Nov-2017

40 41 gaining recognition in the industry and a lot of repeat business from existing clients, the com- pany continues building new relationships and taking on projects with ever-increasing scope. Employee numbers range from 70 to 150, and vary with the construction cycle depend- ing on how projects are moving and the stage of progress.A small amount of work is sub-contracted, but the majority is done in- house-plumbers, pipefitters, electricians,HVAC mechanics, sheet metal mechanics are all on the payroll. Ahuja stresses that training is imperative with technology changing day to day.“You need to keep employees up to speed with what’s going on in the industry and ensure their skills are on par with the new equipment that is coming out.Tech wise,we are way ahead of most of our competition.We’ve devel- oped our own internal apps to run every aspect of our business–from project management to field coordination, to procurement, to payroll –everything is fully automated with specific apps, and the whole business is running in the cloud, right now. Every person in the field, including our foremen and field coordinators, are equipped with the tools they need to op- erate. Every resource in terms of information is available to them in real time.” Artificial intelligence (AI) comes into every- thing from the design/conceptual stage to the finished product.Ahuja adds,“Buildings are al- ready smart these days and, in the future,with AI, you’ll conceptualize, build, and see through your project with nothing being there in the field.That’s where tech is moving and it’s going to become reality soon.We try to keep pace with the changing technology, and ensure that our operations in the field, in the office, the shop, fabrication work are all intertwined,with checks and balances built in, so nothing is lost. In terms of our overall business model, tech DEPENDABLE MECHANICAL SYSTEMS Our business model moves around two key items. Technology is our biggest tool for growth – keeping checks and balances in place. Repeat business with customers is the second factor. Collabo- ration with all stakeholders is critical. RAJESH AHUJA PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF DEPENDABLE MECHANICAL SYSTEMS has played a huge part in our growth.” The company currently operates only in Ontario, where there is a lot of competition.Ahuja admits,“Com- pared to the big guys out there,we are a much younger firm.They’ve been in existence for the past 50-plus years, and we’ve only been doing construction work since 2005/6. But, over the last fewyears,we’ve become a recognized name when it comes to clients using us as a preferred vendor.Technically,we are pre-qualified on most of our projects and go neck and neck with our major competitors.” As sole owner of the business,Ahuja works with an active management team he describes as “not a huge team, but very valuable.A large group of suppliers have worked alongside us for several years,watching and helping the company grow, and we’re building more and more relationships. Earlier, there were challenges when I was building the business and getting the correct