| CIMC Modular Building Systems
CIMC Modular Building Systems | Masters of Modular CONSTRUCTION
| CIMC Modular Building Systems
CIMC Modular Building Systems | For over a decade, CIMCModular Building Systems (MBS) Pty Ltd has been redefining the way we build with the manufacture and supply of their cutting edge modular systems. With each successfully delivered project across Oceania and Europe, CIMC MBS is dispelling the many myths and misconceptions surrounding modular technology by providing clients with significant savings in both time and money. CIMCMBS’s 33-year-old parent company, China International Marine Containers (CIMC), produces about 60 per cent of the world’s shipping containers. Over the years, they have expanded across numerous manufacturing sectors − modular construction being one of them. As a group, they employ approximately 70,000 staff members around the globe and turn over roughly $1 billion USD per month. CIMC has positioned itself on the leading edge of modular construction by offering the full suite of complementary services necessary to tackle any project. Whilst CIMC MBS manufactures and supplies state of the art modular building systems, CIMC’s other
| CIMC Modular Building Systems
CIMC Modular Building Systems | two modular subsidiaries − CIMC Developments and CIMC Capital − effectively combine to deliver a full turnkey operation. The former offers full design and construct, project management and head contractor services, and the latter provides the funding necessary for these projects tomove forward. John Zendler is the Executive General Manager of CIMC MBS’s Australian division. He has worked in the building industry for over 20 years and has more than 10 years of experience with modular construction in a variety of applications. CIMC recruited him over a year ago based on that expertise. Modular construction refers to the process of constructing entire structures or units of a building offsite in a controlled environment before being transferred to the site for assembly. Modular construction adheres to the same strict building codes and standards as conventional construction, but provides a number of additional benefits, including substantial reductions in time and cost as well as optimal conditions for workplace health and safety. Unfortunately, since modular construction is still relatively new to the Australian market, there exist several misconceptions and apprehensions regarding the technology. According to John, this is simply due to
| CIMC Modular Building Systems the lack of exposure to successfully executed projects using modular systems, and “no amount of marketing or talking will change that.” To combat this, CIMC is leading the way in the industry. The company has “the proud reputation of delivering and exceeding what we promise” to clients by supplying them with the complete range of products and services required to achieve the necessary outcomes to dispel the aforementioned suspicions surrounding modular construction. “At CIMC, we’re comfortable to put ourselves right out there at the very edge of it because we know modular will perform,” says John. “We don’t have the same perception of risk as the balance of the industry.” “True success for us is going to be when the developers, the builders and all the associative consultants − from architects to engineers − begin viewing a modular component as if it was just a brick or piece of precast concrete,” he adds. “We want it to be a building element that is known, that builders are happy to work with, that developers are happy to see in their project and banks are happy to fund. Unfortunately we’re not there yet, so we decided to take the leadership role and
CIMC Modular Building Systems | A meeting of innovation and know-how When CIMC decided to build and fund the new Accor Hotel in North Fremantle, their first modular construction hotel in Australia, they recognized that Thomas Building had the conviction, skillset, capability, and most of all, experience, to deliver this innovative new hospitality project. When experience counts, talk to Thomas Building 1800 902 590 thomasbuilding.com.au THE MANY BENEFITS OF GOINGMODULAR fill those gaps.” There are countless benefits to using modular technology in construction. As John explains, “There are three things you want to capture in a building contract: time, cost and quality,” and CIMC’s modular building systems − and their complementary services − exceed client expectations in regards to each of those parameters. In terms of speed, for example, the company is finding that their onsite construction time is about 50 per cent less than that of conventional construction. This efficiency, in addition to the cost-effectiveness of their systems, is one of the major reasons that CIMC’s modular technology is quickly becoming a game-changer in many sectors of the industry. “The hotels that are in our pipeline at the moment are in the vicinity of savings between 10 to 20 per cent against conventional construction,” says John. “You start coupling that up with the savings in financ-
| CIMC Modular Building Systems ing costs due to the fact that you’re executing the project in half the time, and it starts to really deliver some fantastic savings to the developer. In many cases, they’re the savings that the development needs to proceed.” In general, modular systems also outperform conventional construction both acoustically and thermally. Case in point, CIMC’s modularly-constructed buildings are showing approximately a 30 per cent reduction in running costs for heating and cooling in comparison to conventionally-constructed buildings. John believes these savings to be the primary reason why modular construction is becoming increasingly utilised and embraced in the areas of the industry that are currently facing “a bit of an affordability crisis.” This certainly seems to be the case in the hotel sector, where many high-rise hotel projects are being scrapped or halted due to the exorbitant price of conventional construction. In these instances, the time and cost savings associated with modular construction “are absolutely critical and essential in order for those projects to go ahead.” Companies are also recognising the benefits in terms of quality that come with modular technology. John references major organisations like Hilton and Marriott, who have
CIMC Modular Building Systems | INDUSTRY LEADERS “a very, very keen eye for detail and aesthetics.” “They really enjoy that modular systems are built in a controlled environment where you can conduct quality tests, pressure tests, compliance tests − all the testing that’s required − so they know that they can expect 200 beautifully built hotel rooms before they actually leave the factory,” he explains. Moreover, CIMC prototypes each model before it goes into production to ensure that it meets the client’s standards. “Nothing leaves our factory until the client, their representatives and their consultants have signed off on every single module and are happy with what we’re producing,” says John. Prototyping also gives them the chance to provide their trades and builders with a tutorial on how to assemble each system, which further increases the speed and efficiency of construction. A prime example of a project that required CIMC’s modular systems to move
| CIMC Modular Building Systems ahead is the upcoming high-rise Marriott hotel in Perth CBD. The 330-room, 23-storey building was initially set to be constructed conventionally, but the quotes they were receiving just weren’t feasible enough. In this case, CIMC’s modular systems are providing Marriott with roughly 20 per cent savings against the projected costs of conventional construction. For that project, CIMC is administering the full suite of services, acting as financier and head contractor as well as supplying the modular building systems. “The first four levels of the building − effectively the restaurants, bars, ballrooms, lobbies − will be done in conventional construction, but everything from there up will be done inmodular,” John explains. “It’s a significant building. 23 storeys and 330 rooms of a four-and-a-half star hotel with Marriott − it’s a really exciting project for us. In terms of full volumetric modular construction, it’s certainly going to be the largest one built in the Southern Hemisphere, and I think it could possibly be the tallest globally.” John expects that project to be “coming
CIMC Modular Building Systems | out of the ground” at the end of 2015 as part of Marriott’s national rollout. CIMC is also currently working on three different Hilton projects on a very similar scale to that one, which bodes well for the company considering that the hotel sector, in addition tomultistorey residential, aged care and student accommodation, is one of the four areas of the industry they will be zeroing in on moving forward. “The short-term goal is to have an example of a project in each of those market sectors in every capital city in Australia, as well as other examples in regional Australia,” he says. “I think modular will play a significant role in the development of regional Australia given the constraints around getting trades to some of those more remote locations.” Beyond that, CIMC’s long-term goal is to educate the market to the point where modular technology is not only generally accepted throughout the industry, but also well-received by its key players. John affirms that, as industry leaders, it is CIMC’s intention to grow the entire market segment for modular technology in the coming years rather than simply looking out for their own personal interests. “As I said, we would love for the developers, the builders and the banks of Australia to view full volumetric modular construction the same as a brick or precast concrete,” he concludes. “We want to make it a building element that they understand and are happy to see in their development.”
| CIMC Modular Building Systems
CIMC Modular Building Systems |
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