CMX 2004 - Plumbing & HVAC

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THE RAM HEAVY DUTY. GET ONE FOR FOR EVERY GUY IN YOUR CREW. The Cummins High Output Turbo Diesel for Ram Heavy Duty is one of the quietest diesel engines around, which is good for sneaking away from your job site, just ask Kevin. The Pickup box is easy to compartmentalize with stake pockets and tie downs to secure loads. And we always want to make sure the loads are secure so they don’t fall off and land on the foreman, don’t we Doug. Hydroformed Frame is lighter, yet more durable which is good when Steve decides to take a short cut to get home in time to watch the game. 17" wheels and tires means better traction so Dave can get in and out of places he shouldn’t be in, in the first place. At DaimlerChrysler Canada Fleet Operations you’ll find the most powerful line of Dodge Ram Heavy Duty Trucks we’ve ever assembled. You’ll also find our value added Fleet Programs and our customer service the best in the business. For a few more reasons you’ll love us, call 1-800-463-3600 or e-mail us anytime. ◆ DaimlerChrysler Canada Fleet Operations www.fleet.daimlerchrysler.ca 2004 Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge vehicles are backed by the best protection we've ever offered: a 7-year or 115,000 kilometre* Powertrain Warranty plus 24-hour roadside assistance†. Basic Warranty coverage is for 3 years or 60,000 kilometres*. Rust-through coverage on all body sheet metal is for 3 years. The Cummins Turbo diesel engine is protected by a separate Limited Warranty, covering the engine for 7 years or 160,000 kilometres*. *Whichever comes first. †Some conditions including a deductible may apply. Offer does not apply to vehicles sold for certain commercial uses or to SRT-10 models. See your dealer for details. Circle Number 159 for More Information
Trucks for the Trade Truck Graphics, Part II Choose the right graphic designer There is more to graphics than putting stickers on a truck By Simon Blake In Part 1 of this article (Jan/Feb., 2004), we talked about what goes into effective truck graphics. In Part II, we look at choosing a graphics supplier and the practical aspects of applying graphics to a truck. The graphics that a contractor applies, or doesn’t apply, to his truck become the company’s identity in the community. This makes choosing a graphic designer and deciding on graphics one of the most important decisions that a company owner – and it should be the owner – will make. “Many contractors fail by delegating the development of truck graphics and other promotional material to an employee,” notes Gordon McCallum, creative director for McCallum Graphics in Mississauga, Ont. Truck graphics should be part of a total marketing campaign. It is therefore important to choose a graphic designer that understands the company’s overall goals, he added. Just as a customer does when hiring a service contractor, a contractor should ask to see previous work, check references and talk to other contractors when commissioning graphics for his truck(s). The process is easier where the graphics company does its design work in-house, reports Julian Sarboiu of AXXENT Signs Inc. in Mississauga, Ont. Working with one company on the Beware of copyright Any contractor that wants to use something previously published elsewhere, such as a comic book or cartoon character, MUST obtain permission from the individual or company that owns the copyright. Calgary contractor Peter Archdekin, president of Pete the Plumber, actually phoned Marvel Comics to check the rules concerning the use of their superhero figures on his trucks. He was told the company could ask him to remove the characters, but as long as he didn’t use any individual character on more than one truck and because he was “a little guy up in Canada,” they probably wouldn’t bother. design and another to apply it to the truck can add cost, downtime and headaches. One other thing to keep in mind when hiring a graphics supplier is how long they intend to keep the truck. Because the design work is done on computer, there is no need for the truck to be at a graphics shop until the graphics are actually ready to be applied. A two-day turnaround is typical, advises Sarboiu. “Shy away from shops that cannot provide you with a specific timeline for your job’s completion.” The shop should also have valid liability and contents insurance that covers your truck while it is in their hands, he added. How it’s done Digital photography and computerized graphic design software have made the process of creating custom graphics for a truck relatively straightforward. Typically, the designer will work out the graphics with the contractor on a computer screen using a file graphic of the particular model of truck. “It should not be a complicated process from the customer’s point of view,” notes Sarboiu. Once