The Construction Source America

As for delivering on-time, Matt says that achievement starts all the way at the beginning, during the bid process. “We start digesting the construction schedule that’s provided by the construction manager or general contractor, and then we start offering some input on how we see things,” he says. “We sometimes see things a lot differently than our competitors because of how much BIM and prefab that we do. Usually we find we can help shave some time off a schedule because of the processes that we’ve put in place.” Later, while delivering the job, Way Engineering also does a lot of pre-planning and looking ahead. They also equip their foremen with technology that enables them to communicate instantly with the workshop. They have iPads with dashboards that allow them to provide updates, make changes, and order materials. “We stay in front of the schedule by empowering our people in the field,” Matt explains. Way Engineering is also set apart by their quality. Once again, Matt says that starts during the bid process. “We don’t believe in shortcuts when it comes to quality,” he says. “Sometimes the specifications we get lend themselves to products that we don’t feel like are the best fit. In those cases, we’ll work with the owners and the architects and the engineers – all the players – to try to achieve a better result.” “We want to make sure we provide the end-user with a quality product that’s going to be around through all of our lifetimes,” he says. “That’s what’s important.” Way’s quality control continues on-site. They have a quality assurance department with a stringent system of inspections and testing, but they also empower every single member of their team to keep a lookout for any issues. “All of our employees have an active role in the quality assurance of our product,” Matt says. “Everyone acts as the eyes and ears of the company. We have assistant project managers and project managers who are constantly walking through jobs looking for quality issues. We get those on an internal punch-list and get those resolved before they end up on the owner’s punch- list.” That commitment to solving problems and delivering quality results has not gone unnoticed or unrewarded. In recent years, for example, Way Engineering has won a number of APEX Awards in recognition of their excellence in construction. More importantly, the company has won a lot of repeat business – the majority of their relationships with customers are long-term, and even their newer relationships are mostly generated by word of mouth and referrals. According to Matt, that’s the way they want to grow. “As a company, we believe that the best business development we can do is to build a quality project on time and under budget,” he says. “That’s what we strive for every day.” AUG - SEP 2021