MMP is looking to the future of construction my moving more of the building process into the factory. Julia Breen finds out more.

IN the past 100 years, we have gone from horse-drawn carriages to cars, made flying commonplace, and even put a man on the moon. But visit a construction site and you could almost be in the 1750s.

Thousands of homes are springing up every day, built of bricks or stone, with slate or tile roofing, glass in the windows, plaster on the walls, and often wooden floors. Little has changed in two-and-a-half centuries.

Construction is trailing behind most other industries, which are constantly developing new ways of doing things.

Michael O'Connell, chairman of MMP, in Newton Aycliffe, wants to change that.

Alternatives at his disposal include Ikea-style flat-pack housing, which means less mess, better quality, and double the warmth.

Mr O'Connell, who also sits on the board of Constructing Excellence North-East, an organisation to promote modern building methods, has a clear vision of the home of the future.

"We should be having energy-efficient houses, with recyclable parts, like cars which are 99 per cent recyclable. They're developing "smart" technology now. One day soon, you will be able to switch your central heating on, open or close windows, put the oven on or even record your TV programmes through your computer while you are still at work.

"With the new types of homes, we could wire all the house up to enable you to do that. It's exciting stuff."

With an estimated £4bn of work expected in the construction industry in the next few years, Mr O'Connell knows it is important to keep ahead of the competition.

Last year, MMP bought Metek, a company that designed light steel frames for use in construction.

MMP brought Metek into its site in Newton Aycliffe, working alongside its other divisions, which include traditional construction, a timber division and, most recently, a training centre that has attracted the attention of oil producer Shell.

The company has increased its workforce by 100 since it moved from Bishop Auckland last year, and with the aim to triple turnover to £60m within five years, it is certain to grow even further.

MMP is also looking at modular construction, in which an apartment is built in the factory, complete with a kitchen, bathroom and carpets, and then transported to the construction site.

The module is fitted next to others just like it to create a block of flats - entirely factory-built.

Although small, the flats could help combat the housing shortage in the South-East, providing affordable homes for nurses and other public sector workers.

Many of the clients taking advantage of the new construction techniques are housing associations, schools, hospitals, and other public sector bodies.

Mr O'Connell said he hoped the private sector would start to embrace modern, energy-efficient construction.

He said: "I see in the future more of what we call off-site construction, prefabrication, and multi-skilled labour.

"You can't stop a business growing, and I guess we are looking to take the group to about £60m within five years - at the moment it is just under £20m.

"We are more diverse than most construction companies.

We contract ourselves out and also supply to the industry, our competitors.

"We have a plastering and dry lining division of the business, and contract that out.

"We are also starting to sell the Metek frames system to other construction companies."

It is this multi-faceted approach that has seen MMP grow.

It has invested £150,000 in its training centre, which can offer interactive whiteboards and also a part of the factory where people can learn to put up scaffolding, and a boxed-in area where people can be trained to work in confined spaces in the dark and still get the job done.

It will be hired out to local training providers, colleges and companies.

It is only the second tailor-made training facility for the construction industry in the UK, and the first in the North.

The training centre will help combat the skills shortage in the industry. MMP's next project could be helping to rebuild Sri Lanka following the tsunami.

Steel frame homes, made in Newton Aycliffe, could soon be springing up all over the Indian Ocean island, providing comfortable houses for millions of homeless people in the shattered country.

Published: 15/03/2005