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On average an IR machine takes 10 minutes or less to heat the area before raking.
1. Preparation and Set Up
Efficiency starts well before your crew shows up to the job site. Having a clear scope of work, pictures of the proposed repair areas, and a plan of action going into the job makes a world of difference. Whether this responsibility lies with an estimator, project manager, or foreman, as long as someone has been to the job site and formulated a game plan going into it, the crew can show up, reference the plan, and get straight to work. Additionally, collecting and staging all the tools, equipment, and materials you’ ll need before you arrive at the jobsite will allow your crew to simply get into the truck, arrive at the job site, and get to work with no preventable delays. Without a strategy, your crew may arrive to the jobsite in a disorganized and chaotic manner which can lead to valuable labor hours determining what needs to be done, by whom, and gathering materials. Formulating the plan is vital and should be a high priority when profits are your goal. Failure to plan is a plan to fail.
2. Crew Coordination
There is nothing quite like a well-oiled asphalt crew. They show up to the job site and everyone knows their exact job responsibility and what needs to be done. Assuming no major obstacles, a crew should be ready to start an IR within 15- 20 minutes of being onsite. A typical IR from start to finish should take around 15 minutes, with just 10 minutes for the machine to heat and 5 minutes to complete the repair. When you have a crew that is disorganized or doesn’ t work well together, those repair times can easily surpass 20 + minutes, and in this industry, time is money. Crew size is dependent on the size of the job, but realistically speaking, to maintain margins, a crew of 2-3 laborers should be all you need for an efficient IR job. The truly awesome part of IR? There should never really be down time for any member of your crew. As soon as the infrared machine is removed from the first repair spot, it can be moved directly to the next spot. As the crew works to repair the heated area of the first spot, the infrared machine is heating the second, and as soon as the first repair is finished, the second should be almost hot enough to be repaired.
3. Accountability and Recognition
This point isn’ t necessarily specific to just IR repair jobs, but all asphalt-related work. Customer complaints, callbacks, and reworks cost the company time, money, and efficiency. Ensuring you have
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