From Concept to Reality: Prefabricating a Breakthrough in Construction

It’s been said countless times that a construction project can deliver on two — but rarely all three — of the following: high quality, speed and low cost. RNGD, a contractor with offices in Louisiana, Tennessee and Alabama, recognized that breaking this tradeoff would require a fundamentally different approach.

Determined to challenge the status quo, RNGD embarked on a journey of research, industry engagement, data analysis, and creative problem-solving. That journey led them to offsite fabrication — and eventually, to a broader, more ambitious vision: reimagining prefabrication as a pathway to delivering buildings as a product.

This article explores operational efficiency through the lens of how prefabrication became a cornerstone of a strategy for RNGD, designed to achieve speed, quality and cost control simultaneously.

Prefab: The Basics

Since its founding in New Orleans, LA 12 years ago, RNGD has been committed to becoming a true builder, capable of self-performing scopes of work and creating more value for clients/projects than just managing trade risk. It was built with the mission to challenge industry norms to improve construction practices. This ethos is what originally led RNGD to prefabrication (prefab), the practice of manufacturing and assembling components at a separate location and then bringing them onsite, where minimal work is required before installation. 

RNGD was drawn to prefabrication because it aligned with the values and commitments the company had already embraced. For instance, the contractor had been actively working to reduce transactional waste — estimated to account for 30–40 percent of total project costs. In parallel, RNGD was committed to simplifying the construction process for all stakeholders involved. Prefabrication emerged as a natural solution, offering a practical path toward greater efficiency and clarity across the project lifecycle.

Some of the benefits of manufacturing and assembling components offsite include:  

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  Controlled Work Environment

  Providing controlled work environments can lead to increased worker safety and decreased work interruptions.

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  Fewer Labor Hurdles

  Offsite construction of certain elements can help overcome labor issues by creating more predictable, stable amounts of work and decreasing the need for specialization.

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  Enhanced Precision

  Precise material fabrication using advanced manufacturing principles, automation & CNC technology can reduce material waste and environmental impact.

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  Simplified Planning

  Prefab can aid in construction planning through just-in-time delivery and increased control over resource production.

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  Boosted Speed

  Offsite fabrication can help increase project speed, drive down costs and improve quality reliability, through increased control over resources and planning.

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  More Independence

  Using more prefabricated elements can help decrease reliance on complex supply chains, which in turn can reduce costs and help avoid delays.

Like many contractors who turn to prefab, RNGD initially began by partnering with external manufacturers that prefabricated various components they needed. Early on, these external relationships are common, because creating a successful prefabrication operation requires: 

• Significant financial investment 
• Appropriate leadership
• Enough space for a full manufacturing facility
• Enough business and demand to ensure consistent throughput

But over time, RNGD saw that solely partnering with prefab manufacturers wasn’t going to be enough to achieve its mission of challenging industry practices.

For true transformation, it needed to double down into being what it calls a “true builder,” a contractor that controls as many aspects of its construction process as possible.

'Doing It Yourself' With Prefabrication

About two years ago, RNGD established a production facility in Metairie, Louisiana, where it manufactures structural steel and cold-form steel elements, which serve as the structural backbone of its productized delivery.

Structural steel is used to create buildings’ superstructures, including load-bearing elements of the core framework. Cold-form steel can also be used for load-bearing superstructures; however, it is also used to produce panelized components, such as interior and exterior wall panels. 

By producing these critical elements in-house, RNGD positioned itself to construct and dry-in entire superstructures independently. Standardizing these processes has enabled greater control over efficiency, cost, and quality across its projects.

RNGD faced a strategic decision between two common approaches to prefabrication:

1. Kit of parts: This involves designing buildings with standardized components that can be flat packed and assembled on-site. Components are often panelized, such as wall panels or floor systems. Panelized components are usually easier to ship and allow for greater design flexibility and customization. 
2. Volumetric modular approach: This method involves building entire modules or building sections. Modules are fully constructed in a factory setting and are then transported to the site for installation. This approach can be very efficient in terms of time and labor, as modules require minimal on-site work. However, the trade-off is reduced design flexibility due to the high degree of standardization. Additionally, this method demands substantial factory space to fabricate and store the completed modules.

In the end, RNGD chose the kit-of-parts approach. This decision reflected the contractor’s desire to maintain autonomy over operational efficiency while still allowing each building to be uniquely tailored to its site and client.

By standardizing the production of the structural framework and certain façade elements, RNGD could drive consistency and efficiency while controlling costs — all without sacrificing the ability to deliver distinctive architectural details and high-quality interior and exterior finishes that elevate the final product.

