Being safe and efficient has never been more important.

As companies across the country look at cost cutting measures to weather the storm of the Covid 19 pandemic, there are more and more decisions that are being made to create safe spaces for workers who were once in crowded manufacturing plants and on assembly lines. Retrofitting materials that are used for prefabricated office walls, for instance, can create new spaces that can be reused in a number of different ways in the future. And when companies make the right decisions to put workers’ safety first, they quickly realize that warehouse partitioning systems and other physical barriers can allow them to continue to produce and create their products.

Fortunately, even before the pandemic, the use of prefabricated walls was already growing. This increase means that there are even more options available than would have been just a decade ago. As other parts of the world realized that modular constructions could reduce energy consumption during the building process by as much as 67% and reduce energy costs later on for occupants, there were companies across the globe working to create the very materials that are so useful right now. Created for a different reason, these prefabricated office walls are now being used in warehouses, on production lines, and throughout schools and universities. With the combined benefits of being quick to assemble and install, as well as being affordable, the demand for prefabricated office walls has increased steadily during the last six months.

Prefabricated Office Walls Help Create the Social Distancing Many Businesses Seek

Although there are many kinds of businesses that are just now realizing the advantage of prefabricated office walls and other temporary building options, these methods and materials are not new. In fact, as many as 90% of engineers, 84% of contractors, and 76% of architects use prefabricated and modular construction processes on at least some of their projects. In an effort to reduce waste and make their projects more environmentally friendly, many engineers, contractors, and architects have long been using these materials. As a result of the wide range of ways that these materials have been used in the past, there are now many more options for those who are just now considering these options. As schools across the nation continue to search for the safest ways to have I person learning, for example, the materials that in the past were used for warehouse offices and other professional work spaces are coming in very handy.

In a time when the health guidelines are changing and many schools needed to adapt quickly, the speed provided by the use of these modular materials is especially appealing. For instance, because 60% to 90% of all prefabricated construction occurs in a warehouse or factory, projects can be completed much faster when using these methods. the challenge, of course, has been getting a hold of some of these products that are now in such high demand. Because open work spaces and classrooms have been such a trend in the last few years, there was a real need for many businesses and schools to create physical barriers and temporary spaces in a very short period of time. Fortunately, some of these businesses and schools may have had warehouses where they were storing some of these modular dividers. Repurposing these materials from individual offices for folks who are now working from home into walls that could be used on a manufacturing floor or classroom was ideal for these companies. For others who did not yet own prefabricated walls that could be used to create new spaces, the competition for these resources was intense. Although both kind of modular materials, permanent and relocatable, were in high demand, it is important to note that many more businesses and schools were in search of materials that could be relocated at a later date.

As the nation continues to navigate the challenges of the Covid 19 pandemic, it is important to note that many businesses and schools will need to continually adjust to changing guidelines. It will be most interesting to see just how many of these changes will remain in place after the threat of the pandemic is over.