FastPIPE Bulletin OCT/NOV/DEC 2005

From FastEST, Inc.

The year is about completed and we are preparing for more improvements to FastPIPE in the year ahead. Looking back over 2005, we added the new product for Residential, as well as over 50,000 items in our database. We have over 50 new customers on board using FastPIPE and see more and more of our existing customers utilizing FastPIPE for more than just estimating.

On the back of this letter, we focus on Central Mechanical Construction of Manhattan, Kansas, who has probably seen more changes in FastPIPE than any of our customers. They are now in their 10th year of using FastPIPE and several improvements to the software over that time have been at their suggestion.

We would like to thank all of our customers for their continued support this year and in the past.

If you have any suggestions for the newsletter, call me toll-free at 800-828-7108, or send an e-mail to mark.oxler@fastest-inc.com.

Merry Christmas to you and may you have a happy and prosperous New Year!

Thank you,

Mark Oxler President

FastPIPE Upgrade in First Quarter 2006

The next upgrade for FastPIPE includes several notable changes.

1. The catalog was reworked for faster access over the network. (Stand alone system users will probably not notice the effects.)

2. An option will be available for a network version to allow security through the network, while not requiring security keys (or dongles) at each station.

3. The flow of copying sections or assemblies has changed to allow you to modify the section header as the assembly is brought into the job. This has a user-friendly flow and reminds you to adjust Multipliers, Areas, or Remarks to match the current job.

4. Access to create takeoff sections and copy assemblies will be available from any takeoff screen. A drop-down bar will be available at the top of the takeoff screen, where the user can move from section to section, create new sections, or copy assemblies.

 The improved FastPIPE takeoff screen gives you the ability to add new sections and copy assemblies without exiting the current takeoff section

FastPIPE Used for more than Estimating

Central Mechanical Construction, now an Emcor Group, Inc. company, was one of the first customers to purchase FastPIPE nearly 10 years ago. Frustrated with their existing estimating system, Dennis Fair, the President, was attracted to the straight-forward nature of FastPIPE and began to use the software for estimating piping and plumbing. Back then FastPIPE was lacking many features that it now has, and Dennis and other employees at Central Mechanical, have provided suggestions for many of the program improvements we’ve made over the years.

While FastPIPE was designed principally as an estimating program, it is a useful tool for anyone who builds material and prices lists, does change orders, and orders materials. Central has placed FastPIPE in the hands of its estimators, project managers, and field supervisors, working with a notebook computer. FastPIPE is helpful in managing the project from beginning to end. The training of employees to use FastPIPE is handled in-house.

John Lonker, the chief estimator at Central, uses FastPIPE to bid all of the projects. By having a separate estimating department, they can develop a good feel for the market they bid in, and maintain consistent pricing. However, the estimate is assembled with the completion of the project in mind, so it is broken down into necessary areas and phases. With FastPIPE’s ability to breakdown a project in various ways, this can be readily accomplished.

When successful on a project, the components of the estimate are entered into Central’s Job Tracking System. Central believes in breaking the job down into manageable sized components of labor, so that the tracking of the job will be meaningful.

The FastPIPE estimate is passed on to the project manager and field supervisor on successful projects. Sometimes, materials are ordered directly from the estimate, but most often the takeoffs are reviewed by the field supervisor prior to ordering. Material takeoffs from the estimate in FastPIPE can be edited to match the field supervisors’ actual takeoff for ordering.

Project managers use FastPIPE to figure change orders and to assist the supervisor in ordering materials. With the Specs and Job Items from the original estimate already set up, figuring change orders is very easy.

By utilizing FastPIPE throughout the project, Central Mechanical can maintain consistency throughout the process. By having a software that’s easy enough to learn and use, many in their organization can benefit from its time-saving capability; not just the estimators. 

New FastPIPE Customers

Mannion Plumbing Chicago, IL

Aqua Services Sarasota, FL

Emcon Services Peachtree City, GA

McIntyre Plumbing Tyler, TX

Plumber of Baltimore Baltimore, MD

Mike Gowen Mechanical North Little Rock, AR

Morton Mechanical Clarksville, TN

Southeastern Boiler and Pipe Coward, SC

Grunau Company, Inc. Orlando, FL

4Runner Mechanical Gilbert, AZ

Patriot Plumbing Coventry, RI

Modern Mechanical Fab Champlain, NY