Organization: MCAA

Dick Starr, Former MSCA Chairman, Provides Insight on the Maintenance Requirements of High-Performance Buildings

Energy efficiency, comfort, and productivity are the top focus for most high-performance buildings, according to Dick Starr, senior account executive, Enterprise HVAC Service & Control, Twinsburg, Ohio and former chairman of the MSCA Board of Managers.

In a high-performance building, system integration is key. A balance between productivity, safety, good health, and energy efficiency is imperative. Failure to maintain one component may prevent the entire system from performing optimally.

With an emphasis on system v. equipment, these high-performance buildings differ from most other commercial buildings, where the focus tends to land more on a ‘break/fix’ mentality and focus only on basic wear and tear maintenance. With the equipment running independently of each other maintaining one part will not impact another.

Since high-performance buildings are normally ‘owner-occupied’ facilities, according to Starr, he believes that building and maintaining trust between the building owner and HVAC service provider is key to developing best practices and creating a successful strategic plan. Each building is unique and requires a different maintenance program to operate at its highest potential.

Read the full article from theNews and learn more on how to create a maintenance program that will result in higher performing systems, please click here.

Find the Latest from Viega, Victaulic and More in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show

MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show connects our contractor members with the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:

Viega
Viega MegaPress XL® – Advanced Press for Larger Pipes – The only press fitting system for 2½” to 4″ dia. carbon steel pipe, makes connections, on average, in 25 seconds. Compared to welding, it saves up to 60% in installation costs and up to 90% in time.

Learn More

Victaulic
QuickVic SD – It’s the most economical and efficient way to join small diameter plain end carbon steel pipe, and it’s now available from Victaulic!

Learn More

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Visit the Virtual Trade Show

Speaking of Smart Solutions

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website to learn how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with cost-saving and productivity-enhancing applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

Introducing the Women in the Mechanical Industry Initiative Page

MCAA/MSCA’s Women in the Mechanical Industry Initiative has a new home on the MCAA website! If you’re a woman executive or employee of an MCAA/MSCA member company, this page will keep you up to date on our efforts to enable women in the mechanical industry to further enrich their careers through networking, educational, mentoring and career development opportunities beyond those already offered through membership in MCAA and MSCA.

Contractor Magazine Features Organizations that Empower Women

An article in Contractor Magazine featured organizations that support women in our industry, including MCAA’s Women in the Mechanical Industry initiative!

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:

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.

Download Your New Membership Directory & Buyer’s Guide Today!

The full-featured digital version of our Membership Directory & Buyer’s Guide enhances the look and feel of our directory with digital-only benefits to help you:

Network on the go with linked email addresses.
Connect with the companies, products and services that interest you using linked web addresses.
Get where you’re going…fast…with bookmarks and a linked table of contents.
Find advertisers instantly with a linked advertiser index.

MCAA’s Membership Directory & Buyer’s Guide is free as a member benefit. Printed directories are in the mail and will arrive to members within the next two weeks.

Download Your Copy

Have updates? Please share! Update your profile on our website, or contact Jan Grillo for assistance.

Safe Work Practices are Key During Pressure Testing Operations – This Guide Has Them!

MCAA’s Guide to Pressure Testing Safety highlights the safe work practices that can help prevent worker injury during hydrostatic and pneumatic testing of steel and copper piping systems.

Your workers will learn about:

Hazards associated with pressure testing
Common injuries resulting from pressure testing
Seven causes of piping system failures during pressure test operations that can result in injury, and how to avoid them
Safe work practices for hydrostatic testing
Safe work practices for pneumatic testing

The guide also contains tools to help you with pre-test safety planning, including sample checklists for both hydrostatic and pneumatic testing. A sample pneumatic test permit is also included.

Download the guide

There’s More…

A safety training video on the topic of safe pressure testing is also available. Accompanying materials will assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts.

Provide worker training

Download or play the video

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.

Need to Keep Your Workers Safe from Asbestos Hazards? This Video Can Help!

MCAA’s Asbestos Awareness for the Mechanical Trades Safety Training Video teaches your workers to protect themselves from the hazards involved in working around microscopic asbestos fibers.

Your workers will learn:

What asbestos is
Where asbestos can be found on the jobsite
What the health hazards of asbestos exposure are
How to identify potential asbestos hazards
How to protect themselves from asbestos hazards

Download or play the video in English

Download or play the video in Spanish

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.

Want to Keep Your Fitters and Plumbers Safe from Electrical Hazards? Show Them this Video!

MCAA’s Electrical Hazard Safety Training Video teaches your workers to recognize electrical hazards and perform their jobs safely.

