Introducing Ultra Waterjet Services

"Some of the work we’re particularly proud of is the signs we’ve done."

 Anyone who does fencing has run into a situation where a homeowner wants a design on their gate or a business would like a company name/logo incorporated.

We suggest to our customers that the next time they sell an Ultrack cantilever gate, they offer the option of incorporating the company’s logo. Price will vary depending on complexity, but we’re getting pretty good at quoting this sort of work.

The bottom line is that the fence business is as competitive as ever and one way to separate ourselves is to think outside-the-box for opportunities and show customers some of the value-added services that only Ultra can provide.

  Being better at custom details will make your company stand out as superior. Partnering with Ultra can give you an advantage of the fence, the gates, the access control systems and now even the customized details that many high-end and municipal jobs demand.

  There has NEVER been a better time to become an Ultra Dealer. Call me or email me and I can tell you how we will work harder to help you grow and expand your business. Darrin Jones at
(256) 214-0633 or ultraaluminum@gmail.com

Tell us what you’re trying to do, no matter the material or the complexity. Send us a sketch or an electronic file, and we’ll find the most efficient way to economically make your part or assembly, with a no-obligation estimate. You’ll also begin to get a sense of how we operate, and our desire to deliver a job that meets your requirements for quality, accuracy, speed and cost.

Our in-house design team develops your project in our fully equipped facility, and can work from simple sketches to complex electronic files. We are fluent in 2-D and 3-D, with multiple CAD programs at our disposal. Depend on our team to design, engineer and build high-tech, functional machine parts; make dies for and cut a wide variety of materials; create and fashion beautiful decorative accents; and prototype/3-D print a diverse range of models.

We can cut just about ANYTHING, and as neat as can be done anywhere.

 see more at http://www.ultrawaterjet.com/cutting-capabilities.html

Access Controls Do's and Don'ts

  When you are considering an operator for a new or existing gate:

  Do:     

1. Hire experienced company and ask for references.
2. Check with BBB and web review sites for customer satisfaction.
3. Compare warranties on materials and labor. 
4. Consider all the components included in the quotations, some include only bare minimums while others may include additional safety devices and accessories.
5. Make sure you have utilized all tax incentives for solar powered alternatives and have manufacturer's certificate of compliance.
6. Consider hidden costs like permits, replacement of worn out accessories and upgrades in access control technology.  
7. Utilize safety devices to make sure you are UL 325 compliant and have mitigated liabilities for you and your company.
8.  Make sure local Knox-Box or Emergency Vehicle entry devices have been connected and tested for use in case of an emergency.
9.   Make sure all wires and cables are in conduit and that your control box and connections are weather tight and sealed to last a long, long time.
10. Make sure all safety signs have been mounted and photos taken to verify this fact. You can use these photos to promote your business and prove that you have obeyed all safety regulations.

http://youtu.be/njUgZO-shuU

Do NOT:

1. Try to modify garage door opener to act as a gate opener...(see video below  http://youtu.be/-saXQF5IU8U  :)
2.  Use the cheapest operators and access control devices on the market; They will only fail and cause you more headache and expenses in the long-run.
3. Forget to quote Ultra Access Control products to save you time, money and reduce call-backs. 
4. Overlook the fact that your skills as an Access Control Expert can be valuable to other companies. Large to medium fence contractors often sub work to qualified, experienced and certified automatic gate operator installers.
5. Fail to recommend a continued maintenance program to the end user of the automatic gate. Far too often gates and operators are not maintained until there is a problem. Just like any sophisticated electromechanical device, an ounce of preventative maintenance is worth several pounds of emergency repairs or replacements.   

 

Do NOT do this!

Saving Time = Saving Money

  Whether you have just started installing automatic gate operators, are just considering offering them or have been installing them since they have been around, the common sense saying "Time is Money" will ring more than true to you. When you have to pay a fence crew's salaries, insurance, benefits and pick up the tab for the truck, gas, insurance and maintenance then you know it costs dearly each and every time you send a crew anywhere to do anything. When it comes to the crew that has the technical expertise to handle access control those costs are even higher. That is why it is more important than ever to know that the products you choose will in large part determine how long the crew is on the job, how many times they will need to return to complete a project and heaven forbid, how many "Free" service calls you will need to send them on for warranty work.

   Again with your most technically inclined crews, this likely means your most expensive crew too. They are the ones that many fence contractors choose to use outside specialists to cover. Because not only does this access control crew need extra knowledge and experience, they need advanced problem solving skills and specialized tools . Whether you use your own people, sub out the access control portion of the job or are the access control specialists that does sub work for many fence contractors, you all value time;  Because - Time equals Money ;
 Just as efficiency equals greater profitability.

An aluminum alloy bracket guaranteed to save time and money

    You are probably asking yourself...How can this save me time and increase efficiency?

When used with our operators and gates you will gain many magnitudes of efficiency.

     Our Extremely Heavy-Duty Mounting Brackets come powder coated to match the gate and fence, they mount to the post that supports the enclosed track and trolley assembly. It saves a trip and half a day of excavating, forming, pouring, finishing and inserting J-bolts and finishing some more....
all just to wait for another day to get the operator installed, and thus finishing the job.

It also makes it easier on your installers, because this method not only saves time, it saves the installer's back. 

  With our 24 volt BFT Operators you can send one man to do what two to four men had to struggle to do. You can also send a light truck or even a car and save a bunch of fuel over the normal required flat-bed one ton or bigger. Plus you will likely save on Workmen's Comp claims and keep those seasoned professionals longer because they won't be injured and broken down by the time they are in their 50's or 60's. It just makes sense, and thus makes you more Dollars.

Sure, switching to rack and pinion over chain will take some getting used to (usually one job).

