SPONSORED ROUNDTABLE | OFFSITE MANUFACTURING The consultant needs to do a higher level of design to be able to make sure it is optimised Jerry Lehane Offsite manufacturing needs to take a more standardised approach so the supply chain is robust Jane Yorke should be developed. To illustrate his point, he cited a Laing ORourke project. Weve been working with a ventilation manufacturer to provide a system that fits with our modular steel frame, said Baldock. However, the frame constrains how the M&E components flow through it. We need a product manufacturer who can adapt their product set to suit our manufacturing process and our product. If were moving towards a manufacturing process where takt time and productivity are improved continuously, we need products that allow us to do that. Matthew Teague, Tata Steel architect, drew comparisons with the automotive industry and housing, and said there was sufficient scope for leverage and continuous improvement in the supply chain where entrants like Laing ORourke could make a real difference. Baldock agreed, highlighting that delivering 10,000 homes a year using modern methods of manufacturing is achievable for Laing ORourke but the supply chain could find it very challenging to meet this target. To get to the stage where we are producing housing like the automotive industry, which is the holy grail, we will have to see everyone in the supply chain coming together to optimise the products, said Baldock. Only then will the industry benefit, because the cost comes down, the quality goes up, and more skilled jobs are created. Lock and OLeary agreed, adding that collaboration within the supply chain, standardisation of products, and a shift in mindset are key factors for encouraging mass customisation in offsite manufacturing. Keeping it standard Platform-frame construction is an interesting offshoot because its taking offsite back to an automotivechassis approach Matthew Teague If we havent got the skills and design fraternity to go offsite, it will inhibit clients, and vice versa Nick Whitehouse Pennell cautioned that it was critical for manufacturers to standardise the information around components. Accurate details on the materials where they come from, their content and embodied energy should be included. As a client, we need that information, and we use databases that are generic in their nature, but we can make significant changes, he said. We currently have a commercial development that uses platform frame construction and we have a lot of information around embodied carbon. We carried out an assessment on the building design and it employs almost 20% less embodied carbon. Its a steel and concrete building, and were using less materials, and a more optimised solution, as a result. Nick Whitehouse, architect and industry adviser at Buildoffsite, agreed that declaring information about materials is crucial, and 46 March 2020 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE Mar20 pp44-46, 48 Roundtable.indd 46 21/02/2020 15:00