Your workers will learn about:

The electrical concepts of path to ground and path of least resistance
The importance of keeping power tools and equipment in good working order
Ground fault circuit interruptors (GFCIs) and when they should be used
Hazardous work situations and how to handle them safely

Download or play the video in English

Download or play the video in Spanish

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.

Find the Latest from Nu Flow Technologies, Rawal Devices, Inc. and More in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show

MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show connects our contractor members with the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Participating companies highlight and link to new products, product lines, services, solutions or web pages of particular interest. Here are just a few of the recent additions:

Nu Flow Technologies
The Nu Drain System is used to rehabilitate aged or failing sewer, drain, vent and waste piping without digging, trenching or destruction inside buildings. This CIPP system can clean, line and reinstate pipes with diameters as small as 2”.

Learn More

Rawal Devices, Inc.
Rawal Devices, Inc.’s APR Control is a continuous capacity modulation and dehumidification device, providing part load control to resolve oversized DX A/C challenges in new and retrofit applications.

Learn More

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Visit the Virtual Trade Show

Speaking of Smart Solutions

This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

TG Gallagher Improves Prefabrication Processes with ManufactOn

With the ManufactOn cloud and mobile solution, TG Gallagher has increased and improved its prefabrication capacity. The TG Gallagher leadership team can keep tabs on the status of prefab work and materials at all times. The field team can monitor the progress of prefabbed items, request them as they are completed, and tag products to keep track of them. By integrating prefabrication into TG Gallagher’s supply chain, ManufactOn has helped them take the next step in the prefab revolution.

LEARN MORE

Looking for More Smart Solutions?

Visit the Smart Solutions Case Studies area of our website! You’ll see how other mechanical contractors found their win-win with productivity-enhancing and cost-saving applications from members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

How Are Field Leaders Reacting to Technology?

Whenever a new process, tool or technology is introduced to a company, there is always concern about how it will be used by the people in the field every day. At the Indianapolis Field Leaders Conference, UA Director of Training Chris Haslinger made a presentation about construction technology. His presentation included a survey which yielded some very interesting results from 175 end users.

A balance must always be made in technology training. You don’t want to spend so much time on the training process that it keeps people from doing their jobs. You also want to make sure that people understand how to use it and follow up with added training if required. The good news from these results is that it seems like most field users are getting the right amount of time, regardless of the duration, and very few respondents appear to be getting new technology handed to them with little time to practice with it.

The next question focused more on the tools needed to use new technology on the job site. As mobile devices are frequently seen as required tools by foreman and field supervisors, the need for internet connectivity has risen significantly.

Two thirds of field leaders answered that it is not only very important, but almost all of the time. This speaks to how essential communication and data flow is becoming between the field and the office. Today, field employees are using their mobile devices for more processes and a good internet connection is becoming a necessity. A poor internet connection slows down the processes and can waste field time. This makes usage of mobile devices counter-productive when the time it takes for files to load or transfer make it slower than other methods.

The usage of mobile devices is increasing. Much of this has to do with better software applications on the market and more companies making it part of the process. When asked which software applications they used most frequently, they responded:

85% – Jobsite Documentation
75% – Blueprint Rendering
67% – Time Cards
19% – Tool Management
46% – Safety Related Purposes

This demonstrates heavy usage of applications across a diverse set of processes. With a higher rate of application usage, the industry is likely to modify its processes to compensate. The last survey focused on this issue.

The top two responses both involved improved communication. Coordination with other trades is a process that has a high need for improvement, but involves a process improvement for communication. The same could be said of delivery of blueprints, change orders and design documents – a process that can grind a project to a halt and add significant cost if not organized correctly.

Mobile devices and job site software have become normal for modern contractors. To keep up on technology impacting MCAA members, MCAA’s Technology Initiative will continue to provide research, articles and guidance.

Find your Next Great Idea – Check Out MSCA’s Discussion Forum

MSCA’s online Discussion Forum is the place to go to share ideas and gain insights into industry best practices. Join a conversation, or start one of your own.

MSCA’s Discussion Forum can provide you with answers to some of your current concerns and give you new ideas on a range of business and industry topics. Exclusively for MSCA/MCAA member companies, the Forum is your online tool that enables you to reach out to other companies nationwide to share ideas or seek suggestions and input.

Current discussion topics include:

wearable technologies
peer groups
markup or margin
auto renewals
and more!

Be sure to check out the Discussion Forum site today!

