Prefab Logic

The subtle nuances of modular construction are plenty and complex. They require thought and premeditation—among other things—to come up with durable structures. For instance, most manufacturers can produce 2-4 modules or up to around 4,000 square feet of finished product per day including interior finishes. Such a vast volume requires every question to be answered and every piece to be worked out and detailed in prior, if the highest levels of quality are to be achieved. “A typical multi-unit residential or hospitality project will begin its design process at least 15 months before manufacturing begins, which is well in advance of manufacturing commitments.

This is a real challenge for manufacturers.” Says Curtis Fletcher, CEO and Co-founder of Prefab Logic. This is where Prefab Logic fits with manufacturing and builders, to provide experienced resources to the market based on their long history of manufacturing and product development. They believe that effective communication with all stakeholders involved with the project and a design that coordinates all disciplines using modular best practices are extremely important to the success of any volumetric modular project.

Prefab Logic was founded on the idea that the modular industry needed resources to facilitate modular projects while promoting best practices. The company brings that certainty in their proven best practices and continues to help advance the industry as they innovate from project to project. As a strategic partner, Prefab Logic has built an alliance of the industry’s best and brightest modular experts and manufacturers—from design, to factory construction, to the finished build.

In the words of Fletcher, “We are a product development and management group; we design and develop modular products for our clients which can be used in their projects. Our job is to take the architect’s design and develop the modular products which can be manufactured at a facility, then facilitate the manufacturing and delivery process.”

Diverse Array of Services

Prefab Logic supports the modular manufacturing industry by providing product development and management services for builders which involves everything from the client’s architects design to its subsequent development. One of their proprietary services, the Modular Feasibility Study (MFS), is a national service developed by the experts at Prefab Logic and is the first significant step in the modular process. It provides insight into the schedule and cost of a volumetric modular project. The MFS is a thorough project review, establishing baseline costs and expectations for all stakeholders involved in a potential volumetric modular project. Noted as the go/no-go phase, this review gives an extensive look into the important elements and challenges a project may have in achieving success in modular form.

The company also maintains business relationships with key manufacturing partners that are dedicated to multifamily and hospitality projects. With subcontractors who note instances that move forward at a slower pace, they help Prefab Logic match the manufacturing environment, which moves at a very rapid pace.

These manufacturers are capable of producing more than 4,200 modules per year in combined volume. Subsequently, when a project is ready to be built modularly, the team at Prefab Logic can make the design a modular reality through Prefab Logic’s Modular Product Delivery Process. Prefab Logic experts will work with the architect and the consultant team to develop the final design using modular best practices. Prefab Logic also handles the logistics of modular production, such as developing modular manufactured product specs and scope, as well as preparing a modular bid package and soliciting bids from its key manufacturing partners.

Finally, the Modular Product Delivery Process administers the entire delivery process from factory to project location. This includes a modular schedule, quotation for delivery and installation that is detailed and coordinated with all stakeholders involved. Prefab Logic also assists the manufacturer by becoming the communication platform for the client, providing all the information needed by the manufacturer, architect, general contractor, and the developer to make sure that RFIs and other communication elements are being handled properly on each side’s behalf.

The company provides a platform to deal with all the communication required on the floor in an expedited manner, so that the manufacturing takes place smoothly and the permanence of each decision is ensured, to satisfy any and all concerns. “Our platform holistically supports manufacturing and also oversees systems in charge of production, from how the materials are going to be, right down to the details of how the manufacturer is optimizing their processes and shop drawings,” adds Fletcher.

In one case, the client’s modular designs had not been completed. The client was challenged because they needed to build their project quickly and knew that they had to go modular and couldn’t get the right manufacturer for such a project. The manufacturer they had lined up determined that they couldn’t deliver at the very last minute. Prefab Logic was asked to help get the product developed, designed, approved, and in a very short period of time. Prefab Logic was able to meet that deadline and get it delivered and in place. The project happened to be a “for sale” product and was much needed in the market. This made it even more fulfilling that the client was able to deliver on their promise to the community, on time and on budget.

Planting the Seeds for Better Construction

Modular construction, being in its stage of infancy, does not have a lot of key players who can provide sound expertise. This is a challenge in itself. Prefab Logic’s dynamic team are industry veterans in the manufacturing environment. Fletcher has been in the product development world and manufacturing for his whole career. His partner and co-owner Rick Murdock has been starting, owning, and operating modular manufacturing plants for over 40 years. From the developers side, they are accepting the modular product really well right now. There is a lot of momentum in the marketplace, primarily due to the labor shortage and the demand to build housing, which is in short supply in every market. There is not enough labor to build products for people to live in, and so the manufacturing portion of that equation is a natural fit for developers and general contractors. Prefab Logic thus sees a widespread acceptance of modular construction here and believes that only lack of knowledge and execution is where potentials developers are lacking, an area that Prefab Logic can really helps those clients. From the manufacturing community’s perspective, there are a lot of new players trying to enter the market, and many lack the necessary human capital to execute on new manufacturing which is usually the bigger challenge. There aren't a lot of people available who really understand how to run a manufacturing operation or how to even design and build a manufacturing plant, so Prefab Logic and its sister company are key components to helping execute on those new manufacturing operations. Furthermore, in the housing industry, single family housing is very strong, but it is not a market that the company is particularly involved in. But because that industry is so strong, Prefab Logic is seeing other manufacturers, who are very busy in that sector’s budding development. Their disinterest in building multi-family housing however has been a challenge to the industry and so Prefab Logic seeks to help start new manufacturing instead of using existing manufacturers for the extension of that modular operation. “We have a large space of manufacturers currently that we probably work with—about 70+ percent of the available manufacturing in the marketplace in the west coast that would produce multi-family and hospitality products.”

They also have a wealth of experience in building large scale, volumetric modular buildings in terms of codes and structures and have a great working relationship with various engineering firms and architects within the community. Prefab Logic is unique in that they are not specific to a manufacturer or an architect or general contractor so that the client can always have flexibility.

The company invests heavily into research and development, for products and for automation and its support. “Our company is positioned to help plans that are looking for or dealing with automation. Some of the tech that we are developing right now is in support of the manufacturing platform that we have built here,” adds Fletcher. Part of the company’s initiative today is to help build an industry, which really means expanding opportunities for clients to utilize modular products throughout the country.