Category: Featured Resource

GreatFutures Forum Registration

MCAA’s Career Development Initiative Welcomes Back Student Chapters for the Fall 2021 Semester

Welcome back students and faculty! While you were away this summer, MCAA’s Career Development Committee has been hard at work on some exciting things. Take a look!

Make sure to follow us on Instagram for the most up-to-date information. Follow us @mcaagreatfutures

Here’s a list of all the important dates you will need to know for the Fall 2021 semester. Make sure to add everything to your calendar!

Registration is now open for MCAA’s 2021 GreatFutures Forum. The forum will be held in Scottsdale, AZ from Oct. 17-19. Registration closes on September 3^rd. Don’t wait to save your spot.

MCAA’s 2021-2022 Student Chapter Competition Project will be announced on September 28th at 2pm EST via email. If you have a team ready for the competition, please email all team members’ names and emails to mwalsh@mcaa.org.

MCAA’s Scholarships, Grants & Awards are waiting for you! All applications are online and available now.

MCAA’s Career Development Committee looks forward to giving an official welcome back to all student chapter presidents, faculty advisors, industry advisors, and local executives and talking through all things to come for the Fall 2021 semester.

If you have any questions please email Megan Walsh at mwalsh@mcaa.org.

Scholarships Application

Awards Application

Grant Application

There’s Only Two Weeks Left to Register for the 2021 GreatFutures Forum

Mark your calendars! The last day to register for the 2021 GreatFutures Forum is September 3rd.

Join us October 17th-19th at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, AZ for the 2021 GreatFutures Forum! At the forum we have a ton of exciting things planned and we hope to see you there!

To sign up for the forum click the “Register Now” button. For more information about the GreatFutures Forum 2021 in Scottsdale, AZ click the “Event Website” button. For any other questions please email Megan at mwalsh@mcaa.org.

EVENT WEBSITE

What Will You Do After Graduation? Attend the GreatFutures Forum Job Fair to Find Out.

Our Job Fair is one of the main events at the GreatFutures Forum. MCAA & MSCA member companies from across the country will be onsite and ready to discuss internship, co-op and full-time job opportunities with students like you.

EVENT WEBSITE

We Know You Are Excited! We Are Too! GreatFutures Forum 2021 Isn’t Far Away!

Students will get to meet with contractors during our job fair and find real jobs and internships! We will take a tour of the Sloan Park baseball stadium, listen to amazing stories from knowledgeable speakers, and don’t forget about the Mummy Mountain Bash on the first night!

EVENT WEBSITE

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Augmented Reality Arrives on the Jobsite – New Report Offers Insights into the Trimble XR10

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Construction Employers Composite Plan Letter

Mechanical Contractors Association of America teamed up with industry partners, including the Associated General Contractors , FCA International, International Council of Employers of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (ICEBAC), National Electrical Contractors Association, Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association, Signatory Wall And Ceiling Contractors Alliance and the Association of Union Constructors in a joint letter to Congress regarding the multiemployer pension plans, which provide retirement benefits to over 10 million Americans.

National Service and Maintenance Agreement Negotiations to Begin Spring 2020

The National Service and Maintenance Agreement continues to be an excellent tool used by HVACR and plumbing service contractors around the country to grow market share and remain competitive in this highly competitive market. The current National Agreement is effective through July 31, 2020. The MSCA Labor Committee will be discussing potential changes or modifications with the UA later this year. Although we anticipate very few changes, we would appreciate your input or recommendations on terms and conditions which you feel may be helpful in expanding your service business. Please send all comments to bdolim@mcaa.org by December 6, 2019.

HoloLens Research Report Reveals New Advantage for Contractors

What was once thought of as science fiction or construction fantasy is starting to make its way on to construction job sites. In late 2016, Microsoft released developer editions of their mixed reality headset, called the HoloLens. It represented the first time that a big tech company had offered a stand-alone headset that could overlay holograms in the real world that would stay in place as you moved around and changed your perspective.

For the construction industry, it offers a new path towards design, collaboration and visualization. The HoloLens allows you to take BIM models and overlay them on job sites or in conference rooms. You can see how your designs exist in the spaces you are building in. It allows you to move around them to check for collisions, plan for installation and visualize in real-space the plans that were once only on paper.

In MCAA’s Technology Research Series seventh installment, the MCAA Technology Committee explored the capabilities and potential of the Microsoft HoloLens for mechanical, plumbing and service contractors. Over the course of a year, the committee tested and proved that these devices are not only capable of making contractors more efficient, they can be seen as an immediate differentiator to your competition.

The report looks at how the HoloLens can be used to perform common processes for contractors. While it offers some extraordinary potential for jobsite planning and marketing, some areas like service had a limited role. These limitations stemmed from a lack of software that was designed for tasks important for service work.

Software plays a very important role in the usefulness of the device. To their credit, Microsoft was very savvy in the rollout of their new product. Right from the beginning, they partnered with leading software developers from multiple industry sectors to create apps designed for the HoloLens. This allowed for access to software applications for a lot of targeted applications, even during the roll-out of their developer editions.

