With meticulous planning and reliable supply chain partnerships, PCE provides safety, quality, speed, and value as standard for modern methods of construction
As one of the UK’s leading Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) specialists, PCE Ltd delivers hybrid solutions with an innovative approach. Having recently celebrated the company’s 50th anniversary, Head of Business Development, Dan Gallagher, looks back on the journey so far. “We started as a construction-only business, purely focused on erecting concrete structures. Having done that for a few years, we then gravitated into the specialist design and build space, where we wanted to influence the outcome of the projects we were delivering on-site, and we became an independent design and build contractor.
“Rather than inheriting other people’s designs and principles, often laced with errors or inconsistencies, we decided to offer something new and reliable. PCE cares deeply about design, quality, speed, efficiency, and safety. We’ve learned a lot over the last 50 years, and our mission is to bring all that expertise to every project we undertake,” he begins.
“Over the years, we’ve become a highly specialised and sought after design and build entity. Our main area of expertise is hybrid DfMA design and build solutions, but we still offer erect-only services when our clients need them.
“At our core, we’re very comfortable mixing and matching materiality, configuring and tailoring solutions to meet the needs of our clients and their projects. There are a lot of advantages to doing precast, but we also recognise it’s not the answer to everything. For more complex designs, or instances where precast is sub-optimal, we’ll use steel, composite, concrete, or engineered timber to ensure the best possible outcome for our clients. Our structural solutions are designed to easily interchange materials and components, without added complexity, delay, or compromise on quality.
“What makes us unique is the fact that we don’t own any manufacturing facilities. Instead, we have a robust network of supply chain partners, which enables us to go into a project with a fresh approach and multiple options readily available. It also allows us to identify and design around the right solution, without channelling solutions to fill factory slots or cover expensive overheads. This unlocks and maximises client value, whilst benefitting from untapped production capacity for scale and speed.
“We take a systemised approach from the outset, configuring a hybrid kit of parts that are seamlessly integrated through our ‘smart connectivity’, or common connection principles. By planning every detail early, we bring clarity and coordination from day one, ensuring that once on site, everything progresses efficiently, safely, and exactly as intended. It isn’t just about the design manufacture and assembly of a project; it’s about the early adoption of a DfMA strategy and mentality which differs from traditional project delivery.
“We find this way of working suits us and our clients best, and early engagement is a big differential for increased project success, particularly from the wider project team. We have plenty of time up front to consider the specifics of the site, programme, logistics strategy and design, and changes can be made without impacting the construction or manufacturing process. Entering into construction activities with an in-depth plan and efficiently sequenced set of activities allows increased predictability, minimises risk and creates a safe (site) environment,” he elaborates.
Accelerating project delivery
As early pioneers of off-site manufacturing, PCE now reaps the rewards of its expertise and unique position in the market. Dan shares that DfMA is more sought after now than in the past. “I’ve been with the business for nearly 12 years now. When I first joined, our approach to construction and emphasis on off-site planning was ahead of its time. That forward-thinking and innovative mindset has allowed us to continue to operate ahead of the curve, finding new ways to optimise project delivery and client value.
“The industry’s maturity in offsite strategies was low and we’d receive a lot of enquiries for traditional project delivery. We had to spend a lot of time convincing clients of the benefits of our approach before receiving any form of commitment.
“Fast forward to the present day, and we’ve now got people coming to us at the conceptual stage, asking us to push the boundaries of a DfMA strategy. This means we don’t need to reverse engineer traditional designs as much, which naturally accelerates the whole process of project delivery.
“It’s exciting to see people get on board with what we’re doing. As clients come into it with the right mindset, there’s far less push and pull. It helps that people are starting to recognise the benefits of DfMA on an industry level. We’ve seen more government contracts adopt our strategy, demonstrating the inherent speed, control, compliance, and cost efficiency gains.
“Reduced lead times is a huge factor for our clients, with offsite construction often saving them time and money, while de-risking the whole process. Alongside this, we can offer a higher level of quality, with components being produced in a controlled environment utilising advanced manufacturing robotics and automation, rather than a busy site plagued with a shortage of skilled labour, constantly on rotation, in inclement weather conditions.” 
Reducing carbon emissions
As innovators in the construction space, PCE also leads the way to a more sustainable industry standard. “We completed a decarbonisation report around five years ago as part of an innovate UK Government funded scheme,” Dan shares. “Our mission was to map out and better understand the factors that were contributing to carbon emissions in off-site strategies, rather than relying on generic industry data.
“We really drilled down into our manufacturing, delivery, and on-site process to map out our energy usage and carbon footprint. We collaborated with several of our manufacturing supply chain partners to get a more comprehensive view and draw conclusions which spanned the whole manufacturing supply chain.”
The findings of this report enabled PCE to focus on the big differentiating factors to strategically reduce carbon emissions and operate more sustainably. “At the time,” Dan continues, “we were working on a number of prisons for the Ministry of Justice, and they ended up taking some of the lessons from our report and implementing them more broadly across their construction operations to drive a baseline for minimum standards for future work across the estate.
“Having done the research, we were able to go into our next project with a clear and targeted sustainability programme. We focussed on reducing carbon emissions in these areas and ultimately achieved a 14 per cent improvement in overall carbon efficiency.
“We’ve continued to work on reducing the environmental impact of our operations. We’re now part of another scheme with Innovate UK, called Inciner8-2-Net0. This programme works alongside international partners and several academic institutes to help us achieve our goal of reaching net-zero emissions by utilising incinerator bottom ash from household waste, to offset the use of cementitious products.”
Having shaped the future of construction for half a century, there’s no doubt that PCE will remain at the cutting edge for many years to come. “Our goal is to continue increasing our offering by driving efficiency and client value through more innovation, automated processes, higher levels of control, and further digitisation. We’re driven to continue raising the bar for offsite solutions resulting in better client value, and project delivery,” Dan concludes. “If we stay true to our mission, we can continue to drive industry innovation, encouraging more sustainable and effective DfMA solutions. The engagement domestically and internationally is exciting to see, and with the right strategic partners, I can see the PCE blueprint being adopted on a far greater scale, and potentially on an international stage.”