CA2434365C - Method for the manufacture of manufactured houses - Google Patents
Method for the manufacture of manufactured houses Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2434365C CA2434365C CA2434365A CA2434365A CA2434365C CA 2434365 C CA2434365 C CA 2434365C CA 2434365 A CA2434365 A CA 2434365A CA 2434365 A CA2434365 A CA 2434365A CA 2434365 C CA2434365 C CA 2434365C
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- Prior art keywords
- building
- building material
- area
- factory
- manufactured
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- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 58
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 18
- 239000004566 building material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 80
- 238000012384 transportation and delivery Methods 0.000 abstract description 19
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 abstract description 3
- 238000002360 preparation method Methods 0.000 description 10
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 9
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 9
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 5
- 241000930965 Spartobacteria Species 0.000 description 4
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000007812 deficiency Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000010348 incorporation Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000009825 accumulation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005520 cutting process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000007689 inspection Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 241000234282 Allium Species 0.000 description 1
- 235000002732 Allium cepa var. cepa Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 238000004378 air conditioning Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004075 alteration Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000011248 coating agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000000576 coating method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000004035 construction material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012937 correction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005034 decoration Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003247 decreasing effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011900 installation process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000007639 printing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003908 quality control method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000007493 shaping process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60P—VEHICLES ADAPTED FOR LOAD TRANSPORTATION OR TO TRANSPORT, TO CARRY, OR TO COMPRISE SPECIAL LOADS OR OBJECTS
- B60P1/00—Vehicles predominantly for transporting loads and modified to facilitate loading, consolidating the load, or unloading
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D53/00—Tractor-trailer combinations; Road trains
- B62D53/04—Tractor-trailer combinations; Road trains comprising a vehicle carrying an essential part of the other vehicle's load by having supporting means for the front or rear part of the other vehicle
- B62D53/06—Semi-trailers
- B62D53/067—Multi-purpose, convertible or extendable load surface semi-trailers
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
- E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
- E04B1/343—Structures characterised by movable, separable, or collapsible parts, e.g. for transport
- E04B1/34336—Structures movable as a whole, e.g. mobile home structures
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
- E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
- E04B1/343—Structures characterised by movable, separable, or collapsible parts, e.g. for transport
- E04B1/34336—Structures movable as a whole, e.g. mobile home structures
- E04B1/34352—Base structures or supporting means therefor
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
- E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
- E04B1/348—Structures composed of units comprising at least considerable parts of two sides of a room, e.g. box-like or cell-like units closed or in skeleton form
- E04B1/34815—Elements not integrated in a skeleton
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
- E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
- E04B1/35—Extraordinary methods of construction, e.g. lift-slab, jack-block
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04G—SCAFFOLDING; FORMS; SHUTTERING; BUILDING IMPLEMENTS OR AIDS, OR THEIR USE; HANDLING BUILDING MATERIALS ON THE SITE; REPAIRING, BREAKING-UP OR OTHER WORK ON EXISTING BUILDINGS
- E04G21/00—Preparing, conveying, or working-up building materials or building elements in situ; Other devices or measures for constructional work
- E04G21/14—Conveying or assembling building elements
- E04G21/16—Tools or apparatus
- E04G21/161—Handling units comprising at least considerable parts of two sides of a room or like enclosed space
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04G—SCAFFOLDING; FORMS; SHUTTERING; BUILDING IMPLEMENTS OR AIDS, OR THEIR USE; HANDLING BUILDING MATERIALS ON THE SITE; REPAIRING, BREAKING-UP OR OTHER WORK ON EXISTING BUILDINGS
- E04G23/00—Working measures on existing buildings
- E04G23/06—Separating, lifting, removing of buildings; Making a new sub-structure
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
- E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
- E04B1/35—Extraordinary methods of construction, e.g. lift-slab, jack-block
- E04B2001/3577—Extraordinary methods of construction, e.g. lift-slab, jack-block prefabricating a building and moving it as a whole to the erection site
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Architecture (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Electrochemistry (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)
Abstract
A method for the manufacture of manufactured buildings and particularly a method for the manufacture of manufactured houses. The method of manufacturing utilizes building material which has been prepared for delivery to the building manufacturing area, and transported to the building manufacturing area in kit form, the delivery of the kits of building material occurring in a sequence which reduces inefficiencies in traditional building material handling and building material flow during the construction of a building or manufactured house.
Description
METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MANUFACTURED HOUSES
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of m anufactured buildings and particularly to a method for the manufacture of manufactured houses.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The manufacturing of completed or partially completed houses (both of which are referred to herein as "manufactured houses") within a factory for subsequent transport to the installation location of the manufactured house, for example in a subdivision, is well-known. When compared to outdoor stick building, manufacturing houses within a factory provides numerous advantages, including the improved ability to work at all hours of the day and without concern for weather, and providing greater worker safety and comfort and improved efficiency in use of material, energy and equipment.
