Industrywide, the prefabrication of products and processes has proven to be a popular way for electrical contractors to reduce labor costs, optimize their workforce during a time of skilled labor shortages, and help ensure...
There's an impressive assortment of new construction technology on the market helping users complete more tasks while keeping their companies profitable and regularly securing work. There are undeniable benefits associated...
Kelly McDonald is a marketing and advertising specialist who speaks about diversity in the workforce. On differences in the workplace, she says, “We are all working with diverse team members, as well as customers and...
As a contractor with a degree in biological science, I looked for ways to improve productivity without increased physical or mental stress for my employees. Employers have benefitted from new products developed after years of...
It hasn’t been the easiest few years for the electrical construction industry, and its recovery from the economic downturn has been comparatively slow given the productivity gains of other industry sectors in the United...
Productivity improvement is more than reducing waste. Understanding how routines and environment affect our physical and mental states can help you and your employees get the work done more efficiently and accurately without...
Lighting strategies to optimize worker performance are alive and well. In fact, the correlation between lighting and human performance is now better understood than ever, and the knowledge is influencing manufacturers...
As the economic recovery continues and the construction market picks up, electrical contractors will have to deal with work force shortages. The problem doesn’t lie just with the aging of the industry, but also the fact that...
As an electrical contractor or a project manager, the million-dollar question is “How do I get the guys to be more productive?” How often do you ask yourself this question, and how often are you surprised that the labor does...
Part I: The Paradox As the economic landscape of the electrical industry shifts from industrial to commercial/residential, the contractors demand more effective services from their supplier/distributors. Every day owners and...
Tactics for improving market share and profits Last month’s article, “Shifting Markets,” introduced today’s market reality in the electrical construction industry. The national shift of the electrical market characteristics...
Electrical contractors depend on distributors, not only for access to products, but for service and expertise. “We typically purchase from distributors, and the ones that have the most knowledgeable people make it more...
Some contractors buy as few tools as they possibly can while others consider tools an investment to enhance their productivity, so they embrace them,” said Jim Eisele, Greenlee Textron product manager. To a large extent...
Concerns about the efficiency and reliability of electricity are prompting new responses by federal and state government agencies, utilities, associations and product manufacturers. They could provide new business for...
First federal privacy standard affects all aspects of healthcare The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA, though some may even know it as the Kennedy-Kassebaum Act) seems to keep making things more...
Sears’ decision to set up a new department store in downtown Chicago after a long absence was a point of civic pride. Sears represents Chicago; it is part of the Second City’s proud personality. After all, the mighty Sears...
The bottom line is this—the blackout of 2003 exposed the need for upgrading the transmission grid with estimates for modernization up to $100 billion. Chances are good that electrical contractors will be called to install and...
Scapegoating is a hostile social behavior by which people move blame and responsibility away from themselves and toward a target person or group. The target feels wrongly persecuted and receives misplaced vilification, blame...
Often times a contracted project takes longer to complete and requires a larger budget than was originally planned. Many factors can be contributed to the increased duration and cost of a project. But who is responsible for...
There has always been confusion regarding the differences between marketing and sales. The confusion is initiated when contractors discover that the most important task of marketing is not selling. Marketing is typically the...
