About Us

Construction is evolving to address the challenges of responsible development.

Design for Manufacture & Assembly (DfMA) underpins our approach to driving this change.

AI, digital design, offsite construction, prefabrication, modern methods of construction (MMC), and lean manufacturing, are transforming the delivery of new buildings, while governance and regulation are driving new priorities that focus on safety, sustainability, and productivity.

At the same time, growing global demand is constrained by economic and societal factors including affordability, changing demographics, and low consumer confidence.

Our approach is driven by our knowledge and experience. With projects in the UK, USA, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, and Africa, we have a deep understanding of the opportunities and risks associated with offsite and MMC, enabling us to realise our client’s ambitions for responsible development.

DfMA

Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) is both a philosophical and methodical approach to design that optimises manufacturing and assembly processes to reduce cost, improve safety, and drive efficiency.

At APPLY, we harness the power of DfMA to change construction.

DfMA begins by understanding the product and identifying the optimum level of sub-assembly for maximum benefit.

We aim to reduce:

Material, overhead and labour cost.
New product development time.
Product assembly cost.
Part production cost.
Complexity.
Waste.

Why?

70-80% of production cost - materials / processing / assembly - are determined by design.

DfMA principles enable us to drive efficient procurement:

Comprehensive Bill of Materials - down to precise number and type of individual fastenings.
Work in cross-functional teams to optimise designs for efficient production.
Create modular sub-assemblies at the optimum level for the product.
Standardise parts and materials for competitive market sourcing.
Simplify and reduce the number of assembly options.
Design for efficient connection - focus on interfaces.
Avoid special tooling/test equipment.
Minimise the number of parts.
Greater quality control.
Minimise operations.
Omit redundancy.

Digital Design & AI

APPLY uses AI and digital processes to provide data driven insight.

In production process design for example, we use data driven analysis to determine functional relationships to optimise lean manufacturing and maximise value for our customers.

This enables our people to use their imagination and explore variations on established practices to consider how new concepts might be introduced.

With AI streamlining workflows, our designers can focus on strategic, conceptual, and creative problem-solving which is at the heart of our collaboration process with clients.

Net Zero

Construction and the build environment account for 40% of global carbon emissions.

APPLY is working hard to reduce this number to slow the rate of climate change. We apply our knowledge and experience to create sustainable outcomes at a product, process, building and environment level.

Net zero is the state at which greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by their removal from the atmosphere - the term is important because – for CO at least – this is the state at which global warming stops.

We are proud to be working with clients who share this mission. For example, HEMSPAN® is a construction technology business developing bio-based, circular systems to capture and store atmospheric carbon in buildings and delivering climate-positive communities.

Project Management

Managing the application of processes, skills, and knowledge to achieve our client’s objectives within a defined scope, budget, and timeline, is how we deliver best value.

We provide high level strategic leadership as well as technical management, planning and organisational skills to programme and deliver the sequence of activities required to ensure design, procurement, manufacture, delivery, and installation on time in full (OTIF).

Our experience in the automotive, construction and off-site sectors, gives us a unique understanding of manufacturing imperatives such as quality, service, inventory, and safety, and their strategic value.

We understand the risks particular to off-site manufacturing (in addition to normal construction risk), including funding, process and programming, cost/value/productivity, skills & knowledge, quality, regulatory, industry and market culture, logistics and site operations.

Meet Our Team

Anthony Pearce

BSc Dip Arch
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Specialises in the definition and execution of business strategy in the off-site manufacturing sector.
30 years’ experience understanding the innovation process, building physics and the expert delivery of complex projects to achieve best value.
20 years focussed on off-site manufacturing and on-site assembly.
Formerly Director of Innovation at The UNITE Group plc.
Stuart King

BSc
OPERATIONS AND PROJECTS DIRECTOR
An experienced project manager with 28 years in, automotive manufacture, modular manufacture and traditional construction.
Stuart’s product development background in the automotive and off-site sectors, combined with his engineering knowledge and exceptional planning and organisation skills, gives him unique insight into the challenges of planning and executing projects.
He formerly led R&D at The UNITE Group plc and was Head of Product Design at Snoozebox plc.