In the book titled Construction Management   “Subcontractors Scope of Work”, written by Jason G. Smith and Jimmie Hinze in 2010, they state that costs associated with trade damage to door frames are “inevitable” and must be accounted for in the quoting and planning process.
Here is a portion of their research conclusions; 
“Construction is a massive and fast-paced operation.  Under­standably, it must be realized that minor trade damage is part of construction and needs to be account­ed for on every pro­ject.  The framing subcontractor should include an allowance in their bid for repairing the inevitable cases of minor trade damage.  An allow­ance in the form of a specific number of worker hours and the cost of materials should be estab­lished by the general contractor.” 
“The framing sub­contractors can then compute the appro­priate value of the allowance to include in their bids.  For best cost control the framing subcontractor’s bid should stipulate the number of hours allocated for the repair work, not a fixed dollar value.  It should be recognized that subcontractors tend to use different labor rates when bidding a project than they do when submitting change” 
“Additionally, by including the labor and material value of this allowance in the framing subcon­tractors’ base bid the subcontrac­tor will already have the taxes, insurance, overhead, profit, and other markups on this work included in the bottom line of their base bid estimate.  Therefore, the time and material charged to this allowance will be done so without any additional markups.  Though repairing trade damage is an indirect cost of a project it is still an actual and necessary cost on a project and as such should be viewed as a standard base bid responsibility just as with the direct work. 
 “Dents and dings to installed doors and frames are inevitable on a project.  A plan should be in place for protecting doors and frames, as well as for making minor repairs.  It is preferred that the protection be installed by the door subcontractor, with the maintenance and removal of the protection performed by the general contractor.  Since the door subcontractor will not have a presence on the project after completing the door installation, it is not considered appropriate to hold them responsible for maintaining the protection or for damage caused by others.” 
Exposing the Root Cause of Trade Damage
The foundation of a Lean Construction Process journey is based upon identifying, attacking and eliminating wasteful construction processes and activities by applying the principals identified in the concept of The 8 Deadly Lean Wastes.  Welded, hollow metal door frames are recognized across the construction industry as a vulnerable asset and a costly victim of accidental “trade damage” during the construction process.  This damage generates “rework” before the project can be completed.  Rework is one of the 8 Wastes adding wasteful costs and expenses to the project.  Those expenses are either charged to the building owner or absorbed by the contractor or trades.
FOCUS ON IDENTIFYING THE ROOT CAUSE
By applying the “5 Why” problem solving method to identify the Root Cause of a problem, we discover the Root Cause of the trade damage is a result of installing the frame at the beginning of the process of building the walls.  
Although any one of the first four causes could be addressed for initiating improvements, unless the Root Cause is tackled and corrective actions are initiated, the problem will never be solved. 
The true Root Cause of trade damage to a welded hollow metal frame is the one piece welded design which requires the frame to be installed at the time the wall is constructed.  The one piece design blocks flexibility and creates a Lean Construction Barrier.
 This barrier forces the extended presence of the frame in the wall during the construction process.  Consequently, the frame is exposed and vulnerable to damage from that time until the building is completed and turned over to the owner.   
 The solution is to move the frame installation process from the beginning of the wall construction to the end of the interior finishing, when the door and hardware are being installed. 
A TRUE PARADIGM SHIFT SOLUTION – QWIKIinstall
 The patented Qwikinstall Welded Hollow Metal Frame system is designed to be installed;
· after the wall is constructed
· after the electrical work is completed
· after the painting is finished at the time the door and hardware are installed 
AUTOMATIC COST SAVINGS DELIVERED IMMEDIATELY
The  Qwikinstall Welded Hollow Metal Frame was engineered  and patented to solve the problems associated with Frames, Doors and Hardware in the construction process.  The industry was seeking a better way to manage these components during the construction process.  The contractors’ desire was to order frames, doors and hardware as a “kit” to be delivered to the construction site Just In Time.
The installation sequence for frames became the problem for achieving the results desired.  The Qwikinstall Frame changes the process and as a result of one simple timing change, all of the Cost Saving Advantages become real, automatic cost reductions. 

Everyone Benefits when Waste is Eliminated

Building Owners

Contractors

Logistics

Drywallers

Painters

Installers

Distributors

Frame Manufacturers

 
Don Maybee
Qwikinstall Frames
Director of Sales and Marketing
dmaybee@doorinnovation.com
517-861-0473 mobile