Category: Service

Want to Grow Your Business? Register for the PCA Plumbing Service Conference

While the construction industry has bounced back from the lows of 2020, the pandemic has helped teach contractors a valuable lesson – growing your business can help you ride out the low times. Plumbing service presents a perfect opportunity for plumbing, mechanical and mechanical service members to grow their business into new sectors. The ideal time to start the process is now when backlogs are full. The PCA Plumbing Service Conference presents a great opportunity to learn how to add service to your business.

As Neptune Plumbing CEO and PCA Chair Scott Wallenstein puts it, “We started getting into plumbing service a couple of years before The Great Recession. When times were low in 2007 and 2008, plumbing service was a great way to compensate for the slowdown in our construction department. Now we see it as a cornerstone of our business because of the higher margins, cash flow and regular business through maintenance agreements.”

The PCA’s new Plumbing Service Conference is a great way to learn how contractors have added plumbing service operations. While attending the conference, you can see it in action. Join a tour of Neptune Plumbing’s Cleveland facility to see how they perform their plumbing service operations. They will demonstrate how they handle inventory, dispatch, stock a plumbing service truck and perform comprehensive plumbing service operations.

The conference will be held September 20-21 in Cleveland, Ohio and limited to only 50 participants. The conference is filling up fast, so register now! To learn more, or to reserve your spot, visit our event page.

Resource Highlight: MSCA’s HVACR 101 Workbook Series

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MSCA’s HVACR 101 Workbooks. The series of 10 workbooks familiarize new staff with the industry equipment, processes and terminology they’re likely to encounter to help them succeed in their jobs.

The workbooks are available in WebBook format to maximize the learning experience. Each one includes a training video, relevant course material and a quiz. The workbooks are also available as PDF downloads that do not include the videos.

Access the full list, including detailed descriptions of what is included in each, in the Resource Center.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MSCA’s Barb Dolim.

New National Service & Maintenance Agreement Effective August 1, 2021

A new six-year National Service and Maintenance Agreement has been finalized, approved and signed by the UA and MSCA/MCAA effective August 1, 2021. This Agreement will continue to play an important role in growing the HVACR market for the organized sector.  Several important modifications are included in the new Agreement, which should benefit all national signers and local UA unions. Click “Learn More” for details on the changes in the new Agreement and a link to the new document.

Learn How to Grow Your Business, Attend the PCA Plumbing Service Conference

While the construction industry has bounced back from the lows of 2020, the pandemic has helped teach contractors a valuable lesson –growing your business can help you ride out the low times. Plumbing service presents a perfect opportunity for plumbing, mechanical and mechanical service members to grow their business into new sectors. The ideal time to start the process is now when backlogs are full. The PCA Plumbing Service Conference presents a great opportunity to learn how to add service to your business.

As Neptune Plumbing CEO and PCA Chair Scott Wallenstein puts it, “We started getting into plumbing service a couple of years before The Great Recession. When times were low in 2007 and 2008, plumbing service was a great way to compensate for the slowdown in our construction department. Now we see it as a cornerstone of our business because of the higher margins, cash flow and regular business through maintenance agreements.”

The PCA’s new Plumbing Service Conference is a great way to learn how contractors have added plumbing service operations. While attending the conference, you can see it in action. Join a tour of Neptune Plumbing’s Cleveland facility to see how they perform their plumbing service operations. They will demonstrate how they handle inventory, dispatch, stock a plumbing service truck and perform comprehensive plumbing service operations.

The conference will be held September 20-21 in Cleveland, Ohio and limited to only 50 participants.

Neptune Plumbing to Host PCA’s First Plumbing Service Conference

The PCA has partnered with Neptune Plumbing of Cleveland, Ohio to host the first PCA Plumbing Service Conference from September 20 -21, 2021. Similar to MCAA’s successful Fabrication Conference, the centerpiece of the Plumbing Service Conference will be a hosted facility tour of Neptune Plumbing’s commercial plumbing service operations. In addition, there will be plenty of education geared towards building and optimizing a plumbing service operation through a series of roundtable discussions and presentations. Attendees will learn the differences between different service operations lines, building their business, recruiting, and training.

“We know that as plumbing contractors, it’s essential that we balance our operations and build out plumbing service divisions in our companies, but not enough of us do it,” explains Scott Wallenstein, PCA Chairman and Neptune President. “We thought it would be easier to show how we address plumbing service to help others jumpstart the process. Now contractors can ask questions of our leadership, our service technicians and the staff in charge of each part of our business and gain their insight.”

