Profile: Precision Plumbing - Doing it Right

Courtesy Precision Plumbing - Charlotte, NC

I sat down with Charlie Brown, president of Precision Plumbing in Charlotte, and we talked about how they are using emerging technology to improve quality, production, and profits. Precision is a leader in the local plumbing market and they are fully invested in emerging technologies – more than any plumbing contractor I have talked with.

 Precision is using CADPIPE (see note below) along with other technologies to detail working models at LOD 5 – down to hanger placement and seismic restraints. Then they prefab and pallatize the whole job, use Total Stations to layout underground piping, sleeve and hanger placement, and Just In Time(JIT) delivery to have what is needed on the job site when it is needed. The efficiency is exemplary.

According to Mr. Brown, there have been bumps along the way. Time is always an issue. We all know how general contractors like to award a contract today and start construction yesterday. To achieve full efficiency, Mr. Brown notes, there must be time at the front-end to detail the model, coordinate with other trades, and start prefabrication during the pre-construction phase. As he told me, using BIM to only produce an 'as-built' model at the end of the project is a waste of resources from the contractor's point of view.

I've been preaching on this for awhile, and I've said it time and again on this blog, Building Information Technology will change the way we work if we embrace it in the plumbing industry. Precision Plumbing is a perfect example of that idea. They are leveraging the available technologies and searching for new innovations going forward. But it also needs to be understood and embraced industry wide for full efficiency, and time must be scheduled for contractors to detail models, coordinate, and do the work of prefabrication.

But this isn't a new concept. Mechanical contractors have always required lead time for duct fabrication and were the first of the MEP's to use CAD and automated production. Precision has shown that having that time at the front-end doesn't add to the overall project schedule, it can actually shorten the schedule since much of the work is accomplished in the pre-construction phase through prefabrication. Once the job starts the installation is faster, more accurate, and higher quality. Win-Win, right?

But it's not just the plumbing trade which needs to climb on board – it takes all the MEP contractors to coordinate their work. It does absolutely no good to coordinate my LOD 500 model with the electricians less than 100 model. I'm not picking on electricians, but generally the mechanical contractors are already detailing to a high LOD for their prefabrication of duct and pipe, and Sprinkler Fitters have used prefabrication for years. Plumbers and electricians have traditionally been the slack ones.

I've written a lot so far about design and detailing, but it doesn't end there. As I've suggested in other posts, adoption of the new technologies should be industry wide and organization wide. At Precision they have a modeling team in house, a prefabrication unit, and all their foremen have access to the models and drawings 'in the cloud' via their iPads. It is a complete integration of technology company wide.

That is important. The man in the field needs to understand and embrace the new paradigm. The installation in the field must match what is being modeled and prefabricated or we are all wasting our time. And there needs to be a free flow of information, in all directions, between modeling, prefabrication, and installation. It cannot be a top-down approach dumping pallets of pipe in the field.

Some of those old-guys in the field may be the hardest to drag on board, but they are also the greatest wealth of knowledge and experience in any organization. The technologies are getting easier and easier to use, which helps, and once tradesmen see how it all comes together to make their job easier they will climb on. But that is an important point I've also made before – the technology should make our jobs easier and more productive, not more complicated.

Note: If you've been reading my blog for awhile you know I like Autodesk Revit. SysQue, which I've mentioned here before, plugs into Revit and allows you to get the same level of detail you need for production. I talked to some engineer friends and they tell me they prefer SysQue precisely because it sits on Revit, not AutoCAD like CADPIPE - allowing you all the great features of Revit which AutoCAD lacks. Mr. Brown says he prefers AutoCAD and CADPIPE. But either way, there are tools available to get the detail you need for layout, prefabrication, and production.

Does Technology Make Your Job Easier? Or More Complicated?

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is growing in popularity and importance. But most of the excitement, and implementation, is in the office. Managers, estimators, designers, and building engineers are finding myriad ways to use the technology, but what about the construction side?

