In the retail shopping industry, stores rarely keep large quantities of inventory on hand. Today’s retailers most often use “just-in-time” delivery to stay one step ahead of shoppers, without keeping lots of cash tied up in inventory that can go bad, fall out of style or be replaced with new technology.
The same approach is utilized extensively in manufacturing, where ordering and receiving raw materials or sub-assemblies for production is timed to arrive only as it is needed. The downside? The supplier’s ability to deliver has to be proven and strong, or an entire production run could be halted with big impacts to revenue and reputation.
The construction industry has also adopted just-in-time delivery, in part through lean-type initiatives. In fact, modular prefabricated Off-Site Construction (OSC) is one of the primary means of achieving lean project goals.
Using OSC allows for construction activities that are traditionally linear or consecutive, to be completed concurrently, reducing the overall project timeline. For example, a traditional design-build central utility plant will first involve the physical building and infrastructure; the central plant system buildout can only begin once the building is ready.
In modular construction, the central plant systems are built off-site and fully tested in a controlled environment, while the building is being erected on-site. Or the off-site scope can include a fully enclosed plant structure, integrated with the central plant systems. Delivery can be timed to arrive when the site is ready, and the system is operational after an abbreviated assembly time – much shorter than traditional on-site central plant system construction.
Of course, OSC isn’t the right solution for every project. However, the benefits are such that an increasing number of commercial, institutional and industrial projects are turning to OSC to compress timelines and reduce on-site labor, logistics and associated risks. If your project team is contemplating the installation or replacement of central plant systems, let’s start the conversation to see if Epsilon has a beneficial solution for your project.
