IIA Helps JCR Construction Reduce Testing Time by 75%
Since 1984, New Hampshire-based JCR Construction (JCR), a Quanta Service company, has helped keep the lights on across New England, and rallied to aid utilities across the nation in the wake of the most severe storms. In this inherently dangerous business, annual testing of bucket trucks, live line tools and protective gear is critical to keeping line workers safe.
“Safety is paramount in this industry,” says Rob Berube, JCR Fleet Manager. “The peace of mind from knowing your testing has been done right is priceless.”
For years, JCR Construction relied on a local service provider to conduct aerial lift and dielectric tool testing. However, in 2022, due to COVID and employee injuries, that provider could not meet JCR’s testing needs and compliance deadlines. With some urgency, JCR began searching for a testing company that could pinch-hit. And while they were evaluating new providers, why not look for a one-stop shop?
Based on recommendations from JCR’s sister companies within Quanta, and a detailed plan of attack proposed by Brian Burger, Northeast Sales Manager at Industrial Inspection & Analysis (IIA), Berube decided to give IIA a try.
For more than 50 years, IIA has been a leading provider of live line tool and rubber goods testing to utilities, municipalities and electrical contractors across the U.S. IIA is one of the few service leaders offering mobile live-line testing labs that save customers money, time and trouble.
From left: Matt Reed (JCR President), Brian Burger (IIA Northeast Sales), Patrick Sullivan (JCR Safety Manager), and Rob Berube (JCR Fleet Manager). According to Berube, IIA’s boots-on-the-ground approach helped to seal the deal with JCR. He says: “Brian took the time to come in and meet our personnel, understand what we were trying to achieve, explain IIA’s process, and put a plan in place to be successful in execution.”
At JCR, the vital, but cumbersome, testing process typically took up to 8 weeks and presented a logistical nightmare.
“In the past, we used to bring all the bucket trucks in to have aerial tests done, and then roll right into dielectric testing, and that’s where it would stop with a typical testing facility,” recalls Rob. “We would then have to pull bucket liners, rubber goods and protective gear out of all these trucks and send them out to a third party for testing.”
Berube hoped that IIA could streamline JCR’s annual testing process, but knew it would not be an easy task.
“Our fleet in New Hampshire alone is over 400 pieces of equipment, so it’s a monumental undertaking. We were looking to hire a company that could come in and spearhead a campaign to test everything we had in one shot.”
IIA did exactly that, completing all testing of aerial equipment, live line tools and rubber goods on site during a two-week period in May 2022. Thanks to our mobile testing labs, we were able to reduce JCR’s previous testing time by roughly 75%!
“It typically takes us about 2 months to get all of our testing done, but IIA was able to complete everything in about 2 weeks. And the documentation that accompanied our testing was fast and flawless,” says Berube. “IIA really impressed us with their capabilities and professionalism. And if you look at the cost savings, it’s a no-brainer to use a company like IIA to facilitate all of your testing.”
After more than 20 years of dealing with third-party providers, Berube looks for relationships and transparency when dealing with third-party companies.
“Whatever industry you’re in, success often boils down to knowing who you can call in a pinch,” says Rob. “IIA understood our sense of urgency, and they delivered 100%. It was refreshing to work with a company that actually delivered exactly what they said they would.”