One of the greatest assets of a good Building Information Model is improving the information available to tradesmen actually building a project – and gathering information from the tradesmen about actual conditions. After all, the whole purpose of BIM is not to make a pretty model – the purpose is to build a structure. Otherwise we are just creating 3-D art, right?

The mechanical side of the MEP trades, with all their controls and automation systems, has been quicker in embracing the available technology. Plumbers are less interested. The old saying, “Hot's on the left, cold's on the right, and shit don't flow uphill” speaks volumes. Generally the most high-tech thing a plumber has to worry about is an electronic sensor faucet or automatic flush valve.

Yet plumbing, in it's own way, is highly technical. But the stock and trade of a plumber is hydraulics – the flow of solids, liquids, and gases through pipes – not the flow of information within a computer program. And the available CAD and BIM systems are not very good at that. Plumbing codes and plumbing theory are complex, concerned with the flow in pipes by gravity or at very low pressures measured in inches of water column. Only a few years ago most CAD and BIM software didn't even allow for sloping pipe!

The tech is catching up, but slowly. We can slope pipe now in a 3-D model, and calculate flow-rates and pressure drop in water systems, but there is no check for code compliance. That is probably years off, and modeling the flow of solid wastes in the system is likely decades away. So models are created which are unworkable and the plumber in the field is left to interpret design intent and install the system by code, not the actual model. From the tradesman's point of view the model is no better than paper drawings and only adds unneeded complexity.

Bringing technology to the workplace, and the promise of increased productivity, first requires that the technology be useful to the person using it. As BIM and technology managers we must put our hardhats on and think like tradesmen. Some of us were tradesmen at one time, so that should be easy enough to do. And the more tradesmen who move up into BIM design and detailing the easier the transition to technology will be. Implementation of building technology in the trades is best when it comes from the field to the office, not the other way.

One of the technologies that is field ready right now is the Trimble system. It allows points from a model to be located on the jobsite. Plumbers can lay out pipe penetrations through the slab or floors assuring those pipes will be inside the walls when they are eventually built. Hitting a wall that won't be built for weeks, when you are standing in the middle of a dirt field with nothing to pull accurate measurements from, isn't as easy as plumbers make it look. Trimble solves that.

On the design and modeling side, the work around for the limits inherent in the available software is good old-fashioned experience and expertise. That means accessing the plumber's knowledge. And plumbers that are brought in to review and consult on the design are more comfortable using the model in the field. You get a better, more accurate model for your needs and the tradesmen have something they can actually use. The more we use the available technologies, the more comfortable we become with the technology.

As 3-D models, and the programs that produce them, become more accurate to real-world conditions the more useful they become. Eventually our BIM models will be exact representations of structures as built. But that will require complete integration by the men and women building those structures. Without the workers we just have a fancy CGI to look at. CAD became popular because it made design more efficient and made the designer's job easier. To take the next step into the field it must make the tradesman's job easier and more efficient.

I've written a lot on this blog about the potential of CAD and BIM technology in the workplace. Those potentials become realities day by day. We don't have perfect tools yet, and sometime the tools we have are nothing but a headache, but its getting better one innovation at a time. I know a lot of the tradesmen in the field would like to tell the folks in the office where they can stick their iPad at times, but we should look ahead and see what is possible.

I'll keep dreaming and sharing what can be, someday. Technology is transforming the plumbing industry in good ways and bad. The more involved plumbers are in that transformation the better it will be for the industry, and the tradesmen laying the pipes. To my brothers and sisters out there pulling wrenches and laying pipe, we're trying to make your job easier – we really are. Feedback is crucial. Tell us what you need, what works for you, and what doesn't.

Virtually FREE Virtual Reality - Thanks Google

Just imagine. You have your model available to your construction team on everything from their laptops, to tablets, to their phones. But it's not very viewable on a small screen. A tablet or a workstation in the office trailer are better options. But your workers need the information where they work, and carrying around a tablet is bothersome and easy to damage on a construction site. You can print out some drawings, but that doesn't fully utilize the 3D design.

