How does a company get to 50 years-of-age and still counting? Not just any company, our company, Component Assembly Systems, headquartered in Pelham, N.Y.
 
Founded Feb. 18, 1964, our company's first project was at the New York World's Fair in Queens, N.Y., building a kitchen cabinet at the DuPont Gas Pavilion for $139. Here we are today finishing the Freedom Tower project and many others across the U.S.
 
We are in 11 markets, following best-of-breed contractors and owners. Managing information, both timely presented and accurate, with field and office on the same page, has changed us forever.
  
Read what Rebecca Lurie, the prior director of economic development for the Consortium for Worker Education (and a former Component Assembly carpenter), said about us in this Workforce Intelligence Report to the New York State Department of Labor last year. She writes about our "playbook" and why Engineering News-Record so graciously allows me to write in this space.
 
New York City
 
Detailed Data Collection Makes Construction More Efficient
Sector: Construction, Research and Development
Business/Entity Name: Component Assembly Systems, Inc.
Potential Job Growth: yes-
County: New York
Labor Market Region: New York City
Zip Code: 10010
Source: John Rapaport VP
Item: Component Assembly Systems, (CAS) is a carpentry company headquartered in Pelham, NY that has been in the business for 50 years. CAS developed an approach to efficiency that is based on the 21st century "data revolution" by linking detailed data management from the field to the office. Typically, a wall and ceiling contractor will spend 70% - 80% of its cost on labor. Estimators use some pre-existing information to bid on a job and the work proceeds. According to tradition, the field performs the work with many changes throughout, and it is not until the last phase of the job when the company knows how it is performing against estimated costs. In contrast, CAS has taken a data collection process to forge an information network that is more efficient for the operators. In short, CAS uses technology generally used in the design and management side of the industry and ties it to the construction side for more efficient carpentry crews, work assignments, and delivery of material. The company has built upon aspects of BIM (Building Industry Modeling). The data maintained through payroll records has been linked to specific tasks and floors in the building to allow project managers to adjust crews, material deliveries, and other trades. Data is collected, analyzed, organized and then shared with managers in all departments. Strategic, kick-off, status, and close-out meetings assure shared management approaches and consistent buy-in. Performance bonus incentives are provided to reward the efficency approach through shared and detailed data reporting. The proprietary tool is called CASim which stands for Component Assembly Systems Information Manager.
 
Of potential interest to NYSDOL: CAS hired data analysts and systems engineers to develop and manage this approach, trained foremen and project managers in its use, and now benefits from tremendous growth and added profits as real time data and performance is managed.
Item Publication Date: 05/19/2014
 
I thought Rebecca did the best job of explaing what we have done and are doing on the subcontractor side.  
 
So, what you see in the photo above is how we ended the year with a bang recently celebrating our 50th with 300 of our closest friends and colleagues in our home county of Westchester, New York.
 
This 18th Tech-Savvy Contracting post celebrates the winter spirit of joy and gratitude to all those that have made this success happen. Looking forward to big progress in 2015, so stay tuned!!