A proposed reinterpretation of a federal law that would have had potentially harmful job killing and inflationary effects on the commercial modular industry and its U.S. membership has been stopped through the dogged efforts of the Modular Building Institute and several of its member companies.
On August 8, the U.S. Department of Labor published its final rule aimed at revising and expanding the 90-year-old Davis-Bacon Act. The initial proposal would have expanded the Act which mandates prevailing union wage rates to include “secondary sites” such as modular factories on federally funded projects. Through an extensive year-and-a-half long lobbying effort by the Modular Building Institute (MBI) and its members, the Department of Labor published its final rule without the proposed expansion to include the modular building industry.
MBI executive director Tom Hardiman expressed just how significant this decision was and gave credit to the collective support of the associations membership stating, “In my twenty years with MBI, this is by far the biggest win for our industry. The MBI and our members were able to delay this rule’s implementation for over a year and ultimately prevailed in getting the anti-industry language removed.”
You can read more about the MBI’s successful effort in stopping the reinterpretation of the Davis-Bacon Act here.
Ramtech’s manufacturing division passed the 500 day mark in June without a lost time accident.
Since beginning our modular building manufacturing operations in 1984, Ramtech has always kept the plant safety of our team members as an utmost priority. This has come through the employ of a full-time safety manager, who is committed to keeping our procedures up to date, providing for continual worker training, and maintaining a rigorous inspection of our modular manufacturing plant workspaces and equipment. (more…)
Ramtech modular building manufacturing of the Concourse A addition for Denver International Airport.
Ramtech has completed the manufacturing of the 36 modular sections that will make up the 26,312 square foot modular building addition for Denver International Airport’s Concourse A East Groundload Phase II Terminal Expansion. The modular construction project is part of the second phase of an upgrade and expansion of the airport’s Concourse A commuter facility that will connect to a 38,929 square foot modular building Ramtech previously constructed for DIA in 2018. The new addition will extend east toward the flightline and provide five additional gates for Frontier Airlines. The concourse building is being built as a co-op effort with other local contractors under a joint venture project between Turner Construction and Flatiron Construction.
Manufacturing of an exterior wall section for the modular building Concourse A addition at Denver International Airport.
Ramtech is responsible for the core and shell construction including the exterior walls, interior walls with applied gypsum board, all shear walls, complete floor and roof assemblies, and the exterior wall and floor penetrations for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. The modular building will be set on an engineered concrete block pier foundation system and has been designed to meet a 160-mph enhanced windspeed. Ramtech worked with HNTB Corporation in a design-assist role for developing the Type-IIb modular structure. The installation phase is expected to commence during the first week of September and take six weeks to complete. Denver International Airport will use the new modular-built terminal for a minimum of five years while they continue to develop their permanent expansion plans.
Ramtech’s (left to right) Brian Wier, Matt Slataper, And Randy Van Zandt participate in the American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED r.21 training program
Since Ramtech began our modular building manufacturing operations in 1984, we have made a commitment to ensuring the health and well being of all our team members by investing in safety and healthy living programs and the technology and training to support them. Last month we took another huge step forward on that commitment by implementing the American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED r.21 training program for both RMD and RBS employees. This program provides for certifications in Basic First Aid, CPR, and the use of AED. Congratulations to Ramtech’s Matt Slataper, Randy Van Zandt, Jade Pulfer, Brian Wier, Joe Summerhill, Tommy McCool, Jandra Neeper, Coyte Davis, Kenny Wallis, and Reese Talley who all attended the multiple day program and are now certified in each of the three courses.
Ramtech American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED r.21 training session
The American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED r.21 program is designed to help participants recognize and respond appropriately to cardiac, breathing and first aid emergencies. The courses in the program teach participants the knowledge and skills required to give immediate care to an injured or ill person when minutes matter, and to decide whether advanced medical care is needed. The program offers a choice of First Aid, CPR and AED courses in a traditional classroom or a blended learning (online learning with instructor-led skill session) formats, in addition to optional skill boosts to meet the various training needs of a diverse audience.
Former Ramtech Building Systems VP of Design and Development Roland Brown addresses the crowd at his induction into the MBI Hall of Fame.
At last month’s 2023 Modular Building Institute World of Modular Conference, Ramtech’s Roland Brown was inducted into the MBI’s Hall of Fame for his contributions as both an innovative designer of modular buildings for the public and private sectors, along with his career-long efforts in shepherding and helping to define the building codes in support of the commercial modular industry.
Roland began his career as a draftsman for a mobile home company in Silver City North Carolina. After an initial stint at PFS Corporation in Dallas where he honed his skills on structural design calculations, he then moved on to PBS Building Systems where he had the opportunity to help develop the structural concepts required to meet the more complex designs that the burgeoning modular building market was starting to demand. Over the course of his career, he became known for his ability to analytically solve problems and to develop the structural design solutions required to meet the challenges required to construct complex modular building projects. Many of these innovative and unique designs went on to make significant contributions to the technical evolution of the commercial modular building industry. These innovations include: the development of a system consisting of steel-trussed frames with panelized roof and wall panels; Type II building designs utilizing steel deck horizontal diaphragms and light gauge shear walls to allow for large open areas without columns; and Ramtech’s award winning slab-on-grade permanent modular construction process, a grade-level permanent modular building approach which allows for the modular sections to be set and attached directly onto a conventional concrete slab foundation.
Initially hired as Ramtech’s engineering manager, Roland was elevated to the Vice President of Design and Development in 1998, leading Ramtech’s engineering department for all of his 34 years with us. Over the course of his five-decade career, Roland became the first modular building industry representative to become the presiding officer for the Texas Industrialized Building Code Council, the advisory board to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation on issues related to the regulation of the industrialized housing and commercial modular building industries. He also previously served as the Government Affairs Chairman and the President of the Board of Directors of the Modular Building Institute, the international nonprofit trade association that serves the commercial modular construction industry. Roland was also a member of the International Code Council where he was an active advocate for addressing code and compliance issues that affected the commercial modular building industry.
Former Ramtech VP of Design and Development receives the 2023 MBI Hall of Fame Award from Executive Director Tom Hardiman
Prior to his enshrinement into the MBI Hall of Fame, Roland was the recipient of MBI ‘s outstanding achievement award in 2018, joining long-time Ramtech colleagues Linc Moss, Mike Slater, and Bob Houchin with the prestigious award. At his Hall of Fame introduction, Ramtech President Matt Slataper stated, “Roland has been a mentor to me and for years has invested in the next generation of industry leaders. It has been driven by his passion for our company, his undeniable love for the modular industry, and above all else, a servant’s heart.”
You can read more about Roland and his exemplary career in this article on the MBI’s website here.