Launched at Offsite Expo 2019, the Construction Futures Research Centre (CFRC) is part of the School of Architecture and Built Environment at the University of Wolverhampton and is part of a new wave of centres of excellence offering expertise in how best to deliver offsite construction.
Part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) CFRC offers bespoke, fully-funded support to small medium enterprises (SMEs) to achieve high standards of delivery in offsite methods. The aim of CFRC is to improve the efficiency of the construction sector, using the latest techniques and advanced technology. The entire manufacturing process can be simulated and modelled in 3D to offer SMEs a better understanding of their processes and a method/pathway to improve the efficiency of their manufacturing.
Industry 4.0 is the latest innovation in the industrial revolution, combining traditional manufacturing practices and the latest smart technologies. This includes Machine to Machine communication (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) deployments to improve analysis and problem solving without human intervention. Industry 4.0 allows manufacturers to become increasingly automated, allowing employees to be deployed in other areas. It connects the physical world with the digital world and allows for better collaboration between all stakeholders. Instant access to data allows business to increase efficiency and boost profitability.
The CFRC team is fully equipped with advanced software and hardware tools to collaborate with SMEs within the offsite construction sector, applying design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) principles. The term ‘lean’ is used in many ways but at its core it is essentially concerned with the elimination of waste in all forms. We provide advice in product design to ensure ease of assembly and manufacturing. Our approach is to work on lean management which enables the identification, quantification and eliminate of waste or improve efficiency in product design. DfMA takes several forms, but the common factor is the application of factory (or factory-like) conditions to construction projects. This is critical for many reasons including: health and safety, cost, productivity and sustainability.
We are already working with SMEs on DfMA analysis of their products. With one company we are designing for assembly (DFA) using building information modelling (BIM). BIM is a digital representation of the physical world, used as a shared resource containing information about a building and many of the assets within the building. BIM is the process of procuring a built asset using a collaborative working process supplied by digital data: using the philosophy ‘build it twice’ – digitally and physically. Ironing out the problems in the digital model saves time and money. The BIM modelling process starts at inception through to handover and the management phase covers handover to demolition. During the life of a building 75% of the costs are on operation and having access to a BIM model can help cut costs. At CFRC we can offer support to SMEs by creating BIM models of products using Autodesk Revit modelling software.
CFRC supports the implementation of lean thinking to reduce the inefficiency within manufacturing processes. The procedure involves business process modelling (BPM) which leads to discrete event simulation (DES). DES is the process of arranging the behaviour of a complex system as an order sequence of well-defined events using the specific DES software. CFRC focuses on the processes in a system at a medium level of abstraction. We are currently working with two companies: one manufactures and supplies cold-rolled sections light gauged steel frames and the other designs and supplies bespoke hot-rolled steel frame lattice beams and steel trusses.
Alongside DES and DfMA we provide 3D laser scanning of production sites. The 3D scanner helps professionals with surveying, mapping and inspecting sites. The scanning benefits SMEs in improving staff safety, creating faster and more accurate building surveys, streamlining the creation of 3D models, safeguarding data and enabling fast, complete topology surveys. In addition to these the 3D scanner is capable of consolidating and sharing 3D images and videos in one location which contains all the captured data, size, design and dimensions. CFRC will eventually form a platform which will provide SMEs with tools, processes and equipment for collaboration and greater efficiency.
“The CFRC is a fantastic opportunity for SMEs to engage with the latest offsite technologies, at no cost to them,” says Matt Mellors, Project Manager at CFRC. “We are looking for businesses to work with and support who are either already part of the offsite supply chain or looking to enter that market. I would encourage any businesses who are looking to innovate and interested in improving their efficiency to contact us to take advantage of the services CFRC offer.”
For more information visit: www.wlv.ac.uk/cfrc or email: cfrc@wlv.ac.uk
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