TIAC members across the country are expecting activity and opportunity in various market sectors. While commercial work rebounds and industrial takes a rest, labour remains a constant concern, especially as it relates to workmanship.
Joey Fabing, president of Custom Insulation Systems and director of Ontario for TIAC, said in southern Ontario, most of the work coming for 2017 is in transit.
“The Liberals are pushing for transit and there seems to be a lot of school renovations,” he said. “The industrial market seems to be regaining momentum, mainly because they are done building hospitals in Ontario.
After a final hospital project in Vaughn wraps up, the government is turning its attention away from healthcare, and into public transportation and education. Industrial work will be in mainly treatment plants and pollution control.
Northern Ontario is looking up, said Fabing, with Vale (Inco) being mandated to reduce emissions – the mechanical portion of that job could reach up to $200 million – and the commercial market is holding steady.
In Eastern, Ontario there is almost full employment, mostly in smaller projects with nothing major on the horizon, said Fabing.
“What we keep hearing more and more about is quality of workmanship,” he added. “I think it is in the downturn; there is so much work in Southern Ontario, people are bidding low and going out to bang off work quickly and the workmanship is lacking.”
One of the association’s biggest pushes moving forward will be urging engineers to insist on better workmanship on the job.
“Education is the solution and following specifications,” he said. “They have guys who think they can figure out how to do it cheaper, but they are not meeting the specs.
“We continue the educational program Steve keeps pushing, making sure that engineers and owners are getting what they pay for. Insulators need to get the education, get the apprenticeship done, follow codes and bylaws, and make sure the work is done properly.”
In BC, Andre Pachon, owner of C&G Insulation and TIAC’s director of BC, said the industry is going to have to tackle skilled labour shortages, while informing the government about the value of mechanical insulation and the dangers of value engineering. Education and training are key in preserving quality workmanship, he said.
Danny Pacione, regional general manager of Pro Insul Limited and director of the Maritimes for TIAC, said on a national level, the reduction of GHG emissions is a trend the mechanical insulation industry will be more focused on for 2017.
“Energy efficiency should be our main goal and educating our vendors in the advantages of properly installed insulation on their mechanical systems,” he said, noting one of the industry’s biggest challenges moving forward is providing the proper education required to understand the benefits of insulation.
“Educating engineers, building owners, and contractors in parallel formats should be the focus,” he said. “We are currently meeting these requirements by educating our in-house team on the importance of energy audits and exactly how this benefits our vendors.
“We have formed a team that involves management, estimating, and insulation supervision to understand the importance and benefits this provides our vendors.”
Preparing the workforce for the coming years also comes down to education, said Pacione, meaning everyone from contractor to frontline workers should be well-versed in TIAC’s message.
“It is getting just as important for our insulators to not only understand the proper method for applying mechanical insulation but the overall importance of its purpose and methods of energy efficiency,” he said, “and understanding the benefits of GHG reductions and savings to our vendors due to energy efficiency.”
