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The Federal Bidder Protest Process webinar offered contractors a tour through the protest process. It presented various options a contractor may have, depending upon the type of contracting vehicle the government is using, for contesting an outcome.
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Becoming and remaining a high-performing contractor requires constant focused effort. For leaders aspiring to this level of excellence, the journey is well worth the work.
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Restoring occupancy of existing buildings that were shut down due to the COVID-19 virus or other reasons must be performed with strict safety procedures to mitigate the risk of exposure to infectious diseases.
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The updated Shop Layout Manual introduces new fabrication approaches and applications to SMACNA shop fabricators to help them become more competitive.
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This latest NHF white paper focuses on how the Internet of Things and big data are transforming the sheet metal and HVAC industry.
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The third webinar in SMACNA’s five-part Federal Contracting Webinar Series will focus on how your company can effectively navigate the complex federal government contracting system.
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In the latest episode of Let’s Talk Shop, host Angie Simon talks with Matt Sano and Jennifer Lohr of Fisher Balancing Company.
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Visit www.SMACNA.org/covid-19 for continuous updates on how COVID-19 is affecting our industry.
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SMACNA has partnered with Edward DeLisle, Esq., Principal at Offit Kurman, for a free five-part webinar series that focuses on federal contracting work.
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SMACNA has once again partnered with Dodge Data & Analytics. This time it is to study the value of BIM for HVAC and mechanical construction.
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Tony Kocurek, owner of Energy Balance and Integration LLC in Albuquerque, New Mexico, talks with host Angie Simon, president, Western Allied Mechanical, and SMACNA president-elect on smoke/fire damper testing and certification.
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The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on delayed payment of change orders to federal contractors.
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SMACNA visited Western Allied Mechanical (WAM) in Menlo Park, California, home to SMACNA president-elect Angie Simon.
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SMACNA’s new Guide to Federal Contracting provides members with an easy-to-use resource that demystifies the federal contracting process.
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The first episode features host Angie Simon, president of Western Allied Mechanical, Inc., on prefabrication trends with Joseph Lansdell, president of Poynter Sheet Metal.
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A well-designed high-performance air system can provide a building with an efficient solution. Learn more in the fall 2018 edition of the AMCA inmotion Journal cover story, co-authored by SMACNA's Mark Terzigni.
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"The good news is that a disruption is brewing in the GIS (geographic information science) industry as it rapidly moves toward 3D modeling. This evolution...signals the emergence of GIS and BIM integration into one holistic environment."
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Eastern Iowa-based Climate Engineers describes the benefits and business opportunities of an efficient prefabrication process.
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In June 2018, GSA released a study on d the impact of high performance buildings in the Federal government.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates how ERVs work.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates the difference between open and closed control systems.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates different types of controls for VAV boxes.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates what a MERV is and how it is used.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates how a VFD works.
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This video produced by The Engineering Mindset illustrates the basics of how a VRF system functions.
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This video produced by TItus illustrates how VAV reheat works.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates how a VAV box works.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates how a plenum works.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates the components of a ductwork system.
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This video produced by Titus helps illustrates the difference between supply ductwork, return ductwork, and ventilation ductwork.
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This video produced by Titus helps illustrate how a DOAS system works.
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This video produced by Titus helps illustrate how ECM motors work.
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This video produced by Titus helps illustrate the fan curve.
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This video produced by Titus helps illustrate the fan laws.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates how active chilled beams work.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates how passive chilled beams work.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates how chilled beams work.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates the different types of fan-coil units.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates the differences between a two-pipe system and a four-pipe system.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates the differences between direct return and reverse return systems
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This video produced by The Engineering Mindset illustrates how a cooling tower works.
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This video produced by The Engineering Mindset illustrates how an air-cooled chiller works.
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This video produced by The Engineering Mindset illustrates how an absorption chiller works.
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This video produced by The Engineering Mindset explains how a chiller works.
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This video produced by Ware Inc. illustrates how a boiler works and the various components of a boiler.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates how a geothermal system works.
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This video produced by The Engineering Mindset illustrates how a heat pump system works.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates a PTAC unit and its operation
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This Titus Timeout Podcast illustrates how the refrigeration cycle works.
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This video produced by the Engineering Mindset illustrates how a CAV system works.
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This video produced by the Engineering Mindset illustrates how a VAV system works.
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This video produced by Titus discusses the various types of fans in an HVAC system.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates the types and uses of filters in an HVAC system.
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This video produced by Titus illustrates the principles of thermal comfort.
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This video produced by Titus shows the relationship between a BTU and a ton of refrigeration.
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This video produced by Ron Walker of HVAC Training Solutions helps describe latent vs. sensible heating:
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This Titus Timeout Podcast helps illustrate the principles of heat transfer.
