Relying on Teamwork for Successful Unistrut Installations

After 18 years with Unistrut Midwest, primarily working on installations, I've learned a few things about how to successfully complete a project. Now, as an installation project manager, I know that a job's success is dependent on teamwork, and it's my job to create a team of installers that I can rely on.  

Building a Reliable Team Through Training 

The Unistrut Midwest installation team has a handful of projects in flight at any given time, and while the completion of each project is ultimately my responsibility, I can't be everywhere at once. I need to be able to rely on my team to get the job done without micromanaging or hand-holding. That confidence starts with training.  

Before they can start on job sites, a new installer spends a few weeks in our training room to get experience working with Unistrut products. After they've learned the basics of assembling Unistrut and common configurations, they move on to becoming an extra hand for an established installation team. There, they get on-site experience in not only installing the product but also problem-solving. Because so many of our installers have years of experience working with Unistrut, I know I can count on them to help train new team members while still providing quality work for our customers.  

Training and education continue beyond the early days of an installer's career, however. There is no match for the knowledge gained through on-the-job experience, and each project teaches our team members something new. While every job has a set of blueprints to work from, those plans are typically based on a clean situation, and realistically, most job sites have interferences that haven't been accounted for. How teams solve problems and resolve conflicts gives me the information I need to determine who can operate independently and who may require more oversight. With that knowledge, I can confidently assign teams to projects that match their skillset and level of autonomy.  

Support throughout the company  

Trust extends beyond just our team of installers. I need to rely on others in the company to get me the information I need to distribute to my team in order for them to complete their jobs. I work closely with Senior Project Manager Tyler Robinson as he relays information from the engineering team. I rely on Tyler to get the information my team needs so that I can share accurate updates with both our installers and the general contractors overseeing the overall build.  

That relationship between me and Tyler has been increasingly important as Unistrut Midwest broadens our horizons. While my installation teams were historically working only on medical support installations, our scope has widened as the company has grown. We are now undertaking new-to-us challenges, and with unfamiliarity comes a lot of questions. Tyler and I work hand in hand to hunt down the right people to answer our questions before passing that information on to the installers. Trusting Tyler to ask the right people the right questions and then share accurate information with me and my team allows us to work effectively and provide a successful installation to our customers.  

The success of the Unistrut Midwest installation team comes down to teamwork. Knowing that I can trust my installers to run their job sites effectively, their faith in me to get them the information they need to complete their jobs, and my relationship with Tyler and others in the company creates a unified front that gets the job done. 

About the Author:

Brian Brown has been with Unistrut Midwest for nearly 20 years and is currently leading our installation team as Project Manager.