Enter Google Cardboard. No, we're not printing drawings on cardboard. Google Cardboard is an ingenious idea that brings virtual reality to your phone. I've written before about VR Glasses such as Google Glass being used to bring your model alive in the real world. But again – expensive, easily damaged, cumbersome unless they make a safety glasses version for construction.

The cardboard idea takes a simple pattern you download, transfer to cardboard, cut and fold – use and throw away. You could have a stack of the things unfolded waiting for your workers to grab one as needed for virtually no cost. You fold it, slide your phone in, hold it up to your face, and you are seeing your model in 3D virtual reality. It can even be location and movement sensitive using your phone's GPS and tilt.

So here is the scenario. You send a fresh model to your worker in the field via email, or post it to the cloud. Your worker pulls out a cell phone, slips it into the cardboard box, and can look around at the model with a perspective based on their current location. Okay, that pipe you just moved in the model is intersecting a duct which is already in place on site. Your worker snaps a pic and texts it to you.

Now that brings up another possibility. Say in your rendering app you use the phone's camera to allow an overlay of the actual condition with the model. That would only take a slight modification of the Google Cardboard box to uncover the camera lens. Now you are looking through the camera, and at the model, synchronized in real time using a CELL PHONE and a CARDBOARD BOX!

Imagine the possibilities! And all with the cell phone your worker already has, the software you already use, and a free box you cut and folded from an old piece of cardboard destined for the recycle bin. Check out Google Cardboard and play around with it. People are already coding games for the thing. This could revolutionize how we work, and you heard it here first.

5 Steps To An Efficient Workflow : BIM Design And Implementation

Background:

I sat down last week with an engineer who has worked in the industry even longer than I have. We discussed the current state of design technology and its implementation. Our industry is in flux, on the precipice of possibilities. BIM offers us tools to increase productivity and efficiency in design and management as well as implementation, construction, and maintenance. But roles and responsibilities are changing.

In an earlier post I talked about what we, as contractors, expect from architects and engineers when we're given a project for pricing and what we more often get. My most recent project consisted of a set of architectural drawings, from which I needed to provide a take-off for estimating a budget price. To do this required designing the plumbing system from concept drawings that hadn't been sent to an engineer yet.

At this point in the bumpy ride toward BIM technology everyone is feeling their way in the dark and the lines between design and build are blurred like never before. Who does what, when? That question is being answered in as many ways as there are projects. The next design I look at may be a complete Revit model or a sketch on paper. Uncertainty isn't good for production or the bottom line.

Most of my conversation with the engineer concerned that very question. How far does he take his design and when does he hand it off to me. We are all looking for efficient workflows with minimal reworking. In the past engineers developed a design in AutoCAD, or by hand, and handed off a set of blueprints to the builder. So where does BIM, 3D modeling, and coordination fall in?

My friend the engineer provided great insight into decades of design work and I threw in my decades of work in the field implementing those designs. Together we found some basic parameters for adding BIM to the process and, I think, an efficient workflow that minimizes overlap. Every project is unique, and different engineers and contractors have varying capabilities and needs. But there are commonalities enough for standardization.

For the sake of simplicity the basic process of taking a project from concept to finish product can be broken down into five basic steps: Design, Price, Model, Coordinate, and Build. Of course these areas overlap and inform each other, but they are separate enough for our purposes. I will show those areas of overlap as we go and what one area needs to take from another. Let's start with Design.

Design:

The design process takes an owner's vision from initial concept through a workable design. The basic structure is defined along with layout of main MEP systems and equipment. Contractors can use this to generate material take-offs and estimate labor and material costs. This design does not need to be completely detailed and ready for construction.

One of the points the engineer made concerned AutoCAD versus Revit in basic design. Revit models building information. It is a true BIM modeling tool, but plugging in all that data is time consuming. During the design phase information is changing and dynamic, and we've established our basic design doesn't need that level of detail.

