Factory Tour

Receiving - Through strategic partnerships with its vendors, Transform receives many of its materials pre-assembled in kits for specific walls, floors or ceilings. Materials are received in two primary locations flanking the main production line.

Kitting - Detailed drawings from the Technical Services department provide our assembly shops with the information necessary to pre-assemble kits of materials for walls, floors, ceilings and various finish packages. These kits are prepared and delivered to the point of use in a Just-in- Time fashion.

Optimizing Saw - Our auto-saw reads CAD files and optimizes standard length lumber stock, cutting it into precise lengths for each wall, floor or ceiling, minimizing waste with each cut. In addition to precision cuts, the CNC-controlled auto-saw includes a marking pen to show all intersections as well as an ink-jet printer that marks each piece of lumber with a unique identification code for its final location.

Pre-Assembly - Kits of lumber from the auto-saw supply the rough opening station where window and door openings are preassembled. These rough openings are retrieved and pulled into the CNC-controlled framing station as required by the operator.

Wall Framing - The framing station combines pre-assembled rough openings and components with standard dimensional lumber to create interior and exterior walls in 34' lengths. It utilizes automated nail guns, nail plate presses, multi-stage drills for top & bottom plate openings and an integrated routing mechanism which creates wiring channels in the wall studs.

Floor/Ceiling Build - At the same time the walls are started on the framing station, the floor and ceiling assembly are started. Built manually to start, these work centers will eventually be semiautomated. Parts kits for each unique floor are preassembled in our kitting shops and staged waiting for installation into the appropriate floor or ceiling.

Interior Sheathing - The multi-function bridge combines up to 6 tools which together nail, route and staple various sheathing materials onto a wall. The squaring table ensures the wall module is perfectly square and studs are straight before the sheathing is fastened. Once fastened securely, the MFB travels back over the wall routing all openings, all within 1mm of accuracy.

Butterfly Table - A butterfly table turns the sheathed wall over, exposing the open side and the routed wiring channels. With the kits of parts for the interior of the wall waiting, the wall is now ready to accept the assemblies that were prepared in the kitting shops earlier. These kits will include all electrical, plumbing, HVAC and insulation required in a given wall.

Exterior Sheathing -Once the interior elements of the wall have all been installed and inspected, the exterior sheathing is tacked in place. The wall is transferred to another table to keep the process moving and the multi-function bridge does its final passes; first fastening the exterior sheathing and then routing the openings.

Wall Finishing - Now roughly 60% complete, the wall travels horizontally onto mobile tables, allowing it to be moved through the flexible work center, where the vapor barrier, window kits and exterior siding are installed. The horizontal orientation of our wall production and ergonomic height of our work tables help us to minimize the use of ladders and keep our employees safe.

Wall Installation -The walls, now 90+% complete are lifted by crane and installed on the completed floor system, while the ceiling/ roof assembly continues to run on its own parallel production line. Much like the wall production, keeping the ceiling build on the floor allows us to maintain a safer work environment.

Ceiling/Roof Installation - After the walls have been set, the completed ceiling/roof assembly is installed by another overhead crane.

Interior Wall Finishing - Once the ceiling/roof is installed, the module travels further down the main assembly line into an enclosed environment where the final coats of mud and tape are applied. The sidewalls help capture dust from the sanding process, and contain fumes and dust during the installation of texture and paint; further efforts to maintain a healthy work environment for our employees.

Exterior Wall Finishing Concurrent with the interior wall finishing is the completion of the exterior of the module. Exterior siding and trim are painted to the customer specifications before moving the interior finish station.

Interior Finishes - Upon its exit from the enclosed sanding and painting stations, the module travels into the finishing stages where cabinets, fixtures, flooring, appliances and hard surfaces are installed.

Final Inspection - After all factory-built elements of the production are complete the modules will undergo a final quality inspection. This will include a thorough walkthrough of the entire module as well as a test of all major systems.

Packaging Once the final quality inspection is complete, each module will go through a thorough cleaning before all ship loose materials will be packaged and stored for further installation at the site. The final step in our manufacturing process is to package the unit for storage and shipment to the customer job site.