Binsky & Snyder manufacture a dynamic future with a private wireless network
Binsky & Snyder has long been considered an elite brand in the mechanical construction services industry. Founded in 1938, this family-owned company has a proud history—yet it is also remarkably future-focused. With visionary CEO Bob Snyder at the helm, Binsky is constantly reinventing its capabilities and investing in innovative services, using modular and virtual construction options to meet its customers' most demanding challenges. Binsky has a bold vision: Changing the Way the World Builds.
Sometimes realizing such an ambitious vision requires retrofitting and building innovation into a company’s infrastructure. Binsky was looking for an agile, flexible and reliable network solution for its new 130,000 square foot manufacturing warehouse facility in Southern New Jersey, where it manufactures and fabricates mechanical solutions. However, traditional options involving a wired local area network (LAN) wouldn't meet Binsky’s need for flexibility, as a LAN would be expensive to move around and not agile enough for their needs. Binsky needed a flexible, cost-effective solution that would accelerate its evolution—and they needed it on short notice, too.
Connectivity challenges throw a wrench into the works
Bob Snyder has always been passionate about technology, first as a young man writing payroll software and now as the company's CEO. "I always believed that to be truly great, we have got to leverage technology, and it has to be woven in as part of our DNA," he said.
But after Binsky built its new manufacturing facility, it quickly became apparent that conventional networking wasn't up to the task. Bob Durr Jr., Director of Manufacturing at Binsky saw that they needed more capacity to keep up with innovation.
The more sophisticated equipment we purchased and more automation we introduced, the more connectivity we needed. There were a lot of dropouts all the time—a lot of lost downtime from the guys sitting there waiting for the rebooting.”
Bob Durr Jr., Director of Manufacturing at Binsky
Team members also required robust, real-time mobile connectivity. For example, engineers rely on their mobile devices to transmit real time data back to the sites. However, they frequently encountered dead zones, sending them back to their home base to manually connect the data feed, and then return to the job site. These connectivity challenges resulted in hours of lost productivity.
Craig Scudieri, Director of IT at Binsky explained: "Because the data couldn't be transmitted live, it was getting stale. So by the time the engineers got back to their desks, the data would have changed. When the parts people were going out to pick parts, that connectivity would break. They would lose their picking list and have to redo it manually."
None of the typical networking solutions on the market met Binsky's requirements. "We've got 40-foot ceilings, and no traditional Wi-Fi would work there," said Scudieri. Yet, a wired solution would not have sufficed either, as it wasn't agile enough—it would also have taken anywhere from a day to a week just to get workstations up and running in a new location.
Nor would any of these options allow Binsky to keep up with Snyder's vision: To Change the Way the World Builds. "It would be very difficult for me to pivot with a traditional network. But of course, Bob's edict was, 'Get it done. World-class—as inexpensive as you can,'" said Scudieri.
The private wireless network changed everything for us. Immediately, I was able to finally provide world-class, top-of-the line technology and a dynamic location without the traditional networking headaches."
Craig Scudieri, Director of IT at Binsky
A Verizon private wireless network manufactures flexible connectivity
Binsky was already using Verizon's full portfolio of services, including customer applications and dedicated internet. So to solve its challenge, Binsky asked Verizon if there were any leading-edge solutions they hadn't yet considered. After taking a tour of their new fabrication facility and learning about its requirements, Verizon recommended a private wireless network (PWN) solution that would meet Binsky’s need for flexible and future-proofed connectivity.
This private wireless network solution would allow Binsky to provide ultra fast connectivity throughout the entire facility, reducing dead zones and allowing employees to carry out their work without having to go back to their desks to reconnect. Being truly mobile, this approach would also give Binsky the inherent agility required to quickly move machines, devices or people anywhere throughout the facility to adapt to changing manufacturing needs.
Snyder values the flexibility and cost savings a Verizon Private Wireless Network brings.
Private wireless is the best of both worlds. I can walk into my office, walk out of my office, eliminate all of the infrastructure that's required, and reduce all that cost. It gives us the flexibility to move and change work cells with no cost.”
Bob Snyder, CEO at Binsky
Verizon provided end-to-end support and remote monitoring through the entire purchase, installation and commissioning phases, even taking on management of the operational phase to ensure the project met its goals. All at an accelerated pace, explained Tyrel Rice, Associate Director of Private Wireless Networks at Verizon Business Group. "They wanted to be in production within a month and a half from when we walked into that door," he said. Verizon was able to meet Binsky's incredibly tight deadline at half the cost of what another vendor had proposed.
Implementation was a resounding success. Scudieri said, "Because this was a newer technology, we knew that there might be some issues. We were prepared for it. But I was blown away by how smooth it was and how much support we got. Even when there might have been an issue, we didn't have to ask for help. Verizon was already on it ahead of time."
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With leading edge wireless connectivity, Binsky can redefine its industry
With its private wireless network, Binsky is now equipped to execute on its ambitious vision. Download and upload times for bandwidth-intensive documents like blueprints have decreased considerably, saving time for Binsky and its customers. Workstations could also move within the new facility without the hassle and delays involved with rewiring the necessary connections each time.
Binsky is now free to take on future challenges and keep up with its CEO's desired pace of innovation. "The private wireless network changed everything for us. Immediately, I was able to finally provide world-class, top-of-the-line technology and a dynamic location without the traditional networking headaches," Scudieri said.
For Snyder, it's about more than great connectivity, it's a partnership that can enable his vision for innovation. "I have to look outside our contracting space to actually do what I want to do. So I look at this relationship—not just as great wireless or great connectivity—I look at it and say we're trying to do something different from everyone else. I can learn a tremendous amount working together with a partner like Verizon, that has so many resources and so much knowledge." With this foundation in place, Binsky is poised to redefine what's possible in mechanical construction.
I always believed that to be truly great, we have got to leverage technology, and it has to be woven in as part of our DNA."
Bob Snyder, CEO at Binsky