Developer Citu hires ex BMW manager in offsite role

Developer Citu has hired a former manufacturing manager at BMW UK to lead the manufacture and construction of its timber-framed homes at its factory in Leeds.

Steve Savage has been appointed operations director to oversee the manufacture and construction of Citu’s "Climate Innovation District" in Leeds’s South bank, and its Little Kelham development in Sheffield.

He will be in charge of the timber-framed Citu Homes (developed in partnership with Leeds Beckett University), from their manufacture at the Citu Works factory to their onsite assembly by Citu’s directly employed team of plumbers, electricians.

The houses are airtight and thermally efficient, making them up to ten times more efficient than a standard modern UK home, according to Citu.

Savage trained as an electrical and mechanical engineering apprentice before going on to study design and management at university.

He worked for BMW for a decade where he oversaw the production of more than two million Minis at the company’s plant in Oxford.

Chris Thompson, managing director at Citu: "Steve’s background in the automotive industry and his passion for streamlining the manufacturing process to eliminate inefficiency aligns perfectly with our ethos.

"There has been an explosion in offsite housing construction over the past 18 months and most developers have gone down the modular route. At Citu, we’ve chosen the component route to give us much more flexibility of design and greater control over the energy-performance of each property. This means developing a whole new way of working."

"I’ve long been inspired by the car manufacturing model where the product is built in a factory to exacting standards, to be delivered on time to a set price and quality. This is exactly the approach we’re taking to achieve the high standards for sustainable, low carbon buildings.

"Over the last few years we’ve been developing a model which integrates the entire supply chain so that we can control every element of the design and construction in-house. Now, with Steve overseeing operations, we can benefit from his experience and ramp up productivity.”

Savage said: "What Citu is developing is a revolutionary way of working for the construction industry which will eliminate waste – both in terms of time and materials. The model it has established is already working, and we’re now honing the process.

"For example, in traditional construction methods if there’s a problem onsite with materials or how elements in the home fit together, a joiner or fabricator will apply a quick fix on the spot which can be costly in the long-term and compromises the quality of the home. Instead, we go right back to the design stage and find a solution to stop the issue happening again and feed this information all the way down the chain."

Once the Citu Works factory is up to capacity it will be able to produce 750 homes a year. The developer plans to sell its Citu Home to other developers and local authorities around the UK.

Construction is underway for the next phase of homes at Little Kelham in Kelham Island, Sheffield; a growing community of 250 low-carbon homes and repurposed listed buildings.

The first properties are also being assembled on site at the Climate Innovation District in Leeds, which will feature 520 low-carbon homes alongside leisure facilities and offices.