30 July 2013
Portakabin Endorses Construction 2025 - The Government's Vision for the Construction Industry
Portakabin, the UK's leading supplier of modular buildings, has announced its support for Construction 2025, the Government's long-term strategy for the construction industry launched at the Government Construction Summit last month.
Commenting on the new report, Derek Carter, Chief Executive of the Portakabin Group, said, "There is a clear need for transformation in the construction sector to make it more efficient, faster, more sustainable and to make better use of technological advancements such as whole life costing. Despite the acclaimed Egan and Latham reports and their laudable ambitions and calls for change, the industry is still fraught with delays, budget overruns and substandard quality."
"The setting of fresh and challenging headline targets as part of the 12-year plan will be a major challenge for site-based construction but is absolutely essential if the sector is to be reinvigorated to help put the UK building sector at the forefront of the global market."
"What is very reassuring for our business, our customers, and particularly the construction partners and contractors we work with, is just how far off site has come - and the fact that we are already well on the way to meeting the 2025 targets. We look forward to playing our part in helping the building industry maximise the opportunities for change."
As a leading specialist in the delivery of off-site solutions both in the UK and in Europe, Portakabin is already well ahead in terms of performance and has made significant progress in line with the Construction 2025 headline targets - to the benefit of its customers and construction partners:
- A 33 per cent reduction in both initial cost of construction and the whole life cost of assets - Portakabin has been using whole life costing techniques for the past eight years, giving its customers the opportunity to assess and evaluate the implications of a wide variety of design options on carbon emissions, energy consumption and running costs, over the life cycle of a building. The Group has also developed the new Yorkon off-site building system to allow the use of larger but fewer modules and reduce the cost of transport, cranage and site works, further improving cost efficiency.
- A 50 per cent reduction in the overall time from inception to completion for new build and refurbished assets - Off-site construction will reduce programme times by up to 50 per cent compared to site-based building methods, and the use of standardised modular designs, for example for healthcare facilities and school buildings,
- will further reduce procurement time.
- A 50 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the built environment - Portakabin has achieved its target of zero waste at its international manufacturing centre in York - a year ahead of its target. Industry research has also shown that up to 67 per cent less energy is required to produce a modular building than a traditionally-constructed scheme (source: MPBA/Arup) and off-site construction reduces material waste by around 90 per cent (source: WRAP).
- A 50 per cent reduction in the trade gap between total exports and total imports for construction products and materials - All Portakabin buildings are manufactured in the UK, including module components for its European divisions. Its supply chain also strongly demonstrates the Group's commitment to supporting and investing in UK industry:
- 70 per cent of the Group's spend is with its top 100 suppliers - and 98 per cent of those suppliers are based in the UK, representing 96 per cent of total spend.
- Over 90 per cent of the components used in the manufacture of Portakabin modular buildings are manufactured in the UK.
For further information about modular buildings for permanent and interim applications, visit www.portanews.co.uk, email information@portakabin.co.uk or call 0845 401 0020.
Editor's Notes
1. The Portakabin Group offers a series of market-leading modular brands which includes:
- Portakabin modular buildings for permanent and interim use
- Yorkon off-site design and build solutions
- Portaloo toilet, shower and changing room facilities
- Konstructa site accommodation hire
- Foremans Relocatable Building Systems supplying highly sustainable refurbished Portakabin buildings.
2. Portakabin, Portakabin Group, Yorkon, Foremans, Portaloo and Konstructa are registered trademarks.