It is much more efficient, in the early stages of design, to simple draw the structure and MEP systems in AutoCAD. What builders need for their cost estimates is, as I said before, basic lay-outs and equipment schedules. If the A/E spend time creating a detailed model in Revit, much of that work will require changing later on in other phases; as we shall see.

Pricing:

During the pricing phase builders and contractors take the drawings or basic model the A/E provides and generate cost estimates. Often contractors see ways that cost can be reduced and/or time saved by slight changes to the design. Alternates can be requested or offered and the most economic design can move on to the next phase.

This is where a detailed model becomes cumbersome as the design changes slightly, but the model requires a lot of time to edit all of the pertinent data. This is not to say we couldn't or shouldn't start from the beginning in Revit. A basic model can be produced in Revit without the tons of data in a detailed BIM model; that can all be added later. But an AutoCAD drawing is sufficient at this stage and can be imported in Revit when the full BIM model is developed. Which is the next phase.

Modeling:

Once prices, materials, and schedules are hammered out, and the design documents reflect any changes made, it's time to build a more detailed model. This may be performed by the A/E, or by individual contractors with the A/E's oversight and approval. In the industry we refer to that as design assist. This phase goes hand-and-glove with the traditional process of contractors submitting data on materials and equipment they plan to use on the project to the A/E.

There will be further changes to the model, but during this phase a BIM model takes shape as actual material and equipment data is entered. If the basic design was in Revit we fill in, or edit, real-world data where needed. If AutoCAD was used we import the .DWG files and begin modeling using them as our guide. Again, routing and equipment placement are subject to change, so we keep it basic, but material types and equipment are set so we apply all those details.

This phase provides us with a solid working model to take into coordination. 

Coordination:

Coordination is the heart of BIM. During this phase we take the building model and the various MEP models and work out any conflicts that emerge. Our models must be sufficiently detailed to make those conflicts apparent, yet fluid enough for changes to resolve those clashes. Equipment may be moved or piping rerouted, but the core data of material types and equipment types doesn't change.

Detailing the model continues throughout this phase. By the end of coordination the model should be a true representation of what the construction personnel will install on site. Details, spool drawings, and elevations can be produced as needed through the building phase. Points can be established for layout, and material list generated for purchasing.

Building:

During the building phase the model is used for construction. Very few changes are made unless previously unknown field conditions require a change, or the owner requests a change. These changes are made as needed, in a timely manner, to keep the model up-to-date throughout construction. Additional data can also be added to the model during this time to meet owner requirements at close-out; operation and maintenance data, warranties, valve charts, etc.

At the end of construction the model, if kept up to date, should reflect the actual conditions and contain any additional information requested by the owner in the contract. The BIM model has become your As-Built model and contains all of your close-out documentation in one Revit file. 

Conclusion:

In the real world the outlines of these basic steps will inevitably blur and shift as various stakeholders shoulder sundry responsibilities in designing and building different projects. There will be overlap, wasted work, and conflicts, but the field is clearing and in a few years standards will emerge and best practices will evolve. For now we need to continue looking for the most efficient ways to get the job done.

All of these steps need to happen on any project implementing BIM design and coordination for an efficient workflow. Who does what when must be considered, and possibly negotiated, but the work needs to get done. BIM can and does provide us with the tools for greater efficiency and therefore higher profits if we use it intelligently.

If you have thoughts, questions, or ideas on the best ways to implement Building Information Technology in your business model send me an EMAIL or leave a comment below.

Details, Details. What Information Do You Need?

Five basic Levels of Development (LOD) are generally accepted for Revit and 3-D modeling files in the construction industry. They give a bare bones scale of detail present in the model and its components. These are often referred to in construction documents to represent what the owner/design-team/contractor expect at different phases of a project. Let's take a look.

