How We Do It

Your project has unique features and challenges requiring customized solutions. Instead of providing common solutions, we’ve developed a strategy that allows us to deliver unique solutions that match your requirements.

Communication Infrastructure

When you hire a mechanical contractor you want to know that the job will be well done, completed on time and without cost overruns. At X-L-Air we understand. We’ve built a communication structure and supporting culture to make sure that our part of the General Contractors work schedule falls within the timeframe allowed in the overall schedule’s critical path – avoiding rising costs and delays.

Accountability = Project Scheduling

We do this through a culture built around accountability. Using scheduling software, the project managers have the knowledge to enable them to schedule the project’s mechanical work so that delays and serious consequences are avoided. The main work schedule is updated as work progresses, and adjustments are made as necessary.

Micro Scheduling

Micro-scheduling of the mechanical work is done by X-L-Air’s site supervisors and foremen under the direct supervision of the assigned project managers. These schedules are prepared weekly and are projected for the next two weeks.

IT infrastructure

Our IT infrastructure has been developed to support the gathering, access and distribution of timely information with servers, laptops, shared areas, and network access for project managers, and site supervisors including the remote project site office (housed in a trailer). We use sophisticated and expensive software for duct and piping estimating, job costing, work scheduling, and CAD drafting. In our main office we are also supported by a CAD station, estimating stations, plotters and high speed printers. This investment is serviced, updated, backed-up and protected by a team of four competent IT specialists on a regular maintenance and service basis as well as on an as-needed basis.

People Matter

Highly skilled and motivated union employees

Access to skilled labour is essential to us for the success of any project. At times there is a need to accelerate the work, and access to a skilled labour pool is essential. X-L-Air is signatory to the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the two local unions for the plumbing and sheetmetal trade and has access to such skilled labour. Over the years X-L-Air has cultivated good relationships with the management of both local unions, and also has hired and has managed to retain a core of highly skilled and motivated union employees.

Within our own offices:

X-L-Air has found success in developing staff through a combination of external training, and hands on training as estimators, projects managers, office administrators, accounting, and site foremen. Turnover is minimal.

Tools and Access to piping and sheetmetal workshops

From the very beginning X-L-Air believed that in order to do a good job the right tools had to be used. It is company policy to own rather than hire tools, and X-L-Air owns several expensive items of equipment, including a fully equipped site office on a trailer, several vehicles, all the scaffolding it needs, and large and small tools by the dozen. It purchases ducting from large sheetmetal duct fabricators for whom X-L-Air is the largest client. Also it has immediate access to a well-equipped pipe fabrication shop within its own building, owned and operated by its sister company Hydroplumb Mechanical. Piping of any size and any material including stainless steel can be pre-fabricated off CAD-drawn pipe fabrication drawings. Large pre-fabricated and pre-assembled elements such as entire washroom assemblies or large pumps and their valves on inertia bases are shipped to site directly from the fabrication shop for hoisting to their ultimate location. This is done not only for the sake of labour and material cost efficiencies, but also to achieve a high level of quality, as most of the difficult work is done under fabrication shop conditions, it is not done at site.

X-L-Air Offices

In December 2009 X-L-Air moved to its own new, spacious, beautiful building. The work environment is pleasant, making for happier staff, management, clients and projects.

Health and Safety Policy

Upon hiring, each employee is given a copy of X-L-Air’s New Employee handbook. This handbook contains clear guidelines on ethical issues and defines the duties of the employer and the employee. We’ve devoted an entire chapter to Health and Safety. We expect employees to work safely and to report any unsafe conditions. It is also incumbent on X-L-Air’s project managers and management to ensure that its employees work in a safe environment.