SECTOR F OCUS
Completed module being dispatched from Vision Built’s Tubbercurry facility.
O FF-SITE SPEC IALIST V I S I O N B U I LT T R I P L E S R E V ENUE IN 2021
Vision Built Managing Director BRIAN KENNEDY speaks to Barry McCall about the rapid changes in the market that have brought about a much more widespread appreciation for the benefits of off-site construction.
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n Ireland, modern methods of construction (MMC) have been a little slow to take off, but that that is changing, says Brian Kennedy, Managing Director of off-site fabrication specialist Vision Built. The company, which produces a range of innovative building structures for Ireland and the UK at its manufacturing facilities in Oranmore, Co Galway, and Tubbercurry, Co Sligo, has witnessed some quite profound changes in the market over the past 18 months. “Covid-19 brought about so much change in the market in the past 18 months,” Brian Kennedy notes. “Part of that change was Brexitrelated, but a big part of it was due to Covid-19. The industry was on the cusp of change anyway due to the shortage of trades on the one hand and an increase in volume output on the other.” That, in turn, has brought about an increase in interest in MMC and off-site fabrication. “There has been a lack of trades to meet demand in the residential market in particular. That led to a huge increase in interest for off-site methods for low-rise apartments.” Other forces were at work as well. “Other critical factors came into play, such as the growth in sectors like pharma, data centres, healthcare, and education. There was keen interest in off-site construction due to its speed and the volumes required. We saw significant growth in the market because of that, and we increased our capacity to meet it.”
MMC CHALLENGES
Kennedy says that there have been challenges, particularly in relation to the supply of materials over the past 12 months.
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Brian Kennedy, Managing Director, Vision Built. “Our business had to forward purchase and create large stocks of many of our core materials to ensure there were no delays to our projects.” The Brexit challenge manifested itself more in relation to administrative issues, such as customs declarations, and this resulted in some delays, which also had a knock-on effect on construction activity. On the other hand, Vision Built was able to continue operating through the lockdowns. “We were fortunate to be able to continue manufacturing