Prefab Construction Navigator

Until now, Canada’s prefab sector has been invisible. Unlike other G7 countries, there has been no comprehensive national data source that defines the sector and its contribution to the Canadian economy. Key questions—Who is making what? Where? How? At what scale?—were impossible to answer. Without this basic information, project teams miss opportunities to leverage prefab for the benefits it can deliver: speed, quality, and precision. It also hampers investment, slows regulatory adaptation, and limits the adoption of off-site methods that could transform construction. Without sector-wide data, it has been difficult to align market capacity with growing demand or shape coordinated policies to support it. There are good reasons why this work has not been done before.  There is no NAICS code for prefab as a sector, and where national business data is collected, it is not organized in a way that is useful for the construction industry. Definitions of what “prefab” includes vary.  Across Canada, there is a diversity of prefab formats (panels, trusses, volumetric modules, kits), building materials (wood, concrete, steel, multi-material systems, HVAC and more), serving all sectors of the construction market - from houses to hospitals. The prefab space not only includes manufacturers but also designers, specialist installers, leasing and sales, fleet management, and numerous general contractors that engage in some level of off-site construction. When creating the Prefab Construction Navigator - Canada’s first comprehensive database of prefab companies, Scius cast a wide net. The digital dashboard and open-access tool is built upon 12 months of primary and secondary research, and over 100 in-person interviews. The challenge addressed was not only technical, but also methodological and political: it involved creating a robust, scalable framework that establishes a national baseline from which trends and insights into this high-potential industry can be visualized easily.

Website: https://sciusadvisory.com/prefab-construction-nav/ The Prefab Construction Navigator directly resolves the knowledge and coordination gap that has limited the growth of prefabrication in Canada. It encompasses everything to do with the production of building components at locations separate from the final building site, whether in temporary facilities, local factories, or inter-provincial manufacturing plants. The scope ranges from basic assemblies of beams, columns, and trusses to sophisticated enclosed wall panels with integrated windows and mechanical systems, kits, and complete modules ready for stacking. Innovation continues to expand prefabrication possibilities, introducing solutions such as "plug-and-play" HVAC systems and "slide-on" balcony modules.  The Navigator is built on structured data from over 100 company interviews, desktop research, industry association member lists, and contributions from our 10 partner organizations. It captures the products and services offered by 846 active companies out of 1,113 locations and segmenting them by products (e.g., wall panels, modules, ADUs), materials (wood, steel, concrete, hybrid), systems (HVAC, pods), services (design, installation, manufacturing, leasing) markets served, workforce size, and revenues. By creating an open-access, filterable platform, Scius enables developers, government bodies, contractors, and researchers to instantly identify prefab partners, understand market gaps, and align procurement strategies with real capacity. Policymakers can now support the sector with data-backed standards, workforce programs, and housing investments. Meanwhile, manufacturers can benchmark themselves and locate opportunities for collaboration or market entry. The solution also supports continual updating by enabling stakeholders to contribute new or revised company information. This future-proofing ensures the platform remains current, useful, and widely adopted. In short, the Prefab Construction Navigator transforms prefab from an anecdotal and fragmented market into a coherent and actionable ecosystem.