The Tri-M Group’s Prefabrication Virtual Construction services solidified its spot as the electrical contractor for Air Products’ administrative building at its new global corporate headquarters in Upper Macungie Township. The $400 million project will be the new home for 2,000 of Air Products’ 16,000 worldwide employees. Tri-M will be providing the electrical for the new nine-story, 520,000 square foot administration building.
This is a major project for a merit shop electrical contractor in the Lehigh Valley. In addition to Tri-M, ABC Eastern PA Chapter member, Worth & Company, is also working on this project.
“The project has already broken ground,” explained Michael Funari, Senior Business Development Executive at Tri-M. “We have 13 months to complete this project. It is a very aggressive schedule. Therefore, we are leveraging our Prefabrication Virtual Construction services to meet the accelerated scheduling requirements.”
Starting with the engineering process, the Tri-M team utilizes the latest technology for pre-planning and collaboration before construction even begins. With Tri-M’s prefab facility, which provides a controlled construction environment, the prefab process can start before the team ever steps foot on the jobsite. This makes the work inherently safer by turning labor-intensive tasks typically done onsite into efficient, cost-saving opportunities. Complete assemblies are then delivered in totes with installation drawings to ensure accuracy and productivity onsite.
“Typically, contractors wait until the site is ready, but with our Prefabrication Virtual Construction process, we can start installations sooner and with a higher efficiency rate than having to do everything onsite,” explained Anthony Dionne, Operations Manager at Tri-M. “Our acceleration capabilities played a big part in the construction manager, Turner Construction, selecting us for the job.”
“Turner set the expectations for a lean construction process, which makes this a perfect partnership,” said Dionne. “We have a proactive & collaborative process, that is in line with the lean construction methodology.
The safety and waste reduction benefits of the Prefabrication Virtual Construction services are also significant. With the prefab process, Tri-M is reducing the number of personnel on the jobsite by 15 percent, resulting in less congestion and a safer work environment. And, when the installation is completed, the waste is sent back in the tote, minimizing waste on the jobsite.
The prefab facility is part of Tri-M Group’s new facility in Quakertown, which was completed by ABC Eastern PA member, Gorski Engineering, in October 2019. Of the 26,000 square feet, 15,000 is dedicated to Virtual Construction prefabrication. Tri-M will be holding an open house at the end of April to showcase their new Lehigh Valley location, including the prefabrication design and build area.
