PypeServer Lyte Transforms Fire Protection Fabrication at JM Brennan

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Learn how integrating PypeServer Lyte and Cloud+ improved fabrication on a RazorGage cutting station.

“All told, we’re saving about $20,000 per year with PypeServer Lyte, so in our shop the software is paying for itself in a matter of weeks. This represents a tremendous value. “

– Nick Burg, Fire Protection Construction Manager

CASE STUDY

Q&A Interview With Nick Burg, Fire Protection Construction Manager at JM Brennan, Inc.

From Labels to Nesting: JM Brennan’s Fabrication Workflow Gets a Major Upgrade

What kind of work does JM Brennan do?

J.M. Brennan is a family-owned mechanical contractor based in Milwaukee, serving Southeastern Wisconsin since 1932. We provide full-service mechanical solutions including HVAC, plumbing, process piping, industrial sheet metal, controls, and fire protection, all supported by in-house engineering, BIM, and prefabrication. We have over 375 skilled tradespeople and the largest mechanical services fleet in the region. We also have deep expertise in delivering complex fire protection projects, ranging from new system installations to retrofits and ongoing maintenance for hospitals, universities, manufacturing plants, and commercial facilities.

What’s your role at JM Brennan and what’s your background?

I manage fire protection construction projects, making sure systems are designed, built, and installed the right way. I’ve been active with Sprinkler Fitters Local 183 since 2003, starting out as a sprinkler fitter and worked my way up through foreman and project manager roles before moving into construction management.

What challenges did you have that made you consider PypeServer Lyte?

Our fire protection fabrication line consists of a RazorGage pusher feeding a Continental roll cutter. Part labels are printed and applied after each cut and then the parts go to one of three places:

1. To an NAP Universal Welder if they need O-lets,
2. To an assembly station if they need threaded end fittings
3. Straight to the field if they don’t need O-lets or end fittings

We initially evaluated PypeServer Lyte to replace the factory AutoList software on our RazorGage to take advantage of Lyte’s advanced labeling capabilities. We wanted to be able to print more information on our labels than AutoList could accommodate, including barcodes to program the NAP Universal Welder and end fitting information. We also wanted more flexible label layouts and the ability to re-print labels that got damaged.

Once we got Lyte installed, we found another major benefit from its nesting capabilities that was even more valuable than the labeling improvements.

How was the PypeServer Lyte installation and training process?

Installation was quick and easy. Lyte runs right on the Windows computer built into the RazorGage, so there’s no extra hardware and it’s completely integrated. Training was fast too. Lyte works seamlessly with Stratus, our fabrication workflow software, and Lyte’s label designer is especially easy to use because it’s all graphical. You just drag and drop the parameters, graphics, and QR and barcodes you want onto the label template, move and resize them however you want, and save the template. We were up and running in under an hour.

JM Brennan’s custom labels show project and part data. PypeServer’s labeling feature allows users to design part labels with QR codes, graphics, and key information. In the field, teams can scan QR codes to access assembly diagrams, update delivery and installation progress.

JM Brennan’s fire protection fabrication line consists of a RazorGage pusher feeding a Continental roll cutter.

How has your workflow changed with PypeServer Lyte, and have you realized any savings?

We’re saving a tremendous amount of labor and money with Lyte. There are three areas of savings. First, Lyte takes the 40-number NAP Universal Welder programming codes from Stratus and turns them into barcodes on the part labels that we scan at the welder to program it. We estimate this saves us about 10 seconds per O-let and we weld about 10,000 O-lets per year, so the savings from barcoding alone add up to about $3600 per year.

Second, with Lyte we can now print threaded fitting info directly on the part label. Before, we had to generate a threaded fitting schedule to figure out what fitting went with what part but now we just read it directly off the part label. We figure this saves about 30 seconds per fitting and with 12,000 fittings per year, the savings add up to about $4300 per year.

Third, there’s the savings from Lyte’s part nesting. We use a lot of pre-grooved pipe and standard part nesting algorithms generally cut the scrap off one end, along with its factory groove. We described the issue to PypeServer and they created a special nesting algorithm specifically for Fire Protection that moves the scrap cut towards the middle of the pipe, thereby preserving both ends and both factory grooves. We estimate that this saves us from having to make over 6500 manual grooves per year, which amounts to over $12000 in labor savings.

All told, we’re saving about $20,000 per year with PypeServer Lyte.

Do you consider PypeServer a good value?

PypeServer charges under $1500 per year for Lyte, so in our shop the software is paying for itself in a matter of weeks. This represents a tremendous value.

Do you have anything else you’d like to say?

PypeServer has been great to work with. They designed and implemented the new Fire Protection nesting algorithm in Lyte for us in a matter of weeks. We also run their Enterprise software on our pipe profiler and their customer support has been great for all their products.

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