Serving The SilMan Community
Issue 11
January 2024
Serving The SilMan Community
Issue 01
April 2022
In This Issue
BUSINESS UPDATE
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
FOUNDATIONS
On The Move
On The Move
Business Update
Our business development team is beginning the year in a full sprint, fielding opportunities on every front: material handling, industrial services, and parking. Here are a few highlights.
SilMan will continue the series of Decant ByPass projects for our favorite fulfillment company. These large-scale efforts are in Memphis, Tennesee and Goodyear, Arizona.
Furthermore, Vanderlande has engaged the team for an Air Knife system in a greenfield project, also with our favorite fulfillment provider.
thredUp has engaged SilMan Engineering to develop controls for Automated Mannequin Studios at all thredUP locations
Cooperage
As the holidays approached in December, the Whiskey Elf delivered a new MDR Bilge Return system for Speyside Cooperage in Atkins, Virginia. They previously used a different partner and encountered issues. They are expanding again, but this time they are turning to SilMan to get it done right!
Parking
On the SAPS front, we recently quoted another project with Nibbi Brothers in San Jose. The architect, LMS Architects, has demonstrated an interest in the technology and will be touring completed projects.
Meanwhile, inquiries from architects and builders continue to come our way.
From The Field
Air Knife Program
This month we are taking a closer look at one of the most important projects in SilMan’s history: Air Knife. As the company has grown over the past few years, we have hardly noticed that a monolithic national program that consumed the entire company has steadied itself into one of many high-profile projects we tackle daily.
Our new normal.
Let’s not let this moment go by. While the memories are fresh, let’s recapture the project and measure its impact on our team.
Early Days
Through David Rebata’s diligence, SilMan secured a Master Service Agreement with our favorite fulfillment company in 2017 and picked up a series of small jobs. In 2019, Tom and David secured a pivotal meeting with senior leadership where we could fully reveal our capabilities and the close match to the client’s needs.
Let’s hear Tom pick up the story:
The NUMMI reference is an interesting parallel and offers us two crystal clear images for inhabiting our founder’s vision in a very real way: One Company.
Team Building
The Air Knife project had a lasting effect on the way our company works today:
- Procore was new
- Sage was new
- Remote teams were new
- Multi-division collaboration for large, sustained projects was new
- A big step toward “Paperless” job sites
The process pushed the company’s capabilities from many different aspects. Here are a few reflections from our teammates.
John Burns
ARS ~ Air Knife System Technology and Implementation – we were presented with the opportunity to partner with the developers of the system technology to provide integration, implementation, and commissioning support throughout a network of 72 facilities, across the United States and a few sites in Canada.
The project was implemented during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Our team faced many challenges with personal safety and travel difficulties.
This system technology was implemented inside of operational facilities, around production hours, and required the cooperation of multiple trade disciplines and partners to accommodate successful project execution.
Here is a snip of the site implementation map for understanding of project scale.
Ian Fulton
My input for Air knife, which I think is worth noting, is the coordination that was required for this project.
The various different locations/contacts required a structured method for collecting/cataloguing and distributing information-so that we could successfully arrive to and then leave a site as complete. There was now time to go back to every site to fix oversights. The situation was-finish one site, no move on to the next. This also required that all of the sites be approached and executed in nearly the same way, though we were using multiple different teams across the country.
We created a roadmap for how to initiate contact with sites and how to gather closeout documentation consistently. The sites were all a bit different so a high amount of fidelity was given to the site Team leaders in the installation of the air knifes. We relied heavily on our Team leads experience, as we were not able to create installation drawings.
This structure for collecting information and flexibility on installation (but with adequate materials on site) allowed our Teams(and it was multiple different Teams) to have successful installations of differing configurations and swift close-out documentation submittals.
Nick Goulart
I spent the better portion of 2020 on the road supporting these installations while everybody else had the “15 days to slow the spread,” which lasted a little bit longer than 15 days, lol. This was not an ideal time to travel: restaurants closed, businesses closed, etc. A lot of fast-food drive-throughs were visited!
The Air Knife program was my first introduction to Amazon and a great experience getting to know the way this organization operates. It was a great learning opportunity to be involved with several sites and their leadership. With mentorship from Johnny, this project provided me with the confidence to be in the position I’m in today.
As Ian stated, there were no installation drawings and almost every site was a little bit different. This required field teams to get creative with the installs while trying to be consistent from one installation to the next. Once we had a few under our belts and the process dialed in, we were able to streamline the installation to the point where everyone knew what their task was upon arrival, with little discussion about the job.
I also enjoyed getting to see a lot of the Western US from an interstate as shown in the map. This was probably around 4-5 months of traveling.
Pam Richardson
When the pandemic hit my role as a Recruiter shifted gears. I became the Partner Coordinator for the Air Knife project, searching for and engaging electrical and data contractors across the country. With 72 installations to be completed, we needed a lot of help to complete the projects on schedule.