 But the advantages of switching to Ultra/BFT System of completely adjustable rack & pinion will:

1. Make you installation MORE SECURE than using chain that can be cut or kicked off gear.
2. Make your jobs BETTER LOOKING by allowing you to keep the drive element hidden.
3. The rack will ADD TO RIGIDITY of the gate, making it stronger than when it left the factory.
4. NOT allow the crew or anyone in the future to WARP THE GATE FRAME by over-tightening a chain. (Which happens, especially on wide openings.)
5. Make your gate system QUIETER than a chain drive, (thus getting you more referrals).
6. Allow your system to be more ADJUSTABLE than any concrete foundation based operator.
7. Allow your team to install twice the operators with less people, which means BETTER PROFITS than any other system.
8. Allow your crew to leave those forms, concrete mixer and trowels on the truck. They won't be needed with this system. (Which will keep the jobsite cleaner and customers happier)
9. Allow your sales staff to tell the home or business owner not to worry about sagging, rusty or oily chains messing up their beautiful driveways and entrances.
10. Lastly, allow for less maintenance and happier installation crews and customers.

Or you could continue to excavate, pour and form, deal with too tight or too loose chains and continue the old ways, while some competitor starts to take away your market share....

Buy American or dig your own grave (and your children's)

This is a fantastic, common sense explanation of why folks should Buy American Made products, real 100% American Made Products. At Ultra Aluminum Mfg., Inc. in Howell, MI. we manufacture fencing, gates, railing and use American Extrusions, shipped, assembled, powder coated and packaged by Americans for Americans to install and enjoy for decades to come...(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tncqJWWGow4&feature=colike) Check this 15 min. video out

 

If the government won't help, then the people must do it themselves. Let's say 300,000,000 Americans each simply reallocated 1 dollar per day, spending 1 dollar less on foreign-made goods, 1 dollar more on American-made goods. (That's $30 per month, per person, and it is not an extra $30 per month, but just where you spend it!) After a year, this would add up to $109,500,000,000. What could the real, productive American economy do with an extra $109.5 billion? How about 2,737,500 new jobs paying $40,000 per year?  

It seems bizarre that most Americans are so blind to the problem and the obvious solution.


"Americans losing jobs, a suffering economy, bad consequences for the U.S.'s future and the exploitation of disadvantaged countries are all serious problems that stem from deindustrialization.  By purchasing from corporations who practice deindustrialization one is adding to and approving of the problem.  Think of the proposal, Americans should buy American made products, it makes sense to act upon it.  The only way to change or prevent this is to not support multinational companies and to buy American made goods." - More:  Why Buy American? - by Laura Ramos - E306 Rhetoric and Composition - University of Texas at Austin

 


Buy American: Not a New Approach

The U.S., like most countries, has long protected certain domestic economic sectors.  Nations legitimately protect certain industries for national security reasons.  Other procurement preferences often define permissible suppliers for government-funded projects.  In the U.S., examples include the "Buy American Act" for certain U.S. government procurements and construction projects, the "Buy America" law mainly for federal transit grants to states and localities, and the "Berry Amendment" for some Department of Defense purchases.  The ARRA Buy American provision is broader than other U.S. procurement restrictions in some respects, but narrower than the public debate might imply.  READ MORE: (Read the PDF)

The greed of us all wanting lower prices is also cutting our own throats in the process. 

 The government and businesses, as well as the consumer has forgotten what made this country the greatest in history. 

To just flush it all away, and end up just another poor socialist country is a tremendous waste of our divinely inspired founding fathers vision, and the lives of all those that fought and died to keep us a free nation and a great Republic.

Ultra's Signature Railing

  For quite a while I have been focused on Gates and Access Control by Ultra, but with Spring comes the urge to be outside. Many homeowners, businesses, apartment complexes and municipal structures utilize railing that is similar to fencing but different. This post will be about some of the differences and why you can gain market-share and enhanced profitability by using Ultra's Signature Series of Railing.

   First of all, fencing is typically comes in residential, commercial and industrial strength varieties and then these are offered in 4', 5', 6' and in industrial even 7', 8', 9' & 10' heights. Railing is typically 36" in height when at a private residence and 42" when in public or commercial spaces. Both railing heights also have to be tested for added strength. According to International Building Code (IBC)  Section 1607.7.1 Handrails and guards, “Handrail assemblies and guards shall be designed to resist a load of 50 plf (0.73kN/m) applied in any direction at the top and to transfer this load through the supports to the structure.” And According to International Residential Code (IRC) Section 1607.7.1.1 Concentrated load, “Handrail assemblies and guards shall be able to resist a single concentrated load of 200 pounds (0.89 kN), applied in any direction at any point along the top, and have attachment devices and supporting structure to transfer this loading to appropriate structural elements of the building.”

  Ultra has designed and had our railing products built and tested with this in mind. So you can rest assured that our products, when installed properly will perform well on the 2nd story balcony or the 52nd floor balcony. They are not only beautiful, durable but extremely strong. Here are some photos of a recent job. (Notice the use of core-drilling versus the more common use of flange plates)

photo by: Ben Jodoin

photo by: Ben Jodoin

photo by: Ben Jodoin

 Plus you can see these with flange plates used:

This one even had a Trex "Drinking/Bar Ledge" added to it...

And this one utilizes our Boss Flanges & Boss Posts and a Continuous Cap (Madison Style in Satin/Matte White)

See more and more photos all the time at www.ultrafence.com and try out our Design Studio where you can upload a photo of a prospective site and choose the fence or railing to add, then show you customers exactly what they are getting. This is a GREAT Sales Tool when utilized!

Introducing ...Ultra Access Controls