Archive for March, 2021

WHAT ARE INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS?

Tuesday, March 30th, 2021

In the ever-evolving world we live in, it comes as no surprise that the way we manage traffic is changing too. Enter Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), the rapidly developing approach to advance our everyday transportation. While at surface level this may seem like an attempt to “simply” decrease traffic, it is rooted much deeper, addressing the serious implications transportation has on safety, mobility, and the environment. 

Traffic signal

By increasing communication between drivers, pedestrians, public transportation, and traffic systems, the road becomes safer and more efficient. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, ITS technologies respectively benefit American mobility hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars each year. 

At Egan Company, we strive for innovation and safety. Our outdoor electrical team works to upgrade and maintain transportation infrastructure every day. These systems include detection cameras, traffic controls, dynamic message signs, conduit raceways, and much more. The full-service process includes furnishing and installing all components involved in intelligent transportation systems. Members of the outdoor electrical team are qualified, experienced, and certified to operate in this area of work.

Egan has worked with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and municipalities across the Twin Cities and Rochester, Minn. areas to create safer driving environments by adding traffic management systems. Our services extend to the private sector as well to alleviate elevated traffic levels as required by the state and counties. 

Recent Intelligent Transportation System projects:

  • Ayd Mill Road in St. Paul
  • “Devil’s Triangle” in Osseo (intersection of N. 85th and Highway 81 with Highway 169)
  • Highway 169 and Highway 41 in Jordan
  • Northbound on Highway 35W in Anoka
  • Highway 212 in Eden Prairie
  • Regional Transportation Management Center in Minneapolis

ACTIVE STRETCHING VS PASSIVE STRETCHING

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021

Active stretching is an integral part of every day at Egan Company. Although a seemingly simple task, stretching does more than just warm your muscles up, it also promotes a healthy lifestyle, increases range-of-motion, balance, heart rate, and engages muscles.

An Egan Company crew starting their day with active stretching

The reason active stretching takes place at the start of each day on every Egan jobsite is because it improves muscle function and releases tension; what better way to start the work day than with fully relaxed muscles. Unlike other types of stretching, active stretching only uses one’s own muscle contractions.

Taking the time to do a few simple exercises greatly decreases the rate of workplace injuries. Often implementing the smallest steps makes the biggest impact. We believe time spent stretching is time spent valuing the safety and lives of our employees.

For a video demonstration, view our active stretching training video. Over the course of the video, 12 active stretching exercises are demonstrated by Egan employees. Safety is a large part of our culture and our Active Stretching Program is just one aspect of the Safety Brings You Home initiative, which seeks to bring all employees home at the end of the day. For more about our commitment to safety and the lives of our team, check out our safety video.

Why is UL 508A Certification Important?

Wednesday, March 17th, 2021

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is the largest and best known independent, not-for-profit laboratory in the world that conducts safety and quality testing on a wide range of products. UL is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as an audited designator that can designate its standards as American National Standards.

UL 508A panel fabrication
Panel fabrication in Egan’s UL 508A Panel Shop

As the standard for industrial control panels, UL 508A certification demonstrates compliance to national safety standards – this certification ensures the proper design, assembly and wiring methods of components within the control panel. Having the UL 508A mark indicates that all requirements have been met and that the industrial control panel manufacturing facility is subject to inspection at any point to certify that standards (including the National Electric Code & NFPA 79) are being upheld. Electrical inspectors look for this mark as evidence of third-party certification.

For instance, at Egan Company, safety is our number one priority, and we are proud to carry several UL certifications. Our UL 508A Panel Shop designs and builds custom, industrial control panels for customers who depend on quality and system design expertise. With precision assembly, panels of all shapes and sizes come to life under UL code. Customers who rely on panels built at Egan include food & beverage producers, concrete producers, and many other industrial product manufacturers.

For customers, having this UL 508A certification means that Egan is furthering our promise to provide safe products.

Egan’s Panel Shop highlights:

  • 3 separate panel shops under 1 roof totaling 21,000 square-feet of manufacturing space
  • Steinhauer ModCenter – automated hole/cutout machine for enclosures
  • Wire processing
  • Label manufacturing
  • OEM panel manufacturing
  • Custom-engineered panel manufacturing
  • 5S + Safety methodology
  • Certifications – UL 508A, UL 698A, CUL, ETL