My Process: Once the site, or sites, were assigned to me, I researched the location for qualified contractors to install the electrical and data lines. I sent bids to 2-3 contractors in each location which meant learning the lingo and how to follow up. Once we decided on the contractor, paperwork had to be filled out along with Safety Certification records (Amazon requires Avetta Certification). Since Amazon requires badges to enter the facility, I worked with each contractor to obtain badges, which meant more paperwork and a chance to get to know Amazon personnel. I was also part of the onboarding process, and I completed a final follow-up with each contractor to make sure invoices were sent and paid, that everything went smoothly on the job site, and they were happy with SilMan.
The ARS program with Amazon was a great learning experience for me. It gave me insight into many aspects of what SilMan is all about by interacting with our engineers, project managers, accounting, etc. I was able to see what it takes to complete a project from the inside out and has made me a better Recruiter.
“The Air Knife program provided an opportunity to see firsthand what ‘Team SilMan’ and ‘Collective Success’ really mean.” – Pam
Community Spotlight
Meet Jim Serra
Jim was born and raised in the Detroit area and built his career as a Union Millwright in the region (Local 1102).
Serra competed as a wrestler and played hockey in high school. In fact, he continued to play in adult hockey leagues until recent years.
He pursued a Millwright career right out of high school, influenced by his older brother, beginning his apprenticeship at 20 years old. By 24 he was a foreman.
Memorable project: Fermi Nuclear Plant. Several rotors came loose from a turbine and penetrated its enclosure. Jim was on a team assigned to rebuild the unit. “It was a very different work environment from typical industrial services,
including yellow suits and guards with M16s,” he said. The work was exacting and required high-precision tooling. While it was an interesting experience, when he was offered an opportunity to stay on for a four-year maintenance team he turned down: “I just wanted to get out of there!”
His commitment to teamwork began with youth sports and has continued in his professional life. Beyond the job site, Jim has always been active at the Hall and is a former Warden.
Jim’s first impression of SilMan was working with Tom and Tyde to build a team for the Hudsons parking project.
Jim said: “From the beginning, I appreciated the company culture, and love SilMan’s commitment to teamwork and maintaining a positive environment.”
Fun facts
The Michigan UBC is a vibrant organization with over 14,000 members. The Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters (MRCC) supports an amazing network of training centers.
Alberto, Rafael, and Armando at World of Concrete.
Armando and Alberto inspect an electric trowel.
Good morning, Mebane.
An artistic moment from Austin Hill.
Virtual Reality in CPR Training
Safety Tip
Cold Stress
As we start the New Year off, we are all faced with cold weather at home and in the workplace. Preparing for cold weather is vital to the success of all our projects this winter. Below are several Cold Weather Safety Tips to follow this winter.
Plan Ahead: Monitor the weather before heading to work in the morning, check the forecast for the day, and check for freeze or wind chill warnings.
Create or review a cold weather safety plan before working in cold environments and plan for scheduled warm-up breaks during the workday.
It is also important to know the symptoms of Cold Stress/Strain. Remember that your extremities lose heat the quickest in cold weather
- Hypothermia
- Frostbite
- Trench Foot
Cold Stress is not something to be taken lightly during the winter. Make sure to listen to your body and take breaks periodically to warm back up. Try to have warm drinks during those breaks to elevate your body temperature.
Stay warm and stay safe!
“We do not rise to our level of expectations. We fall to the level of our training.” – Archilochus
Team Member Jams,
curated by the Safety Team
Scott Harding
Ember by Plini
For the second time in a row, a legacy team member steps up to share their music faves. With Turner at the helm in this edition, Mr. Safety himself has been selected for this column.
Scott stays busy with a host of hobbies, including acrylic painting, off-roading, live music, and especially playing the guitar. Cigars and bourbon somehow fit in there, as well. But when it comes to music, Scott is hot to share his favorite new artist, Plini. The tracks are propelled by Plini’s virtuosic guitar acrobatics…no surprise.
About this artist: “Plini speaks to me melodically like no other band. Every tone resonates with my spirit. Incredible talent and sound. Crank the volume nob at 11, I dare you!”
Foundations
Reflections On The Way We Work & Connect
Our Freedom & Flexibility
Not often do we think of our freedom and flexibility at work… or do we?
Having the ability to navigate, and be creative with our daily work, comes with a cost. If we follow a few simple steps, we will be able to afford the things we have come to appreciate.
How we work:
- We have processes in place, and when followed we can all be successful.
- If we do the right thing, we should be in a position to deliver the best results.
- Holding each other accountable may not be easy, although it is up to all of us to help each other be our best.
Thanks for making this a place that provides just that… freedom & flexibility.
