Written by: Jack Moran, Manager of VDC Services

We are constantly striving to provide new and innovative services to deliver the best project outcomes for our clients. Five years ago when Raghi Iyengar decided to found Manufacton, a software company that would bring the best of manufacturing to construction, approached Consigli to help develop a software system specifically catered to support pre-fabrication and offsite construction, we saw it as a perfect fit to work with him and his team as Consigli was still developing our approach to prefab. Fast forward to today, we have seen Raghi and his team grow to 50 people and provide services across the industry.

Manufacton’s advanced cloud-based software helps companies manage construction materials, offsite production, and onsite installation across their entire business–with expert support to keep them running. By working out of Consigli’s headquarters five years ago, Raghi was able to hear directly from teams what they needed, specifically on projects that had pre-fabrication and modular building components. It was also a unique opportunity for us at Consigli to see what happens behind the scenes in software development.

To celebrate his work with us, I sat down with Raghi to talk about the origin of our partnership with his team, hear his insights into future trends, and what he has enjoyed about working with the larger Consigli team for the last five years.

Q: Can you tell us how the partnership between Consigli and Manufacton came to be?

Raghi: I have been in the construction technology business for over 30 years. Earlier in this decade, I started to see construction companies looking to take their construction offsite. They were evaluating opportunities to do more prefab, kitting and even volumetric modules. In essence, the construction industry was trying to emulate manufacturing. I met Matthew Consigli to hear his perspective on how this could impact the future of construction. He confirmed noticing these trends as well and was thinking of ways in which Consigli could spearhead this movement. He invited me to work in Consigli’s headquarters in Milford, so that I could be fully immersed in the industry and gain perspectives from project executives, as well as visit job sites to meet with subcontractors to hear first-hand about the needs and potential roadblocks.

Q: Did having a desk at Consigli help shape Manufacton’s business?

R: The opportunity to have Consigli as an incubator has been amazing. The best part of working in Consigli’s office was having direct access to the team and being able to collaborate with project executives, VDC engineers and general superintendents. Consigli team members would stop by to ask what we were working on and talk through pre-fabrication and industry ideas. It was really helpful to get their perspective and insights as we were developing the software — especially in learning about the risks with transition to offsite construction. They also introduced us to innovative subcontractors. We would brainstorm together what pre-fabrication and manufacturing would even look like in construction, and I believe these collaborative moments helped shape Manufacton to what it is today.

Q: What innovations in AEC are you driving with Manufacton?

R: When we started talking to superintendents about taking more of the construction offsite, it became clear that their biggest concern was losing visibility and control of the construction supply chain. A superintendent summarized it very well. He said “I walk my job site at least a couple of times a day to make sure everything is running smoothly. I would not be happy if I was told that I needed to stay in the trailer and walk my job site only once every 2 weeks. But that is what happens when you take work offsite. You cannot drive over to all the remote factories, but you need to ensure you have visibility and control of which subcontractor is building what prefab components in which factory, when are they supposed to be produced and delivered to the job site, and how far along they are in the process. I do not want any surprises about when things are supposed to show up at my job site.” Everyone on the project has access to Manufacton in the cloud, and gets visibility into current status. Coordinated BIM/VDC models are automatically color-coded to show which prefab assemblies or modules are in detailing, manufacturing, delivery or installation. They can fliter the model to show what has been installed in the past month, what is scheduled to be delivered in the next month and so on.

Subcontractors and modular builders leverage Manufacton to optimize their factory production as they push to do more prefab. Some of them are even verticalizing their business to become design-manufacturing-construction companies. Their biggest frustration before Manufacton was that their factory was a “black box” and their own design and field teams did not have visibility into their factory production.

Q: Can you describe a Consigli project that utilized Manufacton’s technology?

R: The team for the 50 Rogers Street project brought in Manufacton because they decided early during the planning phase that they were going to use pre-fabrication. The project is a mixed-use building in Cambridge with hardly any lay-down or areas to build. The prefabrication components of the building were coming from different areas: steel from Canada, bathroom pods from a factory in Florida, and the infinity wall system from Pennsylvania. Traditionally, teams would have to call the different manufacturers to get status updates as well as keep track of lengthy project briefings. In this case, however, the team utilized Manufacton to track all of these moving parts during the entire process. The software provides a color-coded, digital model of the building so that teams can quickly scan the model to see what part of the building is in the detailing, manufacturing, delivery, or installing phases.

