US-based modular construction firm Volumetric Building Companies (VBC) is to expand to the UK.
VBC is targeting the UK’s build-to-rent, affordable housing, student accommodation and housing sectors.
The company, led by Australian expat Vaughan Buckley, has its headquarters in Philadelphia in the US.
It has expanded by acquiring first the assets of collapsed US modular builder Katerra, before merging with Polish manufacturer Polcom earlier this year to extend its reach into Europe.
VBC offers steel-framed modular and timber construction technologies. It has 500 employees and over 1.25m sq ft of manufacturing space in the US and Europe. It also has 50 designers in its design team.
Plans for UK factory
Andy Smith is UK business development director of the company, having joined in March 2022. He was previously head of business development of Caledonian Modular for four years, and UK business development manager of The McAvoy Group from 2012-2015.
Smith said: “We now have a dedicated management team in place in the UK and there are plans to have an offsite manufacturing facility for VBC here, in addition to our existing and extensive modular production resources in mainland Europe.”
“Our aim in the next three years is to secure a strong order pipeline in our target sectors in the UK – student accommodation, build-to-rent, affordable housing, defence, custodial, and hotels – and to raise the profile of VBC here, ahead of our expansion into Western Europe. We are already in advanced discussions with a number of hotel groups, private developers, major contractors, and social housing providers.”
Vaughan Buckley, chief executive of VBC, said: “We have tremendous capabilities in the engineering and delivery of advanced modular solutions and buildings which are fully finished and even furnished offsite. Having technology-led production facilities on multiple continents, we are now well placed to drive change, transform construction, and address the housing crisis in the UK, Europe, US, and globally.”
