Why Do Some Prefabricate MEP While Others Do Not?

Prefabrication of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems seems to be an obvious choice to some, while others are struggling to reach the same conclusions. Most of the literature is focused on benefits, implying prefabrication is an obvious choice. To understand reasons why different conclusions are reached, we studied two cases where one decided against, and one decided to use MEP prefabrication. While some reasons can be contributed to differences in project type, there are general conclusions to be drawn. Reluctancy to use prefabrication seems to correlate to first time experience of prefabrication, namely overestimation of direct costs, and underestimation of indirect benefits (obstacles). Moreover, in the second case, prefabrication was used as a tool to enable lean practices such as short takt time, low amount of waste, levelled production, and efficient flow of materials. The key difference between the two cases is, Case 2 uses prefabrication to reach a valued goal while Case 1 evaluated its utility without a real problem that could be solved by prefabricating. Based on the two studied cases prefabrication becomes a more attractive alternative when it is used as part of a systemic change to achieve a valued goal.