Q: What have you enjoyed the most in working with Consigli?

R: The culture. Consigli is an incredibly innovative company filled with people that do not accept the status quo. Teams ask questions, are always open to ideas, and are very supportive. Consigli has been a partner to us since our beginning and has helped us shape our thinking and validated what we were discovering along the way. I hope we keep growing together for many years to come.

Manufacton’s willingness to be part of the Consigli team proved to be an invaluable partnership for both companies. As we look to the future, by continuing to push further into prefabrication, Raghi and the larger Manufacton’s team’s responsiveness and insights will continue to produce rich outcomes for both companies to better serve clients.

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“Darrin is a seasoned construction professional who has extensive knowledge and has overseen complex construction projects for major life science users, academic institutions and owners,” said Brian Hamilton, Director of Healthcare & Life Sciences for Consigli. “He will be an integral part of our efforts as we look to expand our market presence.”

Ball comes to Consigli with 30 years of diverse construction industry experience ranging from heavy civil to large scale pharmaceutical manufacturing projects that include renovations, new construction and significant infrastructure projects. Ball received his Bachelor of Science in Building Construction from Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Consigli’s life science team had completed in excess of 2.5 million square feet of projects over the last five years and has extensive experience working both within occupied R&D facilities as well as new construction. The team has completed several significant projects for some of the most prestigious research institutions in the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions. The group has worked on cGMP facilities, research laboratories and in-depth infrastructure projects to support laboratory operations.

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“Stephanie brings a tremendous amount of experience to our team on both laboratory and medical facilities,” said Brian Hamilton, Director of Healthcare & Life Sciences for Consigli. “Her background and leadership skills will be a tremendous asset to expand our presence in these markets.”

O’Brien comes to Consigli with more than 25 years of industry experience with an extensive background in overall project management and oversight. Her expertise includes being the primary contact for all project procurement, subcontract administration, scheduling, as well as ensuring overall job-site safety and quality control. O’Brien received her Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute as well as a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Bucknell University.

Consigli’s healthcare and life sciences team has completed several significant projects for some of the most prestigious healthcare and research institutions in both New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions. The group has worked on emergency departments, patient rooms and surgical facilities; as well as GMP facilities, research labs and in-depth infrastructure projects to support laboratory operations. Most recently the team received the prestigious American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) Vista Renovation Award for the UMass Memorial Health Care MC 2020 Memorial Campus Refresh. The award recognizes significant collaboration and outstanding teamwork in creating optimal health care environments.

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Jody Staruk joined Consigli in 2003 as a project engineer and has managed projects spanning public to private, small to large, fast-track to multi-year and complex renovations to new buildings. Her past work includes construction of the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art at the Cambridge School of Weston, a residence hall at Framingham State University and a residence and dining facility at Worcester State University. She is currently managing the renovation of Miller and Houston Halls at Tufts University.

Staruk has played a large role in the development of department operations for more than 14 years, helping Consigli evolve their processes and ensuring system efficiencies for projects and training. Staruk holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

“Jody is an extremely hard-working, smart construction professional and her work in so many areas over the last 15 years has been outstanding,” said Anthony Consigli, CEO of Consigli. “She is immensely respected, by both her clients and co-workers and we are incredibly excited to see her flourish in this new leadership position.”

Phil Brault has been with Consigli for more than 11 years and has overseen some of the company’s most challenging and complex historic restoration projects including the New York State Capital building, the Boston Public Library Central Library and the renovation and expansion of Harvard University’s Gore Hall. Brault is currently managing construction of a four-building complex at the Tanglewood Music Center in the Berkshires. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an M.B.A. from Northeastern.

“Since joining us as an intern in 2005, Phil has consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic, solid judgement and a commitment to what we know is important to Consigli,” said Matthew Consigli, President of Consigli. “His dedication and leadership on some of our most challenging projects will no doubt help him succeed in this new role.”

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