Tech Talk: Katerra aims to shake up construction industry

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Katerra's designs are is precisely tailored to the materials being used; the components are precisely built in its factories; demand for materials is aggregated between all the projects it has ongoing to ensure best price and no wastage. ( Image courtesy of Katerra.)

A start-up is bringing high-tech know-how to the construction industry.

So what does a technology-led construction firm look like, and how does it achieve time and cost savings? In some ways it is not that revolutionary. Process, data and business model are as important as drones or robots, writes Mike Phillips at biznow.com.

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Katerra was founded when Fritz Wolff was chatting to Michael Marks, former chief executive of electronics firm Flextronics and private equity investor, about ideas for improving his business. Marks had hugely boosted revenue and profits at Flextronics. He and fellow co-founder and technology investor Jim Davidson decided to launch a company that sought to apply the kind of efficiencies that tech companies had utilized to the construction sector.

The company manufactures panels and components off-site, inserts electronics and plumbing, and then everything is assembled on the construction site. The company has one operational factory in Phoenix and is building a mass timber factory near Washington. Parts are digitally tagged so that once they are delivered to the site it is easy to work out what goes where and how the building should be assembled.

To read the complete story, click here.

 

 

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