The prior art provides two distinct methods for manufacturing houses within a factory and includes those which utilize an assembly line on which the manufactured house is constructed and those which utilize a stick building approach wherein the manufactured house is manufactured or constructed within the factory in a fashion substantially similar to that used in traditional outdoor stick building.
The assembly line method depends for its success on several factors, including a precisely ordered sequence of actions or steps, some of which actions or steps require the precise and timely supply of material and/or skilled labour to a particular point in the assembly line, and also including the production of large numbers of manufactured houses having a significant number of common components, structures or elements. Disadvantageously, however, a failure of a precise and timely supply of material and/or skilled labour to a particular point in the assembly line may have a significant negative effect on production resulting in a significant bottleneck in production until the failure has been remedied. Furthermore, the requirement that the factory produce a significant number of identical or substantially identical or common cQt~o",~~#~,estrUc~bdn~a~ MW ements s C'.an :~u~ ~~,n4~slz~
s ~~,~G Gli~~7 Page 1 of 11 ~4~~ 3 0 2003 paislw.
ri!9 w~~
Ftrn~~a A
~hwutd significantly undermines the ability of the factory to produce, in sequence and/or economically, manufactured houses of significantly different sizes, designs and/or customizations.
The indoor stick building approach of the prior art is typically more flexible, but does not benefit from the efficiency gains that may be available using the assembly line approach referenced above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and device for the manufacturing of manufactured houses in a factory which may be located within or in close proximity to a subdivision which is being built, which method overcomes, alleviates, or reduces the impact of the above-referenced deficiencies or limitations in the prior art.
Accordingly, in one embodiment, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a completed or substantially completed manufactured house within a factory, comprising, receiving house building materials at the factory, converting at least some of the house building materials into kittable form, delivering at least some of the house building materials in kittable form to a building manufacturing area within the factory and constructing a completed or substantially completed manufactured house in the building manufacturing area within the factory utilizing such building materials.
The advantage of the present invention is that it provides a responsive and flexible method for the timely delivery of building material, in a precisely ordered sequence, with a high degree of quality control and material standardization and pre-preparation, to a manufactured house during its manufacture.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that it permits improved efficiency in purchasing building material for the manufactured houses, permits improved pre-inspection of building material for quality and quantity, allows for the correction of quality and/or quantity deficiencies before the building material is inserted into the manufacturing process, and increases the efficiency of the personnel engaged in constructing the manufactured house.
Page 2 of 11 It is a further advantage of the present invention that when used in association with an assembly line, such as those of the prior art, it will permit the assembly line to have improved efficiency, reliability and flexibility, or when used in association with a stick building process, will provide amongst other things, increased efficiency and timeliness of material handling and delivery.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a graphical representation of a factory which has implemented therein an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a graphical representation of the same factory which has implemented therein an embodiment of the present invention, the factory being shown adjacent to the subdivision being built.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Having regard to Figure l and Figure 2 set forth herein, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described herein.
With reference to Figure 2, in the preferred embodiment, a house manufacturing factory 1 is established within, or in close proximity to a subdivision 2 which is being built. The proximity of the factory 1 to the subdivision 2 beneficially allows for the manufacture of complete or substantially complete manufactured houses within a factory 1 and for the subsequent delivery of the manufactured house to the subdivision 2, with reduced or entirely eliminated likelihood of interference during the delivery of the manufactured house from the factory 1 to its foundation in the subdivision 2 as a result of bridges, wires, narrow roads or other impediments and with reduced or entirely eliminated need to utilize public access roads and highways (that is, roads and highways to which the public generally has access) during such transport of the manufactured house.
Page 3 of 11 With reference to Figure 1, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, building material is ordered from one or more suppliers, and received at a receiving area 3 on a "just-in-time" basis, or alternatively "in advance", for on-site storage or stockpiling (the expression "building material"
or "building materials" is to be construed herein in the widest sense and may include all such items as may be required for the completion of a completed or substantially completed manufactured house, including raw construction materials, processed materials, prefabricated components and/or such other material as would be understood by a person skilled in the art to be required for the construction of a house or like structure, and may also include, for example, household appliances, heating and air conditioning equipment, and items of decoration). It is understood that while price, purchasing and handling efficiencies may be achieved by buying in bulk and stockpiling in an indoor storage area 4 or in an outdoor storage area 5, it is also understood that in some circumstances, the utilization of just-in-time delivery may result in decreased capital and other costs, particularly those costs associated with having to repeatedly handle and/or store building material for a period of time before utilization.
In the preferred embodiment, the building material will be received, typically from a truck 17, at the receiving area 3 at the factory 1 (or at a site located conveniently near the factory 1 ), and thereafter inspected for quantity and quality (and, in the preferred embodiment, any deficiencies in either quantity or quality corrected at that time, it being understood that, where appropriate, those portions of the building material which do not comply with the quality requirements being remedied at that time).
