<b>Steel frame looks set to increase market share as the drive for prefabrication gains momentum. Tim Palmer reports</b><br><b>Despite press and industry sniping the UK&amp;’s timber frame industry is booming. Stiff competition however could shortly come from another &amp;“alternative&amp;” construction form - steel frame. Darren Richards, operations director of technology consultant MTech Group, says: &amp;“There&amp;’s so much motivation and drive coming out of the steel frame sector, we&amp;’ve just carried out an analysis of light-steel framing and found 11 companies capable of supplying to housing projects.&amp;” </b><br><b>luton fusion</b><br>Irish construction tycoon John Fleming wants his company to become the UK&amp;’s biggest prefabricated housing supplier and is introducing his steel-frame housing system, Fusion, to the UK. Saying he has motivation and drive is understating things - he recently bought the mothballed Vauxhall car plant at Luton and will convert technology to produce houses and plans to open five high-tech factories around England serving regional markets with each producing around 2,000 units annually. <p></p><p>Fusion claims all steel&amp;’s advantages. It is 100% recyclable with the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any residential material and more than 30% of UK produced steel consists of recycled material. Home owners benefit too - steel frame homes are &amp;“tightly&amp;” constructed, …