Innovation is one of McKinstry’s core values.

Throughout 2016, McKinstry’s Western Washington Region organized an “Everyday Innovation” campaign that set out to share innovations and recognize innovators company-wide. We chose this name for the campaign because even smaller-scale or “everyday” innovations can make a big difference in improving the way we work.

All said, the organizers of the campaign have received more than 60 submissions that highlight an impressive array of creative thinking and have sparked discussions about innovation throughout McKinstry.

While the campaign is ongoing, we’ll be featuring nine of the very best innovation submissions we’ve received thus far in a series of Everyday Innovation posts. This post features the first three submissions.

Data Vault

The Data Vault, pictured above, is an industrial-strength technology cabinet that’s pioneering digital communication on the job site. It safely houses a printer, scanner, tablet (or PC), giant display and connects to McKinstry’s network via cellular data or Wi-Fi.

With the Data Vault, job site teams now have complete access to forms, procedures, drawings, mark-ups and email. But, perhaps the greatest benefit of the Data Vault is what it eliminates and replaces.

Instead of commuting to far-away job trailers or a central office to ask questions, review drawings, or file paper documents, workers can scan and email PDFs from wherever the Data Vault is placed. Instead of bringing several fragile laptops to the dusty jobsite, workers can share one ergonomic, sturdy Data Vault already on site. Instead of having protracted conversations with office-based engineers over the phone, job site workers can connect with office staff in real-time on Skype for Business, with screen-sharing and video capabilities to boot.

While we’re currently piloting Data Vaults at select Seattle-area job sites, we have plans to expand our use of the technology in the future.

3-D Multi-Trade Rack

Sometimes looking at physical objects on a computer screen just doesn’t cut it.

McKinstry’s engineering team is experimenting with 3D printing to identify potential design issues and communicate system benefits to our customers. The team developed this 3D model of a multi-trade rack assembly including mechanical, electrical, plumbing and piping systems.

The model pictured above was used to illustrate how a multi-trade rack concept would save money and reduce risk for a Seattle-area client.

AV Prefabrication

To combat schedule compression, our audiovisual team ramped up their efficiency by developing a comprehensive prefabrication AV assembly that could easily be delivered and deployed on site in 45 different rooms.

This assembly resulted in a whopping 35 percent reduction in AV installation time! Prefabrication is one of our most powerful tools in removing waste from the construction process.

This is the first post in a three-part series. You can read the second post here.