Collaboration is Key
Our industry has suffered from a severe lack of leadership, when it comes to collaborative engagement. We have relied on governments to try and drive ambition and innovation, as we lose significant investment from the manufacturing sector. Yet when we take this challenge on ourselves, we also wonder why things aren't improving either, as we head back to our silo thinking, and every day business as usual behaviours. This is the status quo.
The last time we entered into collaborative programmes of innovative thinking, we unfortunately let them slip. These programmes of momentous industry efforts, were heading in the right direction for 'rethinking construction' (innovation practice) and 'building the team' (collaborative engagement), which ultimately led to the report of how to 'accelerate change'. We at Ottersbrook, think we should be reviewing where we left off with these exceptional industry efforts and reports. Here is a good reason why, for an example, in the domestic housing market.
Number of new homes built in the UK (1949 - 2023)
Delivering the homes the UK needs requires a fundamental shift towards smarter, more integrated delivery models. By learning from the automotive and other specialist DfMA sectors and leveraging the lessons of the OSHA project, policymakers can drive innovation, efficiency, and quality in housing, ensuring that MMC and expert project management, (afforded by house-builders and main contractors), are at the heart of a modern, resilient housing system. Manufacturers have a significant part to play of course they do, as the innovators, but as we have seen, manufacturers are only part of the much needed disruptive innovation team. The MMC inquiry endorsed this position, so we now require a sense of urgency to push the lessons, and to share in the success of a housing system that delivers.
We can do better than this graph demonstrates for sure. Working together to drive better collaborative engagement is the key. We have not delivered the required number of critical homes in the UK, since the 1960's and 1970's. This effort was significantly supported by local authority deployment. Interestingly, heavily influenced by MMC technologies that were being used at the time.
Our Industry will thrive, when we significantly improve the collaboration, between innovative
manufacturing businesses, and construction companies who remain, expert project managers.