After the building material has been inspected, in the event that such building material is not required for immediate use, the building material is sent for storage in an indoor storage area 4 or in an outdoor storage area S or at a site located conveniently proximate to the factory 1.
In the preferred embodiment, if the received building material is required for immediate use, and was received in"kittable form" (as that term is more fully described herein) and therefore ready in its received form and configuration for delivery to the building manufacturing area 11, it is forwarded to the lotting area 7, where this building material which is in "kittable form" is placed on a lotting transporter 9 for subsequent delivery to the building manufacturing area 11 ("kittable form" means Page 4 of 11 that condition of the building material in which it can be readily integrated into the manufactured house during its manufacture without significant additional preparation of the building material, and, by way of example only, may include lumber which has been pre-cut to its correct size for ready installation into the manufactured house, or lumber which has been cut and constructed into building elements such as trusses, or any other building material which is ready for installation or which may be pre-prepared or pre-constructed into a more readily usable form prior to it being delivered to the building manufacturing area 11, it being understood that some additional preparation of the building material maybe required after the kit is delivered to the building manufacturing area 11, it also being understood that the precise balance between the tasks to be preformed on the building material prior to the building material being delivered to the building manufacturing area 11, and those to be performed after it has arnved at the building manufacturing area 11 being determined having regard to, amongst other things, efficiencies of time, cost, labour, safety and such other factors a person skilled in the art would consider).
When building material is received which is not in kittable form it may either be immediately stored in a storage areas 4 or 5 until needed or in the alternative may be sent to a pre-lotting area 6 for pre-kitting preparation (it being understood that while in the preferred embodiment, the pre-lotting area is proximate the lotting area, the factory layout may vary considerably, and the specific location of the pre-lotting area may be determined on a factory by factory basis). In the preferred embodiment, pre-kitting preparation includes any step in which the building material is converted from non-kittable form i nto k ittable form b y, f or a xample, r emoving a ny r emaining p ackaging/shipping material, a final inspection of the building material to ensure satisfactory building material quality, and where appropriate, any cutting, shaping, coating, assembly, pre-assembly or other such procedure in which the building material is prepared and converted into kittable form. It is understood that some building material may arrive at the factory requiring no further preparation, having been delivered to the factory already in kittable form.
In the preferred embodiment some of the pre-kitting preparation may occur on fabrication tables 18, where, by way of example, a prefabricated wall section 19 in kittable form may be assembled.
Once in kittable form, the building material, in kittable form, may thereafter be transported directly Page 5 of 11 to the kitting area 7 or stored in a storage areas 4 or 5 for later delivery to the kitting area 7 as required.
In the preferred embodiment, marking or coding may be added to any piece of building material at an appropriate stage, such marking or coding being human or machine readable, or both. Such marking or coding may facilitate control over movement and inventory of the building material, both before and after inclusion in a kit, and may also facilitate the preparation of the building material or the incorporation of the building material into the manufactured house, for example by pre-printing of nailing or cutting patterns on the building material. It is understood that such marking and coding may also facilitate automation.
In the preferred embodiment, once the building material is in kittable form, and has been delivered to the kitting area 7, the building material in kittable form is placed on a kitting transporter 9. It is understood that the lotting transporter 9 may take one of many different configurations including 1 S one or more carts, wagons, trailers, or other suitable transport devices known to persons skilled in the art, provided that they are suitably adapted for transporting the finished kit from the lotting area 7 to the building manufacturing area 11, and is generally capable of efficiently handling and transporting the building material to its destination, it being understood that the kitting transporter 9 may be self propelled or may be propelled by some other means, for example a truck or tractor or similar device 8 or (where available) an overhead crane. In the preferred embodiment, where appropriate, two or more kitting transporters 9, may be linked together for improved efficiency of delivery of the building material to the building manufacturing area 11.
In the preferred embodiment, once the building material in kittable form has been placed on the lotting transporter 9, they are available for delivery to the building manufacturing area 11. In the preferred embodiment, one or more lotting transporters 9 may be used to transfer the building material(now in kittable form) from the lotting area 7 to the building manufacturing area 11. It is understood that the kitting area 7 may be used for the purpose of receiving building material in kittable form, placing the building material on the lotting transporter 9, and where appropriate, arranging the lotting transporters 9 in a sequence which is related to the expected demands of the constructing of the manufactured house and in response to the requirements of the crew leaders and Page 6 of 11 co-ordinators as set out below.
