On the Factory Floor: What Reds10 Taught Us About the Future of Offsite
Reds10 opened their Driffield doors for a BOPAS Forum that blended accreditation, knowledge-sharing and live factory experience in one visit. With support from BOPAS, BUILDOFFSITE and LRQA, the event gave attendees the chance to see industrialised construction in context rather than on screen – and, for us at BUILDOFFSITE, it reinforced just how important it is to meet on site and in person.
Proceedings began with remarks from our industry adviser, Ken Davie, who outlined the common purpose that links BOPAS and BUILDOFFSITE: building confidence among clients, investors and operators that Industrialised Construction can consistently deliver robust, high-performing assets at scale. Reds10 Managing Director, Ryan Geldard, then set the scene from a delivery perspective, walking delegates through the company’s portfolio across defence, justice, health, education and wider public sector programmes.
Ryan highlighted how Reds10 has structured its operations around a platform-based model – enabling varied external treatments, extensive internal fit out within the factory and repeatable designs that can be adapted for multiple sectors without starting again each time. A key moment in the morning was the formal acknowledgement of HEMSPAN, who received their BOPAS accreditation and certificate from Sean McCormick of LRQA. For the wider audience, it was a tangible example of a system meeting the assurance and durability thresholds required by funders, insurers and the market.
The focus then shifted to discussion, with a panel chaired by Terry Mundy and featuring contributions from Sam Stacey, Anthony Pearce, Richard Fox and Ryan Geldard. The challenge we put to the panel was direct: how can residential and mixed-use projects draw on the offsite experience already embedded in defence, justice and health programmes?
Their responses converged around several points. Projects move faster and perform better when clients, designers, manufacturers and operators are engaged from the outset. Platform-based approaches, refined across multiple schemes, are cutting programme time while improving outcomes. Crucially, early and ongoing input from end users and frontline staff is reshaping layouts and details in ways that make buildings easier and safer to operate.
From a BUILDOFFSITE standpoint, it was encouraging to hear a shared view that residential, PBSA and regeneration projects can unlock similar gains by treating each scheme as part of an evolving learning cycle rather than a one-off commission.
Out in the factory, those themes came to life. Delegates saw extensive pre-fitout work underway in controlled conditions – from internal partitions and finishes to mechanical and electrical installation. Modules for single living accommodation for the Armed Forces, both temporary and permanent, showed how a common platform can be configured to meet different operational requirements. A prototype single-bed hospital ward demonstrated how clinical teams can test and refine layouts before committing to wider deployment.
The on-site apprentice training facility left a particular impression. With woodworking skills being taught and clear routes to formal qualifications, it illustrated a point we often make at BUILDOFFSITE: industrialised construction is not about automating people out of the process, but about creating safer, higher-quality, skilled roles and building a resilient workforce for the future.
For us, the level of engagement and the commitment shown by those who travelled to Driffield on a cold winter’s day sent a strong signal. There is real demand for in-person, site-based learning and for forums that bring together the full industrialised construction ecosystem. The Reds10 forum demonstrated partnership in practice – BOPAS offering assurance, HEMSPAN showcasing successful accreditation, Reds10 delivering at scale and BUILDOFFSITE convening the wider community – and underlined that events of this kind are about much more than a factory tour. They are about nurturing a community of practice around industrialised construction and supporting offsite’s continued shift into the mainstream.
