Smart Solutions

Message from Joseph Pikus, M/SC Chair: Better Together

This issue of Smart Solutions demonstrates the benefits of a good partner. For example, Shinn Mechanical Inc. shaved months off a timeline by using cordless products from MILWAUKEE TOOL to install Victaulic grooved couplings on an innovative piping design. Close coordination with Jay R. Smith Mfg. Co. allowed Pan-Pacific/Murray Company to deliver plumbing solutions for a new NFL stadium. Herman Goldner Co., Inc. turned to SPX Cooling Technologies for a new cooling tower system, then brought in Erickson Incorporated to conquer the formidable challenge of installing it in a busy, urban site. MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions worked with KEY2ACT and XOi Technologies to create KEY2ACT’s See software, powered by XOi—video technology that helped land a huge national contract. Brandt has used Viega products almost exclusively for more than a decade, citing their reliability and ease of use.

Sustainable Solutions

Meeting clients’ energy efficiency and sustainability goals remains a priority. Since Muir-Chase Plumbing installed Zurn Retrofit Pint urinal systems throughout the Caltech campus, the university is saving water and money each year. ACCO Engineered Systems used Daikin Self-Contained air conditioning units to help Levi’s Stadium become the first NFL stadium to achieve LEED® Gold certification. For a record-setting continuous concrete pour, Couts Heating and Cooling, Inc. laid down Uponor radiant tubing to create a thermal cooling system to ensure integrity during curing for a project that also used a slew of green  construction—and deconstruction—techniques to save millions.

Tech = Time, Money Saved

Member contractors continue to cut costs and increase productivity with digital solutions. Wm. T. Spaeder Company saved weeks of layout time using DEWALT HangerWorks™ software. JEC Service Co. credits MobiliForms from iBusiness Technologies with saving the company at least $500,000 a year by slashing time spent on paperwork. With a Trimble® TX6 Scanner and RealWorks® Office software, Arden Engineering Constructors mapped an entire office campus in just four hours, saving days of labor while creating an accurate digital as-built model.

Using KEY2ACT’s Connect technology to gather building data during a year-long retrofit project, Brandt found and fixed glitches in the products it was installing—without going over schedule. With Viewpoint software, Western Allied Mechanical, Inc. cut RFI response time from days to minutes.

Expert Advice

In this issue, get expert advice on how to avoid rework with better collaboration and more efficient processes (PlanGrid), use newer welding approaches and technologies to improve quality and save time (Miller Electric), and select and set up sit/stand workstations to increase worker comfort and productivity (CNA). Through MCAA, supplier partners and member contractors are teaming up to be better together.