When the owner of a new vehicle dealership in southern Texas was looking for additional cost savings on his new build, Viega products came up as a compelling solution.
TDIndustries Project Manager Robert Huron suggested Viega as a key tool to reduce labor costs, which he said can make up as much as 70 percent of a project’s risk. That’s how Viega ProPress and MegaPress came to be included in the new location for Principle Auto/BMW of San Antonio. When completed in August, it will be the largest BMW dealership in the U.S. More than 19,000 feet of piping run through the campus, connected with 4,621 ProPress and MegaPress fittings.
Add in Viega’s top-notch limited 50- year warranty on ProPress and the project team and owners were sold.
“With Viega, you’re not waiting on soldering, welding or threading to pass a pressure test. You’ll know the fitting was pressed properly,” Huron said. “Our internal engineering team got involved to ensure where the fittings would apply, and our field team worked on assuring the owner on the savings and competency. Plus, Viega stands behind its own great warranty.”
Wier Enterprises, TDIndustries and other subcontractors had about 14 months to construct the dealership and Huron said at one point, TDIndustries had about 45 partners onsite to make the critical timeline.
When this massive project is complete, the dealership will house 1,454 vehicles onsite. The service bays will feature six alignment stalls and 118 service lift stations, each with two oil supply lines, a compressed air line and a water line. The dealership will also have a basement for future expansion.
Principle Auto/BMW of San Antonio’s campus uses ProPress for domestic water (1,302 fittings), as well as MegaPress and MegaPressG for compressed air (737 fittings), vehicle oil piping (1,827 fittings) and natural gas (755 fittings). With so many feet of pipe to connect, pressing made a huge difference in time spent.
“For the service shop buildings, for example, our team had 10,400 feet of piping to install,” Huron said. “We used our BIM modeling and manufacturing to prefab sections, and Viega ProPress fittings to be able to complete the scope of work in four weeks with as many as eight field partners.
“With the Viega press system, we knew we could get it done. Soldering, welding or threading would force us to work longer overtime hours and it might take longer to get the install complete. Overall, there was no way we could have accomplished what we did without everyone who was involved at TDIndustries, Wier Enterprises and Principle Auto Group. I’m truly grateful for everyone’s dedication to this project.”
Huron has been using Viega for many years and called himself a big believer in the company, having seen firsthand just how good the fittings are. Besides the cost savings, Viega also provides peace of mind to focus on other parts of the project so that in total, a high-quality installation is provided to the owner at the end of the day.
“A lot of people say they put out fires all day long and get nothing accomplished,” Huron said. “With Viega, we didn’t have to worry about quality, which made the whole project run more smoothly.”
