Prefabrication

• Net sales to the commercial vehicle market were $56.1 million in the second quarter of 2023, an increase of 1.7% versus the prior-year period.
• Net sales to the construction & access market were $26.5 million in the second quarter 2023, a decrease of 9.8% versus the prior-year period.
• Net sales to the powersports market were $24.0 million in the second quarter of 2023, an increase of 7.2% versus the prior-year period.
• Net sales to the agriculture market were $13.4 million during the second quarter of 2023, a decrease of 12.5% versus the prior-year period.

• After Melbourne hosted the 1956 Olympics, about 600 houses in the athlete village became public housing in West Heidelberg.
• After Melbourne hosted the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the athlete village in Parkville was largely sold off, with 320 houses going to social housing.
• Victoria’s now cancelled 2026 Commonwealth Games were meant to have the same effect in the state’s smaller cities.
• New dwellings were intended to help boost social and private housing supply amid the ongoing housing crisis.

Building the prefab profile

• This rapid time frame was why Victoria’s government looked to prefab to provide the thousands of dwellings needed for officials, athletes and workers.
• Leading prefab jurisdictions like Scotland and Sweden have needed government support to get to where they are, with prefab accounting for 84%.

Why look to prefab homes at all?

• Waste can be cut by precise standardised measurements and the use of low-carbon materials like timber or hybrid steel-timber reduces environmental impact.
• You might think prefab homes would all look the same or lack quality.
• Prefab factories can reduce the impact of weather on construction, though it does create another challenge – transporting the dwelling to the site.

Boosting prefab without the games

• In a recent report led by Master Builders Victoria, we examined how experiences of the Birmingham 2022 and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games in the UK helped the construction industry innovate in areas like prefab housing.
• Preparations for the Birmingham games faced the unprecedented challenge of the COVID pandemic.

Why isn’t Australia embracing these techniques?

• To make prefab housing mainstream in Australia will mean major changes to the way things are done at present.
• But Australia has an urgent need for more housing.
• Louise Dorignon has received funding from various organisations including the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and various industry partners.

• ROCHESTER, N.Y., July 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ID Signsystems (IDS), a leader in architectural signage solutions, announces the successful completion of a transformative signage project for The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY.
• For the project, IDS developed iconic statement signage for new exhibit entry and admissions areas and exterior brand and informational signage to elevate the visitor experience.
• Katrina Beatty, CEO of ID Signsystems, said, "The Strong Museum of Play turned to ID Signsystems to design and develop the keynote architectural signage elements of their Digital World expansion.
• For more information on ID Signsystems, visit www.IDSignsystems.com and stay up-to-date with ID Signsystems on LinkedIn .

• Selects key tier-one structure suppliers for Overture's wing, fuselage, and empennage; reveals Overture systems configuration
  PARIS, June 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Boom Supersonic , the company building the world's fastest airliner, announced today at the Paris Air Show significant advances on Overture, its sustainable supersonic aircraft, including milestones for its Symphony™ engine.
• Boom also revealed today, for the first time, Overture's full systems configuration as the aircraft program advances toward production.
• "We are incredibly proud of the progress with Overture and Symphony from our global team of partners and suppliers who continue to operate at an accelerated pace toward the future of sustainable supersonic flight," said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic.
• Boom continues to advance with Northrop Grumman on a defense variant of Overture that will expand the total addressable market for supersonic aircraft.