In the preferred embodiment the building material in kittable form may now be delivered to the building m anufacturing a rea 1 1 w hen i t i s r equired a t the b uilding m anufacturing a rea 1 1 f or incorporation into a particular manufactured house, it being understood that while it is generally preferred that the building material in kittable form should be delivered very shortly before it is needed at the building manufacturing area 11, to avoid unnecessary congestion in the building manufacturing area 11, it is also understood that improved efficiency may be achieved in some circumstances when multiple lotting transporters 9 with a variety of different building material in kittable form are delivered simultaneously to the building manufacturing area 11. It is also understood that in some circumstances it may be advantageous to deliver the kits to the building manufacturing area 11 in advance, for example, so that the building material may be available immediately at the beginning of a work shift, or immediately after a work break.
It is understood that the kitting area 7 may be used both as a marshaling location for the building material that is in kittable form and which has been placed on lotting transporters 9, and also may be used as a temporary storage or buffer area, to allow for the temporary accumulation of building material in kittable form, the lotting area 7 thereby acting as a buffer in relation to the delivery to it of building material in kittable form, and the delivery from it of such building material to the building manufacturing area 11. In the preferred embodiment, a marshaling area 11 may be used integrally with, or independently of the kitting area 7 to act as a buffer to allow for the temporary accumulation of building material on kittable form, the marshaling area 11 thereby acting as a buffer in relation to the delivery to it of building material in kittable form, and the delivery from it of such material to the building manufacturing area 11 (it being understood that while in the preferred embodiment, the marshaling area 11 is proximate the kitting area 7, the factory layout may vary considerably, and the specific location of the marshaling area 11 may be determined on a factory by factory basis).
In the preferred embodiment, the marshaling area 11 is provided at an intermediate location between the lotting area and the building manufacturing area 11 in order to insert flexibility and resiliency into the supply of building material from the lotting area 7 and the manufactured house 12. In the Page 7 of 11 preferred embodiment the marshaling area 11 is designed and constructed such that the kitting transporters 9 may be positioned relative to one another and where appropriate, linked to one another, so that the movement of building material from the marshaling area 11 to the manufactured house 12 is orderly and efficient, and in particular so that the positioning or movement of any particular lotting transporter 9 will not interfere with the orderly and efficient movement of any other lotting transporter or equipment. In another embodiment, the marshaling area and kitting area may be substantially or completely combined.
In the preferred embodiment, the person who is responsible for the constructing of a particular house, (referred to herein as a "crew leader"), is responsible for the requisitioning of and the timing of each of the deliveries of building materials to the building manufacturing area 11 from the kitting area 7 or marshaling area 11, as appropriate. In accordance with the requisition from the crew leader, the building material is delivered, in kittable form by means of a lotting transporter 9, to the building manufacturing area 11.
In the preferred embodiment, in close coordination with the crew leaders for each of the different manufactured houses being manufactured in the building manufacturing area 11 at any given time, a second individual (referred to herein as a "co-ordinator") who is responsible for co-ordinating the delivery of building material to each of the different manufactured houses being manufactured in the building manufacturing area 11 at any given time, is advised sufficiently in advance of the expected needs of the crew leaders so that the kittable building material is assembled into a kit and available for delivery to the crew leaders as needed.
When the building material in kittable form arrives at a particular manufactured house 12 being constructed in the building manufacturing area 11, the building material will be moved from the lotting transporter and thereafter incorporated into the manufactured house 12 being constructed in the building manufacturing area 11.
While it is understood that all or substantially all of the said final preparation of the building material will have already occurred when the building material was pre-prepared while being put into kittable form, once the building material has arnved at the building manufacturing area 11, further Page 8 of 11 preparation of the building material may be necessary, such as, for example, specific modifications to the building material may be required which were not contemplated at the time of putting the building material into kittable form, or any necessary on-site adjustments or alterations to the building material during the installation process.
It is understood that in the building manufacturing area 11, the building material may be incorporated into the house in a stick-built fashion as illustrated in Figure 1, which illustrates 4 separate stick building sites 13,14, 15 and 16 within the building manufacturing area 11, or where the kit includes a subassembly of the manufactured house being constructed, the building material may be incorporated into the house as one or more subassemblies of the manufactured house, or where the factory building area utilizes an assembly line for the assembly of the manufactured house, the kits may be delivered to the appropriate location on the assembly line for incorporation into the manufactured house being constructed thereon.
In the preferred embodiment, the factory 1 will contain more than one building sites within a building manufacturing area 11 (Figure 1 illustrates 4 separate stick building sites 13, 14, 1 S and 16 within the building manufacturing area 11), it being understood that in other embodiments the factory may contain only one building site within a building manufacturing area 11, while in other embodiments the building manufacturing area may be remote from the factory l, for example in a second factory, or, where appropriate, within a temporary structure, or outdoors.
A manufactured house which is completed or substantially completed using the method described herein may then be moved from the factory to the subdivision for installation on footings or a foundation located therein.
