Standing Seam Roofs-A Great Fit for Micronesia

A recently published Metal Construction News article highlighted the Metal Roof industry-outlining the top technologies in the marketplace today.  In recent years, GET,LLC has been witness to the utilization of one particular metal roofing system on Guam that can withstand the harsh tropical climate of the Western Pacific and provide a long lasting roofing solution. The end result has been an increase in value to current metal buildings from Yigo to US Naval Base Guam.

Whether you have plans to develop a commercial project or you are closely watching the Guam Housing Corporation's residential home building project in Dededo, there are many types of metal roofing options for a facility on Guam and Micronesia with only one shining above the rest-the standing seam metal roof panel.

The standing seam metal panels are interlocking single-skin panels with concealed fasteners and raised seams.  The panels in these systems are typically installed at continuous lengths from eave to ridge and can vary in widths and styles.  Installed vertically, these systems come in structural or architectural varieties. 

The benefits of a such a system begins with its durability.  A lack of interlocks allows for an expansion of the system that is much better across the entire roof which means a longer life usage.  

Most roofing systems are now sold to meet various UL classifications and ASTM standards for strength, wind uplift and energy efficiency codes for Guam and the region.  Made of aluminum, these systems are recyclable at end of life. With some posting 20 year warranties, the standing seam roof is an affordable solution to any roofing job in Micronesia.  The warranties also take weather tightness into consideration-a must with the amount of rainfall and storm activity we see on a yearly basis.

From a maintenance point of view, standing seam roofs are "low-to-no" maintenance if installed properly.  Cleaning these roofs are as simple as mild soap and clean water.  These systems are also energy efficient and can aid in LEED Certification-especially those in "cool roof" colors.  Integration with solar photovoltaics are simple. Need a quick roof solution? "Float" a standing seam roof system over existing roofing materials for an affordable fix that will last for years. Give a standing seam roofing solution a chance on your next metal building project.

To find out more about how GET, LLC, through our metal building partners at Ceco Building Systems, can help your next steel building or aluminum roofing project, give us a call at 671-483-0789 or our website at www.get-guam.com for more information.

   

New LED Optics Rolled Out for Deco Lighting's Area Lights

GET,LLC was certain that once we were able to introduce the Western Pacific market to Deco Lighting's innovative Area Lighting that something cool was going to come out of our Commerce, California-based partner to make these products even better.  

Deco Lighting President Ben Pouladian and the team at Deco late last month introduced new optics for their lines of Light-Emitting Diode (LED) street lighting and flood lights.  The Deco Team wrote recently that optics are a fundamental component of LED lighting systems, and the optical performance of an LED system determines the system’s quality and performance.

"Deco Lighting’s advanced optical designs make their luminaires the perfect solution for any lighting application. Indexed to the circuit board to ensure consistent optical alignment, their new optics deliver repeatable photometric performance, and their precision-molded acrylic lenses provide optimal luminaire spacing and improved uniformity. 

Deco Lighting’s focus on producing clean-energy products is demonstrated through their optical systems, which are Dark Sky compliant, and control light above 90 degrees, eliminating wasteful up light. These optics will now be applied to several of Deco’s outdoor luminaires including the D824-LED and D826-LED, two premiere roadway lighting fixtures, as well as the D816-LED and D823-LED, two aesthetically appealing flood lights that utilize a soft-cornered aerodynamic design to provide excellent light distribution."

If in Guam, ask the people of Santa Rita and their Mayor Dale Alvarez about the D823-LED lights currently lighting their Municipal Basketball Court.  A sleek looking flood with light distribution not see anywhere else in the Marianas. A great asset to the community there.

Deco Lighting customers will have a choice of three optimized distributions: Type II, Type III/Type IV, and Type V. The addition of these optical systems to several of their outdoor products greatly expands Deco Lighting’s offerings and, with their high-performing Nichia LEDs and 10-Year Warranty with Labor, makes Deco Lighting the go-to place for all outdoor applications requiring specified lighting optics.

To learn more about the lighting products that GET, LLC provides, including the LED lines of our partners, Independence LED Lighting and Deco Lighting Inc., please check out our website at www.get-guam.com or call us at 671-483-0789 to discuss solutions for your important lighting needs-All Made in America!!!

Innovative Boom Lift Alarm Introduced by Genie

As an owner of the Genie TZ-50, GET, LLC has been impressed by the safety features of this particular aerial lift.  Safety should always be paramount when using this piece of equipment with work up to 50 feet from the ground.  Alarms do help give operators some level of comfort knowing when trouble arises either working at height or simply setting up on a job site.  Genie has rolled out yet another bit of innovation for boom lifts. 

Genie announced recently that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Lavendon Group plc. for its "electronic secondary guarding solution" also known as the SkySiren. This system is designed to alert ground personnel when an operator makes contact with the platform control panel. The system interrupts boom movement, sounds an alarm and causes a light to flash. 

Based on Lavendon's SkySiren technology, the Genie operator protective alarm (OPA) system can be retrofitted to any Genie articulating or telescopic boom lift manufactured after 2002. It is now available as an aftermarket option but will soon be offered as a factory-installed option.

"Our customers requested an additional option for operator overhead protection and we are responding by offering the Genie operator protective alarm," said Terex Booms Product Manager Frank Schneider.  "By offering the OPA along with the Genie operator protective structure, our customers will be able to configure the machine as appropriate to the job site conditions."

The system is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible to operators and features a pressure sensitive horizontal bar that is fitted at around waist height below the boom lift's control panel. When pressure is placed on the bar, as may be the case if an operator makes contact with an overhead obstacle, the system is activated. The system also features a reset button that can be pressed if the system is inadvertently activated.  Genie also will continue to offer the operator protective structure (OPS).

