Driven by ongoing urbanization and the gradual fading of China’s demographic dividend, the industrialization of construction has emerged as a core trend across the entire industry. For mechanical and electrical installation firms, advancing this industrialization hinges on technological innovation to overhaul construction management models. This shift moves operations away from labor-intensive practices toward management- and technology-driven approaches, steadily boosting labor productivity. Last year, Wuxi Industrial Equipment Installation Co., Ltd. managed the mechanical and electrical installation for the underground space of Taihu Lake Square, part of Wuxi Metro Line 1. Implementing industrialized mechanical and electrical installation in this project delivered marked gains: labor productivity rose, on-site staffing was cut, environmental pollution was reduced, project costs dropped, and economic returns improved. Below are the key strategies applied to the industrialized construction of mechanical and electrical systems in this project.
Precision Industrial Design
The project’s electromechanical system covers power and low-voltage systems, water supply and drainage, HVAC, fire protection, and more. It spans multiple specialties, overlapping work zones, and complex coordination demands. The company leveraged BIM technology to carry out detailed pipeline design and collision checks. These checks resolved both hard and soft collision issues, cutting the risk of rework caused by pipeline blockages or conflicts during construction and ensuring proper spacing and elevation for indoor pipelines. Construction teams used the optimized 3D pipeline layout for briefings and simulations, effectively safeguarding the project timeline.
Industrial Process Simulation
Under traditional construction management, insufficient drawing reviews often lead to major losses on site. For this project, BIM technology was used to build virtualized, visualized models, identifying construction challenges and critical points in advance to prevent secondary work. Simulating construction techniques and delivering 3D model briefings improved cross-discipline collaboration among civil engineering, mechanical and electrical installation, and fine decoration. Additionally, by integrating BIM Technology with construction plans, simulations, and on-site monitoring, the team further refined construction process management. This lowered quality and structural safety risks, cut rework and rectification, accelerated overall progress, and boosted on-site efficiency.
Industrialization, Prefabrication, and Factory Production
Mechanical and electrical installation is shifting toward factory prefabrication and on-site assembly, enabling independent work without mutual interference. The core workflow involves determining required materials through detailed design, followed by factory prefabrication of components based on design drawings. Labeled products are then shipped to site for mechanized installation, with quality and safety monitored throughout. The benefits of industrialization in mechanical and electrical installation are clear, primarily in the following areas:
1. Precise Budgeting and Material Efficiency. Based on detailed design drawings, prefabrication drawings are created to specify material needs. This prevents waste from on-site processing, directly lowers costs, and reduces material storage space and construction noise.
2. Large-Scale Production and Mechanized Installation. The team fully utilized factory production lines and specialized equipment to process components per prefabrication drawings, enabling mass production. This ensures high precision, accurate dimensions, shorter production cycles, and reduced material loss. Mechanized on-site installation also cuts the number of workers on site.
3. Reduced On-Site Constraints and Shorter Schedules. Factory prefabrication is unaffected by weather, site conditions, or other construction schedules, allowing independent production as needed.
4. Guaranteed Construction Quality. Composite components and mechanized assembly lower the technical bar for installation staff, reduce on-site personnel, ease labor intensity, and improve construction efficiency.
5. Improved Construction Safety. Cutting high-altitude operations and relying on fewer auxiliary facilities not only raises technical standards and efficiency but also ensures the safety of construction personnel.
6. Lower Pollution and Safety Hazards. Reducing on-site cutting and welding minimizes pollution and eliminates associated safety risks.
Mechanization in Industrial Construction
Integrating mechanization, semi-mechanization, and specialized tools has systematically and progressively raised the level of construction mechanization, a cornerstone of industrializing mechanical and electrical installation.
1. Material Transport. Moving raw materials, semi-finished products, and finished goods within the work area is mechanized—using forklifts or cranes for on-site movement—boosting efficiency and cutting labor demand.
2. Lifting and Installing Semi-Finished and Finished Products. Replacing traditional movable scaffolds and chain hoists, forklifts with fixtures are used for work under 4.5 meters, and combined hydraulic lifting trucks for work above 4.5 meters. This greatly improves construction efficiency and reduces high-altitude work risks.
3. Precise Positioning with Advanced Tools. Laser theodolites and infrared calibrators are used for on-site positioning of pipelines and supports, replacing manual layout and improving efficiency.
On-Site Information Management for Industrialization
On-site information management covers digitalization across material management, schedule control, technical oversight, equipment management, production monitoring, and cost accounting. It serves as a critical safeguard for the industrialization of mechanical and electrical installation projects.
1. Material Management. Monitoring and managing the entire material lifecycle—from application and ordering to inventory and procurement payments—standardizes processes and lowers procurement costs.
2. Progress Management. This includes modules for overall project schedules, monthly plans, and comparisons of planned versus actual monthly progress, with automatic bar chart generation. Comparing plans to actuals enables effective control and supervision of overall project progress.
3. Technical Management. Covering construction organization design, inspection and supervision, standard implementation, and project acceptance data, this ensures quality control across the entire process.
4. Equipment Management. Delivers full-process control over mechanical equipment.
5. Production Monitoring. 24-hour video surveillance is installed in work areas, key passages, warehouses, and hazardous material storage sites. Team leaders and managers use wireless intercoms for communication, cutting travel time. A unified access control and attendance system for construction workers reduces the need for management staff.
6. Cost Accounting Management. By linking various data sets to cost data, cost control is embedded in all project management operations, enabling dynamic cost management for engineering projects.
The Path Ahead for Industrialization
We have implemented industrialized construction in mechanical and electrical installation projects and achieved notable results, but this is only the beginning. Take the mechanical and electrical installation project for the Taihu Lake Square underground space of Wuxi Metro Line 1 as an example: the project cost over 70 million yuan, spans 67,000 square meters, has a tight schedule, high standards, and sits in a major traffic artery. Under the traditional model, 250–300 construction workers would be needed to meet the deadline. With the industrialized approach, despite higher costs for mechanical equipment, design optimization, and digitalization, only 100 operators were required on site. While meeting the construction schedule, this saved substantial labor costs and ensured project quality and safety, earning recognition from the owner and construction authorities. However, we recognize several issues that still require further exploration and improvement during implementation:
First, BIM Technology is a critical tool for industrializing the installation industry. We have applied it in an exploratory way, and gaps remain in certain areas. Currently, there is no unified national standard. It is advisable to develop corresponding work standards and specifications.
Second, to further boost design and installation efficiency, prefabricated components and accessories need proper classification and uniform labeling, along with standardized, practical installation procedures. This will gradually lower the technical requirements for installation personnel.
Third, increase the rate of factory prefabrication. In future mechanical and electrical installation projects, we should adopt an industrialized mindset to transform construction models, minimize on-site component production, prioritize factory prefabrication, fully leverage the benefits of factory production, and continuously raise the level of construction mechanization.
Industrializing mechanical and electrical installation is an inevitable trend in industry development. Overcoming the shortcomings of traditional construction—outdated technology, inconsistent quality, high labor intensity, and frequent safety incidents—and fully advancing the industrialization of mechanical and electrical installation will be the essential path for installation companies to achieve transformation, upgrading, and sustainable development.
(Author’s affiliation: Wuxi Industrial Equipment Installation Co., Ltd.)
Lin Xiaosheng
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