Thankfully, one of the companies they partnered with was Trimble. Through Microsoft’s collaboration, Trimble developed tools for the construction industry to visualize construction models in real space. In the past year, more software developers have created solutions for the construction industry. The committee evaluated these apps in the report and made recommendations for software depending on the workflows that you intend to use the HoloLens for.

Software available today make it possible to pull BIM models into the device and visualize with extremely little training. They also offer capabilities in workflows that are not available on any other device. For contractors that are already working with BIM, this is another tool to increase efficiency and productivity.

The MCAA Research Report goes through five workflows to test the effectiveness of the device. In some cases, although a HoloLens could be used to perform a task, it was not the most efficient way of doing it. For other tasks it presented options and efficiencies that simply were not available using any other tool.

The HoloLens has proven to be an effective tool ready for the industry, the question is, how can your company ready to benefit from its use. To learn more, download the report and watch for updates. Software is in development by leading industry manufacturers that should push the capability of the HoloLens even further. The report is available to MCAA and MSCA members as a complimentary benefit of membership. With the release of new applications scheduled for the HoloLens, the report will be updated throughout the year.

Clarifying the Process of Selecting Labor Inefficiency Factors

The 2018 Edition of MCAA’s Change Orders, Productivity, Overtime features new material that clarifies the process of selecting labor inefficiency factors. A new chapter devoted to the subject of concurrent delay has also been added. This resource is a must-have for mechanical and other specialty contractors, attorneys in construction practices, and consultants.

The new material within the chapter on How to Use the MCAA Labor Factors clarifies the process of selecting inefficiency intensity factors. This information will prove useful for those using the MCAA Factors to prepare loss of labor productivity equitable adjustment requests.

In the concurrent delay chapter, authors Doug Patin, Esquire and Paul Stynchcomb, CCM, PSP, CFCC, explain how you can avoid being cited for potentially costly concurrent delays to a project. The chapter also provides information to assist you in defining and identifying concurrent delay in a project schedule.

Make sure your construction attorneys and consultants have this book! Look for the share icon under the story title to let them know it’s available. Can’t find it? It’s three dots connected by lines, to the left of the print icon.

Contacting Congress for the First Time? Help is Here!

Congress is back in session! This is your chance to get in touch with your House representative or Senators about the industry and business issues that concern you. If this is your first time advocating for a cause, a newly revised Management Methods Bulletin is available to show you the ropes.

Business and Politics has been updated to provide you with advice, tools and information about the federal legislative process to help you be effective in presenting and discussing industry issues with your House and Senate representatives. From sending electronic messages to arranging personal meetings, the bulletin suggests how, when and where to communicate your concerns about legislation and/or regulations to your elected Members. Useful tools on MCAA’s website under the Advocacy menu, the MCAA PAC and the National Issues Conference direct your path to the legislators you need to reach. And, helpful information included in the bulletin will guide you through the bill making process.

The advocacy menu on our website also has a direct link to Congress.gov, where you can research current legislation and follow its progress through Congress.

Download your copy and start contacting your Congressional representatives today.

MCAA Releases Robotic Total Station Report

While the basics of heating and plumbing haven’t significantly changed in a century, the tools and processes used to build have evolved exponentially in just the past few years. One such evolution is the development of total stations to assist contractors in more rapidly and more accurately laying out systems on the jobsite.

This sixth report in the MCAA Technology Research Series provides an introduction for members who are considering their first layout system purchase. It is also a valuable evaluation tool for those who are considering an upgrade to their existing system.

Like the other reports in MCAA’s Technology Research Series, the report was written by our partners at JBKLabs exclusively for MCAA.

Additional Research Reports Help You Keep Up with Technology

3D Scanning

Forecasts point to increased use of 3D scanning for its ability to precisely measure an existing site, component or assembly and bring that information into a BIM model. It can save tremendous time in measuring, taking notes, designing, documenting conditions and rebuilding a BIM model. This report canvases 3D scanning technology. Included is an assessment of various laser, non-laser scanning and photogrammetric hardware and software tools for mechanical contractors.

BIM Software – A Comparative Analysis

BIM technologies can expedite construction and maintenance work, increase precision, and prevent mistakes. This report explores scanning, tracking, layout, design and fabrication technologies using BIM and other software tools. Focusing on MEP, the report includes an assessment of various BIM software for BIM model authoring, model review, construction management, and analysis software tools for mechanical contractors. This snapshot evaluated the products as of the second quarter of 2016.

BIM to Field Software – A Comparative Analysis

This report focuses on applications that can be used to allow access to BIM models and data from the field. These applications empower the remote mobile device to have access to the same data as the powerful BIM workstation in the office.

Field Service Software

Service software is a foundational tool for running a service business. At the core of your business is the call, quote, work order, invoice and payment workflow. Now weave in the transactional relationships that interconnect with that core workflow and it becomes clear that efficient visibility and management of that complexity is key. This report analyzes the current state of service software deployment and helps demystify the process for evaluating and implementing service software in your organization.

Safety Apps Report

This report evaluates numerous applications on the market for safety professionals and foremen. Most of these apps, it finds, are geared towards documentation. Contractors are using analytics on this data to identify root causes and trends. Predictive analytics, which analyze historical data, current projects and weather can be used to predict higher chances of incidents happening, thus providing powerful tools to help prevent them from occurring.