"We are incredibly pleased to reach this agreement and hope the global availability of this secondary guarding technology can aid the working at height experience of many end users worldwide," said Lavendon Group Chief Executive Officer Don Kenny.

The SkySiren system has been named the 2012 IOSH Innovation of the Year, the 2012 Construction Health and Safety Group Beaumont Safety Trophy and the 2012 IAPA Contribution to Safe Working at Height and most recently the US Leadership in Lifting Equipment and Access Platforms Platinum Award. 

If you have any aerial lift needs and would like to discuss potential solutions, please drop GET, LLC a line via our website at www.get-guam.com or give us a call at 671-797-0789-your authorized Terex/Genie Representative for Guam and Micronesia.

LED Spec Assistance-Use of External Drivers

In an attempt to provide assistance to specification writers that are tasked with identifying the most cost-effective energy efficient lighting for their commercial, industrial and federal government properties GET, LLC through our friends at Independence LED Lighting offer up advice to help those writers and readers of this blog to identify key specification areas of focus in the use of LED lighting technology. 

Our focus: external drivers.

External drivers, a key selling point of LED lighting, have multiple efficiency, smart control, operation, and life safety advantages over Internal Drivers.  It is suggested that by separating the heat created by the drivers from the LEDs on the linear “Tube” modules, the combined system runs more efficiency, maintains its color more consistently, and lasts longer. Heat is simply the enemy of the LED. 

Also external drivers provide increased flexibility over internal drivers, when it comes to maximizing future connectivity for dimming, occupancy sensors, light harvesting, alert signals, and WIFI control. Many end users are focused, in the short term, on the energy savings with LEDs but the modular advantage of an external system is the ability to improve the technology as it evolves by connecting into other smart controls.

Since the external driver is a separate module, it can be easily replaced in the same way that a fluorescent ballast is replaced upon failure without throwing out the whole tube. This is the simple model of “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater”, since the LEDs and the tube component are more valuable than the driver component. Modularity creates operating as well as energy efficiency. Think of the driver as the starter on a car or the power supply on a computer. It is best to specify Non-Proprietary Drivers for maximum flexibility over time to purchase if necessary additional drivers.  For failure diagnostics, if a tube goes dark completely then the failure is most likely in the driver versus any of the diodes on the tube, but personnel can always easily cross check by simply connecting a failed tube to a nearby fixture. Given that the drivers are the weakest link in the LED system, request a nominal extra inventory of drivers (e.g. 1 per 100 Tube sets) to have at hand in the event of failure. This is not unlike stocking extra ballasts in a project.

Finally, fluorescent tube fixtures to date have been typically designed to bring alternating current (AC) line voltage typically at 120V to 240V into the fixture and then step it down to safer lower voltage via the fluorescent ballast to Direct Current (DC). The danger of using internal driver LED tubes is that the step down to the lower voltage occurs inside the tube. So the installer of internal drivers bypass the ballast and run the higher voltage directly into the socket “tombstones” of the fixture. This means that the dangerous line voltage is right at hand in the fixture. If personnel touch the sockets, they WILL RECEIVE A SHOCK, and they are at risk of falling back off a ladder at the 120V level breaking an arm, hitting their heads, or worse.  There is an increased likelihood of  fatality for fixtures that are powered with higher 240V with the internal drivers. By contrast, external driver LED technology mirrors the model of the original fixture design by replacing the fluorescent ballast with the external driver and stepping down the voltage as it is fed into the tubes for increased safety.  LED tube solutions should include options for external drivers that are non-proprietary  to a sole source, so that the drivers can be replaced if necessary either during or after warranty periods. 

Need an LED solution for your facility? Check out our website at www.get-guam.com or give GET, LLC a call at 671-797-0789.  We are a provider of Independence LED Lighting and Deco Lighting Inc. products-Made in America!!!

Case Good Furniture Business On Up Swing

A great article in on-line industry magazine Furniture Today highlighted the increase in business of Case Good Vendors across the country-a sign that design, finish and materials mean so much today in a very tough furniture marketplace.

Writer Thomas Russell noted that the introductions of more modern furniture looks comes as the economy is making a comeback through the housing and employment marketplaces.

"Case goods vendors say they want to be prepared with fresh new looks and approaches to both bedroom and formal dining," wrote Russell.

Our friends at Savoy Contract Furniture have responded with their industry competitors.  Their push is simply: Curves, pops of color, personality.

Savoy rolled out last month a great desk system that provide ample work space with less of the bulk of traditional student desks and a new "kidney-shaped" desktop design.

The detachable desktop storage unit is an open concept design with both form and function and finished in the color of your choice-modern and polished appeal.

They also introduced a complementary High capacity storage drawer system with curves by design. Savoy allows you to choose your color of the laminate top to match the personality of your end user. Did I mention that they are also available as a stackable unit?

Savoy and other furniture manufactures are seeing positive response to changes in their respective products.  Whether their respective lines are available in new finishes, painted, or other tones, the options are helpful to creating a certain aesthetic and feel for the modern living space or office. Expect this trend to continue throughout the year and beyond.

GET, LLC is a proud partner with Pennsylvania-based Savoy Furniture. We thank them for all that they do to give their customers the quality and stability that continues to make them a top choice for your respective case good needs.

For more on how Savoy Furniture and GET, LLC can assist you with your furniture needs, please check out our website at www.get-guam.com or give us a call at 671-797-0789 for more information.