MECHANICAL CONTRACTING Q&A We are training more of our
people to earn LEED certifications. We are working to grow our newest product lines — building automation systems, building commissioning, retro-commissioning and energy services. We also want to grow our presence in northeastern and central Ohio. Please describe your markets
(commercial, educational, industrial) and what services you provide. Approximately 65% of our work is
for industrial customers, with a heavy emphasis on food, energy/power, steel, chemical and automotive. Approximately 30% of our volume is in healthcare. The remainder of our work is large commercial. Dunbar Mechanical is a full service mechanical construction firm. The product lines/services we provide include: • Piping (all types): carbon steel,
stainless steel, other exotic metals, fiberglass, plastics (all types), aseptic, process, ammonia refrigerant, utility, power • HVAC — both wet and dry • Plumbing • Medical Gas • Rigging, machinery moving,
equipment setting • Material handling systems,
conveyor • Structural steel fabrication and
erection • Boiler installation • Commissioning, retro-
commissioning; test, balance • Building automation systems,
temperature controls • Mechanical systems maintenance
—24-hour service • Green buildings, energy savings
construction For a “snapshot” view of our
company, visit
www.dunbarmechanical.com. 5. How has your company dealt
with the economy? In late 2008 we saw the economy
slowing down, so we reduced our office staff by almost 25%. This was painful, but necessary for the company to adjust to the business levels in Ohio and Michigan, as well as to reduce our overall project cost structure. Additionally we challenged our project managers, estimators and field force to develop more efficient ways to perform the work, thereby
diagnosing and providing emergency repairs. How do you see the economy,
short term and long term? Our geographic market is
primarily Ohio and southern Michigan. Our industrial sectors are showing increasing signs of coming out of the doldrums. However, they
lowering the overall cost for our customers. We added the Trimble Robotic Total Station to begin to reduce our CAD and field layout costs, while improving accuracy. Also, in recent months
we have begun to make more customer touches to assure that current, past, and potential new customers are aware of Dunbar Mechanical, our capabilities and our availability to perform work for them. How can mechanical contractors
bolster or maintain business (sustainable, solar, repair and remodel, etc.)? Mechanical contractors must work
to make sure that whatever we do is in the best interest of the customer and that the services we provide help to make our customers more competitive in an increasingly difficult market. We must look for ways to make sure that we provide integrated services that assure that the customer has mechanical, building and process systems that work well as total systems. We must also develop methods that show the benefits of lowering overall life cycle costs versus immediate short term costs. This is particularly true in renovation and retrofit work, but applies to new construction as well. We see opportunities in alternative
energy, energy services and sustainable energy work, but only to the extent that it is economically feasible and has a reasonable payback. We also see an increased need for professionalized service providers, and we are working to provide that type of mechanical service, both for preventive maintenance and for
still seem to be very cautious about spending capital. Dunbar expects there to be increased construction activity in the industrial sector. Part of this is because our customers are seeing some increase in consumer demand. Also, our customers realize that they must continue spending to improve their products, while reducing production costs, if they are to continue to be competitive in a global economy. The commercial retail, hospitality
and office sectors in our geographic markets are still very depressed, with a significant amount of space readily available. So we do not anticipate significant activity in this sector. Our healthcare market is starting to increase capital spending again after an approximately two year hiatus. Part of this is technology driven, as healthcare institutions want to continue to provide the best in medical care to their clients. Long term prospects in our
geographic markets are driven in part by federal actions in both healthcare and in any “cap and trade” activities. We continue to be guardedly optimistic about the long term industrial market in Ohio and Michigan. Our industrial customers must continue to be innovative and nimble in order to adjust to global demand for products. Our customers must also have a regulatory environment that allows them to compete globally. Dunbar must also work with our
customers to assure that the mechanical and project services we are providing allow them to provide products quickly and efficiently to their customers. How do you see the future of mechanical contracting (trends, technology, consolidation, etc.)? We believe that we
will continue to see shorter and shorter schedules for projects — from concept to completion. This will mean a need for
A chromium-steel heavy-wall fabricated butt weld in progress.
improved project integration both between construction disciplines as well as between design and construction. We see a trend to building
facilities and processes that have shorter life spans. Products and
e Continued on p 30 29
phc march 2011
www.phcnews.com
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