In an alternative embodiment, a significant volumetric segment, section or portion of a manufactured house can constructed in a factory utilizing the method of the present invention, which significant volumetric segment, section or portion of a manufactured house can thereafter be combined with one or m ore o they s imilarly c onstructed s ignificant v olumetric s egments, s ections o r p onions o f a manufactured house at the installation location to form a complete or substantially complete manufactured house, the segments, sections or portions each representing a significant volumetric Page 9 of 11 aspect of the completed house, and typically greater than 10% of the volume of the completed house.
It is also understood that the method of the present invention may be utilized to construct dwellings in v arious formats, i ncluding, b ut n of 1 invited t o, h igh-rise a nd 1 ow-rise a partments, d uplexes, triplexes, townhouses, row houses, semi-detached houses and singles, and may be utilized in the construction of office, retail and other commercial buildings.
The present invention has been described herein with regard to its preferred embodiment. However, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein.
Page 10 of 11
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for the manufacture of m anufactured buildings and particularly to a method for the manufacture of manufactured houses.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The manufacturing of completed or partially completed houses (both of which are referred to herein as "manufactured houses") within a factory for subsequent transport to the installation location of the manufactured house, for example in a subdivision, is well-known. When compared to outdoor stick building, manufacturing houses within a factory provides numerous advantages, including the improved ability to work at all hours of the day and without concern for weather, and providing greater worker safety and comfort and improved efficiency in use of material, energy and equipment.
The prior art provides two distinct methods for manufacturing houses within a factory and includes those which utilize an assembly line on which the manufactured house is constructed and those which utilize a stick building approach wherein the manufactured house is manufactured or constructed within the factory in a fashion substantially similar to that used in traditional outdoor stick building.
The assembly line method depends for its success on several factors, including a precisely ordered sequence of actions or steps, some of which actions or steps require the precise and timely supply of material and/or skilled labour to a particular point in the assembly line, and also including the production of large numbers of manufactured houses having a significant number of common components, structures or elements. Disadvantageously, however, a failure of a precise and timely supply of material and/or skilled labour to a particular point in the assembly line may have a significant negative effect on production resulting in a significant bottleneck in production until the failure has been remedied. Furthermore, the requirement that the factory produce a significant number of identical or substantially identical or common cQt~o",~~#~,estrUc~bdn~a~ MW ements s C'.an :~u~ ~~,n4~slz~
s ~~,~G Gli~~7 Page 1 of 11 ~4~~ 3 0 2003 paislw.
ri!9 w~~
Ftrn~~a A
~hwutd significantly undermines the ability of the factory to produce, in sequence and/or economically, manufactured houses of significantly different sizes, designs and/or customizations.
The indoor stick building approach of the prior art is typically more flexible, but does not benefit from the efficiency gains that may be available using the assembly line approach referenced above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and device for the manufacturing of manufactured houses in a factory which may be located within or in close proximity to a subdivision which is being built, which method overcomes, alleviates, or reduces the impact of the above-referenced deficiencies or limitations in the prior art.
Accordingly, in one embodiment, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a completed or substantially completed manufactured house within a factory, comprising, receiving house building materials at the factory, converting at least some of the house building materials into kittable form, delivering at least some of the house building materials in kittable form to a building manufacturing area within the factory and constructing a completed or substantially completed manufactured house in the building manufacturing area within the factory utilizing such building materials.
The advantage of the present invention is that it provides a responsive and flexible method for the timely delivery of building material, in a precisely ordered sequence, with a high degree of quality control and material standardization and pre-preparation, to a manufactured house during its manufacture.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that it permits improved efficiency in purchasing building material for the manufactured houses, permits improved pre-inspection of building material for quality and quantity, allows for the correction of quality and/or quantity deficiencies before the building material is inserted into the manufacturing process, and increases the efficiency of the personnel engaged in constructing the manufactured house.
Page 2 of 11 It is a further advantage of the present invention that when used in association with an assembly line, such as those of the prior art, it will permit the assembly line to have improved efficiency, reliability and flexibility, or when used in association with a stick building process, will provide amongst other things, increased efficiency and timeliness of material handling and delivery.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a graphical representation of a factory which has implemented therein an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a graphical representation of the same factory which has implemented therein an embodiment of the present invention, the factory being shown adjacent to the subdivision being built.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Having regard to Figure l and Figure 2 set forth herein, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described herein.
With reference to Figure 2, in the preferred embodiment, a house manufacturing factory 1 is established within, or in close proximity to a subdivision 2 which is being built. The proximity of the factory 1 to the subdivision 2 beneficially allows for the manufacture of complete or substantially complete manufactured houses within a factory 1 and for the subsequent delivery of the manufactured house to the subdivision 2, with reduced or entirely eliminated likelihood of interference during the delivery of the manufactured house from the factory 1 to its foundation in the subdivision 2 as a result of bridges, wires, narrow roads or other impediments and with reduced or entirely eliminated need to utilize public access roads and highways (that is, roads and highways to which the public generally has access) during such transport of the manufactured house.