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This video produced by Titus helps illustrate how to properly read a psychrometric chart.
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Total engineering and construction spending for the U.S. is forecast to end up 6 percent in 2018, compared to up 4 percent in 2017.
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Members will learn how productivity tracking can positively influence profitability during the HVAC Contractors Forum Productivity Tracking in the HVAC Industry for Design, Manufacturing, and Installation at SMACNA’s 75th Annual Convention in San Diego, Oct. 14-17.
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Tradesmen take pride in their work, so who could blame employees at Triple S Air Systems Inc., if they pray for a little rain in late August 2018. That's when the world of professional tennis descends upon the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, N.Y., for the U.S. Open.
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New construction technologies and practices including building information modeling (BIM), virtual reality, and lean construction techniques were several of the many skills need to help two SMACNA contractors in Boston meet a fast-paced timetable for Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
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As of this year, the costs of certain energy efficiency improvements can now be immediately deducted as business expenses rather than recovered far more gradually through decades-long depreciation schedules.
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SMACCA Milwaukee’s new Youth Apprenticeship Program is demonstrating that the trades are not only capturing the hearts and minds of high school students, it is convincing educators, counselors, and parents that construction can be a practical and rewarding alternative to college.
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Total engineering and construction spending for the U.S. is forecast to end up 7 percent in 2018, compared to 4 percent in 2017. Residential and select nonresidential segments are predicted to lead spending growth. Office, commercial and health care markets continue to accelerate whereas, multi-family residential, lodging, and manufacturing appear to be stabilizing. View the details.
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Recent FMI research offers a high-level snapshot of today's U.S. offsite construction environment and reveals how owner organizations perceive and use offsite construction for their projects.
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Many may celebrate the expanding legalization of marijuana and the growth of the marijuana industry, the reality is complicated for contractors and may have a huge impact on the way an employer runs their business. Further complicating matters is the fact that under federal law, marijuana is still illegal.
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This white paper is free to SMACNA members and demystifies how to best use an outside board of directors.
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SMACNA’s HVAC Contractors Council Steering Committee learned about innovative prefabrication techniques and trends in modular central plant construction during a recent tour of the Daikin Modular Central Plant (MCP) fabrication facility in Phoenix.
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The world of refrigerants is a complex landscape. With contractors on the front line, staying informed about what’s coming will help ensure you are offering your customers the best approach to safety and efficiency.
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Now available, SMACNA is providing three quick resource guides to help contractors fine-tune their business operations. These quick, easy-to-read books demonstrate how to improve your IT decision-making and management, manage your purchasing and inventory systems, and control risk through an effective job costing system. Free to members-only, they also contain valuable sample plans you can apply directly to your business.
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SMACNA contractor Artlip and Sons Inc., based in Aurora, Ill., recently helped two elementary schools in Illinois’ West Aurora School District 129 go from heating with natural gas to heating with energy efficient geothermal heat pump systems.
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very decision-maker in the building industry has at least a working knowledge of Building Information Modeling (BIM). Although fewer than 5 percent of builders currently take advantage of BIM’s transformational platform, a number of large and smaller firms have been implementing BIM over the last few years.
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After almost eight decades in the business, SMACNA contractor Dee Cramer Inc., Holly, Mich., knows how a sheet metal shop should flow.
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“Lean construction” may be an industry buzz term, but in reality, it’s a practice many sheet metal workers already do as part of their day-to-day work. Lean processes have been found to reduce waste, encourage ideas, and help projects finish early and on budget.
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While HVAC’s crop of experienced workers are beginning to hang up their hard hats and retire, HVAC companies are struggling to replenish their reserves of skilled workers. The DOL estimates that 115,000 new HVACR workers must be trained by 2022 to meet the anticipated demand.
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This study provides information on the financial, safety and overall project risks facing the construction industry today. SMACNA is a research partner to the study. It should help contractors gain a broader understanding of the types and levels of risks throughout the construction industry.
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The HVAC Bid Specification Reference Manual assists the HVAC contractor in the preparation of a bid, the designer in the preparation of the construction documents including plans and specifications, and the owner in the preparation of bid and contract documents.
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Interest in Lean design and construction has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, reflected in enhanced national media reporting, major presentations at COAA (Construction Owners Association of America) conferences and other national meetings, and rapid growth in attendance at Lean workshops and events around the country.
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The first part of this article “Lean Design: What’s it all about? presented an overview of Lean and many of its components. But now you may be asking, “What’s in it for me?” Documenting the benefits of Lean admittedly is a challenge, because no two projects are exactly alike and critics can point to the variables in questioning whether Lean techniques are really the root cause of success.
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The city of Cleveland recently passed an ordinance that requires the building owner to repair or replace faulty dampers within 60 days of inspection. This development, and others across Ohio, signals new opportunities for SMACNA contractors.
