Smart Solutions case studies highlight how MCAA contractors and Manufacturer/Supplier Council members collaborate to improve productivity, manage costs, and solve real‑world project challenges. Each case study focuses on practical applications of products, technologies, and processes that deliver measurable results across mechanical construction, service, fabrication, and operations.
Through real project examples, Smart Solutions provides insight into how contractors are applying innovative solutions to streamline workflows, improve coordination, and enhance overall performance. Explore the case studies below to identify ideas, approaches, and proven practices that can be adapted to your own operations.
As MMC Contractors embarked on building a large central utility plant for a globally recognized corporation in the lower Midwest, Ferguson’s new virtual design and construction (VDC) department became a pivotal partner, identifying potential pitfalls and offering cost-effective solutions for the job. Ferguson is a sponsor of MCAA’s 2021 Virtual Education Conference.
MMC Contractors simplified its day-to-day labor management tasks with LaborChart, freeing up time so workers could focus on higher impact tasks and activities. With labor being the most expensive and valued asset, a good workforce management solution is vital. The company’s executive team has seen how LaborChart increased efficiency and alignment across multiple departments.
The speed and ease of installation with Viega ProPress® fittings, as well as overall lower costs, were significant factors for MMC Contractors as they installed more than 15,000’ of stainless steel piping in a new solar power plant in the southwestern United States. Jim Ed Thompson, project superintendent at MMC Contractors, said that by using Viega ProPress to join stainless pipe, MMC’s installers saved a significant amount of time per fitting.
MMC Contractors credits Autodesk® Point Layout construction software with helping them shave weeks off the construction schedule for the Martin Army Community Hospital at Fort Benning, GA. “The time and accuracy benefits we realized on the project are a great example of why we moved away from manual point layout processes,” explained Keith Flowers, vice president of construction planning for MMC Contractors. “When you can do things faster and more efficiently, you’re more competitive.”
Metropolitan Mechanical Contractors (MMC) of Eden Prairie, MN, found that using Uponor’s AquaPEX® crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) piping for the risers and the unit piping in a new hotel saved crews about two to three days of installation per floor. On a 13-story project with 50 units per floor, that adds up to almost a month of installation time savings.
For the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, MMC Contractors met the demands posed by a complex design and environmental challenges by using tools from Technical Sales International (TSI). With Autodesk® Fabrication CADmep™ 2013 software, MMC Contractors was able to take the 2D drawings and detail the angles, hangers, couplings and air handling units in a fully-detailed building information modeling (BIM) 3D plan, then fabricate the entirety of the museum’s mechanical systems.
