I’ve often wondered how much real experience counts when a
new modular factory makes the leap from idea to opening day. Not “experience”
in the marketing-brochure sense—where someone’s time in an unrelated industry
magically translates into “years of construction management”—but actual,
boots-on-the-factory-floor knowledge of modular production. The kind that
understands the difference between theory and the thud of a misaligned module
being set on site.
And here’s another question: when those gleaming factory
doors open for the first time, is the business truly prepared to survive beyond
the honeymoon? Or is its future quietly tethered to a pipeline of orders from
one of the co-owners or investors, without a wider sales plan to sustain it
past the two-year mark? Too many startups skip the hard part of building a
trained, experienced modular sales team and instead rely on someone who once
did marketing for a real estate developer on TikTok.
The truth is, modular construction—whether residential
or commercial—is a tougher road than most people realize. In the auto industry,
regulation is intense but largely ends when a vehicle leaves the plant. From
there on, it’s all warranty work.
In modular, the complexity starts before the first piece
of material hits the line. Codes, engineering, and inspections shape every
design before production even begins. For residential modular factories, each
home could be destined for a different jurisdiction with its own unique set of
codes. That means every single unit rolling down the line might be built to a
different rulebook.
So, can executives from insurance, finance, healthcare, or
automotive who may have brushed against housing or development, really expect
to thrive without deep modular experience? In most cases, the odds of long-term
profitability, let alone surviving past year three, are about as good as
winning the Powerball lottery without buying a ticket.
If you’re thinking about launching a modular factory,
here’s the simplest, smartest piece of advice you’ll ever get: hire someone who
knows what they’re doing.
Bring in a seasoned advisor or consultant, or better yet,
lure an operations leader or two from a successful competitor. You’ll at least
be giving yourself a fighting chance instead of betting your investment on a
glossy brochure and a shaky learning curve.
In modular, experience isn’t optional—it’s the thin line
between a thriving plant and a very expensive lesson.
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