Registration is NOW OPEN for PCA, MCAA and MSCA members to attend. 

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MSCA21 Sells Out in Record Time

Online registration for MSCA21 has closed due to overwhelming demand. Unfortunately, due to COVID restrictions we had to limit attendance this year. If you are currently registered and need to make any changes or if you would like to get on a waitlist for conference registration, please email mscaconference@mcaa.org. We truly appreciate everyone’s support and look forward to a great live event this year.

MSCA21: Bounce Back from Setbacks

Slowing down the pace or rate of change isn’t an option, especially true after this last year. Therefore, skilling your people to more readily adapt to change as well as bounce back quickly from challenging setbacks is your organizations competitive advantage. During this session you will learn how building your “Bounce” skills is a critical element in creating and sustaining your Leadership Vitality. During MSCA21 October 14 – 17, 2021, Sara will walk attendees through a systematic “bounce approach” framework to strengthen the skills of resilience.

The framework does this by:

  • Helping people find calm through the chaos to increase their uncertainty tolerance;
  • Decreasing wasted emotional energy on “false-threats” causing people to feel stuck and overwhelmed, and instead focusing on the most important information;
  • Increasing awareness of the choices and opportunities people have when facing change and ambiguity and channeling that into appropriate action.

Sara talks more about what she will share during the MSCA Conference in the video below.

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MSCA21: Bringing TOGETHER the Best October 14 – October 17, 2021

Join us as we come TOGETHER, in person, to experience the best the industry has to offer. Together, we will review how the past year has impacted your business and your customers. More importantly, we will look forward to a bright and successful future, all from the comfort of the award-winning J.W. Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Here are just some of the highlights you will experience while you spend time TOGETHER:

  • Amazing keynote speakers to inspire and motivate 
  • Timely education sessions focusing on today’s hottest topics
  • Over 30 roundtable discussion forums offering unique insights on industry-specific concerns
  • A special Women in the Mechanical Industry (WiMI) program focused on resilience and mindset
  • An impactful one-day bonus program certain to challenge your thinking
  • An exhibitors display showcasing the latest and greatest
  • Time to enjoy the beautiful Scottsdale resort in a safe environment
  • AND so much more!

Registration opens mid-June.

MSCA Sales Institute – Final Classes for 2021

Limited number of registrations still available.

Last March the world as we had known it changed forever. The pandemic impacted every facet of our lives from how we work, live, play, learn and gather. We had to create new ways of doing business and be creative in how we tackled each day. The role of the salesperson went from meeting clients, selling PM contracts and often prospecting door-to-door to life in a virtual world as a valued advisor and expert. Sales personnel were expected to help customers navigate through new safety concerns, new regulations, tenant anxieties and changing priorities as they dealt with both a health and economic crisis.

Even as the pandemic begins to ebb, the role of the salesperson will never be the same. Many new lessons have been learned. New proven best practices have been implemented. New sales opportunities are flourishing. The MSCA Sales Institute recognizes the impact the pandemic has had on the sales function and has updated all sales classes accordingly in order to better prepare sales teams for future success. NOW is the time to provide this relevant and important training to your sales employees to ensure their skills and abilities are focused, fine-tuned and far-sighted.

The following sales classes currently open for registration:

MSCA Sales Masters Program
Week 1: October 3–7, 2021, Chicago, IL
Week 2: November 7–12, 2021, Houston, TX

This two-week course is designed by MSCA in-the-field experts in partnership with sales specialists from the University of Houston, and is perfect for service sales employees who often find it difficult to get useful training for their level of expertise specific to the mechanical service industry. 

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MSCA Sales Basecamp
October 11–12, 2021, Salt Lake City, UT

This two day, entry-level program for service sales personnel will prepare recent hires with all the relevant skills necessary to confidently sell HVACR/plumbing services while creating added value for the customer

MORE INFORMATION

TYFOOM Microlearning Safety Training Opportunity for MCAA Members

MCAA recently teamed up with TYFOOM to provide members with an opportunity to make microlearning safety training available to their workers. As a benefit of membership, members that subscribe to the service will receive a 10% discount off the standard price of the service. Your company would determine the frequency and subject matter of each brief safety training session. Here’s how it works…

  1. Workers receive a notification on their mobile devices at the frequency of your choosing, i.e. once a day, once a week, etc.
  2. They watch a 1-2 minute safety training video clip.
  3. Each trainee answers 3 quick questions on his/her mobile device.
  4. The system tracks and documents each trainee’s progress.

