Sheet metal has long been ahead of the curve when it comes to prefabrication. Thanks to this success, the trend is catching on in plumbing. It's very much catching on in electrical. And it is catching on in other mechanical trades. Not only is data a large part of making the most of prefabrication processes, but it can also be used to show the effectiveness of the method. Prefabrication is working and the research proves it.
In 2020, Dodge Data & Analytics released its Prefabrication and Modular Construction report, which shows that prefabrication methods used by architects, engineers, and contractors across the construction, sheet metal, and MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) industries bring significant benefits in terms of efficiency, labor, and materials.
According to the report, prefabrication allows for 90% improvement on material waste. Because prefabrication allows the contractor to control your material use more closely, this method leads to not only to less material waste and more efficient job handling but also higher quality part out and decreased labor costs overall. In fact, 86% of contractors saw improved quality of work with prefabrication, according to the Dodge report, and 80% or more also report that they see improved cost predictability as well as increased client satisfaction.
As prefabrication continues to grow within other trades, the report shows, prefabricated multi-trade assemblies, which involve the work of several trades at once, will be used by 58% of those doing prefabrication in general. For entire parts of buildings that involve multiple trades, 61% of study respondents expected to deliver preconstructed onsite and assembled together within 3 years.
However, the point of prefabrication is not trying to eliminate jobs by decreasing labor, but rather to take the operators who are already doing this work and allow them to use their time better or use it on more complex tasks. Prefabrication allows you to refine or even automate those necessary but often tedious work processes to their top efficiency.