Contractors Mechanical, Richland, Mich., has won the Associated Builders & Contractors West Michigan Chapter Award of Excellence for Process Piping-under $1 million for the new Stryker Medical facility in Portage, Mich. - a project for general contractor Kalleward Group, Kalamazoo, Mich.

In April 2005, Contractors Mechanical completed construction and installation of mechanical and process piping systems. The process piping component of the $3.7 million combined mechanical systems budget totaled approximately $221,000.

Contractors Mechanical handled the installation of specialized process piping systems used in the manufacturing and testing of Stryker Medical’s products and equipment. “Our certified medical gas piping mechanics constructed special copper pipe oxygen, specialized aluminum compressed air, and reverse osmosis piping systems,” said Mark Dobbins, president of Contractors Mechanical.

In order to adhere to fast track scheduling, Contractors Mechanical constructed overhead piping systems 20 feet to 30 feet in the air before the floors were poured. Without structural guides for placement, piping had to be set based on laser points to align piping system components. Fast track scheduling also required a high degree of coordination with multiple trades working on site at the same time.

“The Stryker Medical project was fast-track and challenging. It’s both exciting and fulfilling to receive the Award of Excellence recognizing our work on this project,” said Dobbins.

The Associated Builders & Contractors West Michigan Chapter’s panel of judges represented a cross-section of the industry, typically clients, facility directors, building inspectors, architects, and engineers from the western Michigan area. Members of the judges panel evaluated all entries and determined the award winners based on a predetermined set of criteria. All projects are judged based on 100 possible points. The Award of Excellence is awarded to any showcase project that scored 90 or higher.

Publication date:12/25/2006