M1 MMC Sept '16 cc

commonly requires the design to be tied down at
a much earlier stage, reducing flexibility, and
suppliers to be paid much earlier in the cash
flow.
The focus is still on what is being built and, as
such, the same approach - using traditional
construction methods - becomes the default
position.
As a general rule it matters not which annual or
sustainability report you choose to read, there is
plenty of narrative highlighting where major
contractors have been active and what they have
been building.
We frequently see information about the
projects completed, linking schemes to health
and safety targets, financial results,
environmental results and achievements, but
very little information on how such projects
were built, the methods of construction and how
these have helped contribute to targets.
If this focus were to change, then I believe we
could see a considerable change in the methods
of construction being used.
Investing for growth
Major contractors still have a fantastic
opportunity to make major gains in productivity
by investing for growth through the development
and implementation of offsite techniques into
their business and site operations. The gains
made by the automotive sector are something
that could be replicated by the UK’s major
contractors but it will take vision, leadership and
change to drive a revolution in terms of how we
deliver projects.
To hit the ambitious targets in construction, the
pace of investment in offsite manufacture will
need to significantly increase. Also, the way in
which offsite is incorporated into construction
methodologies on site will also need to be
revisited in order to make sure that the
maximum time and efficiency savings are
secured.
Moving from site to factory
Construction sites by their very nature feature
many unknowns. By shifting many elements of
the build to offsite manufacture, we are able to
produce many of the projects build components
under strict factory conditions. As a result of
this, the quality of the build improves as each
stage of production is closely monitored. By
moving the bulk of the work to a factory, less
operatives will be required on site and their role
will mainly cover installation and assembly so
productivity improves. There are also major
health and safety benefits from moving the bulk
of the difficult work to factory conditions.
ROI – proving the value
At Birmingham New Street Station our modular
service ‘spine’ was built offsite then installed in
just 15 days, saving over 10,000 working hours
and reducing carbon emissions by 57%.
This is just one of many great examples where
offsite manufacture has saved time, improved
quality and led to better health and safety
performance. As an industry, we should be
sharing what we are doing and making sure that
we measure and demonstrate the tangible
results that can be achieved through the use of
offsite manufacturing. There is a major
education process needed so that the industry
as a whole is aware of what can be achieved
with a little forward planning and knowledge of
what really is possible.
The future
As the UK construction market becomes
increasingly global, international competitors
who focus on the ‘how’ are becoming the norm.
There are many new contractors entering the
market that aren’t ingrained in the traditional
approach to construction. Many of these new
entrants are from the Far East and are bringing
a wealth of new approaches to construction
delivery. They are approaching the ‘how’ with a
factory mentality and focusing on how to bring
benefits across the entire construction process.
For example, earlier this year in China, a 57-
storey skyscraper was completed in three
weeks by taking advantage of the reduced
construction times made possible by offsite
building techniques.
Offsite manufacturing offers contractors a great
opportunity to do more for less. Going forward,
the most successful contractors will be those
that embrace offsite as the norm and develop a
strategy that embeds offsite into all aspects of
their everyday operations.
There are wealth of solutions and approaches to
offsite manufacture and the key for UK
contractors will be to not only keep up to date
with the latest innovations but more importantly
to understand how these innovations can drive
their business strategy and their methodologies
on site to boost productivity.
I am very lucky in the fact that the company I
work for has invested heavily in its offsite
capabilities over the last 16 years and, while we
have admittedly learnt lessons along the way,
that investment and focus on the role offsite
plays in projects is now becoming an
increasingly dominant factor in the way we
approach and more importantly ‘win’ contracts.
www.ngbailey.com
MMC
Sep/Oct 2016 M1 35