To Transform Productivity and Quality We Must Change How We Build

How much of a change do we need to see in the productivity of the construction sector? Is five or ten per cent going to make a difference to anyone other than an accountant?

Since 1971, productivity across the whole of the UK economy has more than doubled. In large part, this is because people are doing different jobs. Technology and foreign competition mean that fewer people are engaged in manual, labour-intensive work.

In construction, productivity has barely moved. This is possibly because a lot of the operations that go into a construction project are not significantly different from thirty or forty years ago. Construction also remains a fragmented process with a myriad of subcontractors and trades that have to be coordinated. Any one of these has the potential to throw the schedule out and create knock-on effects that multiply the overall delay.

Can the Process be Fixed?

If we don’t fundamentally change the process can we really hope to transform productivity? And if the process remains fragmented do we always run the risk of losing gains made in one stage because the next stage isn’t yet ready to go?

Focusing on improving the current process to solve the productivity problem would be akin to Henry Ford trying to create an affordable mass-produced motor car by issuing his staff roller skates, rather than by inventing the production line. We have to do something different.

The production line analogy is one that it’s worth sticking with. This is the mentality that we need to apply to tackle the issue of construction productivity. We don’t have to continue putting buildings together in the same old ways.

• Panelised offsite allows us to precision-build the dry structure in a factory. This happens while the site is being prepared and foundations laid. There’s a 30%+ timing gain right there.
• Walls, roofs and floors are then quickly assembled onsite to create the complete structure ready for fit out. With panels, the fire, thermal, and acoustic properties are built-in so there are fewer follow-on operations to schedule.
• If this isn’t enough of a gain, then consider the benefits of having a fully design-led process. Technical challenges, clashes and buildability issues are resolved up-front. This removes other huge productivity risks – the all-too-familiar late design changes, onsite reworks and quality failings that pile more time into the programme.
• Snagging and pre-residing defects post-production is another key area where manufactured construction delivers significant gains, as they are all but eliminated.
• Lifetime maintenance costs are significantly reduced.

Is it time we stopped talking about the productivity challenge and started using methods that have been proven to deliver the required step-change in performance?

Call us on 0845 674 0020 to find out more about how panelised offsite can improve productivity for your next Education, Healthcare or Residential project.