November 30, 2009
What if you ordered a car from your favorite dealer and you did not specify the color or type of engine? Chances are you would be disappointed. You might get the cheapest engine or the most expensive engine. You could get a white car or a black car or something in between.
If all you wanted was basic transportation, these choices may not be important. But we all know that when Metal Composite Material panels are selected, they are chosen for their spectacular aesthetics as well as their ability to solve difficult form and shape challenges. So, why are so many project specifications inaccurate or incomplete?
One of the most challenging aspects of the industry for MCM fabricators is getting the right information with which to bid a project. Many specifications feature inaccuracies, conflicts and unaddressed features.
Some of the most common of these are outlined below:
- The color is not
- The number of coats of paint (2 or 3) is not
- Metallic or Non-Metallic paint is not
- The type of core (Standard PE or Fire Resistive FR) is not
- 6mm thickness is chosen when standard 4 mm would be a more economical and better performing selection.
- Many specification writers feel they have chosen the complete system when they specify the MCM Material Manufacturer (Reynobond, Alpolic or Alucobond). These manufacturers do not offer attachment systems. It would be like saying you had chosen all of the features of a cabinet system because you had specified Georgia-Pacific plywood.
Because of this frustration, Miller Clapperton has developed www.mcmspecwriter.com. This is a specification generator for Metal Composite Material panel systems.
This online program forces decisions to be made about several of these considerations, some of which are mutually exclusive. For other options, guidance on the relative value of the various choices is provided by way of “roll-over” notes on the selection page. For example, in the “Attachment System” category, two types are featured (Exposed Wet Seal System and Back Ventilated Dry System) and a short description for each is provided.
From an owner/designer standpoint, they get a better deal if all choices are clearly made in the specification. If the desired criteria of the project is not clearly outlined, the bidder is forced to make either make the conservative choice and the price will be higher, or will make the cheaper choice and the price will be lower. Consequently, the owner will often be less likely to have the project built by the more experienced and conservative bidder. The owner will also have an argument and/or change order on the horizon if the desire was to have the higher cost criteria.
The bottom line is that open-ended specifications end up wasting time and effort that is better invested on making the project better.
So, spread the word that help is available to make our industry better with this Specification Generator.
That is it for this week. Post your comments on the Blog and let us stimulate the discussion.
Thanks,
Ted S. Miller