Comments Off on The Millwork Drawings Are Wrong ~ How Much Are You Willing To Spend On Rework?
The Construction Industry Institute reported that 55% of construction rework is caused by inaccurate documentation. This often happens when someone is referencing the wrong set of documents. It is critical to commercial construction project success to have one and only one set of documents that everyone is using. Utilizing or not utilizing centralized plans, photos, revision management and other important documents will make or break your projects.
Document accessibility on job sites is important. Equally important is having the correct documents while on site. What happens when changes are made due to site conditions and the Project Planner does not update the correct set of drawings? Rework.
Rework causes longer construction schedules that push occupancy dates and cost overruns that can be between 2%-20% of the project value. This percentage comes from the Construction Industry Institute of Texas. Could your project absorb a $400,000 rework on a $2,000,000 project? Rework not only affects your bottom line, but it can also cost companies their reputations and sway decisions regarding future work with a customer.
Throughout a project lifespan there will be multiple drawing revisions. Ensure that your document management system implements some type of version control. Some companies use in house developed document management systems. Some companies use out of the box software such as Procore, Textura, BIM 360, Plangrid and Blue Beam. These cloud based systems can assist with subcontractor communication. For example a millwork contractor gets the plumbing submittals that include sink cutouts and faucet information that is needed to fabricate the tops.
The bottom line is that if you do not have control of your documentation, you have a much lower chance of successfully completing your projects on time and in budget.
Comments Off on Commercial Construction Supply Chain Issues ~ How To Handle the Dynamic Environment of Commercial Construction Materials
If you work in commercial construction, you know that getting building material right now can be difficult. It does not matter if you are talking about MDF, steel, or even portable toilets for workers. What is causing this? There are many reasons such as COVID-19, worker shortages, extreme weather and even shipping container shortages. While we don’t have individual control over extreme weather or worker shortages, there are actions that companies can take to ensure project continuity.
Know your schedule and get in front of ordering materials early. This should go without saying and if you do not do this, you will certainly risk not being able to get materials on time. If you have the space, order your material early and store it. In the time of JIT (just in time) manufacturing/production this seems counter-intuitive. However, this could be the difference between a delayed project and being the hero during tough times.
Make sure you have multiple distributors for the same material. Don’t wait until the distributor you normally use is out. Having multiple accounts setup with sales representatives ahead of time will help speed up ordering material. When getting material pricing, ask your sales representative to guarantee pricing past the time you will need it. Make sure you get confirmation in writing. A verbal “don’t worry about it” won’t do. Pay your vendors on time per the net terms of your agreement. Your company is not the only company that ranks customers by how fast they pay as one of the metrics. That may make the difference between you getting the material ahead of the customer that decides to pay on their terms. While none of this is a guarantee for project success, it may be the difference between project delays and successfully completing on time and in budget. Not being prepared is a guarantee for failure.
Comments Off on Project Templating ~ The Devil is in the Details
What is templating? Templating is defining of a shape in relation to the site conditions compared to the building plans. Why do we template? Templating a project is important to reduce field (re)work and provide a product that can be installed with minimum modifications. How do we template? There are different ways to template commercial construction scope. One way is to use an angle finder and a tape measure. Some companies might even create a template with cardboard from the measurements done by a person. While this tried and true method has been used for generations, there is room for human error. Another method is digital templating. There are many different digital templating tools on the market. Digital templating helps to mitigate human error but requires the tools to be calibrated. Uncalibrated tools can be just as disastrous as writing down a measurement incorrectly. When do we template? Templating is done when all other trades before us have completed their work. If templating is done before other trades are completed, site conditions can change and templates could be rendered useless.
(Using a digital templating tool helps reduce the amount of human error)
What could go wrong? When templating is not done correctly, oftentimes it is not noticed until installation. Some materials can be easily repaired in the field such as solid surface. Other materials, such as quartz or granite, simply cannot be repaired in the field. In the case of a large project, by the time installation is happening the fabricator may have already produced a large portion of the scope of work. In this case, the product may have to be re fabricated. This could cause project delays and even occupancy delays.
What could go right? When templating is done properly, field modifications are eliminated or reduced. This means that countertops can be dropped in placed reducing time and ensuring project success.
(Digital templating can ensure project success)
At ASST, we use two different digital templating tools. We make sure that our tools are calibrated, we take digital pictures and we verify with manual measurements. We understand that the devil is in the details.
