Michigan Solar Solutions and McNaughton-McKay Take on the Solar Coaster
COMPANY PROFILE
Michigan Solar Solutions, Inc. (MSS) is a full-service solar EPC contractor specializing in commercial, municipal and residential solar PV and battery energy storage system (BESS) projects. They deliver turnkey installation and long-term service support for systems ranging from small residential arrays to multi-megawatt commercial installations.
TECHNICAL SITUATION
Michigan Solar Solutions was attempting to scale up its capacity to handle projects with higher volume and multiple sites. The solar and renewable energy industry can be greatly affected by legislative changes, causing material volatility and availability risks (a.k.a., the “solar coaster”). This makes logistics planning and lead-time transparency difficult and can often lead to jobsite disruption from partial or misaligned deliveries. Additionally, clear FEOC and Domestic Content Compliance documentation can be difficult when products may need to be substituted at the last minute. To secure its expansion into municipal and multi-megawatt projects, Michigan Solar Solutions would need a repeatable procurement workflow that could stabilize supply chain risk, reduce dependence on emergency sourcing, protect cost margins and improve its ability to sequence installations.
BUSINESS SITUATION
Michigan Solar Solutions was competing for a large-scale commercial installation project that included 11 job sites in one portfolio. Upholding the submitted cost and timeline would ensure MSS was paid without penalty and could build the client’s confidence for future projects. Many external factors could push timelines and costs (e.g., missing products can halt an installation, substituting protection can require re-permitting and pricing swings on unacquired materials can wipe out a projected margin). To validate bid accuracy and Michigan Solar Solutions’ ability to compete for similar projects in the future, it would need predictable material flow, competitive pricing and a distributor relationship that functioned as an extension of its own procurement team.
SOLUTION
Rather than addressing individual material gaps project by project, Michigan Solar Solutions and McNaughton-McKay worked together to establish a more structured supply chain framework that would allow for growth into larger commercial and municipal installations. MSS integrated McNaughton-McKay’s capabilities directly into its workflows, engaging McNaughton-McKay’s Renewable Energy team during engineering and preconstruction phases, validating equipment availability and lead times before final BOM release, utilizing McNaughton-McKay’s Stage & Store capabilities and aligning shipment timing with installation sequencing. For greater pipeline visibility, Michigan Solar Solutions established a standard of 16-week lead times for materials, enabling McNaughton-McKay to order the material, use existing warehouse space for storage and then ship the materials directly to the job site on the date of installation. With this standard in place, Michigan Solar Solutions created repeatable BOM structures across projects.
BENEFITS
The strong distributor relationship resulted in price assurances, less downtime, lower freight costs and the possibility of expansion without significant infrastructure investments. Michigan Solar Solutions was able to reduce its redesign risk and costs from last-minute substitutions, improve internal engineering efficiency and increase field productivity. McNaughton-McKay supported these efforts by identifying commonly used racking, inverters, modules, and roof attachments, securing critical components earlier in the project lifecycle, delivering materials in stages rather than bulk site drops and accelerating issue resolution to maintain schedules.
Michigan Solar Solutions’ ability to complete the project on time and on budget increased the client’s confidence and contributed to MSS winning 9 more site installations. Michigan Solar Solutions’ own confidence to continue bidding on larger projects was strengthened, as well as its ability to pursue municipal RFP requiring complex documentation. McNaughton-McKay experienced a concurrent growth in solar business volume and scale, transitioning from 90% residential product to 85% commercial over the years. While this project’s exact ROI cannot be calculated, avoiding delays on commercial installations of this size can represent thousands of dollars in protected labor efficiency and schedule stability.
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES USED
- SolarEdge Commercial Optimizers, Inverts and Synergy Units
- Jinko Solar Panels
- IronRidge Racking Components
- Unirac Racking Components
- S-5 Roof Attachments
- XHHW, THHN, and PV Wire
- Electrical Fittings and Components
- McNaughton McKay’s Renewable Energy Team
- McNaughton-McKay’s Stage & Store Programs