Mark Farmer Visits Frameclad

"I'm really glad to be here in Dudley in the West Midlands today visiting Frameclad, one of the leading suppliers of light gauge steel frame technology into the construction sector.

Firstly, in my capacity as chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority Advanced Manufacture & Construction Working Group, and to be able to come to the region and see how advanced manufacture of Modern Methods of Construction are happening in the region, on the ground is really good, it's always good to support local industry.

But also, from the perspective of how Frameclad are playing a really important role in redefining the industry, particularly in relation to how Modern Methods of Construction are increasingly being embedded into the construction process.

So with Frameclad here, providing light gauge steel framing solutions and then embedding that into different solutions into the construction supply chain, whether it be through Tier 1 main contractors using their different products, or actually, really interestingly an emerging opportunity for light gauge steel framing to be embedded into higher, pre-manufactured value MMC solutions.

In one of those examples is the Core House business, based in the North East of England where Frameclad and Core House are working collaboratively to redefine the supply chain in many ways and using light gauge steel in a pod & panel configuration, so you're using two categories of MMC in a really flexible and intelligent way, to create a much more choice in versatility in housing solutions.

Not only that, but having the end client, homes by Carlton, embedded in that chain as well as an end developer client so effectively, creating a fully virtually integrated supply chain, from specialist manufacturer, through to lead manufacturer, through to developer that is then handing the keys over on units at the end of the process… This for me is a really cool evolution in the MMC market.

Residential is part of what I've been talking to Homes England about over the last 12 months around how we get to those appropriate levels of pre-manufactured value that enable much more choice, more innovation in the market, different supply chains and it's great to see how Frameclad and core house are coming together in that endeavour and how that's going to be increasingly a feature I think of the UK housing market.

So for me, this has been a really interesting day, a chance to see the West Midlands traditions for manufacturing come to life and to see how that's playing a part in the evolution of MMC in this country."

Mark Farmer