3 Ways to Ease Into Industrialized Construction (It Pays to Be Diligent)
BY ANGUS W. STOCKING, L.S.
“Industrialized” construction may not exactly sound fun to longtime contractors and builders who relish the craft aspects of their trade. But the adoption of industrial, prefabricated, and manufacturing techniques by construction firms is an emerging way to realize the efficiency gains so elusive in architecture, engineering, and construction while improving profitability, project quality, and even addressing skilled labor shortages.
“Implementing industrial techniques in our supply chain and field work is so important from quality-control, safety, and scheduling points of view,” says Todd McCabe, vice president of project services at Consigli Construction Company. “Plus, here in Boston, we are really struggling to meet the demand for skilled labor on projects; the workforce is aging out. So the more we can move prefabrication work to controlled environments, the more we’re able to reduce that pressure.”