Modern Methods of Construction - The Next Chapter for Our Industry - Are We Ready to Own It?

Modern Methods of Construction, or MMC, has become one of the biggest talking points in Australian housing. Governments throughout the country are investing millions upon millions of dollars into finding new ways to build homes faster, improve productivity and address the housing shortage.

While the terminology may be new, the concept certainly isn't.

For more than 50 years, Australia's timber frame and truss manufacturers have been designing, engineering and manufacturing structural timber kit of parts in controlled factory environments before delivering them to site for efficient assembly. Every wall frame, roof truss and floor system manufactured by our members is a prefabricated structural component.
In fact, our industry supplies the structural timber components used in around 80% of Australia's detached homes. No other industry has the same manufacturing footprint, the same engineering capability or the same long-standing relationships with residential builders.

So, when governments talk about expanding MMC, my first question is simple: why wouldn't Australia's frame and truss industry be at the centre of that conversation?

The housing market is changing.

Detached housing isn't going away. Australians will continue to build detached homes for decades to come. Builders will still need wall frames, roof trusses and floor systems, and our members will continue doing what they've always done exceptionally well, but this market is slowly declining.

Our industry needs to recognise that a growing proportion of future housing investment will be directed towards prefabricated construction, panelised systems and structural kit of parts.  
That market is coming, whether we like it or not.  The real question is who is going to manufacture it?  
Will it be Australia's existing frame and truss manufacturers?

Or will we stand back while others, many with far less experience in offsite manufacturing, move into a market that naturally fits our capabilities?

I know where I think the answer lies.

Who better to manufacture structural kit of parts than the industry that has been doing exactly that for more than half a century?
Who already understands engineering, digital manufacturing, logistics and quality control?  Who already has sophisticated manufacturing facilities?  Who already has the skilled workforce?
But for me, the biggest advantage isn't our factories.
It's our relationships.

Our members work alongside builders every day. They solve problems. They provide engineering advice. They help builders deliver projects on time and on budget. Those relationships have been built over decades.
As builders begin moving into three and four-storey lightweight timber construction and more advanced prefabricated systems, they'll need someone to take them on that journey.

I genuinely believe our industry is better placed than anyone else to do that.
Not because we say we can, but because we've already earned the builders' trust.
Now, I'm not suggesting every frame and truss manufacturer needs to jump into MMC. Some businesses will continue to focus on traditional markets, and that's perfectly okay.

But if you're looking to grow your business over the next 10 or 20 years, I think this is a conversation worth paying attention to.
The Federal and State governments are investing heavily in MMC to increase housing supply. Whilst the demand might not be there yet, there is no doubt, it is coming.

FTMA’s role is to make sure our industry is ready to meet these new markets.
That's why, later this year, FTMA Australia will relaunch our Strategic Technical Committee under a new name, the Future Framing Markets Forum.

The event will bring together manufacturers, engineers, researchers, software providers, government and industry leaders to explore where the market is heading and, more importantly, how frame and truss manufacturers can position themselves to be part of it.

I've often said our industry doesn't tell its story well enough.  Perhaps this is one of those moments where we need to.
We're not an industry trying to break into MMC.  We're an industry that has been manufacturing structural timber kit of parts for more than 50 years.
It’s simple, if we don't step into these new markets, someone else will.

And I don't know about you, but I'd much rather see Australia's frame and truss manufacturers leading this next chapter than watching it from the sidelines.

Kersten Gentle