When you have a robotic cell, finishing system, or production line to install, you typically face a choice: hire one installation contractor for the complete job, or coordinate multiple subcontractors (a millwright for mechanical, an electrician for power, a plumber for piping, a rigger for lifts). Here is why single-source installation wins every time.
The Multi-Contractor Problem
On a typical multi-contractor installation, you are managing:
- 3-5 separate subcontractors, each with their own schedule
- 3-5 separate scopes, each with gaps between them
- 3-5 separate contracts, each with their own terms
- One project manager (you) trying to keep it all coordinated
What Actually Goes Wrong
Scope gaps. The electrician’s scope ends at the disconnect. The millwright’s scope starts at the motor. Who connects the motor to the disconnect? Neither scope includes it. Now you have a change order.
Schedule conflicts. The plumber cannot start until the millwright sets the equipment. The electrician cannot pull wire until the plumber finishes piping. The rigger is booked next week, not this week. Every trade waits on every other trade.
Finger-pointing. The pump is vibrating after startup. The millwright says the foundation was fine when they set it. The plumber says the piping alignment was off. The electrician says the VFD was programmed wrong. Nobody owns the problem. You own the problem.
The Single-Source Advantage
With a single-source installation contractor, one crew handles mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural steel, and rigging. Here is what changes:
No Scope Gaps
One scope covers everything from anchor bolts to utility connections. There are no gaps between trade scopes because there is only one scope. If something needs to be done to complete the installation, it is included.
One Schedule
One crew works one schedule. The mechanical crew sets equipment in the morning, the electrical crew connects power in the afternoon. No waiting for another subcontractor to show up next Tuesday.
One Point of Accountability
When something goes wrong — and something always comes up — there is one contractor who owns the solution. No finger-pointing. No dispute about whose scope the problem falls in. One phone call, one answer.
Lower Total Cost
Multi-contractor projects look cheaper on paper because each sub bids their narrow scope. But the hidden costs add up: your project management time coordinating between subs, change orders for scope gaps, schedule delays from trade stacking, and mobilization charges for four crews instead of one. Single-source installation typically costs the same or less when you account for total project cost.
When Multi-Contractor Makes Sense
To be fair, there are situations where separate contractors make sense: very large construction projects with dedicated trade supervision, projects with specialized trade requirements (high-voltage electrical, certified welding), or projects where the owner has an in-house project management team that can absorb the coordination overhead.
For most equipment installations — robotic cells, finishing systems, wash systems, production machinery — single-source wins.
What Single-Source Looks Like at iMi
Our crews handle all installation trades under one contract:
- Structural steel — Platforms, supports, mezzanines, safety fencing
- Mechanical — Equipment setting, alignment, assembly
- Electrical — Power, controls wiring, safety circuits
- Plumbing and pipefitting — Process piping, compressed air, drainage
- Rigging — NCCCO-certified crane operation up to 75 tons
One contract. One crew. One outcome.
Ready for a simpler installation experience? Contact iMi or call 502.627.0646.