Page 3 of 11 With reference to Figure 1, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, building material is ordered from one or more suppliers, and received at a receiving area 3 on a "just-in-time" basis, or alternatively "in advance", for on-site storage or stockpiling (the expression "building material"
or "building materials" is to be construed herein in the widest sense and may include all such items as may be required for the completion of a completed or substantially completed manufactured house, including raw construction materials, processed materials, prefabricated components and/or such other material as would be understood by a person skilled in the art to be required for the construction of a house or like structure, and may also include, for example, household appliances, heating and air conditioning equipment, and items of decoration). It is understood that while price, purchasing and handling efficiencies may be achieved by buying in bulk and stockpiling in an indoor storage area 4 or in an outdoor storage area 5, it is also understood that in some circumstances, the utilization of just-in-time delivery may result in decreased capital and other costs, particularly those costs associated with having to repeatedly handle and/or store building material for a period of time before utilization.
In the preferred embodiment, the building material will be received, typically from a truck 17, at the receiving area 3 at the factory 1 (or at a site located conveniently near the factory 1 ), and thereafter inspected for quantity and quality (and, in the preferred embodiment, any deficiencies in either quantity or quality corrected at that time, it being understood that, where appropriate, those portions of the building material which do not comply with the quality requirements being remedied at that time).
After the building material has been inspected, in the event that such building material is not required for immediate use, the building material is sent for storage in an indoor storage area 4 or in an outdoor storage area S or at a site located conveniently proximate to the factory 1.
In the preferred embodiment, if the received building material is required for immediate use, and was received in"kittable form" (as that term is more fully described herein) and therefore ready in its received form and configuration for delivery to the building manufacturing area 11, it is forwarded to the lotting area 7, where this building material which is in "kittable form" is placed on a lotting transporter 9 for subsequent delivery to the building manufacturing area 11 ("kittable form" means Page 4 of 11 that condition of the building material in which it can be readily integrated into the manufactured house during its manufacture without significant additional preparation of the building material, and, by way of example only, may include lumber which has been pre-cut to its correct size for ready installation into the manufactured house, or lumber which has been cut and constructed into building elements such as trusses, or any other building material which is ready for installation or which may be pre-prepared or pre-constructed into a more readily usable form prior to it being delivered to the building manufacturing area 11, it being understood that some additional preparation of the building material maybe required after the kit is delivered to the building manufacturing area 11, it also being understood that the precise balance between the tasks to be preformed on the building material prior to the building material being delivered to the building manufacturing area 11, and those to be performed after it has arnved at the building manufacturing area 11 being determined having regard to, amongst other things, efficiencies of time, cost, labour, safety and such other factors a person skilled in the art would consider).
When building material is received which is not in kittable form it may either be immediately stored in a storage areas 4 or 5 until needed or in the alternative may be sent to a pre-lotting area 6 for pre-kitting preparation (it being understood that while in the preferred embodiment, the pre-lotting area is proximate the lotting area, the factory layout may vary considerably, and the specific location of the pre-lotting area may be determined on a factory by factory basis). In the preferred embodiment, pre-kitting preparation includes any step in which the building material is converted from non-kittable form i nto k ittable form b y, f or a xample, r emoving a ny r emaining p ackaging/shipping material, a final inspection of the building material to ensure satisfactory building material quality, and where appropriate, any cutting, shaping, coating, assembly, pre-assembly or other such procedure in which the building material is prepared and converted into kittable form. It is understood that some building material may arrive at the factory requiring no further preparation, having been delivered to the factory already in kittable form.
In the preferred embodiment some of the pre-kitting preparation may occur on fabrication tables 18, where, by way of example, a prefabricated wall section 19 in kittable form may be assembled.
Once in kittable form, the building material, in kittable form, may thereafter be transported directly Page 5 of 11 to the kitting area 7 or stored in a storage areas 4 or 5 for later delivery to the kitting area 7 as required.
In the preferred embodiment, marking or coding may be added to any piece of building material at an appropriate stage, such marking or coding being human or machine readable, or both. Such marking or coding may facilitate control over movement and inventory of the building material, both before and after inclusion in a kit, and may also facilitate the preparation of the building material or the incorporation of the building material into the manufactured house, for example by pre-printing of nailing or cutting patterns on the building material. It is understood that such marking and coding may also facilitate automation.
