As we all know contractors now each other very well and everyone was aware of what had happened.  Needless to say we had their attention and it was a very somber but attentive group for training that week.

Pro-Tec Equipment Utility Panel Guide

Imagine houses, trees, sidewalks, fractured clay, sticky clay, and glacial till. Add to that the challenge of minimizing the disturbance to the local area while boring a 48” pipe beneath the road. These and many other challenges are what Kandey Company, Inc. out of West Seneca New York is facing while completing the first of the multi-phase Parker-Fries Project.

The Parker-Fries Project is a major construction project in Tonawanda, New York. Theproject started in the summer of 2010 and will continue over the next 18 to 24 months.  It will replace more than 11,000 feet of aging and deteriorating sanitary sewer system line. The old sewer line has been a source of contention between the Town of Tonawanda and the state Department of Environmental Conservation, due in part, to the unfortunate instances in which the overflow has entered the storm water system, eventually ending up in nearby waterways.

Kandey Company was awarded the $26.4 million dollar Parker-Fries Project in June 2010. Originally, the project was going to be done with an H-pile system, but the concern over the width due to existing utilities, traffic control and the of time required for the installation and removal of the H-pile  had Kandey Company considering alternatives for the bore pits in areas where space was limited.

“I was on another slide rail job for Kandey and I was talking about the Utility Panel Guide (UPG) system,” said Leo Shaw, Western New York\Northern Pennsylvania representative for Mabey Bridge and Shore a trench shoring and shielding distributor for Pro-Tec Equipment, the leading producer of trench shoring and shielding equipment. “That foreman mentioned that Bill Duncan (Superintendent for the Parker-Fries Project) was looking for a system through which to run utilities. I drove straight to the job trailer and explained the Pro-Tec Equipment Slide Rail System and the UPG’s to him.” The Pro-Tec Equipment Utility Panel Guide System (UPG) is part of the Slide Rail Shoring system which is a modular, dig and push shoring system. The Pro-Tec Slide Rail Shoring System is installed from the top down and removed from the bottom up, minimizing the size of excavations, soil disturbances, and restoration time and cost. The installation is done with low vibration, providing soil support for excavations, adjacent structures and existing utilities. The UPG allows those existing utilities to enter and exit the excavation site, and also provide a means for boring operations to take place in a safe and shored excavation.

At Pro-Tec Equipment, Joshua Thorne Slide Rail Manager, and the C.A.D.D. department quickly created a design that met the needs of Kandey and Mabey Bridge. “My initial thoughts were to try and pursue a High Clearance Arch system, “ recalled Joshua, “but after talking with Leo, and flying out to the site, I knew that the UPG system was the system that could get the project done.”

“The biggest concern that I had,” remarked Bill Duncan, “was with the active lines being where they were. Doing this job with H-pile would have been difficult, with the extra width that would have been needed.”

“Installing the [slide rail] system took some time to get used to,” mentioned Bobby Walter, laborer for Kandey Company, “but after talking with the site consultant that Pro-Tec Equipment sent out, things went together nicely.”

The Slide Rail System that Mabey Bridge and Shore is providing Kandey Company consists of a bore pit that measures 12.5’ wide x 46’ long x 24’ – 28’ in depth, which is to be installed and removed six separate times, and a receiving pit that measures 16’ wide x 16’ long x 24’ – 28’ in depth, which is to be installed and removed two separate times.

Leo Shaw added, “Without the great partnership between Mabey Bridge and Pro-Tec Equipment, a large job like this doesn’t happen. It is a pleasure knowing that Pro-Tec Equipment is there when we need them.”

For more information about Pro-Tec Equipment, visit www.pro-tecequipment.com
For more information about Mabey Bridge, visit www.mabey.com
For more information about Kandey Company, visit www.kandeycompany.com

I was looking for a new dealer in the Cincinnati area several years ago.  Not knowing anyone in the area I called on several of the larger underground construction contractors in the area.  One contractor, who will remain nameless, when asked who he used for his trench shoring needs replied “well this is really rocky ground around here and we don’t really need trench shoring.”  I thought about it for a minute and asked if he was concerned about OSHA catching them doing something illegal.  His reply was that OSHA didn’t have much of a presence in that particular region of the country.  I then said “so you never have any cave-ins in this area”?  He replied with…”Oh no, we have several deaths a year due to cave-ins”.  I just looked at him and he turned red and said “well, maybe we do need to start using trench boxes”.

