Construction
Prefabrication turns a design into a production order, and every change costs twice
The AI Business Center Foundation (AIBC) is a think tank and advisory partner that helps the boards of construction, industrial and technical-services companies adopt artificial intelligence so that it delivers measurable results and builds competitive advantage. In prefabrication we start with order intake and the handling of changes.
The factory is no longer responsible only for the element. It has become responsible for whether the element fits the site
A producer of precast elements and structures works at the meeting point of two worlds: a design that changes until the last minute, and production that needs a stable specification. Cost arises when a design change reaches production too late, in an incomplete version or in a nomenclature different from the one the shop floor understands.
How cost and risk arise
- an order accepted on the basis of documentation that does not match the latest version of the design,
- a change after production has started, priced too late or not at all,
- quality documentation and declarations prepared by hand for every delivery,
- a delivery schedule that cannot see progress on site,
- waste and surplus material that nobody traces back to its causes.
The first step
The change-handling process: from the information from the designer or contractor, through the assessment of its impact on production and cost, to the decision and the response. We measure the time and the number of changes priced after the event, and describe the process and a shared vocabulary for the technical office, production and sales.
What the Foundation does
- AI audit and strategy: which office and production processes to organise first.
- Semantic transformation, that is, organising a company’s names, processes and data so that people, language models and board reports understand them the same way: one vocabulary for the element, the order and the change.
- Grants and funding: digitalisation and material efficiency projects, with a justified circular economy objective.
- AI value report for the board: change-handling time, changes priced after the event, corrections to documentation.
Frequently asked questions
Where in prefabrication does AI deliver the quickest effect?
Usually in the office, not on the shop floor: in taking an order from the design documentation, checking that the order matches the design, handling changes and preparing documentation for the customer. These processes have data, an owner and a measurable lead time.
Does this relate to the circular economy?
Often, yes. Prefabrication has data on material consumption, waste and transport. When we organise the production and change processes, the same data can show a real reduction in losses, which can be an argument when funding a project.
Does the Foundation implement quality control systems on production lines?
No. We help assess the justification, prepare the data and the requirements for the vendor, and plan how the effect will be measured. The implementation is carried out by the technology vendor or the plant's IT and production engineering departments.
Let’s start with an assessment
Let’s talk about how you handle changes before the next change reaches the shop floor.