In the preferred embodiment, once the building material is in kittable form, and has been delivered to the kitting area 7, the building material in kittable form is placed on a kitting transporter 9. It is understood that the lotting transporter 9 may take one of many different configurations including 1 S one or more carts, wagons, trailers, or other suitable transport devices known to persons skilled in the art, provided that they are suitably adapted for transporting the finished kit from the lotting area 7 to the building manufacturing area 11, and is generally capable of efficiently handling and transporting the building material to its destination, it being understood that the kitting transporter 9 may be self propelled or may be propelled by some other means, for example a truck or tractor or similar device 8 or (where available) an overhead crane. In the preferred embodiment, where appropriate, two or more kitting transporters 9, may be linked together for improved efficiency of delivery of the building material to the building manufacturing area 11.
In the preferred embodiment, once the building material in kittable form has been placed on the lotting transporter 9, they are available for delivery to the building manufacturing area 11. In the preferred embodiment, one or more lotting transporters 9 may be used to transfer the building material(now in kittable form) from the lotting area 7 to the building manufacturing area 11. It is understood that the kitting area 7 may be used for the purpose of receiving building material in kittable form, placing the building material on the lotting transporter 9, and where appropriate, arranging the lotting transporters 9 in a sequence which is related to the expected demands of the constructing of the manufactured house and in response to the requirements of the crew leaders and Page 6 of 11 co-ordinators as set out below.
In the preferred embodiment the building material in kittable form may now be delivered to the building m anufacturing a rea 1 1 w hen i t i s r equired a t the b uilding m anufacturing a rea 1 1 f or incorporation into a particular manufactured house, it being understood that while it is generally preferred that the building material in kittable form should be delivered very shortly before it is needed at the building manufacturing area 11, to avoid unnecessary congestion in the building manufacturing area 11, it is also understood that improved efficiency may be achieved in some circumstances when multiple lotting transporters 9 with a variety of different building material in kittable form are delivered simultaneously to the building manufacturing area 11. It is also understood that in some circumstances it may be advantageous to deliver the kits to the building manufacturing area 11 in advance, for example, so that the building material may be available immediately at the beginning of a work shift, or immediately after a work break.
It is understood that the kitting area 7 may be used both as a marshaling location for the building material that is in kittable form and which has been placed on lotting transporters 9, and also may be used as a temporary storage or buffer area, to allow for the temporary accumulation of building material in kittable form, the lotting area 7 thereby acting as a buffer in relation to the delivery to it of building material in kittable form, and the delivery from it of such building material to the building manufacturing area 11. In the preferred embodiment, a marshaling area 11 may be used integrally with, or independently of the kitting area 7 to act as a buffer to allow for the temporary accumulation of building material on kittable form, the marshaling area 11 thereby acting as a buffer in relation to the delivery to it of building material in kittable form, and the delivery from it of such material to the building manufacturing area 11 (it being understood that while in the preferred embodiment, the marshaling area 11 is proximate the kitting area 7, the factory layout may vary considerably, and the specific location of the marshaling area 11 may be determined on a factory by factory basis).
In the preferred embodiment, the marshaling area 11 is provided at an intermediate location between the lotting area and the building manufacturing area 11 in order to insert flexibility and resiliency into the supply of building material from the lotting area 7 and the manufactured house 12. In the Page 7 of 11 preferred embodiment the marshaling area 11 is designed and constructed such that the kitting transporters 9 may be positioned relative to one another and where appropriate, linked to one another, so that the movement of building material from the marshaling area 11 to the manufactured house 12 is orderly and efficient, and in particular so that the positioning or movement of any particular lotting transporter 9 will not interfere with the orderly and efficient movement of any other lotting transporter or equipment. In another embodiment, the marshaling area and kitting area may be substantially or completely combined.
In the preferred embodiment, the person who is responsible for the constructing of a particular house, (referred to herein as a "crew leader"), is responsible for the requisitioning of and the timing of each of the deliveries of building materials to the building manufacturing area 11 from the kitting area 7 or marshaling area 11, as appropriate. In accordance with the requisition from the crew leader, the building material is delivered, in kittable form by means of a lotting transporter 9, to the building manufacturing area 11.
In the preferred embodiment, in close coordination with the crew leaders for each of the different manufactured houses being manufactured in the building manufacturing area 11 at any given time, a second individual (referred to herein as a "co-ordinator") who is responsible for co-ordinating the delivery of building material to each of the different manufactured houses being manufactured in the building manufacturing area 11 at any given time, is advised sufficiently in advance of the expected needs of the crew leaders so that the kittable building material is assembled into a kit and available for delivery to the crew leaders as needed.
When the building material in kittable form arrives at a particular manufactured house 12 being constructed in the building manufacturing area 11, the building material will be moved from the lotting transporter and thereafter incorporated into the manufactured house 12 being constructed in the building manufacturing area 11.
While it is understood that all or substantially all of the said final preparation of the building material will have already occurred when the building material was pre-prepared while being put into kittable form, once the building material has arnved at the building manufacturing area 11, further Page 8 of 11 preparation of the building material may be necessary, such as, for example, specific modifications to the building material may be required which were not contemplated at the time of putting the building material into kittable form, or any necessary on-site adjustments or alterations to the building material during the installation process.
