For Mike Iiams and his concrete removal business, Precision Cutting and Coring, completing a project involves more than simply taking out concrete. It’s also about ease of use, efficiency and, most importantly, safety — from the operators to the general contractors to the building owners. Achieving that involves staying on the forefront of new technologies and processes. And sometimes that means going outside the norm.
Precision, a full-service sawing contractor in Kansas City, Mo., specializes in a variety of applications, such as taking down concrete ceilings and walls, cutting out concrete for egress windows, and core drilling. Since 2004, the company exclusively used flat, straight-line wall and wire saws, which are effective but come with several drawbacks. The sheer process of cutting and hauling what could be thousands of pounds of concrete is time consuming and can lead to injuries. Last year, Precision welcomed a new alternative.
Jeff Keeling, Midwest regional sales manager for Brokk, has known Iiams, and the challenges his company faced, for many years. So when Keeling joined Brokk in 2013, he introduced Iiams to the Brokk machines and sold him his first, the Brokk 100.
“This is a great size for the projects we take on, which are often indoors and small spaces,” Iiams said.
He added that the Brokk 100 has changed the way they demolish walls and ceilings. The crew can now simply use the breaker attachment and hammer away until the area is reduced to rubble. “We are working nearly three times faster than before,” he said. “And best of all our operators are out of harm’s way.”
Since his first purchase, Iiams has added a Brokk 160 to his fleet to keep up with projects and the demand for interior demolition work. The Brokk machines also have helped the company break into new projects, including sewage line trench excavation.
“We can turn jobs around for plumbers within a day or two, which allows them to schedule their inspections sooner and complete projects faster,” he said.
In addition to speeding up plumbing projects, the Brokk machines also help reduce costs for contractors. Crews can use the crusher attachment to demolish walls and ceilings with minimal disruption to residents. This allows the Precision crews to work during normal business hours instead of overnight, which saves contractors premium charges.
Iiams also uses many other Brokk attachments, including buckets, grapples, hydraulic drive motors and extension booms, and he’s considering adding the metal shears to the company’s lineup. This would allow the crew to demolish old boiler tanks in aged buildings rather than cutting them with a torch, which would make the job faster and safer.
Iiams has his eye set on a Brokk 60 for his next equipment purchase. He said its small size will allow his crew to perform work in even more confined spaces.
“There is just so much work for these machines and there’s no limit to what they can do,” he added. “And the range of attachments and the support I get from Brokk is second to none.”
Recognizing a need in the industry and finding a way to fill it is one thing, but finding the best way to fill it with operators, general contractors and building owners in mind is what makes Mike Iiams a Brokk Star.
