Winklmann, a Bavarian based brick manufacturer, responded to the skills shortages by developing a modern production process for housebuilding. The basis for the new technical concept was the creation of a comfortable and safe working environment. The company invested about £5m in research and development and a new factory with production technologies normally associated with the car industry. Here wall, ceiling and roof elements are preassembled using traditional bricks as the basic component.
The company has introduced working methods similar to those found in other industrial sectors, setting new standards for working conditions in housebuilding. What in Germany is called Menschengerechte Arbeitsgestaltung (creation of a humane working environment) was the starting point for the development of the industrialised assembly process. The driver was that a working environment minimising the risk of accidents and injuries benefits employer and employee alike. All aspects of the assembly line and tools have therefore been ergonomically designed.
The job of housebuilding has been given a fresh image with a change in work content and the application of multiskilling. Site workers now have the chance of personal career development and training in the factory. Instead of being exposed to bad weather conditions at changing sites, construction workers are now part of a demanding engineering process in a modern industrial enterprise.
Not only is it better for housebuilders, it is better for buyers too as factory production processes can adapt to buyer requirements. At Winklmann the architect produces a home plan on the computer with the buyer. With the aid of CAD/CAM technologies the customer can view individual elements or whole rooms three-dimensionally. The layout of the footprint, internal and external walls are flexible and can be moved. Wall, ceiling and roof units are based on a 5 cm by 5 cm grid, on the basis of which units can be modified. The same applies to the positioning of electrical conduits, doors and windows.
In this early phase the buyer can influence important design details. Only when the client has agreed the final design will the plans be drawn up for planning consent. Subsequently production and assembly plans are produced. When an order is placed the fixed price and exact date of "turnkey" handover, and therefore move in date, are known.
Buyers can choose from a range of options on finishes and fit outs. Winklmann has a fit-out centre with a selection of floors, tiles, wall colours, wallpaper, doors, windows, staircases and sanitary equipment. Environmental features such as rainwater recycling, solar or photovoltaic panels are also part of many German buyers' specifications, and Winklmann provides its customers with information on the latest government grants available for the installation of this technology.
Production is based on a work cycle that conveys the 12 m by 3.6 m pallets from one mechanical workstation or manual working group to the next. For some workstations the conveyor system is fully automatic, in others the system is controlled by operatives. The central unit of the factory is a brick-placing machine. It lays the bricks onto the work pallets at the start of the assembly line. No bricks are laid where window or door openings are designated. Openings for conduits, sockets and sanitary equipment are also provided.
Bricks are loaded onto pallets in accordance with the CAD/CAM design. Data, including the positioning of windows, doors, electrical sockets and sanitaryware, is stored on the external contours of the components. A plotter marks the positions on the pallets. The size and position of all solid and cut bricks, diameter, length and bending forms of the reinforcing bars and data on plaster and other items is stored on the central system and called up once a pallet enters a workstation.
After the bricks have been placed, additional formwork components, electrical sockets, empty pipes and sanitary components are applied by hand and positioned on the plotter lines with magnets. In the next station joints are filled with a special grouting compound and manually finished. After drying the pallet is taken out and plaster is applied to one side. After another drying period the formwork is stripped from the panels, which are then put on special steel frames allowing the components to hang vertically. A final layer of plaster is applied and smoothed, windows inserted and socket outlets opened. After final drying the panels are prepared for delivery to site.
The level of detail and tolerance is comparable to that reached in other manufacturing industries. Elements are delivered to site in special lorries. Site assembly, including roof and basement, takes only five days. Internal fit out takes a further 11 weeks. Additional information is available from:
www.winklmann.de
www.sussex.ac.uk/imichair
k.c.stockerl@sussex.ac.uk
Source
Building Homes