// OFFSITE STRUCTURAL SOLUTIONS


Industrialised construction


How Unipart is supporting the shift


Interview with Dave Allen, General Manager, Construction Technologies, Unipart. A


s the construction sector’s transition towards industrialisation and decarbonisation accelerates, the need to adopt principles from successful logistics and manufacturing operations has never been more urgent. Efficiency, sustainability, and scalability are now central to how we design, build, and deliver projects, and nowhere is this more evident than in the rise of offsite construction.


MMC Magazine: Dave, the construction industry is undergoing a significant transformation, increasingly adopting principles from logistics and supply chain operations. How is Unipart developing solutions that reshape how projects are designed, built, and delivered, particularly in offsite construction?


What we’re seeing is a convergence of manufacturing, logistics, and construction. Traditional, fragmented methods no longer meet the demands of scale, sustainability, and programme certainty. At Unipart, we’ve brought forward decades of expertise from sectors like automotive, aerospace and manufacturing and are applying them in the construction sector.


We’re integrating lean manufacturing and Just- in-Time delivery, digital supply chain visibility, and advanced planning & scheduling to streamline construction workflows. From end-to-end logistics to factory-based quality assurance and traceability, we’re not just delivering products, we’re supporting the construction industry’s decarbonisation objectives and helping accelerate project delivery.


This capability, combined with digital structural design capabilities, has seen us bring digitally optimised components like Manufactured Reinforcement System (MRS) and MEP Frame to market - solutions that are supporting greater


scalability, sustainability, and performance on site, and in the supply chain.


MMC Magazine: Tell us more about how digital optimisation and your low-carbon solutions, MRS and the MEP Frame, are helping the sector address its environmental impact, particularly embodied carbon?


Construction accounts for around 40% of global carbon emissions, with concrete and steel being major contributors. We developed MRS to directly address this by significantly reducing embodied carbon in structural concrete components for residential, commercial and infrastructure construction


MRS replaces traditional steel rebar with laser- cut, digitally optimised steel structures. These are manufactured in the UK using 100% renewable energy, which eliminates Scope 2 emissions and through the use of green steel and low- carbon concrete can reduce embodied carbon in structural elements by up to 65%.


It aligns with DfMA principles, supports offsite assembly and reduces on-site work. This improves safety, reduces programme time, and eases the reliance on skilled labour.


Alongside this, we’ve developed the MEP Frame, which brings the same innovation to mechanical, electrical, and plumbing installations. Unlike traditional welded hot rolled steel frames, our system uses aerospace-inspired mechanical joints and can be assembled just using hand tools.


Each frame is digitally optimised and laser-etched with project-specific data for traceability and ease of installation. It’s highly configurable, and can be supplied as a kit of parts or as fully populated MEP modules for horizontal or vertical service distribution, which is ideal for everything from hospitals to data centres.


MMC Magazine: Beyond the immediate product benefits, what are the broader strategic advantages that Unipart’s integrated approach and solutions like MRS and the MEP Frame bring to construction programmes?


The strategic benefits are substantial. Both MRS and the MEP Frame provide commercially viable, UK-manufactured solutions that support significant carbon reductions while enhancing productivity, safety, and quality.


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MRS’s reduced structural mass leads to a cascade effect which means lighter foundations, smaller columns, and reduced material volumes across the entire build. The MEP Frame’s lightweight, modular design with built-in fall protection further improves site safety and reduces manual handling.


Because our design, manufacture and logistics are all UK-based, we eliminate transport emissions associated with imports and build in greater supply chain resilience. Offsite fabrication and rapid onsite installation mean shorter programmes, fewer delays, and reduced skilled labour dependency.


These are exactly the requirements being prioritised in major Government infrastructure programmes where we are currently working to embed these solutions at scale.


MMC Magazine: What’s your vision for the future of construction - and Unipart’s role in it?


The future must be industrialised, integrated, and intelligent. Construction needs to be faster, safer, and greener, and Unipart is here to help drive that shiſt.


Products like MRS and the MEP Frame are the beginning. They address legacy inefficiencies, reduce carbon, and raise the bar for quality and speed. But more importantly, they demonstrate what’s possible when the construction industry embraces change, a change we’re committed to driving.


www.unipart.com/construction-technologies


Visit Unipart at Offsite Expo stand B05.


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