Willmott Dixon is shoring up the future of its residential construction business by strengthening its offsite capabilities to reduce its reliance on onsite trades.
The contractor has inked a three-year deal with Robertson Timber Engineering and Fusion Building Systems, suppliers of timber frame and light-gauge steel frame systems respectively.
It has set a target of building 1,000 homes a year through offsite, half the total stock of 2,000 a year it delivers.
Willmott Dixon has built nearly 50,000 homes since 1974, building for developers, housing associations and local authorities.
The mix includes affordable housing, care homes, retirement villages, housing for sale and private rent, plus student accommodation.
The tie-up with the two suppliers is part of Willmott Dixon’s “Capacity Building” strategy, an internal strategy covering people, engineering and technology to ensure the company has the resources it needs in the future and to hedge against future skills shortages and rising costs.
Charlie Scherer, Willmott Dixon’s residential construction chief operating officer, said: “This is an important step in our strategy to provide a high-quality product that utilises all the benefits of factory-made systems while also reducing our exposure to the labour price escalation we’ve seen in recent years.
“We aim to be building 1,000 homes a year by 2017 using systems provided by Robertson and Fusion, with the consistent quality also aiding our zero defects strategy.”
Tim Carey, product director for Willmott Dixon, added: “If we are to address the significant capacity gap that currently exists in the construction sector, we need to think strategically about our supply chain.
“The selection of Robertson and Fusion will help maximise efficiencies across our projects, enabling us to deliver as many high-quality homes in as short a time frame as possible whilst ensuring they are delivered to the quality our clients deserve.”
