Sheet metal company steeled against recession

‘Made in Bermuda, by Bermudians’ — this is the motto which is helping one manufacturing company to successfully ride out the recession.

Keen Ltd provides sheet metal fabrication for air conditioning duct work and other metal fittings for both residential and commercial properties.

It also has a high lift rental division of up to 20 machines and can provide electrical services in its electrical contracting division.

Expansion

The company was founded in 2007. Back then, there were just four members of staff, but over the years the company has expanded to become the prime sheet metal manufacturer on the island, employing 33 people.

This week marks the grand opening of Keen Ltd’s new premises, a 9,000 sq ft sheet metal shop at Mills Creek.

The new building is double the size of the company’s previous premises and became operational in April, as Keen Ltd entered its sixth year.

The three owners are Stephen Roberts, manager of the high lift rental division, Michael Zimmerman, head of the sheet metal division, and Kevin Constable, manager of the electrical division.

Mr Zimmerman explained how the company started: “I used to work for Air Care in their sheet metal department. In 2007 I  decided to start my own sheet metal shop and asked my friends to join me.

“Steve (Stephen Roberts) and I previously had a high lift business (High Lift Services) and I asked him to come on board.

“We started building up the sheet metal side, buying new equipment. At the time, BAC (Bermuda Air Conditioning) had the only plasma cutting machine on the island, so the first thing we did was to buy a plasma cutting machine.

“We then took it a step further and brought in an IPI starter coil line. And we have a spiral duct machine and a plasma machine, which makes manufacturing more efficient.”

Mr Zimmerman said: “We bring in all the raw material for manufacturing. We can bring in 40,000 lbs of steel at a time, which fills one container.

“This year we used 98 tons of metal, and in 2013 we will go through more than 130 tons.”

Sheet metal

Mr Zimmerman explained the advantages of Keen Ltd’s manufacturing capabilities.

“We can make all the metal you need on-island now, so there is no need to outsource manufacture to companies overseas.

“What we are trying to achieve is to create more jobs for Bermudians and to keep the economy moving, by circulating the money on-island.

“We are keeping with our motto of ‘Made in Bermuda, by Bermudians’.”

He said Keen Ltd employs 33 members of skilled staff, just seven of which are expat guest workers.

“We have developed into the number one sheet metal shop in Bermuda and we are also proud of our involvement in youth training,” he said.

Keen Ltd is a partner in Government’s ‘Early College Career Pathway Programme’, whereby it trains 11th/12th grade high school students one afternoon a week on-the-job.

“It gives them a chance to pick up a trade,” said Mr Zimmerman.

He added that the shop’s IPI starter coil line and its spiral duct machine are “the only ones on the island”.

Efficiency

The IPI starter coil line can make a straight piece of (air conditioning) duct within 40 seconds.

“We bring in coils of 5,000 lbs. The machine can hold coils of up to 12,000 lbs, so with four coils that would be 48,000 lbs total, but we only go up to 20,000 lbs (four 5,000 lb coils).”

The equipment drives sheet metal off a coil and flattens, bends, beads and notches it.

It can also create slip and drive cleats or seams, and form ‘L’, ‘U’ or fully-wrapped sections.

The spiral duct machine can fabricate round spiral pieces of duct. It can hold  2,000 lb coils of steel roll at a time.

Mr Zimmerman said the company’s manufacturing  equipment greatly reduces the need for shipping and storage space.

“If you are importing in spiral duct, then you’re bringing rounded containers full of air. Whereas we bring in flat sheets of raw material instead, and work from that.

“For example, 10,000 lbs of spiral duct would probably not fit into one shipping container, but we can bring in 40,000 lbs of raw metal in one container instead, so that is another cost saving passed on to the consumer.

“We bring in 40,000 lbs of metal, which if pre-fabricated, would fill six containers, taking up a lot more space, time and cost.”

The company’s plasma cutting machine also increases manufacturing efficiency and reduces costs, with its capabilities of cutting metal pieces out in seconds.

The machine is pre-programmed through software to follow a set design. It takes a flat sheet of metal from the IPI starter coil line and uses plasma electric heat to cut the metal into various shapes and sizes.

“The plasma cuts the metal out in seconds, so this is another cost saving which is passed on to the customer.

“It is more efficient than someone doing it by hand,” said Mr Zimmerman.

“For example, a Square to Round fitting would take an hour-and-a-half to complete by hand, but with this machine it takes just seconds.”

He said: “We fabricate for everyone on the island, which keeps everything local.