BROCHURE

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.

Distracted Driving Accidents Continue to Rise – These Resources Help You Address the Issue Head-On

U.S. vehicle fatalities in 2018 exceeded 40,000, a 14% increase over the level just four years ago (2014). In 2017, the most recent year for which data on vehicle fatalities caused by distracted driving is available, there were 3,166 fatalities known to be caused by distracted driving. Distracted driving includes texting and cell phone use while driving, as well as other types of poor driving behaviors. MCAA resources can help you curb these behaviors.

Get Up to Speed Quickly

MCAA’s Distracted Driving Safety Bulletin will bring you up to speed quickly.

Download

Establish Rules of the Road

MCAA’s Distracted Driving Reduction and Prevention Guide will help you:

  • Establish a written policy to reduce or prevent distracted driving in your company
  • Train all affected drivers/workers
  • Learn about technologies to reduce or prevent distracted driving

Download

Provide Additional Worker Training

MCAA’s Workplace Distractions Safety Training Video will help your workers recognize and avoid the four most common industry-related workplace distractions:

  • Driving distractions
  • Electronic distractions
  • Environmental distractions
  • Personal distractions

Download or play the video

Accompanying materials are also available to assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts:

Highlight Key Training Points

Download the Pocket Guide

Document Worker Training

Download the Documentation Sheet

Confirm that Workers Understand the Training Concepts

Download the Test

Download the Test Answer Key

Want Even More Safety Resources?

MCAA has you covered, with a full range of resources to help you protect your workers from injury and comply with applicable safety regulations. Here’s where to find them:

On our Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page, where they’re listed by category with links.

Go there now

In the Resource Center, where you can use the blue Refine Your Search bar to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for.

Visit the Resource Center

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

Interested in Plumbing Service? The PCA Roundtable Is Open for Registration

Commercial plumbing service offers a lot of benefits to contractors. Although it can be difficult to begin or optimize, it offers a lot of benefits including higher margins and reliable work flow.  This roundtable is a one-day meeting intended for both established plumbing service operations and contractors interested in getting into plumbing service.

Located at the Loews Chicago O’Hare, it offers attendees the ability to fly in and out the same day or minimize the amount of time away from the operations.

Report Shows MCAA Members Don’t Invest Enough in Tech Budget and Manpower

In 2018, MCAA sponsored a JBKnowledge Construction Technology Report that surveyed over 2,800 professionals in the construction industry. In the newly released MCAA-Focused Report, the responses given by MCAA members were separated and compared to those of the rest of the construction industry.

While MCAA members are getting heavily involved in VDC and mobile technology, they are behind the rest of the industry when it comes to some aspects of R&D. As the report’s primary researcher, Liz Beechinor from JBKnowledge points out, “Our research is showing that the construction industry as a whole is behind on R&D spending compared to other industries, but when we take a look at MCAA members’ responses and compare that to the construction industry, they are even further behind. Fewer MCAA contractors have dedicated R&D budget and employees dedicated to R&D.”

According to a 2017 McKinsey Report, the construction industry as a whole spends less than 1% of their revenue on R&D. Compared to the auto industry, which spends 3.5%, and the aerospace industry, which spends 4.5%, this can seem relatively underfunded.

What is even more concerning is construction companies’ lack of any R&D budget. The 2018 MCAA-Focused Construction Technology Report showed that 56.8% of those surveyed had no budget for R&D, while 63.5% of MCAA members reported that they didn’t budget for R&D.

The same could be said for having employees dedicated to R&D. In the last few years, we have seen more MCAA and MSCA contractors dedicate manpower to technology research and implementation, but on average, they are still behind the rest of the industry.

Most respondents that identified as MCAA members reported that they had one or two people dedicated to R&D, while 37% do not have employees dedicated to R&D. During a presentation on the topic at MCAA19, MCAA’s Director, Construction Technology Sean McGuire explained, “While we are seeing more members take technology seriously, smaller companies are going to always be more limited on budget and manpower that they can dedicate towards research and implementation. Larger GCs and CMs can absorb these costs a little easier simply as a function of their size.”

Being bigger does not necessarily mean better though.  As Sean notes, “While research and staff budgets can be absorbed by larger companies easier, the bigger you are, the harder implementation becomes. Small companies can adopt changes a lot faster because you can get less people pulling in the same direction faster.  Large companies have to dedicate more resources to implementation and follow up.”

This lines up with another report question that asked what the most limiting factor was for adopting new technology. Not surprisingly, lack of staff and budget received the highest response rates and were concerns for nearly half of the MCAA respondents. The report provides further insight into these questions as well as BIM productivity and estimation and mobile device and hardware use.