Just because a tragedy has never happened to you or your company doesn’t mean that it can’t or won’t.

So, why do you want to use Rumble Grids?  There are a few reasons, but the first is probably the most compelling, they will save you money.  That’s right, they will save you money.  Rumble Grids can be used in place of crushed stone, they also remove the need for a street cleaner, or broom attachment that cleans up the track-out left by trucks as they leave the job-site.

Additional reasons you want to use Rumble Grids, they are AASHTO-HS20-44 Rated.  The Rumble Grids are portable (unlike crushed stone), reusable and virtually maintenance free.  Do you need another reason?  Ok, how about, they are spec’d in by Wal-Mart new store construction and existing store rehabs.

Now the question is, how do you get your hands on them?  Either contact your local Pro-Tec Equipment dealer (click here) or contact Pro-Tec Equipment directly and we will get you the information that you need.

I’d like to sit here and tell everyone how great it’s going to be and make everyone feel warm and fuzzy; but that just doesn’t settle with me.  See, with the way the economy is working, there’s no telling what is to come.  But, as I try to stay positive I can tell you that this upcoming year should be better than the past. 

With Michigan’s economy headed on an upward slope and the talk of a new bridge to Canada that is supposed to kick start the jobs in Michigan; I’m anticipating a prosperous year.  I believe it’s important to stay positive and keep on knocking on doors, making cold calls and keeping a relative relationship with your customers.  Finding new customers can be tough, but they are out there. 

I have a gut feeling that the rental side of the industry will stay strong and only grow, especially with steel prices on the rise.  I also believe staying consistent with the day to day operations will prove to the end users that you’re here for the long haul. 

 The important thing in a slow time is to stay positive and be prepared for when construction in your area takes off.  Being unprepared and having a negative attitude is detrimental to a company.  So it’s good to anticipate a change in the winds, just be ready when it happens.

What do you call a job that requires four different pipe jacking pits to install a new 72” sanitary sewer pipe?  Typically, this would be a standard job.  But what if that job required excavations that ranged from 20’ deep to 32’ deep, had an active 21” sanitary sewer line running through one of the pits, had a pond directly next to another of the pits, had a creek less than 12’ away, had a mix of sticky clay soil and running sand, had an apartment building nearby, and had a highly traveled road 15’ away? 

If you are Lowe Construction, with the help of Pro-Tec Equipments Slide Rail Shoring System, you would call it a successful job!   

Lowe Construction contacted Pro-Tec Equipment early-on in the process to design a plan to safely and efficiently protect their workers.   According to Joshua Thorne, Pro-Tec Equipment’s Slide Rail Manger “When Lowe contacted us about this project, my first thoughts were, ‘this is an ideal project for our Slide Rail System.’  With the mix of bad soil conditions, the proximity to a building and a road, and the overall scope of the project, I was confident that the Pro-Tec Slide Rail System would be able to get the job done for Lowe.”

The Pro-Tec Equipment Slide Rail System is a dig and push style system.  With its modular, flexible design the system can comply with a wide variety of shapes and sizes.  The Pro-Tec Slide Rail Shoring System is installed from the top down and removed from the bottom up, minimizing size of excavations, soil disturbances and restoration time and cost.  The installation is done with low vibration, providing soil support for excavations, adjacent structures and existing utilities.

“The original plans called for a beam and lag system,” said Scott Bazinet, President for Lowe Construction.  “We asked the engineers if we could use the Pro-Tec Slide Rail System instead of the beam and lag.  They were happy to allow it.”  The project, Saddleback Sanitary, located in Grand Rapids, MI, called for a low-vibration system, since all the work would be taking place in close proximity to multiple apartment buildings.  “In past projects when we used the Pro-Tec Slide Rail System, we were able to push the post in place with our excavator bucket,” said Scott. “Since we were so close to the apartment buildings, we had to take it a step further and pre-drill the post holes.” 

