Way Engineering

Way Engineering was skeptical that automated welding could deliver the high quality they demanded, but Tecnar’s Rotoweld 3.0 technology proved so effective, the company purchased a second machine just three months later. The Rotoweld is also helping Way Engineering adapt to the industry-wide shortage of skilled welders.

Tecnar

Doubling Shop Productivity with Novarc Technologies Inc. & W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc.

W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc. saw a 200-percent increase in shop productivity and a 12-fold increase in weld productivity by implementing Novarc Technologies Inc.’s collaborative Spool Welding Robot (SWR). They are also realizing a 100-percent pass rate on radiography tests (RTs). The SWR has reduced W.W. Gay’s dependence on highly skilled welders, of whom there is a global shortage.

Novarc Technologies Inc.

Increase Sales and Customer Satisfaction with XOi & J.M. Brennan, Inc.

With XOi, J.M. Brennan, Inc. was better able to show customers exactly what their projects needed and why, resulting in increased sales and revenue. Tracking their key performance indicators (KPIs) with XOi, J.M. Brennan has seen their closure rate for field quotes increase by 10 percent, among other improvements.

XOi

Seamlessly Integrating Software & Fab Tools with PypeServer & Bassett Mechanical

Transferring data between different software programs and the fabrication shop exposed Bassett Mechanical to inefficiencies and potential for errors, so they adopted PypeServer software to streamline the process, which has saved time and cut down mistakes. A full-service contractor, Bassett Mechanical specializes in designing, fabricating, installing, and maintaining mechanical systems across several industries. Tyler Petersen, Bassett’s vice president of manufacturing, turned to PypeServer for seamless integration between Bassett’s multiple design software programs and the fabrication tools in the shop.

PypeServer

Beacon Economics Report Offers a Strategic Decision-Making Tool for Service

The 2024 Beacon Economics Market Report for MSCA is here! This essential report delivers up-to-the-minute insights and data-driven analysis tailored for mechanical service contractors. Uncover updated key trends for 2024, including market shifts and economic forecasts that directly impact your business. This study is an invaluable resource for looking at market trends that will help guide strategic decisions and keep you competitive. Don’t miss out on this powerful tool—download the new report today!

Monitoring Fab Projects in Real Time with MSUITE & McCarl’s

By swapping out Excel spreadsheets for MSUITE software across multiple fabrication shops, McCarl’s Industrial and Mechanical Contractors now has real-time visibility into their workflow, not the two-to-three-day lag time. Adopting a fully digital platform has optimized workflows and increased operational efficiency.

MSUITE

Improving Efficiency & Morale with Customized Software with Procore & McKinstry

After multiple failed attempts to implement project management software that worked for everyone, McKinstry finally found success with Procore. The customized product from Procore increased efficiency, cut delays, and improved morale. Procore is a benefactor of MCAA25.

Procore

Customized Pipe Cutter Saves Time & Money with HGG Group & Cerris Systems North Central, Inc.

Cerris Systems North Central, Inc. (formerly MMC Contractors) needed a unique pipe cutter to meet rapidly growing demand, so they collaborated with HGG Group to develop the first-ever ProCutter 900 RB. The results were immediate, with instant time savings. A recurring job involving 30” pipes that used to take two weeks to cut now only takes four days.

HGG Group

A Novel Solution to High-Rise Pipe Rehab with NuFlow Technologies & Althoff Industries

NuFlow Midwest, in partnership with Althoff Industries, successfully completed a large-scale pipe rehabilitation in a 60-story Chicago high-rise by using NuFlow Technologies’ cured-in-place pipe lining (CIPP) for hard-to-reach pipes, avoiding costly, disruptive removal and preserving vital building systems. This minimally invasive solution enabled Althoff and NuFlow to comply with Chicago’s building codes while preserving surrounding mechanical systems and reducing downtime in shared spaces.

NuFlow Technologies

New Lone Worker Safety Model Program Introduced at MSCA24

Lone workers are the focus of a new model safety program introduced by MCAA Chair Renee Fiorelli at MSCA24. The Lone Worker Safety Model Program helps contractors identify risks and hazards and ensure adequate systems are in place to protect those who work by themselves where assistance is not readily available when needed, or who do not have the benefit of interactions with others.

Additional Pipe Cutter Increases Capacity & Trims Waste with Watts Specialties, LLC & Progressive Mechanical, Inc.

Progressive Mechanical, Inc. added a second Watts pipe cutting machine to keep up with shop demand, gaining capabilities and cutting waste. Progressive Mechanical has fabrication shops in Clawson and Bay City, MI.

Watts Specialties

Acing School Installation Test with LAARS, a Bradford White Company & The Helm Group

Asked for advice on the Belvidere, IL, School District’s new boilers, the Helm Group’s Service Division recommended Laars Heating Systems Company’s MagnaTherm® FT boilers. The Helm Group was impressed with the product quality as well as Laars’ extended warranty and commitment to supporting customers. Helm Group then competed for and won the contract to install and maintain the Laars systems, successfully installing them in the strict three-month window before the new school year. LAARS, a Bradford White Company, is a benefactor of MCAA25.

LAARS, a Bradford White Company

Winter 2025 Issue

Filters

Category

Manufacturer

Contractor