While projects of almost any size can benefit from prefabrication, it has perhaps the greatest impact in larger, more complex projects. These projects are often managed by a larger general contractor or construction manager, who will prefabricate mechanical, electrical, and plumbing equipment, which can be delivered to the jobsite and installed by smaller trade subcontractors exactly when needed.
“Why use BIM? Are you automating a 2D wasteful process? How does BIM give you a better design? Can we eliminate model duplication?” asks Victor Sanvido, senior vice president of building systems/engineering company Southland Industries and chairman of the LEAN Construction Institute. “If we can identify and remove waste—essentially not produce what people don’t want—we need to do that. The Toyota Production Principles state that we respect people, the customer defines value, and we identify and remove waste.”