“On all four of the boring and jacking pits, we had limited access,” says Kim Sprague, Field Superintendent for Lowe Construction.  “We had a creek nearby on the first pit, a pond next to the second pit and apartment buildings and a road for the other two pits.”  With Pro-Tec Equipment’s exclusive, patented Panel Installation Tool (P.I.T. Boss), having limited access is merely a minor inconvenience.  “We used the P.I.T. Boss on three out of the four pits we installed,” said Josh Brown, one of the Pro-Tec Equipment Slide Rail consultants on the Saddleback Sanitary project.  “Without the P.I.T. Boss, at the depths that Lowe Construction was working, there would have been no easy way to install those panels to the proper depth.”

The Pro-Tec Slide Rail Shoring System is made up of five main components: corner post, spreader post (also known as linear rails), spreader beams, roller beams, and panels. The panels used in the Slide Rail System are similar to trench shields, however they are designed and reinforced in a way that allows them to stand up to the rigorous environment in which Slide Rail Systems are commonly used.

On the site, Lowe Construction was using two 100,000+ pound excavators, a PC 400 Komatsu and an 1880 Kato.  At one point, they even enlisted the services of a 700 Hitachi.  “In my 25+ years of dirt work,” said Kim, “these were the worst job conditions I’ve come across.  We had sticky and firm clay, mixed in with running sand.  They weren’t on top of each other.  In some cases, they ran vertically or even diagonally!”

 “But the [Pro-Tec Slide Rail] system did exactly what we expected and wanted it to.” remarked Scott.

For the Saddleback Sanitary Project, Lowe Construction was the primary sub-contractor for the boring and jacking.  The general contractor on the site was Jackson-Merkey Contractors, out of Muskegon, Michigan, owners of the 700 Hitachi also used on the site. 

Lowe Construction is based out of Horton, Michigan.  Founded in 1974, their primary focus is in auger boring and jacking, pipe jacking, and tunneling.  Lowe Construction primarily services the Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana areas, but has been known to venture out even further.

Pro-Tec Equipment is the leading producer of trench shoring and shielding equipment since 1995.  Based out of Charlotte, Michigan, Pro-Tec Equipment services contractors through an international network of dealers and distributors.  In Michigan, Pro-Tec Equipment operates retail locations in Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Charlotte.  All of Pro-Tec Equipment’s products are P.E. certified to meet and\or exceed O.S.H.A. standards.

First and foremost, we at Pro-Tec Equipmet would like to say “Thank you!”  2010 ended up being a better year than we had thought it was going to be.  We honestly could not have do it without your support!

2010 was an interesting year for Pro-Tec Equipment.  As you are well aware, we consolidated our manufacturing arm and it is now under the AMI (Armstrong Manufacturing Inc.) banner.  Many of you voiced you concerns over this.  Believe me, many of your concerns were echoed from within as well.  Admittedly, there were some bumps and bruises at the beginning of all this, and some items did not go as well as planned.  However,  we are proud to say that a majority of the  issues have been worked out, and we are confident in and will stand behind that fact that we will be able to meet the two week production window that you are accustomed to from Pro-Tec Equipment.

2010 seemed to be the year of the re-rental.  This was our biggest year ever for rentals.  We encourage you all, where it is logistically feasible, to take advantage of our rental fleet.  We do have three different rental yards in Michigan that are here to serve you and our local contractors.   So there will be times that we won’t have exactly what you may be looking for, however, we do stock many alternatives that may work just as good (18’ long shields are a good alternate to 16’ long trench shields).

All in all, 2010 was a dramatically different year than what 2009 was.  All that is really left to be said is that WE thank you very much and look forward to working with you in 2011 to make that a much better year than 2010!

