The demand for new homes in Australia continues at a time when skilled workers are in short supply. For Hickory, the answer is to rethink how buildings are designed, manufactured and assembled.
Hickory and SYNC have partnered with Melbourne Polytechnic’s Future of Housing Construction Centre of Excellence to give the next generation of tradespeople hands-on experience with modern methods of construction, using the SYNC bathroom pod as a real-world learning tool.
Hickory Managing Director, George Abraham and SYNC Managing Director, Chris Ong discuss the future of construction, the role of modern methods of construction, and why investing in the next generation is essential to the industry’s success.
What’s one challenge facing the Australian construction industry that can’t be solved by continuing to build the way we always have?
George Abraham: Housing supply is an ongoing challenge. Australia needs more homes than traditional construction can deliver on its own, at a time when the industry is also facing skills shortages and rising costs.
The gains from building the way we traditionally have are now too small and marginal to deliver the improvements we’re looking for. With the technology, equipment and automation that are readily available today, we believe we can achieve exponential gains in productivity.
What role can modern methods of construction play in addressing that challenge?
Abraham: Modern methods of construction allow us to build with greater precision, speed, consistency and at scale. When we manufacture components in a controlled environment, we improve quality and safety, reduce waste and shorten time on site. It’s not about replacing traditional construction. It’s about using smarter processes to deliver more homes, more efficiently.
What does leadership in this shift look like for Hickory?
Abraham: For at least 15 years, Hickory has been leading modern methods of construction, finding ways to optimise performance for safety, time, cost and quality. We’re committed to continuing that pursuit into the future.
Our vision is to lead the shift towards precision-manufacturing. That means investing in technology, capability and people. Leadership isn’t only about adopting new methods ourselves. It’s about helping the next generation move forward and showing the industry what the future of construction can look like.
How are modern methods of construction changing the way Australia builds?
Chris Ong: We’re leading a shift from building onsite to manufacturing key components off-site. Prefabricated elements, such as fully finished bathroom pods, arrive ready to install, simplifying coordination and reducing delays.
The SYNC pod illustrates how construction is changing through a systems approach. It ties together design, manufacturing, quality assurance and consistency of product and outcomes, with a clear understanding of how a bathroom and its components interface with the building site.
For builders and developers, that brings greater certainty around programme, cost and high quality outcomes. For trades, it means less time working in confined spaces on site and more time on coordinated, carefully sequenced installation. It’s a more predictable way to build.
Why is investing in the next generation of the workforce so important?
Abraham: The future of construction depends on its people. As the industry evolves, the skills we need are evolving too. We’re very excited to explore how our pursuit of modern methods of construction can be teamed up with the training and education sector, so we can build the skilled workforce we need to achieve our goals.
Our partnership with SYNC and Melbourne Polytechnic’s Future of Housing Construction Centre of Excellence is one way we’re doing that, giving students hands-on experience with modern methods of construction before they enter the workforce. If we want these methods to become standard practice, we need to train the people who will deliver them.
Why do industry and education need to work more closely together?
Ong: Technology is moving faster than traditional training models. The SYNC business has
been around for 13 years, and in that time we’ve developed people with little or no experience into roles across manufacturing, project management and design. We’ve essentially been building a hybrid workforce, but industry can’t do it alone.
Partnering with education providers means students learn on the systems they’ll actually use, with skills that are relevant from day one.
What will it take for modern methods of construction to become mainstream in Australia?
Abraham: Collaboration across the whole industry: developers, builders, manufacturers, designers, educators and government. The technology is ready. What we need now is the skilled workforce, the confidence and the investment to scale it. Partnerships like ours with SYNC and Melbourne Polytechnic are an important step in that direction.
Ong: From a manufacturing perspective, consistent demand is key. When there’s a steady pipeline of work, manufacturers can invest in capacity and technology, which improves quality.
Early engagement matters too. Modern methods of construction deliver the most value when they’re considered from the design stage, not retrofitted later in a project. Building that capability also means developing people who can bridge design, manufacturing and construction, which is why partnerships with education providers are so important.
