The People & Stories Behind CEI

For 30-year construction industry veteran and Project Executive Earl Martin, safety is not an option, it’s a necessity.

“There is rarely the need requiring additional time to ensure something is done safely,” says Martin. “You need to understand your task, plan accordingly and then you can work quickly while still being safe. It’s simply a matter of awareness and preparation. It is important to stay engaged in even the mundane, common tasks we often perform in the field.”

Having worked on a variety of projects, including luxury high-rise condominium complexes , data centers, tenant improvements and solar photovoltaic installations, Martin has witnessed his share of safety-related missteps.

“One of the most unsafe jobsites I’ve experienced concerned a high-rise project littered with trash, trip hazards, uneven pavement, you name it,” says Martin. “There was one case where an unsecured piece of plywood 23 stories-high fell onto the street below, nearly missing passing pedestrians. The site was so unsafe that a plumbing subcontractor employee nearly fell to his death after leaning on a railing that did not meet OSHA standards, was poorly maintained and collapsed upon light contact. We threatened to shut-down the project immediately and remove people at CEI’s cost if the safety issues were not resolved.”

At Cupertino Electric, employees always have the option of elevating a safety issue, if an issue is not resolved to an employee’s satisfaction. “It’s not a sustainable approach to put profit and schedule ahead of safety,” says Martin. “We at CEI believe that productivity and safety can and should co-exist.” Judging from CEI’s 57-year history, he must be right.

For more information on CEI’s commitment to safety, visit:  http://www.cei.com/about-cei/safety

“With an engaging smile and a level of energy usually reserved for someone half his age, Superintendent Mark Lopez is excited. He is a true believer in synergy.

“We have so many years of collective field knowledge here at CEI,” says Lopez. “Anything that I can do to facilitate the sharing of information among field electricians regarding installation methods and tools, I will do it. The only way we can continue to improve upon how we deliver results in the field will be through innovation, synergy and execution.”

While Cupertino Electric has always shared “best practices” among field employees, the company is formalizing its efforts with an easy-to-access, Internet-based, comprehensive Best Practices Manual re-launched this month. The manual is a compilation of fully-illustrated submissions taken from journeymen, foremen and superintendents detailing more efficient ways to perform work on a variety of project types. Above all else, the manual strives to promote innovation and safety.

“CEI has always been synonymous with innovation,” says Lopez. “What better way to honor that tradition than by capturing the knowledge of some of the best electricians in the industry and sharing it with one another?” We tend to agree.

To learn more about CEI’s innovative history, visit: http://www.cei.com/about-cei/history

When CEI BIM Manager Scott Arfsten taught construction management students at California State University at Chico a few years ago, he never imagined that the speed of construction projects he prepared his students for would continue to increase at such a fast pace.

“Not only is speed of construction projects a big factor in the industry, it’s compounded by the challenge of building projects quickly with razor-thin margins,” says Arfsten. “Thank goodness for virtual design construction technologies that are allowing us to identify conflicts early to increase efficiency and safely deliver quality results.”

What makes Scott unique is his approach to Building Information Modeling (BIM). He doesn’t employ technology just for technology’s sake. “It’s really a question of identifying the right approach for the specific job,” says Arfsten. “Not every job requires an intense, extensive BIM modeling effort. But with the technically-complex projects that we regularly construct at CEI, BIM is a tool in our arsenal that allows us to increase installation speed and safety, while keeping costs low.”

“BIM-created documents can also result in a great turnover package to give a project owner the right information to properly manage and maintain a building,” says Arfsten. “How to effectively use the package contents to maximize the BIM effort is where it helps to work with a contractor who knows the proper use of BIM at the proper stage.”

The right people

The construction industry is relationship-driven. While an impressive building or well-designed electrical system certainly matter, the most successful projects arise from a collaborative effort between team members who actively listen, respect one another and are always looking for ways to make the process easier, better or more efficient. Like personal relationships, many business relationships thrive with the right chemistry. Technical knowledge can be taught, but people skills rarely can. This is why we believe that people are the most important element in a successful construction project.

Fast-track solar projects in particular present another set of manpower challenges. In late 2010, when we concurrently built two of the nation’s largest solar farms in a 52-day period, we broke our own internal hiring records at CEI. Unlike traditional projects that ramp-up over time, these fast-track projects required complete mobilization immediately, which meant going from one electrician on site to 120 electricians in a matter of days. Without experienced supervisors in the field who can quickly identify, motivate and train hundreds of skilled electricians for maximum productivity, a large-scale, fast-track project will fail in the execution phase.

A well-thought-out schedule

Once the right people are in place, they need to know what to do and when to do it to maximize productivity and efficiency. Developing and communicating a schedule based on a man-loading chart to track progress and resources is critical in today’s fast-moving world. At CEI, we employ a full-time scheduler to help develop a comprehensive construction schedule with the applicable general contractor, to ensure our field crews are working efficiently and to maximize purchasing decisions. With a thoughtful schedule, we are able to quickly respond to unanticipated changes by mapping out alternatives and options without losing momentum on the project. This is especially important with fast-track projects, where time is of the essence.

A site-specific safety plan

Most important, we believe that no project is worth compromising the safety of our employees, our customer or the public. Period. Not only do safety issues impact the speed of a project, they can also significantly impact the cost of a project, once legal and insurance costs are factored into the equation.

On every project, we develop a site-specific safety plan and a daily pre-task plan. Over the past five years, we have integrated safety practices into our culture and have focused on creating a “zero injury” workplace. Clearly our efforts have paid off. CEI’s Recordable Injury Rate is more than four times lower than industry-wide rates for Electrical Contractors working in California, and across the nation. This statistic is even more significant because the man-hours worked by CEI employees continue to increase, while our Recordable Injury Rates decrease.

While there are other important factors that can influence a project, we at CEI stake our 56-year reputation on a belief that people, scheduling and safety are the cornerstones of a successful construction project.

What do you think? Join the conversation on our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/cupertino.electric or click here for more information on CEI’s latest projects or safety programs.