How Herbert Construction Co. Turned A Footing Forming System Into A Competitive Advantage
Doug’s Note: I was asked by the editor of Concrete Contractor Magazine to write this article about our company’s unique footing forming system. The article appeared in the April 2014 issue of that influential magazine.
In the early 1990s Barry Herbert, then President of concrete construction company Herbert Construction Co. based in Otsego, MI, learned of an alternative method for forming footings. Barry had spoken with Ron Colvin, a concrete contractor from Berrien Springs, MI about footing construction. The two had become friends through their membership in the Concrete Foundations Association of North America (CFA). Colvin was using a footing forming system that eliminated the 2x4 lumber that is typically used for footing construction.
My father Barry, my brother Mike, and I, visited Colvin. Colvin showed us a couple of his jobsites where we saw the forming system in action. The system involved the use of thin-gauge metal forms instead of the typical wood 2x4s used to form the sides of the footing. The forms were simple to set up and prepare for concrete placement. Once the footing concrete was placed, the forms were easily removed and ready to be used again.
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| Concrete has been placed in this footing using grade pins and a laser level. |
After seeing the system in action, we decided to implement the system within our own company. We hired a steel company to cut and bend the thin-gauge metal and set about teaching our field crews how to use the system. The system was easy to learn and simple to use, which shortened the learning curve. However, the buy-in from our employees to try something new took a little longer to work through.
But, once the system was up and running, its effectiveness was evident. No longer having to buy new 2x4s resulted in a huge cost savings. However, the biggest benefit was the increased productivity of the new system over the traditional method. It took fewer man-hours to set up the basement footings.
In 1998 Herbert Construction Co. acquired a concrete construction company in Atlanta. We brought the footing system from the sandy soil of Southwest Michigan to the red clay of Georgia.
After using the steel footing system for years, we were looking for ways to further improve the system. Mike Herbert came up with the idea to replace the steel forms with a plastic material. We experimented with different variations and settled on a plastic used in the trucking industry. The new plastic was lighter and easier to work with than the previous steel material. An already good system was made even better.
Labor Problem Solver
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| Herbert Construction Co. uses a plastic footing forming system to prepare this footing for concrete placement. |
The use of this unique footing forming system has helped Herbert Construction Co. solve some of our labor challenges, as well. Over the years, the skilled labor force in Atlanta has dried up. Many of our new hires have never learned how to use a shovel or swing a pick. We have to show them how to do that during their first day of training. This system, however, eliminates the need for teaching new employees how to measure and cut 2x4s and set them to grade.
We are able to quickly train new employees on the footing system. This allows the unskilled laborers to be productive once they get out on the jobsite. A reduced learning curve leads to quicker profitability with the new employees.
Eco-friendly System
In our Atlanta market, most of the 2x4s used to form basement footings are discarded on the jobsite. Instead of being re-used on the next foundation, they are left onsite as construction debris, then thrown into a construction dumpster and brought to a landfill.
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| The footing forming system allows the forms to be stripped quickly and used on the next foundation, which reduces waste and increases productivity. |
By using a reusable, recyclable footing form instead of the typical forming method, we have saved over 2.4 million feet of lumber from going to the landfills. This savings is the equivalent of a line of 2x4’s stretching from Atlanta to St. Louis, MO.
Competitive advantage
Herbert Construction Co. is the only concrete contractor in the Atlanta market that uses this type of footing system. It has become a way to differentiate our company from the many other contractors in the Metro region. The home builder is responsible for the disposal of the traditional 2x4 lumber used to form basement foundations. The lumber remains in a rough pile on the jobsite until after the basement has been backfilled, then the home builder pays to have it removed. We are able to show prospective builder customers that we can eliminate that cost for them.
In addition to reduced customer costs, Herbert jobsites are cleaner and less cluttered because there isn’t a pile of used lumber near the construction driveway. We stress the cleanliness of our jobsites to our customers and prospects. “Our jobsites are cleaner and less cluttered because the typical pile of used lumber isn’t present,” says Barry Herbert.
There’s also an environmentally-conscious marketing aspect of the system. Quite a few of our customers appreciate the fact that – by utilizing our company – they are sending less trash to the landfill. They can use this as an eco-friendly differentiator when meeting with prospective homeowner clients.
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| The footing for this basement foundation has been set up and is ready for inspection. After inspection, concrete will be placed and the footing forms will be stripped. |
Most importantly for our company, the system’s speed allows us to set up footings with fewer man-hours than a wood forming system. This gives us a productivity advantage over other companies.
By frequently analyzing our field operations and how we perform our work, Herbert Construction Co. strives to increase our productivity. Barry Herbert explains, “We look at how we can improve our jobsite efficiency and reduce our labor costs. We are constantly trying to improve the way we do things.” The refinement of a unique footing system is just one way we have accomplished that.