LOD 100 

This level has the least amount of detail and is used at the beginning of the design phase for conceptual drafts. At this level the model has little of the detailed information we expect in a BIM model, and is better described as a three dimensional sketch.

LOD 200 

At this level the model begins to take shape with basic MEP layouts and equipment placement. You can probably print drawings and project cost estimates from the model, but there isn't enough information for coordination and much of the detailed information still needs to be plugged in.

LOD 300

At this point the model is a more accurate representation of what will be constructed, with fixture / equipment placement and hook-ups, pipe/duct/conduit runs in place, and information included for key components. BIM Coordination can begin, product data can be submitted and approved, conflict resolution and QE changes can be made, and shop drawings  incorporated.

LOD 400 

This could be called the Building Model. Coordination is complete. Approved materials are represented and manufacturer data is linked to fixtures / equipment. Shop drawings and details are modeled and available for fabrication. The model is no longer conceptual. It is a virtual replica of what is to be built. Fab shops can pull out spool drawings and tradesmen can work to the model.

LOD 500

The highest level of detail represents the project "As-Built" and includes all engineering and O&M data necessary to manage and maintain the facility and equipment. The model has been tweaked to include any changes made during construction. Fixture, equipment, and material families contain all data needed by the owner going forward. This includes panel labels, valve charts, flow settings, and any other information requested by the owner in the contract.

But even at LOD 500 the model isn't "finished". BIM models are fluid and can be tweaked, added to, and changed by the owner as the building itself changes. Owners can note repairs, replacements, additions and keep their model up to date.

These levels are not always strictly adhered to. Construction may begin with a model at LOD 200 and the owner may only require an "As-Built" model of LOD 300. But in a perfect world the development of a BIM model would follow this path. Contractors can reasonably expect a model of at least LOD 200  to bid from and begin coordination, but that isn't always the case. In some instances the A/E may manage the model throughout the development, and in others the contractor may be called on to detail the model.

So, where do we get all of this information and when do we plug it all it. It does make a difference and unless you want to do everything twice -- or three times -- you want to work toward the correct level of detail and follow a logical workflow. In my next post I'll walk through a suggested workflow to take a model from LOD 100 to LOD 500 with a minimal amount of backtracking and editing.

Until then I'll leave you with a video from SysQue on what they can add to Revit. This isn't an endorsement, I'm just sharing. I'll dig more into it and post a review in the future. For now, enjoy the video and the potential for your BIM. And let me know what you think. Comment below or drop me an EMAIL.

How Much is BIM Going to Cost?

If you've looked into the cost of available BIM software you probably have sticker shock. BIM software can run into the thousands, even tens-of-thousands of dollars. Then you have training. Add some more digits. And the cost of another employee to run it all. It may not seem worth the investment. But let's step back and take a realistic look.

You can get the full Autodesk Building Design Suite (Premium) for around $450 a month. Think about that, and put it into perspective. How much do you spend to rent a mini excavator for a week? Twice that at least. We're only talking $100 a week! Less than what that piece of equipment costs per day. And how much are you paying the operator?

That's not a big investment, and like every other job expense – from men, to equipment, to material – your computers and BIM software should be in your bid price. It's a cost associated with the job, and often, in my experience, contractors ask for it to be priced separately. I often see a request to price an alternate to the project bid to cover “Design Assist” and/or “BIM Coordination”. That's your software, hardware, and manpower!

If you've looked into software training, that can be a big expense which probably can't be billed to a specific project. But then again so is safety training, training helpers into plumbers, or teaching someone to run an excavator. To be competitive, productive, and profitable going forward all of your employees need different levels of ongoing training and continuing education. With the rise of technology in the construction industry tech training is a part of that.

Our industry is always evolving and moving forward. That's nothing new. I've mentioned on this blog before how my father swore he “would never put a band-aid on cast iron pipe.” He did. No-hub became the new standard. He started out using lead and oakum and by the time I was his helper we were even using a little PVC. He called it “Glue-pipe.” New products require new skills and new standards.

