The Metal Construction Association has conducted a series of meetings with building owners to promote the use of metal in their buildings. After the presentation on metal’s benefits, one of the first questions the owners invariably asked was, “How can I be sure that I will get a good contractor for the fabrication and installation of these great products”?
There are really no surprises here; the more you buy the less it costs. That is the case at least for unit price cost. The price between 1,000 square feet and 25,000 square feet of standard color MCM can be 10 to 15 percent for the MCM sheet.
That is a fair question. You could have the finest metal product in the world but if it is not fabricated and installed properly; it will not be a good application.
To answer this concern the MCM Fabricators Council of MCA has established strict requirements to attain certification as a Premium MCM Fabricator. This certification is the most comprehensive program in the construction industry to my knowledge. The specific requirements can be viewed at: www.mca1.org/premium/pdf/FabricatorRequirements.pdf.
This month I will list the general requirement groups and then over the next several months we will examine the specifics of each group. To be certified as a Premium MCM Fabricator you must score at least 32 out of a possible 40 points. Each category has a possible 10 point score.
- Section 1: Experience
How many consecutive years has the fabricator produced more than 150,000 square feet of architectural MCM panels? - Section 2: Services
Some fabricators do everything from project engineering to fabrication to installation. Others do only fabrication. To obtain the optimum score on this section the fabricator must be capable of performing all of the services required to do a complete job. - Section 3: MCM Systems
To assure the building owner of an expert application of MCM panels, it is incumbent upon the fabricator to have tested the performance of its attachment systems. A fabricator can obtain the maximum 10 points in this section by having three fully tested systems by an accredited laboratory. - Section 4: Financial Strength
Very few certification programs require a financial strength consideration. However, the MCA Premium MCM Fabricator certification does. To obtain a maximum score of 10 on this section the fabricator must submit either detailed financial reports or a letter from a bonding company to show that they are financially strong. You can see a list of the Premium MCM Fabricators at www.mca1.org/premium/index.cfm?pg=premium_directory.htm. Next month we will look at the area of experience in more detail.
Ted S. Miller is the CEO of The Miller Clapperton Partnership Inc., Austell, Ga. For more information, visit www.millerclapperton.com.