the design is done, the artist will print or e-mail a ‘photo’ of the completed truck. That can be changed and adjusted until the contractor is satisfied with the result. Only then are the fullsized graphics produced. Today most truck graphics are done in vinyl. An enormous range of colours and special effects are available. “There are certain things that you can incorporate into graphics today that don’t cost a lot more money but have benefit – reflective graphics, for example. They light up when headlights hit them,” notes McCallum. Exploring options with several graphic designers can be time well spent. There are two methods of printing graphics – inkjet that prints the image onto the vinyl and thermal imaging, which fuses the ink to the vinyl with heat. Thermal imaging is generally considered more durable. However, some shops warranty inkjet work for five years. The vinyl itself comes in a number of different qualities – everything from extremely expensive material that will outlive the truck to cheaply Today’s graphic designers like Julian Sarboiu and Randall Thomas, seated, design truck graphics on templates of the actual truck body set up in a software program. made offshore products (Sounds like PVF products!). Good quality vinyl will come with a warranty. The vinyl manufacturer’s colour chart will also list durability. A vinyl that is rated at five years, for example, should stay in place regardless of how many times the van goes through a truck wash and should not show any visible signs of fading for five years. Design software compensates for distortion in the vinyl as it goes around corners, etc. There should therefore be no visible distortion once the vinyl has been applied. Randall Thomas, a partner at AXXENT Signs, believes lights, moldings, etc. should be removed and replaced after the vinyl has been applied. The goal is to minimize the number of edges exposed to the elements. Cost varies with the complexity of the graphics. Most shops charge by the running square foot for production and an hourly rate for installation. Some shops add a setup charge for production – make sure that is included in the quote. Collision repair with vinyl is straightforward because the shop will have the graphics on a computer file. This makes it relatively easy to print off only the damaged sections and reapply them to the truck once a body shop has made repairs. Vinyl can also be removed when a leased truck has to be returned, for example, notes Thomas. However, the paint will be faded where not covered by vinyl. If the vinyl has been in place for three years or less, they can usually buff it back to original. A repaint may (continued on page 56) Roy, left, and Bob Birnie have been experimenting with their truck graphics for years. They turned to Gordon McCallum to turn their ideas into an unforgettable design. www.plumbingandhvac.ca March/April 2004 – Plumbing & HVAC Product News 55
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Volume 14 Number 2 March/April 2004
Page 3 and 4: In This Issue Special Feature: The
Page 5 and 6: Hot Seat Know your customer Acommon
Page 7 and 8: Industry News Low flush revisited T
Page 9 and 10: Industry News In Brief (continued f
Page 11 and 12: Letters Hydronic heating efficienci
Page 13 and 14: You’ll Be Proud To Install One Of
Page 15 and 16: Cover Story The UOIT well field. Un
Page 17 and 18: Drain Tech There are specialty nozz
Page 19 and 20: Heating Mid-efficient furnace The P
Page 21 and 22: Instant hot water The Pronto RTG-42
Page 23 and 24: Ventilation Air conditioner The Sma
Page 25 and 26: Refrigeration Fast charging manifol
Page 27 and 28: Advertising Supplement
Page 29 and 30: A.M.T.S. Canada Limited Proven qual
Page 31 and 32: Copeland Canada Look for certificat
Page 33 and 34: Flexible Eutectic You have to love
Page 35 and 36: ISH NORTH AMERICA 2004 ISH NORTH AM
Page 37 and 38: KeepRite Refrigeration - The Right
Page 39 and 40: MITS MEANS THE BEST! Specializing i
Page 41 and 42: Moen Inc. High tech faucet has low
Page 43 and 44: NTI Inc. Trinity boiler is quietly
Page 45 and 46: Redmond/Williams Distributing Amana
Page 47 and 48: Looking for… ◗ New Plumbing or
Page 49 and 50: Viessmann Manufacturing Company Inc
Page 51 and 52: Weil-McLain Canada Win ultimate toy
Page 53: Building Wolseley from the branch u
Page 57 and 58: Circle Number 161 for More Informat
Page 59 and 60: Faucets & Fixtures Programmable fau
Page 61 and 62: Tools & Instruments Jobsite estimat
Page 63 and 64: Atofina Canada Inc. 1007/1009 Bacha
Page 65 and 66: Western Update In Brief Calgary to
Page 67 and 68: Coming Events World Building Congre
Page 69 and 70: Mechanical Marketplace The bulletin
Page 71 and 72: Keep cool customers even cooler. Co
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CMX 2004 - Plumbing & HVAC

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