scholarly journals Modularization in the Construction Industry Using a Top-Down Approach

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Kudsk ◽  
Lars Hvam ◽  
Christian Thuesen ◽  
Martin O'Brien Gronvold ◽  
Magnus Holo Olsen
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Mass Customization ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Cost Reductions ◽  
Configuration System ◽  
Technical Solutions

Throughout the last centuries, the manufacturing industry has experienced great improvements in efficiency and cost reductions, but the same improvements have not taken place in the construction industry. Based on the principles of mass customization that are known from the manufacturing industry, a case study of one of the largest construction companies in Northern Europe was carried out according to the principles of action research. This approach was used to clarify whether potential exists for using the principles of mass customization to improve efficiency and minimize costs connected with the construction of buildings; and if so, what they are. The main technical solutions used for residential and office buildings were analyzed using a top-down approach. These solutions were identified and their relations mapped using a Product Variant Master (PVM). When a satisfactory overview was achieved of the major technical solutions, a configuration system was made. Such a system is often used to communicate findings from the PVM to the user. Through the work of constructing the PVM and the configuration system, it was found that a great potential exists for implementation. Based on the findings and experiences gathered throughout the process, the conclusion is that the principles of mass customization are best used in the construction industry if used with a top-down perspective.

scholarly journals IT tools and standards supporting mass customisation in the building industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-80
Author(s):  
Kim Jensen ◽  
◽  
Kjeld Nielson ◽  
Thomas Brunoe ◽  
Jesper Larsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Mass Customization ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Mass Customisation ◽  
Industry Foundation Classes ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Productivity And Competitiveness

Research demonstrate that productivity in the Danish building and construction industry has only doubled over the last fifty years, whereas the manufacturing industry has increased six times. Utilisation of mass customization as a strategy has achieved results in the manufacturing industry in terms of increasing productivity and competitiveness, so the strategy might have potentials in the building and construction industry as well. However, mass customization as a strategy for improving the productivity of the building and construction industry has not been explored as much as in the manufacturing industry. The purpose of this paper is to analysethe assumptions and possibilities for applying the principles of masscustomisation related to establishing an adaptable integrated system of entities in the value chain of the building and construction industry.The outset of the paper is a literature review concerning the utilisation of mass customization as a strategy in terms of increasing productivity within the building and construction industry. An essential part of the paper is a case study of 11 building and construction companies and an analysis of the conditions for cooperation between the entities in the value chain of the building and construction industry. The paper induces to which extent it makes sense to talk about utilisation of mass customisation by applying the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and standardisation initiatives of the construction industry provided by buildingSMART, and at the same time harvesting the benefits of the mass customization.

scholarly journals Applying and developing mass customization in construction industries – A multi case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-171
Author(s):  
Kim Noergaard Jensen ◽  
◽  
Margherita Pero ◽  
Kjeld Nielsen ◽  
Thomas Ditley Brunoe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Mass Customization ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Solution Space ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Project Phases ◽  
Cost Efficient ◽  
Definition Of

Mass customization as a strategy has been utilised successfully in the manufacturing industry meeting customers’ idiosyncratic needs in a cost-efficient way. The productivity of the Danish manufacturing industry has increased six times over the last 50 years, whereas the Danish con-struction industry has only doubled. Mass customization has not been extensively explored in the construction industry; therefore, the theoretical background is currently limited. Nevertheless, utilization of mass customization as a strategy might have potentials in the construction industry. This research is a multi-case study of 11 companies in the construction industry focusing on how the cases apply the three fundamental capabilities of mass customization 1) solution space development, 2) choice navigation and 3) robust process design, and how their im-provement initiatives effect performance, and how the cases plan to develop the three funda-mental capabilities of mass customization. The outset is an analysis of project phases and criti-cal success factors characterizing the cases followed by an analysis of how the cases apply and plan to develop the nine tools and approaches supporting the development of the three fundamental capabilities of mass customization. The data are collected through interview as a two-way communicative approach providing holistic and in-depth explanations of the 18 variables of the analysis. The results are that all 11 cases aim at increasing all nine tools and approaches, which strengthen the utilization of the three fundamental capabilities of mass customization in the sense of improving the productivity. This research put forward a definition of mass customization intending to make the concept more visible and accessible for the construction industry.

