Prefab trend sparks company restructuring

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This story was first published in GSA Business Report's Feb. 7 print edition.

Industry experts forecast a perfect storm for the modular and prefabricated construction market.

Even before COVID-19, global housing crises and growing environmental concerns sparked demand for ready-to-assemble materials, according to a Jan. 27 study from Global Market Insights.

Add in today’s scrabble for construction labor to the mix, and anything that cuts down on the time and energy spent at the site might seem more attractive.

The report expects that demand to translate into a $200 billion international market by 2027 with the relocatable segment and steel material segment markets each generating $90 million.

The North American market should reap $63 billion of revenue from modular and prefabricated products, according to the study.

Spartanburg-based Tindall Corp. is betting on some of that revenue to come its way, as the company reorganized in January to reflect the building boom in prefabricated products.

“The overall demand for building materials remains one of the biggest challenges the construction industry is facing,” the company’s executive team said in a statement to GSA Business Report. “Our talented teams have managed to capitalize on these issues and turn them into positive growth opportunities for Tindall. We anticipate this climate to continue into the foreseeable future.”

The company’s current prestress concrete divisions will make up the Tindall Buildings Systems Group, led by Rob Smith, the division’s new senior vice president of operations.

As the company seeks to expand beyond its parking-centric customer base, the new division will target residential, commercial, institutional, manufacturing and warehouse projects, according to the company.

That means honing in on production of company’s precast, prestressed concrete brand T-Slab, while also following leads for new product opportunities.

“T-Slab was the missing piece in providing very efficient multi-story structures, particularly for the residential and commercial sectors,” Greg Force, Tindall Corp.’s president and CEO, said in the statement. “It will also afford much more flexibility and dexterity in providing building solutions for data centers, schools and many other applications.”

T-Slab concrete is cast within Tindall’s manufacturing facilities in a variety of colors, textures and shapes and is reinforced with prestressing steel strands pulled taut at about 40,000 pounds per strand before the concrete is poured, according to the company.

The Tindall Infrastructure Group, formerly the company’s utility division, was established to promote the company’s expansion beyond the traditional “underground service” market to heavy civil, petrochemical and energy projects too.

Joe Sheets will lead that division as the senior vice president of infrastructure operations.

“We will still provide the same high quality utility products that helped us get here, but the new alignment allows us to do so much more” Sheets told GSA Business Report in a statement. “Tindall will continue to use its engineering prowess coupled with a new state-of-the-art facility to further its ability for delivering custom, one-of-kind solutions to the market’s toughest challenges.”

The Tindall Infrastructure Group will occupy the company’s new 2877 Fairforest Clevedale Road facility, opened in 2021 with the promise of a $27.9 million investment in the county and advanced automation technology.

The company’s in-house 80-engineer research and development team will continue to serve both groups.

Tindall Buildings Systems Group will remain at Spartanburg’s existing 3076 N. Blackstock Road, as well as the company’s locations in Conley, Ga.; Moss Point, Miss.; Richmond, Va.; and San Antonio, Texas. And if the company continues to grow, the executives noted, it will be the Tindall Building Systems Group that will scout out new locations.

“This realignment of the business allows our company to pay that much closer attention to what we do well and what sets us apart as we aggressively seek ways to continue to serve our customers and deliver innovative solutions to numerous market segments,” Force said in the original news release. “Because of the strength and tenure of our team and their commitment to bring passion and ingenuity to every challenging opportunity, Tindall distinguishes itself as more than a provider of precast concrete products. We’ve become an industry leader in developing cutting-edge building system and infrastructure solutions, and we are excited to take this next big step in Tindall’s history.”

Editor’s note: In GSA Business Report’s original coverage of the division, the article incorrectly said the company will split into two distinct businesses. Tindall Building Systems and Tindall Infrastructure will remain under Tindall Corp. operations.