While the construction industry in the UK has struggled to achieve double-digit productivity gains in the past 30 years, the automotive sector has transformed its fortunes by achieving a 208% growth in productivity in the 20 years since 1999.
PFS Corporation
Mariotti Building Products
Viking Carrier
So when Berkeley Modular looked to establish a new state-of-the-art production facility to manufacture volumetric modular housing elements, complete with electrics, plumbing, flooring and internal fittings, they turned their attentions to best practice that could be derived from the car industry in order to avoid the pitfalls of traditional construction practices and quickly establish a leadership position in offsite construction.
The volumetric modular approach to designing and manufacturing that Berkeley Modular aimed to pursue was consistent with the automotive manufacturing principle of PLM, or Product Lifecycle Management which refers to the handling of a good as it moves through the typical stages of its product life, development and introduction, growth, maturity/stability, and decline. This handling involves both the manufacturing of the good and the marketing of it.
Encouraged by Majenta Solutions to adopt manufacturing as opposed to a construction mindset was crucial to the adoption of a PLM approach, which provides a company-wide view of the product lifecycle across all processes from engineering and supply chain to quality and manufacturing. PLM puts everyone associated with the process on the same page through the creation of a central source of intelligence, or truth.
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