Buildings Made in Factories: China’s Modular Construction Industry Expands Globally

Dragon Media News Desk

A 19-story hotel built in Brisbane, Australia, was far from a conventional construction project. Much of the building had already been manufactured thousands of kilometers away in a factory in southern China before arriving at the construction site.

The hotel’s room modules were shipped to Australia with walls, pipes, electrical wiring and interior fittings largely completed. Once delivered, the modules were assembled on site at a pace of roughly one floor every four to five days.

The project was delivered by Foshan Meizong Buildings Technology Co., Ltd., based in Foshan, Guangdong Province. It illustrates a broader transformation in the construction industry, as an increasing share of work traditionally carried out at building sites is now being completed on factory floors.

Inside Meizong’s workshop, automated machines cut steel tubes to precise dimensions while workers weld structural joints. Assembly teams install wall panels and utility systems. By the time modules reach the finished-goods area, kitchens, bathrooms, lighting and electrical sockets have already been installed.

According to Pang Mingyuan, the company’s general manager, more than 90 percent of the construction work can be completed in the factory, while the overall delivery period can be reduced to around one-third of that required for conventional construction.

Pang compared modular construction to assembling a building from ready-made blocks.

Demand for modular housing is growing in markets such as Australia and New Zealand, where conventional construction is often constrained by high labor costs, lengthy building cycles and weather-related disruptions. Housing shortages in some remote areas are also contributing to the growing acceptance of modular solutions.

Foshan alone is home to more than 300 exporters of prefabricated buildings. Modular structures are increasingly being used for hotels, dormitories, offices, residential buildings and customized outdoor spaces.

SunnyJoy Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. is among the companies applying modular technology to new types of outdoor structures. A 13-module outdoor room featuring an electrically operated retractable glass roof attracted attention at this year’s 139th Canton Fair.

According to Zhang Yong, the company’s general manager, three adults can assemble the structure in about two and a half hours by following an installation video.

SunnyJoy’s products are selling strongly in North America and Oceania, while demand is also expanding rapidly in emerging markets across Africa and Southeast Asia. The company has built a following of around 10 million across domestic and overseas social media platforms, with online channels generating more than half of its customer inquiries.

Behind the competitiveness of such products is the Pearl River Delta’s dense manufacturing and supply network. A single modular outdoor structure can involve dozens of suppliers, with components ranging from frames and worktops to drive systems and lighting sourced from within the region.

The close proximity of suppliers enables manufacturers to modify designs, upgrade components and respond quickly to changing customer requirements. Companies are also moving into higher-value products incorporating solar glass, energy storage systems and intelligent control technologies.

At a modular factory operated by China Construction Science & Technology Group Co., Ltd. in the Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone, laser cutting, automated welding and intelligent assembly systems work in coordination. A digital management platform connects design, procurement and production, automatically generating material lists and processing drawings from project designs.

The factory’s standardized production system can produce a wall in 12 minutes and a complete room module in two hours. The facility has an annual production capacity of up to 30,000 units and can manufacture different types of building modules simultaneously according to project requirements.

The expansion of modular manufacturing is also reflected in China’s export figures. During the first half of this year, exports of prefabricated structures from seven cities under Guangzhou Customs reached 1.94 billion yuan, or approximately 285.7 million U.S. dollars, representing a year-on-year increase of 21.2 percent. Chinese prefabricated structures are now exported to more than 190 countries and regions.

One modular-building producer reported that its export orders had risen by nearly 60 percent year on year so far this year, with production schedules already filled several months in advance.

Chinese manufacturers are also strengthening localized services in overseas markets. SunnyJoy, for example, is working with third-party warehouses in countries including the United States and Australia to shorten delivery times.

The international expansion of Chinese modular construction companies points to a transformation that goes beyond simply reducing construction time. Buildings are increasingly being designed, manufactured and exported in ways that resemble industrial products, reflecting a broader shift toward more standardized, intelligent and globally integrated construction.