Michael Mohnacs, Vice President of Construction for Maryland-based mechanical contractor Shapiro & Duncan, Inc. (S&D), says he has witnessed a veritable evolution in his company since his first day on the job 15 years ago. Now in charge of all new construction projects—the mainstay of current S&D income—Mohnacs was the first project manager at a time when there were only 15 employees in the field and S&D’s annual revenue was $2.5 million. These facts are certainly noteworthy knowing that S&D now employs over 350 employees and stretching for a projected volume of $80 million in 2007. S&D’s success is obvious in bottom-line figures, and Mohnacs attributes much of the recent growth spurt to expanded potential for projects using AEC/CADPIPE products.

CADPIPE is boosting bottom-line project figures at S&D, as well as product safety and quality. Mohnacs comments, “First, we have been able to reduce material waste, and thus, cost. Secondly, we increased productivity, while at the same time reducing man-hours and overtime hours, which leads to a safer project. We’ve also expanded our bidding potential and improved our reputation in the field.All that translates into success any way you look at it.”

Comparing CADPIPE to other potential products, Paul Gemmell, Planning Department Manger, says, “I’ve used other products, and I have viewed the new demos, but in my opinion, they’re still in the dark ages as far as fabrication goes. CADPIPE’s collision check feature is especially great for our needs.”

Mohnacs comments on product safety, “Using CADPIPE for prefabrication reduces accidents on site. There are fewer man-hours being used, so there is less exposure and less time for accidents to occur. When you’re working with prefabrication, your assemblies are larger, so you’re working with forklifts, hoists and mechanical devices to lift instead of manual labor. It’s a big plus. Additionally, planning is inherent in the process of prefabrication—you’re coming up with a game plan in advance—and when you’re planning, you’re working better, and that’s where we partner well with the AEC/CADPIPE program.”

Mohnacs comments on product safety, “Using CADPIPE for prefabrication reduces accidents on site. There are fewer man-hours being used, so there is less exposure and less time for accidents to occur. When you’re working with prefabrication, your assemblies are larger, so you’re working with forklifts, hoists and mechanical devices to lift instead of manual labor. It’s a big plus. Additionally, planning is inherent in the process of prefabrication—you’re coming up with a game plan in advance—and when you’re planning, you’re working better, and that’s where we partner well with the AEC/CADPIPE program.” things you see in a machine room drawing—likepumps or support steel for towers—are also in the CADPIPE software. So, CADPIPE does more than just draw pipe, it also draws steel and other practical things. CADPIPE text will also tag your system. All the text you see is generated by CADPIPE, which means you don’t have to enter all this stuff. Just click on something and CADPIPE will give you the pipe size and description.”

Regarding international standards, Gemmell says, “It’s simple to integrate special nuances and modify CADPIPE according to your own specifications because things are based on the AutoCAD program. And CADPIPE is not only customer specific, it’s even user specific, and as a result, very user friendly. As long as you have a basic understanding of AutoCAD and field experience, working with it is not a problem at all.”

“And one last feature that is really an advantage is the elevation view, which allows you to see everything from many different perspectives. That’s helpful to our foreman, because one drawing shows all the valves, equipment, hookups and all the pieces that they need to put together to make it work.”

Contact Information

AEC Design Group

401 Professional Drive
Suite 110
Gaithersburg, MD, 20879
USA

tele: 888.239.9004 x 502
fax: 301.840.7370
sales@cadpipe.com
www.cadpipe.com