New Products Will Be Unveiled at MCAA Tech Conference

New products can bring change to the industry.  This happens in one of two ways – evolutionary or revolutionary. Sometimes it is easy to spot the difference.  A new feature in software that can make the user interface easier is an evolutionary design. It makes the next incremental step in the process and while adding value and productivity, does so in a small way.

Revolutionary products can bring exponential change to the industry.  These are products that create new processes that eliminate old ones. An example of a revolutionary change would be the robotic total station.  Instead of tape measures and T-squares, total stations use BIM, control points and positioning lasers to accurately determine locations in a construction project today.  New processes are used entirely, but huge productivity gains are made.

While most evolutionary products that move the process forward are beneficial, revolutionary products that can bring exponential productivity increases are celebrated.  During the opening session of the MCAA Tech Conference, James Benham will present multiple products that can be classified as revolutionary. If there is one session that cannot be missed at the conference, it will be this one.

In order to showcase how these new products will impact MCAA members, James Benham will bring in the experts.  This will include contractors that have beta tested them, research teams that have evaluated them and the developers themselves who will provide demonstrations of their purpose.  Some of these new products will be available immediately, some later in the year, but all will have an impact on our industry.

To learn more or register for the conference, visit the MCAA Technology Conference Website.

Construction Technologists Don’t Just Hack, They Find Artful Use

Written by: Jonathan Marsh, CTO/Division Manager Virtual Design and Construction, William T. Spaeder Company

In my role as a Construction Technologist, I am often accused of hacking.   As a result I have a great desire to better communicate what it means to “hack”, since there is a negative connotation tied to cybersecurity or even attacking with blunt force. Not that I don’t hack things—I do—but there is something outside of hacking that I consider artful use. If we’re talking about the Construction Technologist (Con Tech) we need to talk about the idea of hacking, but I think we need to separate what we are being forced to hack or modify and what we simply enhance, develop, or see potential in. The things we are enhancing or developing are really more about artful use.

Artful use is seeing the greater range of usefulness in an existing tool. For example, when watching s­omeone use a paintbrush, artful use is understanding that that brush can be used to paint the wall or paint the Sistine Chapel.  To paint the Sistine Chapel, you’ll likely have to hack the brush.  Modifying it to your purpose by breaking it down, build it into other brushes with varying bristle lengths, and identify artists capable of seeing what to paint. I think that a big part of what it is to be a Con Tech is looking at someone painting a wall and seeing that potential artful use.

I see hacking as being a little different, and it may or may not include artful use. Hacking is making what you have work and it is definitely a big part of being an effective Con Tech.  I think we are always looking for the missing tools in construction.  By ‘missing tools’ I mean the specialized tools that are needed by the mechanical trades but do not exist or are not present on the jobsite. An easy way to find a missing tool is to look for something that’s not being used conventionally.

For example, if someone is using the screwdriver to pound a nail, the missing tool might look like a hammer, or nail gun, or adhesives. The point being that the screwdriver is a workaround, but not an artful use. We are not looking for a better potential use of a screwdriver. We are looking for an altogether missing tool.

These missing tools and artful uses are often easy to see on a job site or in the Fab shop. That’s why I think Con Techs should spend a considerable amount of time observing or possibly working with the craftsmen in the field looking for missing tools, materials, methods and potential artful use. Every time I step on a job site I look at what craftsmen do with their tools with an eye to unconventional uses. Some of the best ideas have grown out of watching people use their tools in some absurd way. That can communicate louder than words what is really needed.

Physically being on the jobsite is also important in finding the right people to work with. As we introduce new tools and technologies, we need to identify people that are likely to be able to use the tools and share our vision. Like the artist in the example above, the tool really is nothing without a hand to direct it and a vision to follow. When you’re on the jobsite look for those people that are using their tools in innovative ways, the people that are good at adaptation. They are surprisingly easy to find on most jobsites but are not always the foreman. Finding those people is vital because ultimately, they will become your developers and advocates. They also are the people that are going to tell you when it’s a fail. Pick people that can see what you are shooting for and that you respect enough to believe when they tell you it’s not working.

I really hope as the Con Tech takes on a more conventional role in the industry we can better define and communicate to the teams we work with what we are doing, and how they can take part. In that vein, what are areas where you see the biggest disconnect when communicating what you do to the rest of your teams? And are there simple terms or ideas that would help us clean up some of the muddy thinking about what we do?

