Housebuilding startup Module is looking to launch a ‘Last Mile Lab’ in Pittsburgh to serve as a location for inspections and last-minute installations of housing components before they are sent off for final assembly.
The company currently relies entirely on a manufacturing site in Clarion, Pennsylvania, to carry out these tasks.
The new 10,000 sq.ft facility will be funded in part by the recent $250,000 investment from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.
The exact location of the lab has yet to be finalised, but the company says it will be located within a 15-minute drive of their headquarters in Pittsburgh.
The Last Mile Lab is expected to launch by the third quarter of 2022, with more established staffing operations at the site expected for 2023.
Brian Gaudio, Module co-founder and CEO, said: “We’re going to be doing the (installations and building) that is harder for these larger, modular factories to do or where it slows their production line down.
“In this lab, we’re going to be testing what more can we potentially be doing in a controlled environment (by doing it) in the Last Mile Lab.”
The space will also serve at least two other purposes, including that of a demonstration and innovation showroom where other homebuilding-related companies can come to test their products alongside Module’s offerings.
It’ll also aim to offer workforce development opportunities for those enrolled in the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh.
The Institute is partnering with Module to help increase the number of women and minority populations who work in the construction building trade industry, through hands-on experiencing at Module’s lab.
Donta Green, executive director of Trade Institute of Pittsburgh, said: “We are very excited to embark on this collaboration.
“Module brings a much-needed model of affordable and accessible housing to the Pittsburgh region. Through this partnership, Trade Institute students will be exposed to new opportunities in the Module field of sustainable and energy efficient construction.”
Image credit: An artist’s rendering of Module’s Last Mile Lab facility (Credit: Module)
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