Tozour Energy Systems Keeps Costs in Control with Connect from KEY2ACT

Using Connect, a data collection and analysis solution powered by KEY2ACT, Tozour Energy Systems can pinpoint and even fix customers’ HVAC problems remotely, saving time and money. When Tozour’s technicians go on site, Connect helps them more accurately diagnose problems so they know exactly what they are looking for when they arrive. “They’re not wasting their time or the client’s time and money looking around for problems that don’t exist,” said Tozour’s Executive Vice President Frank Rhea.

LEARN MORE

Looking for More Smart Solutions?

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

Watch the MCAA18 Student Chapter Competition

The 2018 MCAA Student Competition brought together future leaders of our industry on the main stage of the convention.

Congratulations to our four finalists:

Colorado State University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
University of Washington
Wentworth Institute of Technology

The “Final Four” project involved the renovation of the heating and cooling systems for the Fogo De Chao Brazilian Steakhouse in New York City where chapters were tasked with coordinating the removal of the existing equipment and installing the new equipment.

The four finalists presented their plans to the on-stage judges and fielded a series of demanding questions. Missed the competition or want a second view? Watch the competition video from start to finish here.

Congratulations again to all the participants and this year’s winner…Colorado State University!

Daikin Modular Central Plants Speed Installation, Eliminate Downtime for Data Center

With fast installation as high a priority as efficient cooling, Herakles Data of Sacramento, CA, chose pre-engineered, pre-assembled Daikin Modular Central Plants to meet their cooling demands. “Our number-one requirement in selecting a new system was speed,” said Laurence Stancil, director of facilities at Herakles Data. “The new cooling system had to be installed and operating as fast as possible, with minimal interruption.”

LEARN MORE

Looking for More Smart Solutions?

Plus, you’ll find tips and ideas on other ways you and your company can save money and enhance your productivity.

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

Need an Electrical Safety in the Workplace Program to Comply with NFPA 70E – 2018? This Model Program is for You!

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently revised its standard for electrical safety in the workplace. NFPA 70E – 2018 requires affected employers to establish a written program for electrical safety in the workplace. MCAA’s Model Electrical Safety in the Workplace Program can be quickly and easily tailored to meet your company’s specific electrical safety applications.

This updated model program and all MCAA/MSCA safety resources are free to members as one of many benefits of membership.

If you have any questions about this publication, or NFPA 70E – 2018, please contact Pete Chaney at pchaney@mcaa.org or 301-990-2214.

Discover the Latest from Sloan Valve Company, ServiceTrade and More in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show

MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show connects our contractor members with the members of MCAA’s Manufacturer/Supplier Council.

Learn More

ServiceTrade
ServiceTrade is customer service, sales, and service management software for mechanical service companies.

Learn More

Need Something Else?

Find many more smart solutions in MCAA’s Virtual Trade Show!

Visit the Virtual Trade Show

Speaking of Smart Solutions

This section of our website also includes tips and ideas to help your company save money and enhance your productivity. Don’t miss it!

VISIT SMART SOLUTIONS

Check Out MCAA’s New Model Lockout/Tagout Program for Electrical Safety (Based on NFPA 70E-2018)

Introducing MCAA’s newest safety resource… Model Lockout/Tagout Program for Electrical Safety. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently revised its standard for electrical safety in the workplace. The most current version of the standard is NFPA 70E – 2018. This version imposes a new requirement concerning lockout/tagout of electrical energy sources. Affected employers must now establish a written lockout/tagout program specifically for electrical safety. The new requirement is independent of the long-standing NFPA 70E requirement for a written electrical safety program.

The program is available electronically, and it can be quickly and easily tailored to meet your company’s specific applications. The new model program and all MCAA/MSCA safety resources are free to members as one of many benefits of membership. If you have any questions about this publication, or NFPA 70E – 2018, please contact Pete Chaney at pchaney@mcaa.org or 301-990-2214.

New Report Looks at How MCAA Members Use Technology

The MCAA-sponsored 2017 Construction Technology Report by JBKnowledge took an in-depth look at how the construction industry utilizes technology, software and IT. This week, MCAA released an “MCAA Focused” Report that analyzed the responses of MCAA and MSCA members. It looked at how MCAA members use and estimate BIM costs, track productivity, and emerging tech tools.

Part of the report focused on how MCAA members compare to the rest of the construction industry. It showed that MCAA members have a greater adoption of BIM and have higher use rates for BIM with especially with coordination and fabrication.

The MCAA focused report also explored how MCAA members are tracking BIM hours and estimating their costs. It found that far too many contractors do not track their BIM hours per project and as a result cannot use those hours to estimate the amount of time needed to perform BIM on a project.

The report also looked at emerging trends that contractors are currently testing. While the industry at large favors drones by a wide margin, MCAA members are far ahead of the industry on fabrication and modularization.