scholarly journals Application of BIM and 3D Laser Scanning for Quantity Management in Construction Projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Thu Anh Nguyen ◽  
Phong Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Sy Tien Do
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Management Process ◽  
3D Laser Scanning ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Construction Companies

The construction industry has played an essential role in the process of modernization and industrialization and it has also been a major factor in determining the development of the infrastructure for other economic sectors. Construction companies consider the measurement of work progress, which often wastes time and has a low resolution, to be one of the most challenging problems faced by project management. Therefore, this research aimed to propose practical solutions by applying recent technological achievements of the 4.0 industrial revolution to improve the efficiency of the quantity management process. By utilizing the advantages and features of a BIM model and 3D laser scanning, this paper proposes that adopting a BIM model and 3D laser scanning has the potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the quantity management process. The case study demonstrated some typical tasks to evaluate accuracy and efficiency as well as to showcase the research proposal.

scholarly journals Analysis of Request for Proposals in Construction Industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Tkáč ◽  
Radoslav Delina ◽  
Martina Sabolová
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Single Case ◽  
The Other ◽  
Pareto Analysis ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Potential Client ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
Main Barrier

<p><strong>Purpose:</strong> The purpose of this paper is to identify and determine reasons why construction companies reject some of the request for proposals (RFPS) suitable for them. <br /><strong>Methodology/Approach:</strong> The research has several parts. Within the first part the list of reasons which lead to rejection of RFPS and thus potential client are identified. Then the comparison of differences between groups of rejected RFPS with different configuration is made. The last part of research use Pareto analysis to determine most obvious and most costly reasons of rejection of RFPS. <br /><strong>Findings:</strong> The paper identifies 12 reasons, why construction companies decline to prepare proposal for their potential clients. It also doesn’t confirm that configuration of RFPS has significant impact on the rejection of RFPS. Moreover the results on the other hand showed that insufficient trust represent the main barrier which influences the rejection of RFPS in selected company.<br /><strong>Research Limitation/implication:</strong> The main limitation of the research is that it is based on single case study. Although, the quantitative results have to be generalised very carefully, on the other hand paper provide list of the possible reasons why construction companies decline to compete for an offer. <br /><strong>Originality/Value of paper:</strong> The paper provides unique perspective because apart from traditional attitude, where only the submitted RFPS are evaluated, this paper analyses rejected RFPS and tries to identify and determine reasons why construction companies decide not to prepare proposal and thus reduce the possibility to acquire new contract.</p>

A Comparative Study between Lean Construction and the Traditional Production System

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 118-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Saad Bajjou ◽  
Anas Chafi ◽  
Abdelali En-Nadi
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Production System ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Lean Construction ◽  
Value Stream Mapping ◽  
Great Ability ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Traditional Production ◽  
Traditional Construction

The growing context of globalization permanently increases pressure on the construction companies to improve their performances in order to resist to the constraints of competitiveness in the international market. It has become ineluctable to look for introducing a new alternative capable of bringing creative improvement to the traditional production system. This paper will relate mainly to the most relevant management techniques in the construction industry, and more specifically, the lean construction concept. Initially, we will determine the main characteristics of the construction industry compared to the manufacturing industry according to three levels: on-site production, one of a kind projects, and complexity. Subsequently, we will focus our attention on the main sources of waste in the construction industry. Finally, a rigorous comparative study will be carried out to show the contribution of the lean construction tools in the promotion of traditional construction especially at the level of the following factors: Creating value and eliminating waste; Planning and mutual coordination; Site organization. Lean construction as Last Planner System (LPS), Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Just-in-Time philosophy, Visual management (VM) and 5S have shown a great ability to improve the traditional production system through waste reduction, encouraging people involvement, ensuring a pull flow production, and promotion of a continuous improvement philosophy.

