Queen City Mechanicals transformed its workflow with PypeServer Inc. products, realizing substantial savings in labor and material. In this Q&A, Randy Tillett, fabrication manager, talks about the productivity gains Queen City Mechanicals has realized thanks to PypeServer technology.
What kind of work does Queen City Mechanicals do?
Queen City started in the early 1980s as a cooperative of owners. In the early 2000s, one of the founding members took sole ownership. Today, we’re a family-operated business specializing in commercial plumbing, plumbing site utilities, sewer backup prevention, and backflow testing. We also have a dedicated plumbing service and special projects division, Blue Chip Plumbing.
Our focus is on providing our field crews with fabrication that makes sense for their specific projects. We don’t just supplement their labor—we ensure product standards are maintained while also considering constructability. Whether it’s general overhead fabrication of rack assemblies or fully assembled and supported site backflow preventer replacements, we’re always looking for ways to maximize efficiency and quality.
What is your role at Queen City Mechanicals and what is your background?
I got my start in the mid-‘90s, coordinating sheet metal and producing fabrication drawings on a drafting table at a company that handled commercial sheet metal, plumbing, HVAC piping, and fire protection services. Over time, I transitioned into plumbing and HVAC piping coordination, working with AutoCAD and CADpipe. From there, I took on the development and management of the company’s estimation, coordination, and fabrication database using what is now known as Autodesk Fabrication. As I maintained the database and oversaw software operations, I gradually shifted away from coordination and focused more on the fabrication phase of projects.
Today, I’m the fabrication manager at Queen City Mechanicals where, alongside our outstanding shop manager, Noah Griffith, we’re building a strong fabrication culture and implementing a full-fledged fabrication shop.
What is your typical workflow like, and what software tools do you use, from design through production?
We’re building our workflow on an Autodesk foundation, incorporating Trimble’s MEP content and SmartTools, along with other productivity tools we’ve developed internally. On the project management side, we use Procore to keep everything organized. In the shop, we’re currently running one TigerStop, with plans to add a second station soon, both powered by PypeServer Lyte and Cloud+. We’re also expanding our use of PypeServer Cloud+ to enhance status tracking and improve reporting throughout the shop.
What made you consider PypeServer in the first place?
At my previous company, … PypeServer stood out, … and I was really impressed with the platform. When I joined Queen City Mechanicals, PypeServer was already in place, which made the transition even smoother. What really drew me to PypeServer was its ability to get things done right without unnecessary complexity. Over the years, I’ve seen plenty of software companies make big promises and deliver only a fraction of what they claim—PypeServer actually delivers.
How was the PypeServer installation process, what was the learning curve like, and how well does it work with your TigerStop machine?
The PypeServer installation process was incredibly straightforward. PypeServer’s Ricky Bell walked us through downloading the software, making everything clear from the start. We had to work through a few challenges during implementation, especially when it came to printer integration, dialing in the TigerStop settings versus PypeServer settings, and training the shop team. Like anything new, we figured some things out by getting them wrong the first time, but that’s part of the learning process. Griffith, our shop manager said, “Once everything was set up, PypeServer has worked seamlessly with our TigerStop. It’s made our cutting process much more efficient and is incredibly user-friendly.”
How has your workflow changed with PypeServer, and have you seen any savings in time, labor, or materials with PypeServer?
Implementing PypeServer completely transformed our workflow. Before, we had to manually enter cut lengths into the TigerStop software, which wasn’t very user-friendly. We relied on printed cut sheets, entering each length by hand, but PypeServer has streamlined that entire process.
Now, we’re seeing significant material savings thanks to linear nesting and stock optimization through PypeServer. The labor savings have also been substantial. The paperless process and user-friendly interface make a huge difference—no more struggling to read a printed cut list. Overall, PypeServer has taken Queen City Mechanicals’ fab shop prefabrication to the next level.
Try out PypeServer’s ROI calculator to get a customized saving analysis for your fab shop: https://pypeserver.com/savings-calculator/
Do you consider PypeServer a good value?
Absolutely! I’m not sure what else can be said about this—on its own, PypeServer Lyte is an unbelievable value, and Cloud+ takes that a step further.
For more information, visit pypeserver.com.