A Commitment to Great Data

If creating prefabrication capabilities is about improving operational efficiency, RNGD needed to consistently and reliably measure how the process was impacting timelines, budgets and quality. Data needs to be gathered and analyzed to identify bottlenecks, optimize processes and make informed decisions. 

RNGD’s approach to data was comprehensive and required a commitment from every team member and stakeholder, including people working the prefab facility floor, teams working in the field and leadership.

In order to truly weave data-driven decision making and execution into every part of its operation, RNGD got creative with how it used, analyzed and displayed data, which included: 

• Leveraging QR Code and Location Features

  RNGD attached QR codes to individual components, such as a wall panel or a window system, and tracked its movement through the workflow and between locations. This created data that detailed cycle times down to seconds and minutes. RNGD was able to see how long elements took to create, how the process could be improved and exactly the point that breakdowns occurred.  

• Using the Inspection Feature to Create QC Checklists

  Checklists require sign-off from the shop foreman with timestamps of when the product moves from one station to the next. This meant every component was tracked for quality, providing data on breakdowns and potential issues.

• Creating Dashboards

  The team leveraged data features to create dashboards that tracked key performance indicators (KPIs) in almost real-time. 

• Integrating Data Analysis

  RNGD integrated data analysis into morning team huddles and other team meetings as a way to constantly engage with performance and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement, open feedback, curiosity and enthusiasm. 

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Realizing the Potential of Prefabrication

While RNGD is still in the early stages of its journey into prefabrication and productized building delivery, the impact on operational efficiency is already becoming clear.

• Project timelines have decreased by 30%, due to the increased speed of onsite installations as well as higher quality work reducing the need for rework.
• Data suggests cost savings will be in the range of 5 to 10%.

RNGD is seeing its investment pay off in other ways, as well.

The clarity and regularity of data has allowed RNGD to identify and solve problems with a precision that was previously impossible.

For example, the contractor discovered that a waterproofing station for wall panels was a bottleneck because it required additional coats of a waterproofing solution to meet standards. This led RNGD to find a product that integrated waterproofing into the sheathing board, which addressed the bottleneck and sped up the production process.

RNGD’s approach to data allows it to be extremely pointed in analyzing performance. It can measure the production of something as small as fastening components, ensuring each part is completed as effectively as possible. It’s also able to precisely measure cycle times which helps to improve performance and identify problems. 

Additionally, RNGD’s prefab facilities mean it can offer a work environment that is safer, more consistent and more predictable than a traditional construction jobsite. This has helped it attract a broader range of workers that might not have otherwise been drawn to construction, such as recent high school graduates or military veterans. 

Overcoming Common Challenges in Prefab

Transitioning to prefabrication brings a unique set of challenges. One of the most pressing is the need for consistent production throughput — essential for maintaining profitability and labor continuity in a prefab facility.

To address this, RNGD continually works to build a steady pipeline of future projects, which often includes reintroducing clients and partners to the true potential of prefabrication.

Many still associate prefab with bland, repetitive design, so part of RNGD’s mission is to demonstrate that prefab can be both highly efficient and architecturally compelling.

Another key strategy for maintaining throughput has been developing in-house projects. By acting as both builder and developer, RNGD can stabilize production demand while also using these projects as incubators for new assemblies, processes, and ideas — testing them in real-world conditions before bringing them to market with external partners.

Success in prefabrication also requires rethinking the entire construction process. Projects must be planned with prefab in mind from the very beginning — ideally during the conceptual or schematic design phase.

For RNGD, launching its prefab operations meant shifting toward an Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) model. IPD promotes early and ongoing collaboration by aligning incentives, risks and rewards across all stakeholders.

An Even Brighter, Prefabricated Future

RNGD has gained valuable insight into the benefits of prefabrication from both the contractor’s and owner’s perspectives. One of the first buildings constructed using RNGD’s prefabricated components was its own campus headquarters — a testament to the company’s confidence in its evolving processes.

The key to RNGD’s success so far has been a steadfast commitment to continuous learning, adaptation and improvement. This commitment fuels a virtuous cycle of innovation: data drives smarter decisions, which generate better data, enabling ongoing refinement and growth.

RNGD has also created strong relationships with other prefab manufacturers to supplement its offerings with elements it does produce in-house. Meanwhile, RNGD’s meticulous, thoughtful approach has created exciting opportunities to expand its prefabrication capabilities. 

Currently, RNGD’s prefab model is proven and optimized for corporate office buildings, but the company is actively working to expand its product portfolio. This includes developing additional components and exploring new building types — such as living and lodging spaces — that continue to deliver on its three core pillars: cost-effectiveness, timeliness and uncompromising quality.

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