The thinking in our industry is “Why change when we’ve always done it this way?”
Change can be expensive, time-consuming and complicated and for most modular and offsite construction factories, those are the trifecta few want to tackle simply for improvement’s sake. Newly opened factories and those on the drawing boards around the world don’t share that fear of the established factory, some of which have been in business for 50 years.
New factories are actually looking at automation, robotics, AI and even climate change as they design their new enterprises. They are the new kids that seem to know intuitively how all things work and how to use them effectively and efficiently. They are the 12-year old that doesn’t need an instruction manual to begin using the latest Android or Apple product. In fact, hardly any come with manuals anyway.
However, just like the aging worker on the production line, many factory owners and upper management are looking at retirement and don’t want to introduce “change” into their company. Why invite trouble into the factory when everything seems to be rolling along quite nicely.
But ‘change’ isn’t just about products, processes and materials. It’s also about how our industry is currently responding to just about every facet of offsite construction.
40 years ago, we had the NAHB, MBI and the MHBA Associations as our main sources of industry news and regulatory information. Today we have a trade association for just about anything you can imagine. Concrete and Cement associations now number more than 40 from around the world while lumber, environmental and even automation and robotics have hundreds of associations. We can’t read LinkedIn without seeing ads and reports from association after association. Join us for our latest podcast, listen to our webcast, watch our informative video, attend our conference, join us, join us, join us….
There are so many different things pulling and tugging at us for their attention, each wanting us to make a change in how we do business. Soon I expect to see conferences and seminars, both in-person and remotely attended on things like “The environmental impact of generators at the jobsite” or “Health concerns from working inside a component manufacturing factory.”
Last month while I was in the hospital, I went to LinkedIn and saw 11 invitations to attend video chats and interviews that day talking just about construction. Who has the time to watch one of these hour-long live shows let alone 2 or more? When are you supposed to get things accomplished at work?
Sure, some of them are quite good… But even the best of them requires a substantial amount of time to learn what they are talking about and what they recommend you do to cut costs, save the environment, build with sustainable materials or one of a myriad of other topics.
Now the question of “Why Change?” takes on a slightly different meaning. If your factory hasn’t yet embraced change for change’s sake and you’re making a good profit with a steady backlog of production, then is change something you really need?
But if your factory is new, your team is socially conscious, and looking for new products and processes that meet those needs, then “change” is what you seek. You may not think of it as change but it is a change from how older factories were started.
“Why Change?” Every person in offsite construction needs to answer this question for themselves and not get caught up in what an influencer might think is right for you.
Related Articles:
- Change Is Inevitable – Just Watch Your Step!
- Post COVID-19 Forcing Modular Industry To Change Horses Mid-Stream…Again!
- Modular Construction’s Apathy Toward Change
Gary Fleisher is Editor in Chief of Modular Home Source and the soon-to-be-launched Offsite Builder. Email at [email protected]
