On large, complex projects like data centers, assembling everything in the field isn’t always practical. Many contractors are turning their shops into dedicated prefabrication facilities where crews can build assemblies ahead of time and deliver them to the jobsite ready to install. Making this shift successfully requires clear processes, defined responsibilities, and careful planning to ensure shop production improves throughput and labor efficiency. 

This blog series covers what it takes to turn your shop into a dedicated prefab facility. In Part 1, we’ll walk through six steps for laying the groundwork, from mapping how work moves through your shop to organizing the materials your crews need. 

1. Map How Actually Moves Through Your Shop

Much of a prefab shop’s success comes down to how reliably work moves between teams. Before making any changes to your existing shop, document how your current processes function, noting how VDC releases work, how field requests enter the shop, and who sets priorities. The result should be a clear picture of where each handoff occurs and who owns it. Pay particular attention to places where employees regularly re-enter or translate information by hand.  

2. Start Small with Work You Repeat Often

Every successful prefab operation begins with a single project. When testing your prefab process, start with a small project that has a strong chance of success. Common assemblies your team builds often, such as overhead conduit racks, trapeze hangers, or in-wall rough-in kits, are good candidates. Follow the work through preparation, fabrication, delivery, and installation, using what you learn to refine the workflow before taking on additional work.

This is the approach EVOLVE Shop takes in its implementation process. Rollout starts with a few champions and one focused use case, with the goal of moving a real work order through its full lifecycle before expanding adoption. 

3. Put One Strong Person in Charge

Without a clear prefab leader, production priorities can conflict and questions can go unanswered. Assign an experienced foreman to lead the prefab operation, and give them the authority to resolve issues and manage the shop’s workload.

If you’re rolling out software, name one internal champion to coordinate it, or pair a VDC and shop lead so both sides are represented. 

4. Decide What Success Looks Like

Establishing clear goals will help you determine whether your prefab operation will deliver the results you need. Decide what your shop’s objectives should be, such as higher throughput, less manual entry between VDC and the shop, or better visibility into production. Record a baseline before implementation begins, then compare results for similar work. Track shop and field labor by cost code to understand how prefabrication affects the total effort required to complete an installation. Use those findings to identify what’s working and what needs refinement before expanding production. 

5. Establish a Consistent Process for Changes

Revisions become more costly once detailing is complete or fabrication has begun. Without a defined processes to handle them, the shop may continue building from outdated drawings or receive conflicting information from different teams.

Decide upfront how revisions should reach the shop and how they will be managed. Before starting prefab production, walk through a sample change to confirm everyone understands their roles and responsibilities. 

6. Get Your Materials in Order

Even a well-prepared work package can stall if crews have to search for materials. Keep storage areas clean and organized, with clearly labeled locations and a consistent process for receiving and replenishing stock. Use job-specific bins to keep materials together so crews can quickly find what they need.

Buy prefab materials directly from vendors and build strong relationships with those suppliers. Communicate project specifications and production schedules early to help ensure the right materials arrive when the shop needs them. 

Set Up Your Shop for Success

Moving more work into prefab is a commitment that affects how your entire organization plans and delivers projects. Taking time to establish a solid foundation gives your team room to learn and make adjustments before taking on a larger workload.  

In Part 2 of our Prefab Readiness Guide, we’ll explore how to put these plans into practice and ensure your shop has the information and tools it needs to move work efficiently from modeling through production and delivery.