A multi-faceted productivity comparison of offsite timber manufacturing strategies in mainland Europe and the UK

Offsite construction methods have been suggested as a necessity for improving the efficiency and productivity of the construction industry through implementation of automation and lean principles in a controlled factory environment, known as Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). The products, projects delivery and management strategies of offsite construction have been studied in this research through a multi-faceted qualitative exploration of offsite timber management strategies across ten manufacturers, including three UK panel, three UK volumetric and four European (EU) volumetric timber manufacturers. A comparative productivity analysis was carried out in this research project and its sensitivities were analysed which led to the conclusion that the labour productivity of the surveyed UK panelised and EU volumetric manufacturers were comparable, but the UK volumetric manufacturers’ productivity was lower. As a result, the level of automation and the lean and Design for Disassembly (DfD) applications of the manufacturers were all explored to understand these productivity differences within the context of current market trends.