Built to Innovate: Powering MMC Businesses to Build Smarter
Built to Innovate is the flagship Enterprise Ireland support package connecting Irish residential construction companies to the funding and training needed to take operations to a new level.
The National Enterprise Hub gathers 250+ business resources, including grants and funding (such as Built to Innovate), training and advice, on one website.
It also offers a dedicated team, available online and via phone, to guide businesses to the right supports for them. The purpose? To simplify access to supports and help organisations tackle challenges like improving efficiency, managing costs, and adapting to digital and sustainable practices in a rapidly changing world.
One industry in urgent need of support through turbulent times is construction. Even beyond ever-changing global economics, residential building companies need to deliver around 50,000 homes per year to meet the demands of a growing population in Ireland.
Built to Innovate, an Enterprise Ireland initiative under the Housing for All plan, is super-charging Irish construction companies to build better and faster with lower costs. Tom Maguire, Senior Development Advisor for Enterprise Ireland, says this shift doesn’t start on building sites, but instead with a move towards to a Lean mindset already common in advanced manufacturing.
One of the most important things we can do is change the culture in Irish construction to ‘on time’ and ‘right first time’ in every single project.
Senior Development Advisor for Enterprise Ireland
By embracing Lean principles—identifying value, mapping value streams, creating flow, establishing a pull system, and striving for continuous improvement—companies can greatly improve operational output. And while Lean principles are often process-driven, developing new technologies is also a core piece of the puzzle. Built to Innovate offers training and grants, giving construction companies the chance to develop building products and improve internal processes with the aim of moving towards Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).
How does Built to Innovate work? Its Introductory Site Process Improvement Programme encompasses two elements: a €10,000 grant to use towards adapting MMC practices, and an initial 3.5-hour workshop on Lean principles, digitisation, and waste reduction. After this, companies are introduced to Enterprise Ireland’s Last Planner System®, a tool for project production promoting the creation of a predictable workflow for more consistent results.
From there, there is usually (understandably) strong interest in learning more about the Site Process Improvement Programme.
We know that construction companies are time-poor and working within a variety of deadlines across different projects. The grant gets people’s attention, and from there we ask for just 3.5 hours to show them what Built to Innovate is all about. We want as many companies as we can get to show them the possibilities through MMC.
Senior Development Advisor for Enterprise Ireland
The next phase of the programme is for a consultant funded by an Enterprise Ireland grant to meet with individuals and discuss the details of the construction company’s housing projects. Here, they will also cover the obvious pain points around inefficiency, waste, and low productivity. This consultant will next work with subcontractors, discussing these same issues and offering specific recommendations for improvements in each area.
Lastly, the Built to Innovate initiative offers 50%-60% funding to upskill the company’s staff on key Lean and MMC concepts, such as Lean Six Sigma and Nearly-Zero Building.
We are already working with 10% of the residential construction companies, and we hope to make great strides in the coming year to get even more onboard.
Senior Development Advisor for Enterprise Ireland
In this video, Cygnum showcases how an Irish MMC business used Built to Innovate to enhance operational productivit. With the help of Enterprise Ireland, Cygnum has positioned itself as a leader in delivering high-quality, energy-efficient timber frame solutions for Ireland’s evolving housing market.
