Ask the Expert: Why is Building Quicker Better?

Fabcon’s precast concrete wall panels save projects time and money while being durable and efficient. As the largest structural precast wall manufacturer in the U.S., Fabcon engineers and produces its panels in one of four U.S. production facilities and ships the finished product to the job site in as little as eight weeks, whereas a smaller outfit could take months. The modular concrete panels themselves make buildings stronger while also easier to install. Here, Fabcon Regional Sales Manager Dave Stanton explains how building quickly and efficiently cuts costs and equals a better project all around.

Time saves money. Once a building owner has financial approval to build, they are paying on that loan. The quicker they can open, the quicker they can make money. When you as a general contractor are able to have that meeting with the owner and say, “Your schedule’s not being impacted,” they see the value. Their return on investment is very quick—within months.

Fabcon helps buildings go up fast in part because weather has no impact on us. There’s no time delay because precast is manufactured in a controlled facility. We’re producing walls while the foundations are being completed, and when we hit the job site, we have enough product to continuously erect the building. Precast is the least labor intensive of wall systems, too, as much of the labor it took to create those walls was done offsite. It’s not completely labor-free—we still need people in our facilities—but onsite it’s minimal labor.