It is no secret that industries worldwide can rapidly change in today’s volatile political and economic climate. Political views aside, we are all hard-working, purpose-driven, and, if you are reading this, proactive and inquisitive.
So, how can we combat the inevitably changing atmosphere of the metal construction industry that we pioneer daily? As always, in business, we start at the bottom line.
Improving material handling
One area ripe for innovation is material handling. It is an unavoidable task that brings costs due to damaged materials and the risk of injury to erectors. How can we tighten the screws of material handling processes, particularly when it comes to handling and installing insulated metal panels (IMPs)? IMPs tend to deter most construction companies due to their inherently bulky yet fragile body, leading to damaged panels and financial loss due to material handling. This is not to say that IMPs are fragile; they are quite the opposite. They provide impressive and competitive structural capacity and bear an R-value that catches the eye of those rising energy codes. Most metal buildings may be constructed using IMPs in the future. So, how can we get ahead of this rising tide? Where are our blind spots? What we generally hear while networking with contractors is IMPs are beasts. They are too heavy to get efficient work out of their erectors, causing bids and timelines to suffer. Compounding that point is that the panels suffer dents or scratches when erectors get tired. It is all connected, and companies are faced with a choice. Risk their erectors and reputation as a company while using IMPs or pass on the job and take more traditional builds. The safer option is always the latter.
This may all sound risky and even proof enough not to bother with IMPs, but, as I prefaced, we are all hard-working, purpose-driven, and proactive. Our company was suffering from these same challenges years ago. We wanted to bid on large jobs such as cold storage or performance buildings that called for IMP roofs or envelopes. However, we did not have the skilled labor or the means to safely install 11 m to 12 m (35 ft to 40 ft) IMP panels. Our founder and CEO, Jared Bradford, decided it was time to stop folding and lean into the issues we had been facing. As it were, the Pro-Clamp was born.
He started with the issue of material handling from the erector’s point of view. These things are beasts and installing them on the leading edge is as equally dangerous as it is hard. So why could we not build them on the ground? How would we move them to the roof? As I said earlier, IMPs are strong. When they are squeezed together, and the stitch screws are drilled through their laps, they have extreme sheer resistance and lift capacity.
This equipment features a square design that uses flat lift profile pads to screw into the IMPs directly over these seam laps. The intentionally designed trusses allow straps to be placed at different positions with roof pitch considered, giving the erectors control over the modular section. The sections are built on a worktable, giving the erectors a raised surface to work without bending over. Standing on the ground is much more comfortable than leaning over the leading edge. Each section has six IMPs up to 15 m (50 ft) long with a max lift of 1000 sf. Now, moving panels of that size is not easy, and we learned that the only way you can is with six workers using all the elbow grease they can muster, slamming these panels together, and trying to achieve a seamless connection between them. That is when we knew we needed a better way of squeezing these panels together.
Enter the compression arms: two leveraged arms with a matching profile of the IMP on the end so that all six panels can safely and easily squeeze together. One of the most helpful additions is the boom arm receiver and control lever. This simple ball and hitch system allows the erectors on the leading edge to safely harness this floating section of IMPs to the existing platform. At the same time, they line up the module to be adequately seated when in position.
Once in position, the module can be shifted left or right and then pulled tightly into place. The most significant benefit of this panelizing process is its efficiency. Separating crews into the ground and roof teams allows erectors to double their production through defined job roles. The ground team begins building the next roof section right after the previous section begins to fly up to the roof. When the roof section is installed and the crane swings back, the ground team should have another module built. This process has yielded 15-20 minute cycles of installing modules and have achieved over 15 picks on numerous occasions. Even on a slow day of panelizing, we consistently average more square feet than when installing by hand or vacuum lifters. The system breaks down to fit on a 6 m (20 ft) trailer, making transportation a breeze. This experience is not unique; we have seen many erectors struggle with the same problems, and after taking these steps, they found that those problems do not have to limit their ability to complete a job faster and safer.
Streamlining reduces costs
Reaching the importance of a company’s bottom line, erectors have long grappled with challenges that hinder productivity and profitability. These challenges strain resources for the overall project quality by rushing the later aspects of the project to get hours back within budget. Jobs are estimated more effectively when there is measurable control of the most complex parts of the process. Streamlining the process of panelizing has reduced the net cost of our jobs by 22 percent. This was found to be true after calculating crane costs, labor, and materials, but it can vary depending on numerous factors of each business. For example, owning a crane would increase net savings considerably. Many variables can affect any possible return on investment, but no amount of profit outweighs someone’s life. We all know how dangerous this business is and its effect beyond the job site. Equipment such as the Pro-Clamp can revolutionize the industry for efficiency and finances and increase the safety and longevity of our workforce.
Matthew Morris works in equipment sales and training for PanelClad.