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The U.S. Energy Department recently announced $14 million in project awards to dramatically increase the efficiency of U.S. homes and businesses. The funds will be awarded through two Department programs—the Commercial Buildings Integration Program, to retrofit office buildings and businesses, and the Building America program, to create more comfortable homes.
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Demand for construction continues to grow around the country, as construction employment saw substantial increases in numerous metro areas last year. California and New York added the most jobs, as the Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine area (12,500 jobs, 15 percent) and New York City (11,900 jobs, 9 percent) topped the growth list, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.
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A first of its kind in the U.S., American and Canadian firms have just released a binational standard that outlines requirements and best practices for geothermal project design, installation, and commissioning in both the U.S. and Canada.
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A new U.S. Department of Energy report “Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Technical Potential in the United States,” provides impressive data on the potential of CHP in commercial buildings and industrial facilities throughout the U.S.
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled new efficiency standards for commercial air conditioners and furnaces. The new standards will save more energy than any other standard issued by the department to date.
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Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is a “teamwork” approach to managing projects. It is based on the principle that when all parties working on the same project—architects, engineers, contractors—collaborate together toward shared goals, it creates a better product.
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ENR SmartMarket Report examines the impact of prefabrication and modularization on industry productivity.
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In this video, Southland Industries explains how the use of in-house engineering and construction resources build multi-trade modular rack systems.
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Many components of piping systems can be fabricated in Limbach's shop for delivery to the job site for quick, safe and accurate assembly. This video explores Limbach off-site prefabrication.
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This article delves into the world of “off-site construction” and NIBS’ very own Off-Site Construction Council.
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In this video, SMACNA member J.F. Ahern takes you through project stages including estimating, pre-planning, design/coordination, scheduling and purchasing, fabrication/assembly, quality control, and field installation to show how prefabrication works and benefits projects though improved risk, timing and cost.
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This short video shows how SMACNA member J.F. Ahern utilizes prefabrication throughout its pipe fabrication, sheet metal, plumbing, and fire protection shops to improve productivity, quality and safety. This video addresses estimating and design, shop fabrication and assembly, quality control, delivery and installation, and final occupancy.
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Who knew that prefabricated mechanical racking systems were so COOL? J. F. Ahern Co. recently unveiled a time-lapse video that was filmed over several months, chronicling the assembly and installation of 32 multi-trade racking systems for the Froedtert CFAC project in Milwaukee.
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This document provides results of a project study that shows how the use of prefabrication significantly reduced the typical risk and was a major contributor to the success of a highly technical, aggressively scheduled hospital project.
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Learn more about energy benchmarking and how it could impact the sheet metal industry,
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Use ENERGY STAR tools to benchmark energy performance, regardless of facility type.
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SMACNA’s new manual “HVAC Systems: Understanding the Basics,” 2nd edition, 2016, is a non-technical overview of HVAC systems used in residential, commercial, and institutional buildings. It covers system operation and components; and presents helpful diagrams and figures illustrating the systems.
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Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become a requirement on most mid-sized to large commercial construction projects. But sheet metal and HVAC contractors want to know ̶ do the benefits of BIM justify the cost? SMACNA’s new white paper “The Business Case for BIM” can help contractors justify the cost of investing in BIM capabilities.
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This presentation was delivered at the SMACNA 2015 Annual Convention by John Cannistraro (Cannistraro) & Brandon Bergholz (Mortenson).
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To weather the cyclical nature of the construction business and economic downturns, the successful contractor of the future must be able to quickly reduce excessive and unnecessary overhead. Now is the ideal time for contractors to question long relied upon business practices and rebuild their organizations using new, sustainable business models. One such model is the “Flexible Overhead” paradigm by Dr. Thomas C. Schleifer. Read More
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Whether it’s a school, a data center or an office building, proper operation and maintenance of any green building is critical to ensure ongoing, long-term LEED performance.
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SMACNA’s “HVAC Systems Commissioning Manual,” second edition, is now available. This latest edition has been recognized as an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard and is the only ANSI HVAC Systems Commissioning standard to date.
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COBie stands for Construction Operations Building Information Exchange. It’s the smarter brother of building information modeling (BIM)—a method to capture information electronically, avoid redundancy, and present a project owner with well-organized, systematic information on a delivered building. It will also save sheet metal contractors something very important—money.
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In buildings with moisture damage, the original source for these problems may be water entering through the fresh air ventilation intakes.
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“Only one thing counts in this life. Get them to sign on the line that is dotted!”1 When Alec Baldwin made this famous pronouncement, he emphasized the contract must be signed by both parties. However, general contractors and subcontractors are increasingly bound by agreements that are signed by only one, or in some cases neither, of the parties. There are at least two instances where state courts have agreed that a contract exists even though the two parties have not signed anything.2 First, when a subcontractor provides a bid that a general contractor relies upon and includes in its proposal ...
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