MMC Companies should ‘Gear Up’ to weather industry changes with focus on factory standardisation and Lean
Director of Construction and Manufacturing at Develop Consulting Steve Clark believes Offsite companies need to look at factory set-up to survive
The head of manufacturing and construction at a leading UK consultancy which specialises in MMC transformation, has said modular house builders need to strengthen their factory set-up to weather the industry’s challenges for survival.
Steve Clark, who has worked across both the manufacturing and construction industries for more than 20 years, has highlighted how important it is for Offsite Construction companies to charter the path to ensure a resilient future, and recognise the need for proven methods used within the manufacturing industry to keep themselves on track.
Develop Consulting, who are currently working with a number of modular house builders throughout the UK, use Lean Methodology to help give companies the best chance of survival in challenging times whilst creating great foundations to build upon and grow.
Mr Clark said: “The construction and manufacturing industry has faced its fair share of challenges in recent times, but with the right strategies, modular house builders can strengthen their chances of survival inwardly, especially when there are so many outside factors such as planning problems which tend to put roadblocks in their paths and derail a number of projects from the off.
“By companies embracing innovative practices and optimising factory conditions we believe this plays a pivotal role in overcoming obstacles and thriving in an uncertain market. We utilise Lean Methodology and get inspiration from practices set within the manufacturing industry which drive efficient and well-performing factories, which can be transferred over to what is such an exciting industry to be involved in and potentially can have such a bright future if these road bumps can be overcome,” he added.
“A highly performing operations team that is flexible, adaptable, and well-organised can help mitigate inefficiencies and bolster overall resilience. Our vision is to optimise factory operations and get them to embrace Lean Principles, learning from other industries that have faced similar challenges over the years. Product designers can significantly help with creating modular houses based upon a standard platform but this needs to be a collaborative approach with the operations team working closely alongside the design team ensuring all round optimal productivity. The market’s current needs call for adaptability, versatility and collaboration,” said Mr Clark.
The construction director added that modular house builders could also look towards other similar industries, such as the larger caravan manufacturers who are producing lodges in volumes.
“Offsite manufacturers can also gain inspiration from the larger caravan factories which annually updates its product offering making change the norm. However, they are able to embrace this change through robust processes and the flexibility of their operations and teams. There is a focused drive towards improvement resulting in each generation of products being easier, better, quicker and faster to produce than the previous one’, he said
For more information on Develop Consulting’s initiatives and expertise in driving factory excellence, please visit this link.
