Langfang Engineering Living Solution Co., Ltd (LELS) is wholly invested by Modular Manufacturing Limited (trading as M.M.L, specialse in the effective lean manufacturing techniques associated with off-site construction and sustainable building products) in China. LELS fully focuses on the implementation, design, manufacture, and erection of modular buildings. In addition the manufacturing plant will supply traditional construction elements with a range of products which can be used in the build process of many types of buildings, predominantly bathroom / kitchen pods and panelised floor and wall systems.

Karl Dixon – Managing Director

Karl is Managing Director of LELS. He was educated at Salford University, where he focused on process engineering and performance management, later developing his people management skills to become an EQ coach. The combination of designing and implementing structured measurable processes incorporated with the development and performance of organizations through its employees has enabled him to successfully re-engineer companies from within various markets.

His extensive market experience includes IT, building maintenance, corporate banking, and the retail sector, together with a variety of manufacturing based entities. Karl’s first experience of off-site construction was in 2002 when he was invited to join an established modular manufacturing company in the UK as divisional Director. His experience in off-site construction promoted a transformation from product to process drivers, incorporating design for manufacture, lean manufacturing over static build and project compression through site integration.

Karl co-founded MML in 2004 to promote off-site construction as a lean manufacturing process to the UK market. In December 2005 he promoted its services into China, and since then he has worked extensively in China. Over the past 2 plus years Karl has structured two representative offices one in Chongqing (South East China) and one in Hebei (North East China); these offices operate as consultants to both local and central government departments within China on all aspects of off-site manufacturing, including the attainment of build standards. In recognition of the progress made; in January 2008 at the British China Summit, Karl signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chongqing Municipal Government (population 32 million) regarding the attainment of off-site manufacturing standards and the promotion of off-site manufactured product in support of Chongqing’s social housing requirements. During the same period he has also orchestrated the incorporation of a wholly foreign own Chinese enterprise, licensed to manufacture off-site product in LangFang, located just outside Beijing.

Karl believes that China offers a unique platform from which affordable, sustainable manufactured accommodation can be produced commercially, offering a superior product to that of traditional build, not only for the domestic market in China, but for world markets and is looking forward with confidence at the challenges and rewards that lay ahead.

Nick Shorten – Manufacturing Director

Nick started his career by undertaking an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering and was further Educated at Southampton University where he focused on lean manufacturing techniques and programme management; prior to entering the off-site construction industry in 2001.

Nick spent most of his career in the aerospace industry implementing improved production processes associated with precision machining and production assembly, including co-ordination of the E.F.A flight refuelling probe, PC12 pilot injection system and the Tornado project.

Nick entered the off-site construction industry in 2001 as Production Director and used his expertise to introduce a cellular approach to manufacturing; his techniques increased productivity between 150% -200% on a variable product range. Between 2001– 2004 Nick had successfully introduced lean manufacturing techniques taken from the aerospace industry and applied them to the off-site construction industry resulting in improved productivity, reduced waste and higher quality products.

In 2004 Nick, together with Karl Dixon, formed MML to promote off-site construction as a cellular manufactured process (product moves the people remain in operating cells). Nick entered China in December 2005 and over the last two years has been instrumental in reengineering the British build standards for off-site construction to meet the Chinese market and developing supplier relationship to meet the manufacturing requirements for mass production.

He has also trained and developed Chinese personnel to produce the first modular prototypes in China and in January 2007 this product was launched in Chongqing by Sir William Ehrman British ambassador to China. Over the last six months Nick trained and developed a secondary production team based in Langfang and produced a more advanced prototype using materials acquired from strategic partners that had been developed between 2006-2007. The second prototype was launched by Tina Redshaw, British Embassy Beijing Head of Energy Environment and Infrastructure and the Party Secretary of LangFang.

Nick’s primary role is to produce the high quality Chinese manufacturing engineers of the future.