Is Field Measuring and Sketching Labor a Thing of The Past?

Experience Savings in Time and Cost with The ZEN Way

Traditionally, HVAC duct ordering and installation starts with your best man in the field performing all the necessary measurements and calculations. This is Field Measuring and Sketching Labor, or FMSL for short.

An expensive and time consuming process, FMSL is usually performed by experienced foremen or project managers at a cost $40 to $60 per hour.

Breaking down the time and labor costs of experienced pros performing Measuring & Sketching Labor (FMSL)

• Complete Duct Runs: measure areas, obstructions, sketch runs and fittings, figure lengths, elevations, etc...
  • Small Projects (under 800 Lbs. of Duct Work) = .20 hrs./piece
  • Large Projects (over 800 Lbs. of Duct Work) = .15 hrs./piece
    
    
• Consider different cost scenarios of a large project involving a PM, Superintendent, or Foreman dealing with 3608 pieces (including ducts and fittings) assuming roughly .15 hrs./piece = 541.20 Hours to Field Measure & Sketch for Fabrication:
  
  • Cost Per Hour @ $40.00 x 541.20 = $21,648.00 - Cost to Field Measure & Sketch for Fabrication
  • Cost Per Hour @ $50.00 x 541.20 = $27,060.00 - Cost to Field Measure & Sketch for Fabrication
  • Cost Per Hour @ $60.00 x 541.20 = $32,472.00 - Cost to Field Measure & Sketch for Fabrication

All of this FMSL cost is incurred before the project even begins!

The ZEN Way: Modern Solutions to Save Time and Money

Today, measuring HVAC duct runs and fittings in software is: faster and more accurate, results in less errors, optimizes materials purchases, and results in significant cost savings.

Even if the initial drafting was not performed by ZEN, Building Information Models (BIM) from the original architects are likely to exist. In the hands of ZEN’s experienced CAD teams, we can apply this to our computerized modeling capabilities to perform Coordination/FAB Duct drawings, and provide the following benefits:

• No Field Measuring
• No Field Layout
• Optimized field labor (your least experienced crew can handle the job).
• The PM, Superintendent, or Foreman can spend that time managing additional projects.
• The ZEN Way can see cost savings between 30% and 35%.

With ZEN’s HVAC process, the “ZEN Way,” we take what would be tedious and expensive onsite work and deal with it in 3D. Using our advanced Coordination Drawing and FAB Duct Drawing capability, we build out the entire duct installation in a highly precise virtual model.

What does that mean when the duct arrives on-site?

It means everything fits as delivered, like a perfectly engineered puzzle piece. But unlike puzzles, every piece is received clearly labeled!

Most importantly, you’ve saved potentially hundreds of hours of FMSL!

Interested in learning more? Call ZEN’s M.E.P. division at 877-600-0274 or visit our Contact Us page today.

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act: What it Means for HVAC

Thanks to the recently passed “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” selling commercial HVAC products not only just got easier, but more profitable as well.

This new law includes a provision allowing certain HVAC products to be immediately expensed.

What this means is that Under Section 179 Small Business Expensing, instead of being depreciated over 39 years, all components of an HVAC system can be expensed that year.

The exact language is as follows:

Title 26 U.S. Code Section 179 states that “A taxpayer may elect to treat the cost of any section 179 property as an expense which is not chargeable to capital account. Any cost so treated shall be allowed as a deduction for the taxable year in which the section 179 property is placed in service… Qualified Real Property applicable includes heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning property.”

To see a complete version of the infographic on this page, download the original from the Air Conditioning Contractors of America at the following link: HVAC Expensing Laws - Section 179

Success in our business is about service.

The quality of our HVAC duct work is of the highest caliber and our price is competitive with the best in the industry. Of course, ZEN Industries Inc. gains its edge with unbeatable service, and service means people - it's about our experienced personnel and the relationships we build with each and every customer.

Learn more at www.zenindustries.com