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Located in suburban Detroit, Blue-Ray Mechanical, Inc. has grown from a residential heating, cooling and boiler company to providing dozens of services to both commercial and residential customers. The nearly 75-year-old, three-generation, family-owned company serves six counties in the Detroit metropolitan area.
Partners Matt Rendarius and Wes Evans and our growing team of 16 staff members take pride in staying on top of the latest industry innovations and sharing them with our clients. “We were one of the first companies to switch from coal to natural gas, recognizing the environmental and sustainability benefits.” It is our duty to keep it up to date,” Rendarius said.
Rendarius and Evans each have about 21 years of Blu-ray experience, and throughout their careers, they’ve sought out better ways to track HVAC equipment, maintenance logs, personal protective equipment, and more. For example, Rendarius explained: Tracking just the HVAC equipment and maintenance for one customer (with 36 retail stores) required a very heavy and unwieldy black binder. “I use this binder to enter all my information as I go. And I carry this big black binder in my work van and have to flip through it all the time.” he said.
So when Lendalius first learned about BitRip and the BR Code label, it was a welcome discovery. Apps and Labels connect physical objects with vast amounts of customizable data, providing a unique new way to track every location scanned.
Dirty environment that changes rapidly
BitRip co-founder Nick Dimitruk first devised the solution in field operations more than a decade ago while serving in the Middle East as a U.S. Marine. “We were in dirty, fast-paced, dangerous locations and using expensive, mission-critical equipment. We invented this technology because we realized there was an urgency to do it effectively,” Dimitruck said.
It’s on the app: The BitRip app and BR Code label were first invented in military operations. The app is built for ease of operation and includes the ability to add checklist forms for frequently inspected items such as HVAC equipment, ladders, and fire extinguishers. The labels are built for durability and are available in indoor and outdoor versions.
Many of the same conditions exist in rooftop HVAC spaces and mechanical rooms where Blue-Ray field technicians spend their time. Rendarius saw the BR Code label and BitRip at a local supply company and immediately envisioned how BitRip could help eliminate the need for large black binders.
“I tried it out on some (rooftop) units to see how it worked. Then I created a file for that store and added all the units to it. ‘So he had it on his phone before he went there,’ he recalled of his first trial. “We deployed it quickly and it was very easy to use,” he said.
Blue-Ray staff now use this solution every day, replacing tons of pens, paper, and sticky notes, and eliminating the need for staff to physically look at folders to access information. “We were really paper-based, so BitRip made it a lot easier,” Evans says.
Label everything: At Blue-Ray Mechanical, we apply BR code labels to rooftop units (RTUs), boilers, hot water systems, and other equipment, typically adding a photo of details such as manufacturer information tags, model and serial numbers, and refrigerant levels. Masu.
Blu-Ray applies BR code labels to rooftop units (RTUs), boilers, hot water systems, and other equipment and takes photos of detailed information such as manufacturer information tags, model numbers, serial numbers, and refrigerant levels. Having all this information quickly and easily available on your phone or mobile device is “very helpful if someone calls and you need it.”
Creating connectivity
“It makes communicating with other technicians and customers so much easier. It’s on our phones,” Rendarius said. “It’s a great tool in terms of being able to connect on the fly in the field and know what you need and when you need it,” Evans added.
For RTUs, Rendarius typically scans the BR code, enters the name of the unit, the customer who owns it, the rooftop number, takes a photo of the tag, and adds notes about the size and presence of filters and belts. Some service was performed. He creates another note that serves as a service log.
All of this information is stored securely in the cloud within the BitRip app, and the Blue-Ray team controls who has access to it. They appreciate being able to lock the labels so people don’t get in there and “play with” them.
Rendarius said being able to access such critical information remotely before going into the field was a real game changer. Evans said another area where apps and labels are providing value is by increasing billing transparency. Having service logs tied to labels on HVAC equipment that show when and what repairs were performed is invaluable, he said.
“Everything seems to be connected through your cell phone… so being able to use BitRip to share with other technicians in the field saves you time on the phone, waiting time, and going to the supply company. I think it’s going to save me a lot of time because I can accurately share this with other technicians, homeowners, business owners, property managers, so they can call me or drive me to pick up the part. I think it saves us a lot of time wasting time, after the fact that we got the job when we could bring in the parts,” Evans said.
According to Evans, the BitRip and BR Code label solutions are “easy to buy.” He said the advantage is not having to carry a laptop or iPad in the field to enter data. Lendalius added that the minimal cost of BR code labels is easily incorporated into any project bill. They use sturdy BR code labels and are impressed with their ability to stay where they are installed.
No more black binders
Rendarius said the unpopular task of updating large black binders for each customer is becoming obsolete thanks to this solution. “We change units regularly in all these buildings. We have to update it once a month, and to do that I have to sit there at home on my computer. I’m not good at typing, so I just poke around at the keyboard, and I don’t have it right now to do that.
Available now: Blu-Ray staff can now see tangible results by having important equipment information such as equipment condition photos, manufacturer information tags, model and serial numbers, and refrigerant levels easily available on their mobile phones. is being raised.
He added that dozens of text messages and phone calls/voicemail communications each day, as well as four technicians traveling to various jobs in the area, consume a significant amount of time. Thanks to BitRip and BR Code labels, that time can now be spent more productively.
BitRip is widely adopted in the safety inspection tracking field with checklist forms for various items such as ladders, fire extinguishers, and personal protective equipment. And Blue-Ray is considering using BitRip for these types of applications as well.
“BitRip makes it easy to share and transfer information. I think the more jobs you go to, the easier it will be to put more stickers on it. Within a few years, you’ll be able to increase the size of your main account. I think it might be tagged with parts and residential, commercial and light industrial,” Evans said. As Blu-Ray continues to evolve, Lendalius and Evans are excited about how this digital technology can continue to drive revenue.
