MPW’s ability to fabricate its own equipment is a major factor in the company’s more than 50 years of success. “The biggest enjoyment I have in what I do is that everything is custom-made and tailored to the customer,” said Fabrication Project Manager Brandon Hale. “We don’t build anything cookie cutter. Even the DI trailers will change every couple of years.”
Hale joined MPW in February of 2001. “Since then, I have been in many managerial positions, including moving to Florida for three years and taking over the Southeast Region for Industrial Water,” he said. “I’m very passionate about the work I do here as well as my dedication to MPW, hence the reason I have been here since I was 19 years old.”
Today, Hale oversees the Industrial Water projects in the fabrication shop and manages the installation of the projects in the field. Specifically, he works through projects with engineering, fabrication and project coordinators, arranges schedules for installs and staff requirements, and assists with any questions that come up during equipment builds.
“The biggest challenges we have is working through changes as well as dealing with the different customer requirements,” Hale said, adding that an effective fabricator is open-minded and willing to learn new things. “We are constantly looking at different methods to improve efficiencies in the build process of our equipment, from the materials we use to the tools we use to install it.”
Hale said a Fabrication Project Manager works at many different locations and inside many different types of plants. These plants include nuclear power, coal power, solar power, gas power, paper & pulp, chemical, refinery, steam, paint and automotive.
Those wanting to become a Fabrication Project Manager should learn everything they can about the various types of plants, because the more experience they have, the better prepared they will be for the position. “You’ll need to have excellent communication skills because you are the liaison between MPW and the customer,” he said.
The Fabrication Project Manager also needs extreme creativity, because the manager will be helping the fabrication team decipher sometimes hundreds of pages of spec sheets the engineering team provides when building an original piece of equipment. The fabrication team will rarely build two devices that are exactly the same, because each is uniquely built to meet specific needs.
“It’s really a matter of knowing the equipment and how it operates,” Hale said. “The rest just comes to you after that.”
When he’s not turning fabrication dreams into reality at MPW, Hale—who is also Mayor of the Village of Hanover – enjoys camping with his wife and family, spending time with his granddaughter and watching her grow, attending local car shows and working on anything with a combustion engine.