Off-site fabrication boosted by moves to reduce waste

Off-site fabrication of building services plant could help the building services sector ride out the economic downturn, according to a leading manufacturer.

Ormandy Group, the Yorkshire-based hot water systems and plant room fabricator, says it has seen a rise in demand for its services despite the credit crunch.

Managing director Paul Cooper believes growing awareness of the need to reduce costs, cut waste and improve carbon footprints is driving the market more towards off-site fabrication of building services equipment.

“More end clients are looking at the total life cycle cost and impact of their projects,” he said. “Off-site fabrication removes a lot of the variables associated with traditional building services work and improves your chances of delivering the project on time, to budget and with less waste.

“It is also far more sustainable,” added Mr Cooper. “By eliminating many of the sources of waste, off-site fabrication reduces the overall environmental and social impact of the project.”

The Government expanded the scope of Site Waste Management Plans to cover all construction projects valued at more than £300,000 from April this year – and specialist subcontractors are coming under increasing pressure to help clients meet their obligations.

These include having a ‘dynamic’ plan that is updated throughout the project and keeps a detailed log of what waste is being produced, who is responsible for it and what it being done with it.

“Waste management is a critical part of the sustain-ability agenda – and rightly so,” said Mr Cooper. “It is often said that the worst place to build anything is on a building site and more people are beginning to recognise this.

“Factory building and testing of services means difficult adjustments do not have to be made in awkward, cramped or inhospitable conditions – this reduces both the amount of materials needed in a project and the chances of it going wrong at installation.”