A modular wall is made at a plant and arrives on site already finished: that is the fundamental difference from a wall built in place. The journey from design to installation goes through five stages, and the quality of the result depends on how well those stages are controlled and connected.
Why are modular walls manufactured at a plant?
At a plant the work is done with precision machinery, in a dry and controlled environment, following procedures that are repeated identically for every module. On site, by contrast, quality depends on the conditions of the moment: temperature, humidity, clashes with other trades, the skill of the individual crew.
Moving work from the site to the factory brings three benefits: more uniform finishes, tighter tolerances and less time spent on site. For a hospital that stays open, or for a site abroad where skilled labour is scarce, these advantages are decisive.
What stages make up the manufacturing process?
| Stage | What happens | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Detailed design | Construction details and the bill of materials are developed | Every component starts life with its size and position fixed |
| Machining | Profiles and panels are cut, drilled and finished | Machining precision determines alignment and joints |
| Assembly | Panels, frames and components are assembled with provisions and finishes | A finished module reaches site, not a kit of parts |
| Inspection and testing | Modules are checked before shipping | Deviations are corrected at the factory, not on site |
| Logistics and installation | Packing, transport, installation and support | One point of contact through to handover |
What happens during detailed design?
Detailed design turns the architectural project into a buildable system. The manufacturer's engineering department develops each wall from construction detail to bill of materials, the complete list of components with dimensions, finishes and machining operations.
Detailed design is the stage where the position of everything the wall must contain is decided: medical gas and power outlets, control panels, monitors, recessed cabinets, doors, windows and pass-through boxes. The manufacturer works with architects, services engineers and general contractors, because an error corrected on paper costs nothing, while the same error found on site costs time and materials.
How are aluminium and timber machined?
Extruded aluminium alloy profiles, which form the structure and frames, are cut, drilled and finished to the tolerances set at design stage. Timber panels are machined in the same way. On CNC machining centres, such as those at the ADAM plant, every operation follows a repeatable CNC program that delivers the same precision on every piece.
The repeatability of CNC machining is what makes it possible to manufacture modules that differ from one another — in size, finish and provisions — while keeping the same precision.
What is assembled at the plant?
At the plant, panels, frames and components are assembled, and the services provisions and finishes required by the project are integrated. The module that leaves the factory already has its openings for outlets and equipment and its finished surface.
The more work is completed at the plant, the less is left for the site, where every operation costs more and is more exposed to the unexpected.
How is quality checked before shipping?
Modules are checked and tested before shipping. The principle is simple: a defect found at the factory is corrected in an equipped environment without holding up any site; the same defect found in an operational hospital can stop a ward.
Testing at the plant is particularly important for international supplies. When the site is thousands of kilometres away, sending back a faulty component means weeks of delay.
How are logistics and installation organised?
After testing, the modules are packed for the planned mode of transport and shipped to site. Installation is dry, with mechanical fixings, carried out by specialised teams who coordinate their work with the services contractors. Final checks follow, and after-sales support begins.
When manufacturing, logistics and installation are managed by the same party, the client has one point of contact and responsibility is not split between different suppliers.
Why does in-house manufacturing matter to the buyer?
In-house manufacturing gives buyers four practical guarantees.
- Control of the whole process. Designing and manufacturing under one roof removes hand-offs between suppliers, and changes are applied straight away.
- A consistent standard. The same department that makes a wall for an office in Italy produces the modules for an operating theatre abroad.
- Verifiable lead times. With planning in-house, delivery dates depend on the plant's capacity, not on third parties.
- Genuine customisation. Dimensions, finishes and provisions are adapted to the project, without depending on closed catalogues.
How does ADAM manufacture its modular walls?
ADAM S.r.l., founded in 1990, designs and manufactures modular systems at its plant at Via del Lavoro 9, Bernate Ticino, near Milan, where the registered office and production share the same site. The engineering department and the machining, assembly and testing areas are all here: ADAM handles engineering, aluminium and timber machining, assembly, inspection and testing in-house, and directly coordinates logistics, installation and after-sales support.
The plant produces the systems of the ADAM Health division, such as the SALUS walls for operating theatres and intensive care units developed since 2006, and those of the ADAM Office division, such as the CRONO, HERA and DECUS partition walls. The systems reach sites in over 40 countries across four continents.
The full process is described on the Manufacturing page. For supplies abroad, see the guide on building a hospital abroad; to discuss a project, contact the ADAM team.