CAD has been used for decades in design, but in the field tradesmen still relied on paper drawings. BIM has pushed that technology beyond design into the hands of the builders – first in estimating and management and now into the field with computerized lay-out and 3-D models on iPads. A well trained plumber was once required to read and work from blueprints. More and more today a well trained plumber needs to work from 3-D models and electronic documents.

The cost of not adopting the emerging technology outweighs the cost of implementing it. As general contractors and owners demand 3-D models and electronic documentation as part of their contracts the only choice becomes whether to perform the work in-house or sub it out. The cost of both are comparable, but over the long run having the capabilities throughout your workforce will add to your companies flexibility, capability, and bottom line.

But you don't need to jump in all at once. Like any other investment in your business you need to weigh cost-to-benefit and grow your IT just like you grow your business. Every business is unique. Look at your work, your people, your future, and plan ahead. You can sub a few jobs out while you train your employees and get them comfortable with new procedures and capabilities. Or add a little at a time, project by project, just like buying new tools or equipment.

Every day construction technology is improving and becoming more common in the industry. Companies and tradesmen who adapt and embrace the new tools will thrive and profit. Those who are stuck in the old ways of doing business will find themselves struggling to catch-up or unable to compete. If an old plumber from my father's day hadn't learned to use no-hub bands and 'glue-pipe' he would have gone out of business pretty quickly. Running a project these days without BIM is like hand digging all your ditches. Good luck with that.

If you have questions drop me an email, or comment below. I'm happy to help.

How Can The Internet Profit Your Business Model?

I recently started looking into local plumbing companies just to see what kind of presence they have online. I searched the white pages, the yellow pages, google, yahoo, yelp... I found a handful of plumbing contractors and very little information on those. If I were an owner or general contractor, new to the area and looking for a reputable plumbing contractor to bid on work, I would think Charlotte only has drain cleaning companies.

I found plenty of those.

I'm from Charlotte. Even companies I know to be big players in the local industry appeared, by their online presence, to be small service companies. They use the internet to advertise, and apparently they believe that only applies to service work, not contracting. One of the companies had a web site, most didn't, but all they had on their site was a splash page devoted to repair and drain cleaning—and contact info for their service department.

The internet, and your website, can do more than advertise your service department!

Your website can be a hub for your employees, customers, and contractors. Your site can have private, password protected areas accessible to different groups—from an area where your employees can view everything from their insurance information to your companies vacation/events calendar to an area where contractors can view your training docs, your policies and procedures, or whatever you need them to have access to.

The internet isn't a one page ad in the newspaper or phone book. It isn't a thirty-second radio or TV spot. It can be both, but it's a whole lot more!

That public splash page should be more than an ad for your service department. It should make your whole company shine, with jobs you've done, awards you've received, employees with special training, charities you support. Whatever makes your business unique and stellar should be there. Contractors should want you bidding on their projects. Customers should be searching for that service department contact info because they want to give you their business.

A good website can make your company shine, and it can be an asset to your company rather than a debit to the advertising budget.

Imagine your website as your company's hub in the world market. It's your virtual office. Your communication center. The driving force making you more efficient, more precise, and more profitable. You can have online meetings with employees. Let potential employees fill out an application. Offer information to potential contractors who might be in other cities, but are bidding work right down the street. Your website is your company—at the next level.

It's not that hard to make it all happen and even easier to maintain once you have the pieces in place.

Today the average plumbing contractor is a decade behind the average business in technology. They are a good five years behind engineers, architects, and general contractors. Most of what you need to catch up and get a big edge on your competition isn't cutting edge technology—isn't expensive—and isn't hard to use. If you can surf the web and handle email – and you apparently found this blog – you can manage a basic corporate website.

Step into the twenty-first century. Technology is a tool of modern business. We can do more with our computers than play solitaire while we wait for the phone to ring. You have a computer, an email account, and you're already paying for internet service. Use it to make your business more productive, and more profitable.

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