ASST is uniquely positioned to fulfill all aspects of your project. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to the exact specifications you require and the finest quality standards you expect. Contact us today at 717-630-1251/info@asst.com or visit our website at www.asst.com
Comments Off on Recent Completed Division 6 & 12 Projects
COVID-19 made 2020 an extremely difficult year for everyone and especially commercial construction. Because of the perseverance of our teams, ASST was able to make 2020 a successful year. Because of sites being closed down, material shortages, travel restrictions and more our backlog has been a moving target. Our project teams have been able to jockey our projects around like trailers at an Amazon distribution center. Thank you to our trade partners, distributors and our vendors for being a part of this success during a difficult time. This short video displays a few of our recent and unique projects.
At ASST, one of our Core Values is PERSEVERANCE: Willing to keep working until we succeed. ASST is uniquely positioned to fulfill all aspects of your casework, millwork, solid surface and quartz projects. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to the exact specifications, in a safe manner and to the finest quality standards you expect. We look forward to Going Beyond for your exciting project!
Comments Off on Providing Hope and Happiness for Children with Millwork and Solid Surfaces
At ASST we are overjoyed to have participated in a project that is sure to bring smiles to children and their families during a time of illness. Our team worked tirelessly to bring this project to fruition, on time and in budget. If you take the time to view this video you will see how our processes work and meet some of the team members that were willing to Go Beyond to provide a healing space for children.
At ASST, we have been providing Division 6 and Division 12 millwork, casework, solid surfaces and quartz for large healthcare projects for 22 years. We understand that to become a beacon of hope for an entire community, the healing space must be innovative and constructed with the highest standards. We have the experience to provide project scope on time, in budget and we do it safely. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to the exact specifications, in a safe manner and to the finest quality standards, you expect. We look forward to Going Beyond for your exciting project! Contact us today at info@asst.com or visit our website at www.asst.com.
Comments Off on Commercial Construction Cost ~The Cost of Saving Lives and Providing Hope
Most patients will never know the process to construct a building that is providing hope and a healing space. Patients do not know that before building starts there are government requirements that the health system must show a need for a new hospital. Most patients do not know that the construction of a large new hospital will include as many as three or four General Contractors, as many as 10 or 20 subcontractors and subcontractors to those subcontractors. All the patient knows is that they are there for healing and hope.
The average cost of new hospital construction, which is four to eight stories, in the United States is closing in on $300 per square foot and takes as long as three years to complete. This means that a 600,000 square foot hospital is going to start at $180,000,000.00. Some new hospitals being constructed are exceeding the million square foot mark and some are exceeding $1 Billion dollars to construct. What can you get for a Billion dollars? You could buy the White House twice; you could buy two Airbus A380s (with change for fuel); you could even buy a couple large islands including staff and housing. Health care companies that are spending this kind of money for a new hospital want to make sure that their new hospital is a beacon of hope for the community like a lighthouse guiding a ship to shore during a storm. They want to make sure that mothers want their children to be born there. They want to make sure that when a family member is diagnosed with a serious illness, their health system is the light that will provide hope and healing.
At ASST, we have been providing Division 6 and Division 12 millwork, casework, solid surfaces and quartz for large healthcare projects for 22 years. We understand that to become a beacon of hope for an entire community, the healing space must be innovative and constructed with the highest standards. We have the experience to provide project scope on time, in budget and we do it safely. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to the exact specifications, in a safe manner and to the finest quality standards, you expect.We look forward to Going Beyond for your exciting project! Contact us today at info@asst.com or visit our website at www.asst.com.
Comments Off on Division 6 Custom Installation at JFK Airport
Installation of commercial construction projects is a tightrope act juggling logistics, dynamic schedules, site conditions and more.
At ASST, we have experienced Project Managers that understand what it means to successfully complete our projects on time. Our Project Managers always follow our process from contract agreement to completed installation. From large Divisions 6/12 new construction projects to medium renovation projects, our teams are always willing to Go Beyond for our customers.
At ASST, we have the capability to relieve the stress of managing surfaces, millwork and casework fabrication and installation. By adding Quartz surfaces to our line of services, we have become the nation’s premier fabricator of commercial surface products. Steve Stoddard is heading up our Quartz division. Steve has an award-winning resume of commercial surface experience and is the keystone of our Quartz foundation. ASST is your full package fabricator for Division 6 and Division 12 Healthcare, Education, Corporate/Public Space and Retail surfaces.Contact us today at info@asst.com or visit our website at www.asst.com.
Teamwork:
we all know what it means, but do we know how to practice it? If
you have ever succeeded in sports or been part of a group of people making
music, you understand the importance of teamwork. The same principles apply to
commercial construction. Teamwork is essential to both your organization and
your trade partners.
