Studies show that Copper Press-Fit is 21% faster and 10% cheaper than copper brazed fittings, allowing your business to secure future opportunities and increase profitability.

Since its release to market, the speed and safety benefits of Copper Press-Fit over traditional copper brazed fittings have been increasingly recognised across the plumbing industry with more and more plumbers adopting Press-Fit technologies to maintain a competitive advantage.

The Study

A recent study into the cost of various plumbing systems, commissioned by the International Copper Association Australia and conducted by the highly regarded Mr Nigel Essex of SX Estimates, further supports the advantages of Copper Press-Fit over brazed fittings. Through the comparison of total resource cost and time, the study has highlighted some positive implications on opportunity costs for your business.

The study was undertaken by independent plumbing system estimator, Mr Nigel Essex of SX Estimates from Sydney, to compare the costs of different plumbing systems for a medium size commercial building. The estimates were based on the use of copper plumbing systems incorporating silver brazed fittings and Copper Press-Fit fittings on a typical 175 room, 10 story hotel. The costs of both labour and materials were based on average commercial market material purchase and labour cost rates.

Cost

Figure 1 shows the result of the comparison between the Copper Press-Fit and brazed fitting methods, separating the cost elements by labour and materials.

As often argued by conservative plumbers, the initial material costs of using Copper Press-Fit are at present more expensive; too often acting as a deterrent when considering options for fittings.

However, as a result of the comparative cost of labour being a significant 21% cheaper than the cost of labour for brazed fittings; the overall installation cost when using Copper Press-Fit fittings is 10% cheaper than when using the traditional method.

Time

Time management and increased productivity is the key to the success and profitability of a plumbing business. Poor time management and low productivity creates a negative impact on a project environment, particularly through increased cost, loss of future job opportunities, loss in profit and damage to reputation.

Figure 2 compares the installation time by hours of work between Copper Press-Fit and brazed fittings and clearly shows the installation time for Copper Press-Fit fittings as a substantial 21% faster than using brazed fittings.

When analysing this data into 8 hour working days, the hours saved when using the Press-Fit technology amount to 102 working days. That is valuable time that could be allocated to your future job opportunity.

Market feedback has reported average installation times to be at least 30% faster than brazed fittings, further supporting the speed benefits of adopting Copper Press-Fit.

Opportunity Costs

The ability to allocate labour resources as quickly as possible to the next project is imperative to the success of any business in the construction industry, and should be a key consideration in choosing material for your plumbing system. In this example, being able to feasibly allocate more than 100 days to another project is invaluable to the productivity and profitability of your business.

Furthermore, with at least half of the Australian market still using copper brazed fittings, one of the biggest opportunities in utilising Copper Press-Fit technologies lies in the ability to differentiate your business in a competitive environment. Utilising the latest technology and being able to offer a shorter project schedule than your competitors is a competitive advantage which will not only improve your reputation but in turn allow you the opportunity to secure further work for your business.

A question that must be asked is what will be the opportunity cost to your business if you don’t make the switch?

Make the switch to Copper Press-Fit today for a faster and more cost effective option to traditional brazing and a welcome boost to your business’ reputation and financial performance.

For more information on the KemPress® Copper Press-Fit system visit www.kembla.com.au/kempress