 

 

Protect Your Fitters, Plumbers, and Service Techs From the Extreme Heat By Reminding Them About Heat Illnesses and Prevention Methods

Now is a great time to remind your fitters, plumbers, service technicians, and their supervisors about heat illnesses and how to prevent them.  The heat illnesses we’re most concerned about include heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat syncope, and heat cramps.

HEAT STROKE: The body loses its ability to sweat and can’t control its temperature. Heat stroke is a medical emergency.

HEAT EXHAUSTION: The body sweats away too much water and salt.

HEAT SYNCOPE: The body’s blood pressure becomes too low resulting in dizziness or fainting.

HEAT CRAMPS: The body experiences painful muscle spasms.

To help prevent heat illnesses:

  • Provide training for all affected workers on heat illnesses and prevention methods.
  • On extremely hot days, reduce the physical demands on your workers as much as possible.
  • Work tasks that are particularly physically demanding should be performed early in the morning or later in the afternoon avoiding the hottest part of the day.
  • Provide a constant supply of cold water.
  • Encourage your workers to drink at least a full cup of cold water every 15 to 20 minutes throughout each day.
  • Encourage your workers to avoid drinking alcohol, caffeine, and high sugar content drinks during periods of extremely hot temperatures.
  • Allow frequent rest periods in cool shaded areas.
  • Encourage your workers to wear light-weight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing made of breathable fabrics that are also designed to filter out harmful UV rays.
  • Keep a close watch on workers who are at higher risk for heat illnesses. For example, workers required to wear hot personal protective equipment, such as arc flash gear, welding gear, respirators, etc., and overweight workers may be at higher risk.

Distracted Driving Accidents Continue to Rise – These Resources Help You Address the Issue Head-On

Traffic fatalities increased by 6% in 2016, and 27% of crashes involve drivers talking and/or texting on cell phones. With daunting numbers like these, it’s no surprise that distracted driving is a concern for mechanical construction and service companies. These MCAA resources will help you address this concern head-on.

Get up to speed quickly

MCAA’s Distracted Driving Safety Bulletin will bring you up to speed quickly.

Download

Establish rules of the road

MCAA’s Distracted Driving Reduction and Prevention Guide will help you:

  • Establish a written policy to reduce or prevent distracted driving in your company
  • Train all affected drivers/workers
  • Learn about technologies to reduce or prevent distracted driving

Download

Provide additional worker training

MCAA’s Workplace Distractions Safety Training Video will help your workers recognize and avoid the four most common industry-related workplace distractions:

  • Driving distractions
  • Electronic distractions
  • Environmental distractions
  • Personal distractions

Download or play the video

Accompanying materials are also available to assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts:

Highlight key training points

Download the Pocket Guide

Document worker training

Download the Documentation Sheet

Confirm that workers understand the training concepts

Download the Test

Download the Test Answer Key

Want even more safety resources?

MCAA has you covered, with a full range of resources to help you protect your workers from injury and comply with applicable safety regulations. Here’s where to find them:

On our Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page, where they’re listed by category with links.

Go there now

In the Resource Center, where you can use the blue Refine Your Search bar to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for.

Visit the Resource Center

Have questions or need personal assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

Keep Your Service Techs Safe in the Field – This Video Can Help!

MCAA’s Mechanical Service Safety Training Video teaches your service techs how to protect themselves from the most common safety hazards in the field.

Your workers will learn:

  • How to conduct a quick walk-around vehicle inspection
  • Why it’s important to preplan their days to ensure that they have the right tools, materials and safety equipment on hand
  • How to protect themselves and others while driving
  • Why they should check in with their supervisor or someone at the office when working alone
  • How to safely set up and use ladders
  • When fall prevention/protection are needed and how to properly protect themselves
  • How to protect themselves from electrical hazards while working on equipment pushing 480 volts or less
  • What additional protection is needed when working on equipment pushing more than 480 volts

Download or play the video

There’s More…

Accompanying materials are also available to assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts:

Highlight key training points

Download the Pocket Guide

Document worker training

Download the Documentation Sheet

Confirm that workers understand the training concepts

Download the Test

Download the Test Answer Key

Want More Safety Resources?

MCAA has you covered, with a full range of resources to help you protect your workers from injury and comply with applicable safety regulations. Here’s where to find them:

On our Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page, where they’re listed by category with links.

Go there now

In the Resource Center, where you can use the blue Refine Your Search bar to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for.

Visit the Resource Center

Have questions or need personal assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.