We have all heard the
well-worn phrases “The customer is always right” and “The customer is
centric to our business”. A balance
between caring for the customer and being profitable can be difficult for any organization.
A lack of alignment between the employee’s desire to listen to customers and
resolve issues is a very real problem for many organizations striving to create
a customer-oriented culture. How do we create a great team of people
working to assist our customers and be profitable?
At ASST, we strive to keep the customer focus on the alignment of our mission, with our name and slogan. ASST (pronounced ə-ˈsist) keeps that focus in front of all employees. Going Beyond is our work ethic. Beyond Surface Level Solutions is assisting with challenges others avoid. ASST also routinely solicits feedback from our customers providing a unique window into what our customers think and feel. At ASST, we are setting the tone for a positive culture of teamwork and great customer service.
ASST is uniquely positioned to fulfill all aspects of your project. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to the exact specifications, in a safe manner and to the finest quality standards you expect. We look forward to Going Beyond for your exciting project! Contact us today at 717-630-1251 or visit our website at www.asst.com.
Comments Off on Solid (Surface) Relationships – Establishing relationships that last as long as the products we produce
Do you feel that good working relationships are important to the success of your project? Do you feel you can trust the solid surface contractor and have the ability to communicate openly? Establishing/maintaining a good relationship is the key to a successful project.
What are the consequences of a bad work relationship? Relationships are part of human nature. They affect who we love, dislike or even who we are most comfortable spending time with. Work relationships are no different and establishing positive ones can go a long way to improving productivity levels. Good relationships in the workplace make the difference between completing a project on time or watching things go up in flames. You’ve probably been involved with a team where missed deadlines and fractious co-workers made it almost impossible to get anything accomplished.
ASST follows a 21 step Critical Operating Events/Tasks process providing a total project solution from start to finish. Working with the contractor from the beginning to set expectations for success is the key. Projects are coordinated with diverse fabrication techniques and materials. Materials range from solid surface to translucent resins, woods, plastic laminates and more. ASST chooses to work directly with the Architects, Designers and GC’s throughout the entire process. Utilizing proprietary in-house software and live working documents, we record and track every step of the submittal process. We openly invite our clients to access, as well as update, documents to allow for the most comprehensive and up-to-date information possible for every project. This helps secure a successful project and increased profitability.
ASST is uniquely positioned to fulfill all aspects of your project. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to the exact specifications you require and the finest quality standards you expect. Contact us now online or call us at 717-630-1251.
Comments Off on Submit to Your Projects – Finding the Value in Samples, Other Than a Great Coaster for Your Coffee…
How important can a meager piece of material be when it comes to your project? Does it have the ability to bring all forward progress of a project to a crushing halt? If your palms are starting to sweat and your blood pressure is rising just from the thought, then you already know how much you actually need all of those little pieces of material.
You are excited, after all the days and weeks of planning, your finished solid surfaces are arriving at site ready for installation. Everything is going just great and all is right in the universe… Then the General Contractor calls to your attention the blindly obvious mismatched materials used throughout the entire project… How is this possible? What went wrong? All of sudden, those little scraps of material that you used as your coffee coasters reveal their value and you begin to see just how big of a role they play in your project.
Submittals tend to be one of the most overlooked areas in project planning and yet are one of the most critical areas when it comes to the success of any project. A submission, when used in its simplest form, can be defined as a process. A process in which product data, material samples, and renderings are examined so as to be approved or rejected for use in a project. Missing this step or failing to acknowledge it can be the moment where success is breached and financial loss is the only sure outcome; thus making the submittal process one of the most overlooked areas of project management and material logistics.
ASST has made considerable efforts to organize and capture the submittal phase of project planning in an attempt to ensure success of every project awarded to our family of customers. ASST chooses to work directly with the Architects, Designers and GC’s throughout the entire process. Utilizing proprietary in-house software and live working documents, we record and track every step of the submittal process. We openly invite our clients to access, as well as update, documents to allow for the most comprehensive and up-to-date information possible for every project. This helps secure a successful project and increased profitability.
ASST is uniquely positioned to fulfill all aspects of your project. Whatever you need, ASST can build it to the exact specifications, in a safe manner and to the quality standards you expect. Contact us now online or call us at 717-630-1251.
(Using a digital templating tool helps reduce the amount of human error)
Most patients will never know the process to construct a building that is providing hope and a healing space. Patients do not know that before building starts there are government requirements that the health system must show a need for a new hospital. Most patients do not know that the construction of a large new hospital will include as many as three or four General Contractors, as many as 10 or 20 subcontractors and subcontractors to those subcontractors. All the patient knows is that they are there for healing and hope.
