Housebuilding startup Module is looking to make its modular housing units a lot closer to its own home in Pittsburgh instead of relying entirely on a manufacturing site in Clarion.
That's where the startup's housing units are currently built before they are put on a flatbed to be trucked down to the greater Pittsburgh area for on-site assembly and installation, a process the company is able to complete in about two hours' time.
Now, and following its $250,000 investment from the Richard King Mellon Foundation due to Module's placement in the nonprofit's first-ever pitch competition, the startup is looking to launch its own "Last Mile Lab" to serve as a location for inspections and last-minute installations of various housing components for its homes — like countertops or siding — before they are sent off for final assembly.
The exact location of the facility has yet to be finalized, but according to Module Co-Founder and CEO Brian Gaudio, the Last Mile Lab will be located within a 15-minute drive of the company's headquarters on Black Street in Garfield and it will occupy about 10,000-square-feet. It's expected to come online by the third quarter of 2022, though its more established staffing operations at the site might not start until 2023.
"We're going to be doing the (installations and building) that is harder for these larger, modular factories to do or where it slows their production line down," Gaudio said. "In this lab, we're going to be testing what more can we potentially be doing in a controlled environment (by doing it) in the Last Mile Lab."
The space will also serve at least two other purposes, including that of a demonstration and innovation showroom of sorts where other homebuilding-related companies can come to test their products alongside Module's offerings. It'll also aim to offer workforce development opportunities for those enrolled in the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh, which is partnering with Module to help increase the number of women and minority populations who work in the construction building trade industry by having workers in those groups gain hands-on experiencing at Module's lab.
"We are very excited to embark on this collaboration," Donta Green, executive director of Trade Institute of Pittsburgh, said in a prepared statement. "Module brings a much-needed model of affordable and accessible housing to the Pittsburgh region. Through this partnership, Trade Institute students will be exposed to new opportunities in the Module field of sustainable and energy efficient construction."
Module's Last Mile Lab is also part of a larger goal for Gaudio, who is someday hoping to have all of the company's Pittsburgh-destined homes made and delivered entirely in the region.
"(This) is really step one in a bigger plan to create some great jobs in the construction trades in the region and also have the ability to supply the much-needed market and workforce housing that we need in the region," Gaudio said.
In addition to its investment from the RK Mellon Foundation, Module has also received funding from local seed investor Innovation Works, the Idea Foundry and others. It employs five workers currently, though Gaudio said the company will scale to seven by the end of the year.
