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Meet Rommel Ltd: Trusted Quality Assurance Professionals
In the world of architecture and construction, one of the most crucial factors to consider is the weather tightness of a building. Ensuring that a building is impervious to rain, wind, and other elements is vital for its longevity and the comfort of its occupants. But how can we accurately test the weather tightness of a building? What are the secrets to effective quality assurance with weather tightness testing services? In this post, we will introduce you to Sam Bahmani, the man behind the testing at Rommel Ltd (“Rommel”).
Sam is very focused on achieving his goals. He jokes about taking a month to watch a movie, but he spends most of his time reading books that can help improve his management skills and business. Sam is determined to succeed in building his own business, which requires a lot of time and effort. Sam dedicates 10-12 hours a day, seven days a week, to working on his business, and it’s evident that he is a man on a mission. Some of Sam’s rare free time is spent working as a lecturer at Unitech, utilising his Civil Engineering skills. While Sam prefers to separate his identities as a Civil Engineer and Water Testing professional, his unique ability to translate his knowledge into a teaching opportunity is a rare gift he brings when working for Rommel clients.
The five key functions of quality assurance are:
1. Setting quality standards: Rommel defines the quality testing standards that your project must meet.
2. Designing quality control processes: Rommel has developed procedures and processes to ensure the site testing meets those quality standards.
3. Monitoring and evaluating: During the testing procedures Rommel continuously monitors and evaluates the products installed to ensure they are effective and efficient in meeting testing standards.
4. Providing feedback: Rommel provides feedback to stakeholders on how well the installed products performed against the testing standards.
5. Improving quality: Rommel’s testing procedures help to identify areas for improvement to ensure the products installed meet the quality assurance necessary for a building to life its lifetime.
Previous experience
Sam was born during the Iran-Iraq war and has developed resilience and perseverance. Sam frequently travels back home and recently returned after a 7-year absence due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. In 2010, Sam moved to Malaysia to pursue his master’s degree in civil engineering. While in Malaysia, Sam ended up working on facade testing of tall buildings with extreme wind pressure. In 2016, Sam moved to New Zealand to complete his PhD in Civil Engineering, where he took the opportunity to study earthquakes, and was especially interested in the effects of the Christchurch earthquakes. Sam became passionate about weather-tightness testing after being inspired by his experience with facade testing in Malaysia. Sam then decided to offer similar weather-tightness services in New Zealand.
Although Sam’s experience in Civil Engineering may not directly apply to Rommel’s work, completing a Master’s and a PhD demonstrates a high level of independence, goal-orientation and determination. Suppose Sam is assigned to test your cladding, windows or waterproofing membranes; in that case, you can trust that he will explicitly follow the testing procedures and understand the importance of the reports he creates. Sam is committed to seeing a project through to the finish line; a crucial quality in a testing engineer when a building’s quality assurance is at stake.
While Rommel advertises through Google ads, Sam prefers face-to-face conversations with potential customers to allow them to understand the services offered. Additionally, Rommel utilises the services of BCI Central to identify sales opportunities, which helps them make informed decisions about upcoming projects. BCI has played a crucial role in empowering Rommel to expand its business.
Sam is committed to growing Rommel as a trusted provider of field-testing services with plans to expand its workforce. On his journey to success, Rommel initially made some initial hiring mistakes. However, as a skilled engineer, Sam learned from those experiences and used them to drive positive change in Rommel’s field testing services. For Sam, it is crucial to learn how to manage people effectively without becoming a micro-manager. He prefers to work alongside self-motivated individuals who can collaborate as a team to achieve the goals of each project.
Rommels company culture
Sam has found working from home an exciting challenge. Still, he knows that working from home is excellent if you work with professional people with the right attitude. You get the benefit of flexibility while still ensuring the work gets done. Rommel prides itself on a company culture that fosters mutual respect for its employees, clients, and contractors. Site testing can be stressful, especially in the event of a failure. That’s why building mutual respect builds trust which is crucial during trying times. Over the years, Sam has enjoyed observing Rommel’s growth and interacting with construction industry professionals to better understand their challenges. The ultimate goal of Rommel is to offer solutions to these challenges and ensure that buildings undergo quality assurance processes, resulting in a structure that everyone can take pride in.
When it comes to weather tightness testing, one cannot understate its importance. Buildings that are not adequately weatherproof can suffer from a range of issues, including dampness, mold growth, and even structural damage. And let’s not forget about the energy efficiency aspect – a poorly weather-sealed building can result in significant energy losses and skyrocketing utility bills. That is where weather tightness testing services come into play. By subjecting a building to various simulated weather conditions, these services can evaluate its ability to withstand the elements and identify any weaknesses or vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.
But what makes weather tightness testing services truly effective? It all boils down to the methods and techniques employed during the testing process. From infrared thermography to water leakage testing, Rommel Ltd have an arsenal of tools at their disposal. These innovative techniques enable them to assess the overall integrity of a building’s envelope and pinpoint specific areas that may require attention. By understanding and implementing these secrets to effective weather tightness testing services, architects, engineers, and builders can ensure that their projects are not only aesthetically pleasing but also durable, energy-efficient, and capable of withstanding the harshest weather conditions.
Rommel specialises in performing leakage testing for various areas of a building’s façade, including claddings, windows, doors, connections between claddings, also roof and deck waterproofing membranes. Sam and the team offer reliable test methods to ensure quality assurance and confidence in the building’s longevity. Weather tightness testing techniques are used to evaluate the ability of a building or structure to resist the ingress of water and air, ensuring that it remains watertight and airtight.
Services available from Rommel include:
- Onsite water testing: In this technique, a controlled amount of water is sprayed onto the building envelope either onto cladding or windows and doors, AAMA 501, AAMA 502 testing standards. The pressure and volume of water are set by the testing standards and simulate rainfall. The building is then visually inspected for any signs of water penetration.
- Thermal Imaging: Infrared thermography is used to identify areas of heat loss or air leakage in the building envelope. A thermal imaging camera detects temperature differences on the surface of the building, indicating potential air leakage points or thermal bridging.
- Meshless Membrane testing: An electronic, low-voltage test method which ensures 100% of the membrane is free of breaches, holes, and seam voids. The technology facilitates reliable testing compared to vector mapping and eliminates the need for a perimeter wire by limiting the testing area to directly below the Scanning Platform. The scanning techniques tests vertical surfaces, rebar flashings, and hard-to-reach areas.
Aerial services: Aerial services is a quick, cost-effective method of identifying heat sources in a building or facility. Aerial thermography is used to diagnose thermal issues and measure how well a building is insulated, which can lead to improved energy efficiency and reduced maintenance costs. It can be used to detect damage caused by fire or flooding. In addition, it can also be used to detect leaks in the plumbing system.
Each weather tightness testing technique has its advantages and limitations. The selection of the appropriate technique depends on factors such as test objectives, budget, and building type. It is common to use a combination of these techniques to ensure comprehensive weather tightness testing of a building or structure. Sam was determined to ensure products supplied to buildings meet building code standards and facades remain weatherproof. Sam took control by starting his own business. The experience of New Zealand’s leaky building syndrome has been catastrophic for building professionals and home owners alike
Rommel, with Sam at its helm, is determined to bridge the gap between clients and site engineers by providing comprehensive onsite testing services. This will greatly benefit the site engineer and the client, providing undeniable proof that the building is watertight.
Contact Rommel Ltd today for your quality assurance, weather-tightness testing needs.
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