The Year That Will Be…

2011, what does this year have in store for Pro-Tec?  That, is a great question!  A few things are coming down the pipes, so to speak.  Pro-Tec will be exhibiting at the CONEXPO show this year, Booth S-11233, if you are in Las Vegas, NV from March 22nd—26th, be sure to spot at the booth.  Also, at CONEXPO, Pro-Tec Equipment will be hosting two 1.5 hour long training sessions.  The first 1.5 hour session will cover the Pro-Tec Slide Rail Shoring system.  The second 1.5 hour session will cover federal O.S.H.A..  These sessions are    going to be held on Thursday, March 24th in the south Hall.  You are welcomed to bring your self and your customers to these sessions!

Pro-Tec is also going to have 3 dealer schools this year.  The first of which will be around the last week in April.  We will let you know more when the dates are confirmed.   Along with that, we will be sending out a short survey again this year, it is going to be about 15 questions long.  This survey is used to get a better feel as to what is going on in the world.
Now, on to items that would fall into the “new for 2011” category…

• Pro-Tec website, I know this is not a “new” thing, but we are in the process of implementing two releases that should make the site more useful to inside sales staff as well as outside sales staff.
  • The first release is going to take place near the end of March or beginning of April.  This will allow you to do quotes of standard equipment directly from the website.  You will need to log on to the site, just like you do to access the tabulated data files.
  • The second release is going to be an update of the website that will allow you to view the website correctly from any mobile device.  This will allow those outside sales reps to have complete access to all the information on the website.
• We are in the final process of R & D with a Tubular Street Plate (SPT).  This street plate is lighter than it’s solid plate counterpart (5’ x 10’ SPT is about 1,000 lbs lighter), it is also 1.5” thick, as opposed to the 1” thickness of the solid plate.  We have a few that are currently out and being tested.  Once we get some solid feedback we will be able to do a full release of prices and limitations of them.

We do have a few other irons in the fire, however, currently they are not yet to be announced for the 2011 year.

All of us here at Pro-Tec Equipment would like to wish you a Happy New Year and we are hoping that we can make it an extremely successful and prosperous one!

Pro-Tec’s rental division has struggled to keep up with the demand.  We have always had a consistent need for rentals involving spot repairs seem to have evolved into large, multiple shield orders.

The underground construction industry’s gradual shift toward emphasizing trenchless applications has made Mod Series a necessary item for contractors.  The need for excavations to have a more than temporary shoring system for their excavations has driven the demand.  The flexibility offered by our Mod Series is favored for the lining, bursting, oil / gas pipeline and utility contractors.

OSHA enforcement has played a large part in this Mod explosion as well.  MI-OSHA has added four new officers this year concentrating on construction projects (that brings our governor’s job creation total in her reign to four).

“We’ll only be in the hole for a few minutes.”   This was the famous excuse used by contractors when presented with Mod-Series in the past.  That phrase can’t be uttered any more with a straight face.

Pro-Tec’s Mod-Series is better than the competition for one main reason.  Our corner posts last longer than our competitors because they are made with more material and the channels connecting the panel and post are enclosed.  Our competitors lack this feature. When compared in the field, there is no doubt Mod is the better value.  When a post is damaged, it is most likely no good or at best cut down significantly.  Why continue to replace their corner posts when you can own a Pro-Tec’s Mod Series.

Stacking Units, Cutouts, Push pads, and Bolt-on Knife Edges, etc. are all excellent accessories that can be added to a 2, 3 or 4 sided Mod Series and ATS Shields.

There are times that it seems people get carried away trying to solve a contractor’s trench shoring and shielding problem with an answer that is more complex than it needs.  Sometimes, an 8’ tall x 16’ long trench shield with end panels is the best, most basic way to go, instead of a 4-sided Slide Rail System, sometimes however, it is not.  It seems like an easy thought, go with this over that, for the most part, it can\is that easy.

So what are the basics for trench shields?  Making sure the correct pins go with the shields to the jobsites.  Having the correct stacking gear, in the correct locations.  Communicating to customers when and where their orders are.  There are more, but I think you get the point.  The basics are the simple things.  The simple things are the things the make the difference between a one time customer and a repeat happy customer.  Going back to basics is more that just a cute four word phrase; it is a constant high wire act that has to be performed daily in order for companies to be profitable and survive.