It is understood that in the building manufacturing area 11, the building material may be incorporated into the house in a stick-built fashion as illustrated in Figure 1, which illustrates 4 separate stick building sites 13,14, 15 and 16 within the building manufacturing area 11, or where the kit includes a subassembly of the manufactured house being constructed, the building material may be incorporated into the house as one or more subassemblies of the manufactured house, or where the factory building area utilizes an assembly line for the assembly of the manufactured house, the kits may be delivered to the appropriate location on the assembly line for incorporation into the manufactured house being constructed thereon.
In the preferred embodiment, the factory 1 will contain more than one building sites within a building manufacturing area 11 (Figure 1 illustrates 4 separate stick building sites 13, 14, 1 S and 16 within the building manufacturing area 11), it being understood that in other embodiments the factory may contain only one building site within a building manufacturing area 11, while in other embodiments the building manufacturing area may be remote from the factory l, for example in a second factory, or, where appropriate, within a temporary structure, or outdoors.
A manufactured house which is completed or substantially completed using the method described herein may then be moved from the factory to the subdivision for installation on footings or a foundation located therein.
In an alternative embodiment, a significant volumetric segment, section or portion of a manufactured house can constructed in a factory utilizing the method of the present invention, which significant volumetric segment, section or portion of a manufactured house can thereafter be combined with one or m ore o they s imilarly c onstructed s ignificant v olumetric s egments, s ections o r p onions o f a manufactured house at the installation location to form a complete or substantially complete manufactured house, the segments, sections or portions each representing a significant volumetric Page 9 of 11 aspect of the completed house, and typically greater than 10% of the volume of the completed house.
It is also understood that the method of the present invention may be utilized to construct dwellings in v arious formats, i ncluding, b ut n of 1 invited t o, h igh-rise a nd 1 ow-rise a partments, d uplexes, triplexes, townhouses, row houses, semi-detached houses and singles, and may be utilized in the construction of office, retail and other commercial buildings.
The present invention has been described herein with regard to its preferred embodiment. However, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein.
Page 10 of 11
Claims
PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
We claim:
1. A method for manufacturing a completed or substantially completed manufactured house within a factory, comprising:
a. receiving house building materials at the factory;
b. converting at least some of the house building materials into kittable form;
c. delivering at least some of the house building materials in kittable form to a building manufacturing area within the factory;
d. constructing a completed or substantially completed manufactured house in the building manufacturing area within the factory utilizing such building materials.
a. receiving house building materials at the factory;
b. converting at least some of the house building materials into kittable form;
c. delivering at least some of the house building materials in kittable form to a building manufacturing area within the factory;
d. constructing a completed or substantially completed manufactured house in the building manufacturing area within the factory utilizing such building materials.
Priority Applications (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2434365A CA2434365C (en) | 2003-06-02 | 2003-06-30 | Method for the manufacture of manufactured houses |
| PCT/CA2004/000818 WO2005001213A1 (en) | 2003-06-30 | 2004-06-03 | Method for the manufacture of houses |
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002430637A CA2430637A1 (en) | 2003-01-23 | 2003-06-02 | Method for the manufacture and delivery of segment houses and other buildings |
| CA2,430,637 | 2003-06-02 | ||
| CA2434365A CA2434365C (en) | 2003-06-02 | 2003-06-30 | Method for the manufacture of manufactured houses |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2434365A1 CA2434365A1 (en) | 2004-12-02 |
| CA2434365C true CA2434365C (en) | 2010-09-07 |
Family
ID=33565738
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA2434365A Expired - Lifetime CA2434365C (en) | 2003-06-02 | 2003-06-30 | Method for the manufacture of manufactured houses |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2434365C (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US8887399B2 (en) | 2006-10-11 | 2014-11-18 | The Mattamy Corporation | Housing manufacturing system and method |
| US20210350427A1 (en) * | 2018-09-20 | 2021-11-11 | China Construction Science & Technology Group Co., Ltd. | Method and device for cost early warning of prefabricated building |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA2665960C (en) | 2009-05-14 | 2011-07-26 | Technostructur Inc. | Wall module, housing module and building made of such wall module |
-
2003
- 2003-06-30 CA CA2434365A patent/CA2434365C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US8887399B2 (en) | 2006-10-11 | 2014-11-18 | The Mattamy Corporation | Housing manufacturing system and method |
| US9587395B2 (en) | 2006-10-11 | 2017-03-07 | The Mattamy Corporation | Housing manufacturing system and facility |
| US20210350427A1 (en) * | 2018-09-20 | 2021-11-11 | China Construction Science & Technology Group Co., Ltd. | Method and device for cost early warning of prefabricated building |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CA2434365A1 (en) | 2004-12-02 |
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