“Some air conditioning companies have sheet metal shops, others don’t, but they come to us to help manufacture their ducts.

“We bring in the raw material to manufacture here in Bermuda. This is cheaper than adding shipping and duty onto your goods, so it’s more cost-effective to buy it from us.

“The other advantages of ‘buying Bermuda’ are that if you are manufacturing something overseas from a drawing, changes can take place as the owner may change his or her mind on the size and design. It can end up being manufactured incorrectly, or can get damaged in transit.

“Everything we do here at Keen Ltd is made to order, and we can also save companies storage space, as they won’t have to store the pieces for a long period of time at the job site.”

Mr Zimmerman said an example of this was the company’s contract with the Bermuda Hospitals Board for work on the new King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

He said construction has to follow high standards set by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and that the cleanliness of the air conditioning duct work has to be “checked and rechecked”.

“With less storage time, this also diminishes the problem of dust settling on it,” he said.

“The lead times on these fabrications are also an issue for consumers.

“For example, we only have two container ships coming into Bermuda per week, so if you’re ordering from a company overseas you will usually have a two-week minimum order time, plus Customs clearance.

“With us, if you order something from us today, we can get it to you the same day or next day, depending on the size and quantity of the order.

“We have 25 sheet metal technicians and skilled craftsmen and we are capable of doing any size of duct work.”

Mr Zimmerman said Keen Ltd had received the contract to do “all the sheet metal for the hospital”.

“To land the whole contract, I feel that is a real achievement for this company,” he said.

“We are fabricating all the sheet metal duct work locally. This is the biggest sheet metal job ever on this island and it is really helping us get through the recession.”

He explained: “In a hospital, everything has to be ducted — the supply air, return air and exhaust. Most buildings don’t have a return duct, they use a ceiling plenum instead (the area above a dropped ceiling). But in a hospital you can’t do that, because you have to minimize potential airborne bugs and infections.”

Keen Ltd can also produce custom metal products for commercial, industrial and residential properties.

With services such as welding, bending, shearing, plasma cutting, rolling, forming, coil line production and finishing, the company states it “offers the most personalized and diversified sheet metal fabrication services in Bermuda”.

It sources grades of steel, stainless steel and aluminium, and can produce customized stainless steel kitchen hoods and backsplashes, as well as manufacture aluminium flashing and guttering for buildings.

High lift rental

Keen Ltd has both large and small lift rentals to fit your needs.

The company has 20 machines for hire, including 60ft, 90ft and 120ft machines, all at competitive prices.

“We also have several scissor lifts and single man lifts,” said Mr Roberts.

“The lifts can be used for anything — from painting to cleaning windows, to cutting trees. The smaller ones can also be used for indoor work such as ceilings.”

The equipment is regularly hired by construction companies, maintenance crews, industrial sites, schools, electrical contractors, cleaners and landscapers.

“The machines can be hired out by the hour or day, or by the week, with an operator or without,” said Mr Roberts.

“What sets us apart at Keen Ltd is that we try to give good service and we have the equipment, resources and knowledge to provide this service.

“We have held our own in this recession. Right now there’s quite a big demand for this type of work and so we are busy.

“Out of our 20 machines, we currently don’t have any in the shop. We have 14 at the hospital (King Edward VII Memorial Hospital), where we are doing all the air conditioning duct work for the entire six floors.” Commenting on the company’s growth over the years, he said: “We have progressed tremendously. We’re a pretty big company now.”

Electrical contracting

Kevin Constable manages the electrical division, which specializes in subcontracting work for commercial, industrial and residential properties.

“We source electrical equipment and install it,” he said.

“We can supply all of your company’s electrical needs. For most jobs, we work off a set of architect’s plans. But sometimes we are also involved in the design, such as in the layout of the lighting, panels and power requirements, and the proper sizing of the wiring.

“Projects can range from renovations and upgrades, to new-build projects, from the ground up.

“We bid for commercial contracts and work alongside the general contractor as the project progresses.

“We are doing well at the moment, business is good. I think the company has done very well, considering the difficult economic times.

“At the moment we are working on three floors at the new hospital, doing all the lighting.

“We are also providing all the temporary lighting and power for the hospital’s construction phase.”

Mr Constable added: “The synergy between the three divisions of Keen Ltd works well. With the sheet metal side we have the air conditioning, and that also needs electrical work, as well as high lift equipment. So we all work together.

“I believe we have a unique combination to offer companies and residential customers.”

Keen Ltd, Mills Creek, Bermuda. Call 295-4989 or e-mail [email protected]. See www.keen.bm