Abstract
The UK government’s recent transformation agenda focused on a Platform approach to Design for Manufacture and Assembly (P-DfMA) has attracted interest from the construction sector. A closer examination of the P-DfMA agenda raises questions about its origins and implications. This paper critically analyses grey sector literature, policy and government-supported reports on P-DfMA to discuss how it has been conceptualised, and the implications for the growing “platformania” in the UK construction sector. To this end, firstly platform conceptualisations are synthesised, and distinctions between product platforms and DfMA are highlighted. Secondly, based on an analysis of policy and related documents, five areas critical to driving the platformisation agenda are identified: Product platform development; digitally designed components; platform leadership and ownership; platform governance; and business models. The critical analysis suggests that product platformisation in the UK construction sector requires two distinct types of platform approaches: the product platform; and a transaction platform or a marketplace for buyers and sellers of the components of product platforms. The implications of both for the strategic organising of construction firms, and the five areas identified, are discussed and synthesised with the evidence from management literature. Practical and policy implications for sector stakeholders are outlined, along with questions for future research on product platformisation in the construction sector.
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge discussions with two leading experts in P-DfMA in the UK, and are grateful for their time spent sharinginsights about the critique of the policy mandates. We are also grateful to Dr Kell Jones for feedback on an early draft of our paper, and to the Editorial team and the anonymous Reviewers for all their valuable suggestions.
Disclosure statement
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
Notes
1 A global company of professionals (creative technologists, designers, architects, engineers, and analysts) offering sustainable design solutions for the built environment. The company self-identifies as a leader in the theory and practice of modern methods of construction (MMC), the Platform approach to Design for Manufacture and Assembly (P-DfMA) and automation in construction to deliver what is called design to value (https://www.brydenwood.com/)
2 Responsible entity for the product platforms programme in collaboration with government, construction sector and research partners.