By creating standardised products and components, driven by Design for Value principles and Platform construction methodologies, we can harness the benefits of manufacturing and DfMA for the good of the industry and wider society..

Collaboration will be key to success, as we begin our journey reshaping construction into an industry fit for the future..The rise of the Construction Innovation Hub.

My journey in government began in 2010.I was involved in the nuclear sector when I was first approached to be an advisor in the UK Government Department of Energy and Climate Change.I quickly transitioned to a forerunner of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority where I spent nine years in central government before taking on my current role as Programme Director for the Construction Innovation Hub, with the aim of delivering the Construction Sector Deal.

I’ve worked through three different governments - Labour, Coalition and Conservative - but through them all there has been an increasing focus on the importance of infrastructure and transforming construction.. One thing I’ve noticed through this period is that we tend to think of ourselves in the engineering community as being innovators.We think we're quite good at working out what needs doing, but actually, the real skill, and one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned during my time in government, is that working out what to do can be quite easy.

It's working out how to get it done that becomes hard.. At present, our focus is on transforming construction into a more future-facing sector.

We need to ask important questions about how to make it more inclusive and representative of the society it serves.. To begin, it’s essential to recognise that we can’t achieve our goals working in isolation.Typically, a client uploads a request for a proposal via 3D models or technical drawings and specifications.

This is distributed to pre-qualified suppliers who have the capability and capacity to respond.A price is calculated within seconds (for straightforward processes such as CNC machining) to a day or so for more complex requests.

Xometry has a huge amount of pricing data from which it can generate instant quotes which can be validated or refined with vendors.Once the price is agreed, the selected suppliers produce the components to set specifications and arrange delivery..