Article content provided by Kojo.
Despite the substantial initial investment required to set up prefab and its potential to increase operational efficiency, improve build quality, and reduce material and labor costs, many contractors still rely on rudimentary methods such as Excel spreadsheets and PDF catalogs to manage prefab workflows. As a result, the prefab function is often siloed and not leveraged to its fullest capacity. To fully capitalize on your prefab investment, it’s essential to integrate your prefab shop into the broader business. Here are a few tips:
Catalog your prefab items for organization and easy access.
For many Field teams, the only way to learn about prefab availability is by attending team meetings—if they miss a meeting (or zone out), they’re out of the loop. Some contractors resort to ordering prefab materials from the 3D BIM drawings during each building phase. Both methods are unreliable and error-prone. Establishing a formalized, digital prefab catalog that’s accessible to all team members is the best way to ensure consistency and accuracy in field ordering.
Give your Field teams real-time visibility into the status and availability of prefab items.
Field teams should be able to order prefab materials right to the job site in the same way they order any other type of materials. They should be able to track production every step of the way, and know exactly when they can expect the prefab items on job sites. Software solutions like Kojo that already connect Field teams with warehouse inventory can easily address this very similar workflow between Field and the prefab shop.
Digitize communications between prefab and Field teams to prevent costly mistakes.
Kojo’s Prefab features enable teams to upload custom prefab images and define facets and parameters at a line item level, minimizing misunderstandings and ensuring adherence to project requirements.
Equip your prefab shop with modern technology
The more orders your prefab shop receives, the harder it is to deal with operational overhead. Help your prefab team manage their queues efficiently and automate repetitive workflows with digital tools.
Learn how Kojo can help connect your prefab shop with the rest of your business HERE.
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Kojo is trusted and utilized by thousands of construction professionals across the country every day. As the construction industry’s leading procurement platform, enables trade and self-perform general contractors to take control of their margins by consolidating the procurement process onto one, all-inclusive digital platform.
