There has been a lot of talk in recent years about how helicals have become more or less a commodity post Super Storm Sandy. As reported by HPW, greater exposure to the professional community helped create a broader acceptance for helical technology and increased demand. More domestic manufacturers, foreign competition, and a glut of product offerings have all combined to create greater supply. At the same time, the material supply chain issues created during the Pandemic also had a negative effect, further aggravating manufacturing’s cost structure. All these factors resulted in “pass along” price increases to distribution, who then had to turn around and increase pricing for their customers. All these issues have resulted in a more price sensitive consumer, with more supplier options, who feels the necessity to “shop around” to get the best material price when bidding jobs. A recent project at the Jersey Shore, however, illustrates why, although competitive pricing is important, relationships still matter… a lot!
Murphy’s law states that anything that can go wrong will. I have commented before that, regarding construction projects, Murphy was an optimist! Such was the case at the ICONA Hotel on the beach in Avalon, New Jersey. Our dealer, Coastal Marine Piling, was installing IDEAL 3.5” (300 wall) pipe piles to support a deck expansion at the foot of the sand dunes which serve as a natural barrier to storm surge. Time was of the essence. It was only a 10-pile job with other trades waiting in the wings to follow the foundation contractor. The geotechnical firm that analyzed the borings had not visited the site and called for a 17’ embedment, erring on the side of caution. To facilitate a speedy installation, the contractor, Dave Grahn, ordered a 7’ lead and a 10’ extension for each of the 10 pile locations and had all the material staged on site with favorable weather conditions. It was important to knock out this job as Dave had another time-sensitive project ready to start on Monday and was bumping up against the weekend. All the pieces were in place for a smooth and speedy execution. However, as Robert Burns observed in 1785: “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” How right you were, Robert Burns!
Sand can be as troublesome for helicals as for timber, which often needs to be jetted in under water pressure to achieve the necessary depth and avoid scouring issues. The 7’ leads advanced, but the 10’ extensions stalled out at 13’ and one of the pilings snapped when Coastal switched to a 25K head to push beyond that depth. Dave Grahn reached out to Frank D’Angelo at Danbro who immediately set a few things in motion to try and save the day. First, he called the structural design engineer, Steve Gencorelli, who has designed thousands of helical projects and asked him to review the Geotech report to determine if a 13’ embedment, behind a near 20’ high sand dune and 100 yards from the mean low water line, would be sufficient. At the same time, Frank reached out to our yard to hold the truck from our new designated shipping service for a possible additional stop. Steve G understood the urgency and quickly responded with his analysis that confirmed the 13’ depth would be fine. Rocky, the yard dog, was informed and quickly added twenty 3.5” extensions to the truck and rerouted to make the ICONA site the first stop as the other customers were not in dire straits for their delivery.
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The material arrived in a timely manner and Coastal Marine finished the job in one long day to stay on schedule. Dave Grahn’s quick action to reach out when Murphy’s Law reared its ugly head and Danbro’s quick response were the difference between a profitable job and one that could have been stalled for days waiting for answers and new material.
Click here to read ICONA’s Deck Support Case History.
Material pricing is always an important element in a contractor’s efforts to bid and successfully win a job. That is why Danbro and its supplier, IDEAL Foundation Products, look at every angle to remain as competitive as possible to best serve our customers. Some variables, such as market dynamics, are beyond our control. However, we always endeavor to provide our installation contractors with the highest quality product, service, and support to help them win jobs and problem solve when necessary.
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I know Dave Grahn from Coastal Marine Piling was appreciative of our efforts. However, as I was departing the site and reminded him that I would see him again on Monday at Maynard’s Café to capture a couple of pics and another case history, he couldn’t help dropping a quick one-liner: “Pat, don’t bother. You’re bad luck!”
