Modular construction has become a viable solution for addressing the housing crisis and helping commercial decision-makers erect buildings faster. How can this trend support manufacturers’ future-proofing efforts, too?
Aligning With Producers’ Sustainability Efforts
As manufacturers seek viable solutions for facility expansion, some look for options that match their eco-friendly goals. Modular construction can meet those requirements in many ways.
DuPod is a modular construction company in the United Arab Emirates that has achieved numerous sustainable outcomes for its customers. The business uses digital twins and building information modeling software to enhance precision, improve collaboration and minimize design clashes. These benefits can reduce material waste and raise the likelihood of first-time success rather than repeating processes to correct errors.
One of the company’s projects involved creating modular bathroom pods for a hospitality brand. This approach shortened construction time frames by 40% while lowering material and labor expenses. Simulating modular projects with digital tools before beginning construction creates more opportunities to notice and correct issues before it’s too late. That proactiveness ensures clients optimize resources and support sustainability goals.
Manufacturers could take inspiration from DuPod’s hospitality project — manufacturing facilities could have bathroom pods installed to support growing workforce sizes and increasing construction efforts. Once decision-makers see how a modular building can limit wasted material and rework through digital tools, they might embrace more digitalization strategies and modular facility construction.
Meeting Urgent Needs
Most people think of construction projects lasting months or longer. Options designed for rapid assembly become usable in weeks, helping manufacturers address urgent requirements and emergencies. This could restore production potential faster after natural disasters severely damage conventionally erected factory structures. They also give producers greater flexibility to respond to widespread societal needs, such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pharmaceutical executives, scientists and other experts raced to develop vaccines, and companies rapidly scaled their production to meet the massive demand. This broad example illustrates why the pharmaceutical industry is a top adopter of modular construction solutions.
When drugmakers need extra space to meet demands, modular construction projects give flexibility and adhere to the industry’s tight regulations. One example involved a Chinese clean room manufacturer providing a modular clean room measuring approximately 4,843 square feet to support the production of capsule medications.
The builder divided the structure into two zones, creating critical-process rooms and areas for supporting functions. Those in the former category had airlocks preventing cross-contamination from personnel or materials. Independent air-handling units also enabled meticulous environmental controls with no interference between zones.
This shows how modular construction remains feasible even when manufacturing clients have numerous requirements to ensure safe production. Executives from this pharmaceutical brand mentioned the need for self-supporting ductwork and an efficient air-return system without risers or columns. The builder addressed both challenges with creative solutions.
Achieving Recognition Through Innovation
Modular construction gives forward-thinking manufacturers the freedom to pursue pioneering ideas without becoming restricted by the logistics that often accompany traditional building methods.
In another pharmaceutical industry case, a federally owned modular facility for cell processing received a project-based award for a building researchers will use to get lifesaving cancer treatments to patients sooner. The structure features clean room modules weighing up to 50,000 pounds, which workers placed with a rigging plan that dropped them through the roof. While complicated, this installation approach was three months faster than conventional construction.
Choosing modular options for this project also allowed workers to build the new facility only 40 feet from two currently used medical and research facilities. Those overseeing the progress used vibration monitors and coordinated with parties from the adjacent structures to ensure operations could continue there.
This effort is a successful test case for other decision-makers to follow. Staying on the cutting edge means reducing delays where possible. Modular construction addresses that goal, positioning manufacturers to boost competitiveness through growth and adaptiveness.
Built to Last, Designed to Adapt
Modern producers frequently need to scale up operations due to marketplace pressures. Modular construction offers an accessible and accelerated way to expand a facility’s footprint without many steps that slow or halt the process, such as transporting raw materials to sites and finding the necessary labor.
Most modular building brands specialize in off-site construction, fabricating clients’ orders in controlled environments. Because the pieces reach clients’ properties fully or partially assembled, manufacturers can use the new facilities much sooner than traditional methods allow. These benefits help them pursue growth and enjoy flexibility.
