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WHITE PAPER Prefabrication – Achieving More with Less 9525 Glades Dr. West Chester, OH 45011 · P: 513.372.6205 · pivotek.net AUTHOR John Hudson PREFABRICATION IS HELPING CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS ACHIEVE MORE WITH LESS The construction industry is under attack and the enemy is a shortage of natural, capital, and human resources. Companies must deliver projects faster, smarter, and more cost effectively while working with less. That is a tall order even for the most experienced of construction managers. However, it is not all doom and gloom. Industries naturally evolve and the aforementioned pressures are simply part of the evolutionary process. In fact, the construction industry has witnessed changes for several millennia. And with each change, the industry has remained relevant by adopting new technologies and refining best practices. What if the design and build team could design a building delivery system that could truly innovate the traditional construction process, and tackle the most perplexing project delivery pressures of today’s construction market – faster delivery, better use of manpower, reduced project overhead costs, improved quality, and drastically reduced material and energy consumption? Building Innovation They are with Prefabrication. With such an emphasis on doing more with less, industry leaders are innovating by streamlining the construction process, with a significant focus on prefabrication. Prefabrication takes large repeatable building components off the critical path by constructing them offsite, simultaneous to the building site sequence. The results: Schedule Assurance – Simultaneous work reduces waiting (weather delays, no-shows, etc.), and building offsite reduces jobsite congestion Stronger Financials – Increases speed to revenue and reduces financial carrying costs Manpower Optimization – Shifts skilled labor to a lean, efficient work environment Quality Improvement – Manufacturing techniques ensure repeatable tolerance levels Waste Reduction – Components are purchased ready to assemble; reducing the energy needed to move, cut, and manage leftover material These benefits are realized when the entire project team is working together. Architectural firms and construction managers are now working together to create building information models (BIMs) that significantly improve the selection of means and methods, and enables virtual builds. All of this leads to a more synergistic jobsite, which reduces inefficiencies and maximizes group expertise.

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Page 1: PREFABRICATION IS HELPING CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS …pivotek.net/.../PIVOTEK-White-paper-Prefabrication.pdf · Prefabrication is not a new concept, however, its application more broadly

WHITE PAPERPrefabrication – Achieving More with Less

9525 Glades Dr. West Chester, OH 45011 · P: 513.372.6205 · pivotek.net

AUTHOR John Hudson

PREFABRICATION IS HELPING CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS ACHIEVE MORE WITH LESS

The construction industry is under attack and the enemy is a shortage of natural, capital, and human resources. Companies must deliver projects faster, smarter, and more cost effectively while working with less. That is a tall order even for the most experienced of construction managers. However, it is not all doom and gloom.

Industries naturally evolve and the aforementioned pressures are simply part of the evolutionary process. In fact, the construction industry has witnessed changes for several millennia. And with each change, the industry has remained relevant by adopting new technologies and refining best practices. What if the design

and build team could design a building delivery system that could truly innovate the traditional construction process, and tackle the most perplexing project delivery pressures of today’s construction market – faster delivery, better use of manpower, reduced project overhead costs, improved quality, and drastically reduced material and energy consumption?

Building InnovationThey are with Prefabrication. With such an emphasis on doing more with less, industry leaders are innovating by streamlining the construction process, with a significant focus on prefabrication. Prefabrication takes large repeatable building components off the critical path by constructing them offsite, simultaneous to the building site sequence. The results:

Schedule Assurance – Simultaneous work reduces waiting (weather delays, no-shows, etc.), and building offsite reduces jobsite congestion

Stronger Financials – Increases speed to revenue and reduces financial carrying costs

Manpower Optimization – Shifts skilled labor to a lean, efficient work environment

Quality Improvement – Manufacturing techniques ensure repeatable tolerance levels

Waste Reduction – Components are purchased ready to assemble; reducing the energy needed to move, cut, and manage leftover material

These benefits are realized when the entire project team is working together. Architectural firms and construction managers are now working together to create building information models (BIMs) that significantly improve the selection of means and methods, and enables virtual builds. All of this leads to a more synergistic jobsite, which reduces inefficiencies and maximizes group expertise.

Page 2: PREFABRICATION IS HELPING CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS …pivotek.net/.../PIVOTEK-White-paper-Prefabrication.pdf · Prefabrication is not a new concept, however, its application more broadly

WHITE PAPERPrefabrication – Achieving More with Less

9525 Glades Dr. West Chester, OH 45011 · P: 513.372.6205 · pivotek.net

AUTHOR John Hudson

Five Indicators When to Utilize PrefabricationAs with any innovation, there are specific situations that highlight the efficacy of a particular solution more so than others; prefabrication is no different. Here are five indicators to look for when considering prefabrication as part of the build process:

✓ �Repeatable Components – Buildings such as hospitals, hotels, and housing are ideal for prefabrication with repeatable building components, such as bathrooms, kitchens, headwalls. Moreover, economies of scale can be optimized when there are 50 or more components to be manufactured in these components.

✓ Size – Prefabricated building components must be trailered to the job site, therefore, size is an important consideration.

✓ Stacking – Repeatable building components that are located in a stacked configuration increases efficiency of installation and connection to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.

✓ Clearance – Large repeatable components must be delivered to the jobsite, raised to the final floor, moved across the floor into final position, and lowered into place, without interference. The route these components take is an important consideration.

Identifying the above indicators is the first step in relieving cost, schedule, and financial constraints on a project. Once the project has been determined to be a good candidate for prefabrication, the project team will meet and begin the collaborative planning process.

PODS arrive fully finished, factory inspected and ready for installation.

Page 3: PREFABRICATION IS HELPING CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS …pivotek.net/.../PIVOTEK-White-paper-Prefabrication.pdf · Prefabrication is not a new concept, however, its application more broadly

WHITE PAPERPrefabrication – Achieving More with Less

9525 Glades Dr. West Chester, OH 45011 · P: 513.372.6205 · pivotek.net

AUTHOR John Hudson

Greater Efficiency and Higher QualityPrefabrication is not a new concept, however, its application more broadly applied to the construction industry is a recent trend. As construction managers and architects become more comfortable with prefabrication and its areas of application, prefabrication will become even more effective at delivering higher quality and more profitable outcomes than traditional onsite builds.

Construction managers are limited in their abilities to change the shortage of natural, capital, and human resources, but prefabrication is helping them do more with less. As the industry continues to evolve and adapt, prefabrication will be leading the way to greater efficiency and higher quality. Quality that is derived from best practices in manufacturing, all in a controlled factory environment, not a temporary facility, where repeatable functions can be monitored and scrutinized for the utmost consistency.

Skilled labor and construction trade shortage is a problem that is not going away. For example, the AGCA reported that 73% of survey respondents said carpenters were in short supply and 60% said electricians. Not only does this make it extremely difficult to find enough reliable on-site workers, but this also impacts the cost of employing these skilled laborers.* How do you protect yourself from risks associated with a skilled labor shortage and shield yourself from paying too much for labor? Prefabrication.

*2015 Worker Shortage Survey Analysis; The Associated General Contractors of America, Arlington, Virginia, 2015.