Construction Magazine November 2014 | Page 33

NEW OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION METHOD
just four to assemble was hugely beneficial to achieving this .
“ When we build the system it uses muscle power , not cranes or electrics . It only takes a couple of hours to train a labourer to assemble the system . It ’ s easy to understand and the guys enjoy putting it up ,” said Appleford . “ There is no mess and no fuss . The school was not disrupted at any time and it was quiet . There was no heavy machinery . There were only three or four skips , no wastage and no noise , just four workers were on-site on average including the supervisor . Normally a job of that nature would take about 20 people . We did it with four , and in terrible weather !”
The process AcerMetric ’ s is a fast and simple process from start to finish . Using a powerful CAD system , the design phase is essentially a one-man job . It is efficient in engineering , training , and light on labour . Just five people were required on the factory floor for the school .
Once a client is on board , and the cost and design finalised , the order is placed by the licensed installer , at which point , AcerMetric ’ s factory

“ There is a huge demand for these buildings and we have a system that can meet demand ”

– Founder and Chairman , David Appleford
supplies the flat pack . Then , the installer assembles it on-site and adds finishing touches like M & E .
The whole process can take as little as a week from factory to finish , but if a particular kit is already available , the factory element can be eliminated , making just the transportation and assembly necessary .
If this sounds impressive , it is a process that will only be refined with more projects under AcerMetric ’ s belt . Because it is designed to be mass production , the technique will inevitably become cheaper and faster .
Additionally , the system boasts green credentials . The manufacturing process uses little power , the timber used is a sustainable , recyclable product , the flat pack requires minimal transport delivery to the site , and when it arrives , no potentially polluting machinery is necessary to assemble it .
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