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The cladding of a modern building is a critical, and expensive, specialist sub‐system of the total building. This paper is concerned with modelling the supply chain processes within the building cladding sector of the UK construction industry. The modelling was conducted within the context of CIMclad, a research project involving a consortia of universities and industry that is seeking to move the cladding sector towards computer integrated design and manufacture. The goal was to better understand the existing supply chain processes. These processes are complex and span a diverse range of players, each of whom may play one or more roles. The methodology employed was a combination of informal mapping of the procurement chain and the application of formal process modelling techniques.

This paper lays out a road map for computer‐integrated design and manufacture of building‐specific cladding systems, describing the key implementation phases and highlighting domains (supply chain organization, software vendors, suppliers, process modellers, etc.) involved in each phase. It takes a holistic look at the way forward, identifying that such a long‐term transformation will need to be managed strategically both at a company and sector level and that training and education within the sector will be pivotal. The development of appropriate cladding information standards is seen as an essential enabler and as a catalyst for change.