Designing Out Waste: Richard Pickett on the case for manufacturing-led design
Our Head of Sustainability, Richard Pickett, has set out the case for manufacturing-led design in this month’s issue of Offsite Magazine.
In his article, “Designing Out Waste: The Case for Manufacturing-Led Design,” Richard argues that the greatest opportunity to cut construction waste lies not on site, but much earlier, in design development and explains how SES Manufacturing is helping project teams get there.
Tackling the cause, not just the symptom
Waste remains one of construction’s most persistent challenges. For decades, the industry’s response has focused on what happens at the end of the process – recycling materials, improving segregation on site and reducing landfill volumes. As Richard explains, these efforts, while important, often treat the symptom rather than the cause:
“The most effective way to minimise waste is to prevent it from being created in the first place.”
That means moving beyond traditional construction methods towards a manufacturing-led approach – one that considers how systems will be produced, assembled, transported, installed and maintained from the outset.
Why building services lead the way
Richard points to building services as one of the clearest examples of this mindset shift. Complex interfaces, extensive coordination requirements and a high volume of individual components have traditionally made MEP a source of waste, rework and inefficiency on site.
Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) isn’t new, but Richard argues its role in delivering sustainability, quality and productivity objectives has never been more relevant. By integrating manufacturing expertise into design from the earliest stages, project teams can:
- Standardise components and accurately calculate material requirements
- Optimise assemblies – from multi-service modules to plant skids – for factory production
- Avoid the over-ordering, reworking and site-based modifications that generate waste
- Return, track and reuse excess materials within a controlled factory environment
- Identify and resolve clashes and design changes digitally, before production begins
The numbers behind the approach
This isn’t just a philosophy – it’s already delivering results. At SES Manufacturing, the approach contributed to 177 tonnes of potential waste being recycled last year alone. And the benefits extend well beyond waste. In 2025, SES Manufacturing removed more than 309,000 site-based labour hours through offsite manufacture, reducing site activity, travel and associated carbon emissions while improving productivity and delivery certainty.
Part of a wider sustainability drive
Richard frames the drive to design out waste as part of a broader push across SES, which includes aligning procurement with ISO 20400, increasing the proportion of supply chain emissions covered by science-based targets from 11% to 48% through a major supplier engagement programme, and operating diesel-free sites following a successful trial with Sunbelt.
As Richard puts it, “the most effective solution is not managing waste better but preventing it from being created at all.” For building services, he believes offsite manufacturing offers one of the most compelling demonstrations of what manufacturing-led design can achieve.
Read the full article: Designing Out Waste: The Case for Manufacturing-Led Design – Offsite Magazine – Issue 54.