Every problem has at least two sides, people say. In system-built construction, there's a longstanding issue that involves several additional sides, and a lot more expense. Now Deluxe has solved this problem with the innovative new EX Construction System.

EX Construction delivers major time savings and cost containment compared to other system-built structures. These savings are especially strong on the transportation side. Compared to a conventional modular system, EX Construction technology cuts the cost of overseas shipping by almost one-third.

As result, this product is highly competitive for international installations. That's good news anytime, but especially positive in the current recessionary climate.

A simple structural design insight supplies the thinking behind the EX Construction System. And like so many great ideas, when you understand this one you wonder why no one came up with it before. Here's how it works.

A conventional modular building is assembled from components we call "modules", each with a floor, a ceiling and four sides. Where a component box abuts the one beside it, you have two facing walls - one more than you need in almost all situations.

The secret to EX Construction: eliminate the extra wall. When a row of modules is assembled to form a building, this technology inserts alternating units based on floor panels. These units are fabricated with walls to the front and back, but without the additional side walls.

Of course, some of the savings associated with this method appear as soon as the floor-based units are constructed. In an EX structure, every other component unit has two walls instead of four; overall, this reduces materials used in the structural components by 25 percent.

The difference in shipping costs is even more substantial. Because of the way EX structures are put together in the factory, they cut costs in the cargo hold and to a lesser extent when they have to move overland.

During shipping, front and back walls of the panel units are dropped inward to lie flat on the floor. For goods like these, volume counts in transit more than weight. Our prep methods dramatically reduce the amount of space needed for these intermediate components.

Squeezing the air out of these alternating components achieves a 30 percent reduction in the cost of shipping. With a weak U.S. dollar, a cost differential like this gives us real competitive clout.

We can put EX structures in shipping containers if that's best for a particular job, but we don't have to. This is a versatile package that can be sent via almost any cargo ship or ground transport modality. In general, a full shipload - about 100,000 square feet of floor space - maximizes the shipping savings.

Like any Deluxe product, the EX Construction System provides exceptional speed in construction and outstanding quality in the finished building. It can be used to build up to 12 stories high, in full International Building Code compliance. Steel construction in the EX Construction System is non-combustible, with excellent seismic and wind resistance. These system-built structures demand far less skilled labor than is needed to build multi-unit dwellings from scratch, with minimal requirements for welding or other specialized equipment.

Whenever you go with system-built construction, in the U.S. or abroad, you do most of the work in the factory. The time and cost savings associated with that approach speak for themselves. With the EX Construction System, our designs now deliver the additional, crucial advantage of easier and more economical shipping, and the savings are compounded. We've covered all sides of this issue.