scholarly journals Relying on reference cases when evaluating new technical solutions? Evaluation of technical documentation in a case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 172 ◽  
pp. 10007
Author(s):  
Charlotte Svensson Tengberg ◽  
Carl-Eric Hagentoft
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Building Industry ◽  
Timber Structures ◽  
Technical Documentation ◽  
High Confidence ◽  
Building Regulations ◽  
Hygrothermal Performance ◽  
Building Physics ◽  
Technical Solutions

Serial failures have occurred when introducing new technical solutions in the Swedish construction industry. In an earlier interview study exploring introduction of new technical solutions, documentation and reference cases provided by the supplier are given as the main sources for evaluation. This paper aims at addressing the questions: 1. What kind of documentation concerning building physics are provided by suppliers? 2. How well does the suppliers’ documentation meet the need for verification? In order to address these questions, the case of hygrothermal performance of cross laminated timber structures in multifamily dwellings was chosen. An inquiry of data was sent out to four suppliers at the Swedish market, asking for documentation and reference cases provided. Based on the documentation given, an assessment was made of to which extend the documentation can support verification of appliance to the relevant requirements of the Swedish building regulations. The case study shows reference cases are scarce and existing documentation is not comprehensive, thus indicating the building industry might have a disproportional high confidence in reference cases. The results will be used to suggest requirements for reference cases to be used for verification.

scholarly journals An Investigation on the Adoption of Electronic Commerce Systems for the Operators of Construction Companies

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Nafisa Bello Issa ◽  
Angela Siew Hoong Lee
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Diffusion Of Innovation ◽  
Technological Factor ◽  
Construction Workers ◽  
Relative Advantage ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
The World ◽  
Innovation Model ◽  
Internal And External Factors

E-commerce is emerging and growing in all kinds of businesses and industries over the world especially in the construction industry. This research focuses on the adoption of business-to- business kind of e-commerce in construction industry. This research aims to identify the motivational and barrier factors of the construction workers in influencing the adoption of e- commerce specifically in the construction industry world. As part of the research, a multinational company, which produces tools for the construction industry, will be used as a case study to look into how the customers of this company are adopting e-commerce. This research uses the Diffusion of Innovation model as the based research framework to understand the factors that explain the rate of adoption and how these factors are influencing the adoption in the construction industry. Other internal and external factors of companies such as the organizational factor, technological factor digital readiness will also be looked into to understand their influence as well when it comes to adoption of e-commerce. Data collection is done by distributing questionnaires to the related participants in the construction industry. Findings from this study provides insights on the factors of adoption by applying the diffusion of innovation model and recommendation of strategies for this industry to address the problem of low adoption of e-commerce among construction workers in the construction industry. This research showed that relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, Trialability, organizational readiness and trust are significant factors leading to the adoption of e-commerce systems. Culture as well as technological and digital readiness were found to be insignificant. Overall, the study’s findings enrich the discourse related to the adoption of e-commerce systems by construction companies in Asia and other parts of the world. The findings will be relevant for construction companies around the world planning to introduce or improve the e-commerce adoption of the customers. The study’s findings could also be relevant for future analysis of e-commerce adoption.

Effect of Cultural Diversity in Communication on Project Success Within Multinational Construction Companies in the United Arab Emirates

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 39-65
Author(s):  
Brian J. Galli
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Management Communication ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Diverse Environment

All industries rely on communication and its effectiveness to run a system of subcontracting. There are many subcontractors in the construction industry that are involved in processes, such as design, plumbing, electrical, and project management. Communication facilitates cooperation, but when it is ineffective, then it leads to poor performance. The situation is even more critical in a culturally diverse environment, such as the UAE construction industry. This study sought to investigate the risks that ineffective communication can have on a construction industry by using the UAE as a case study. The researcher collected secondary data by conducting an in-depth analysis of past studies. Also, the qualitative analysis of the information led to the realization that communication failure could cause sub-contractor failure, scope changes, design changes, ineffective knowledge transfer, poor stakeholder engagement, time differences, and geographical distance.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Top-Down Construction Method in Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6S4) ◽  
pp. 386-392
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Retaining Wall ◽  
Kuala Lumpur ◽  
City Center ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Construction Time ◽  
Significant Saving ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Deep Underground

Top-down construction (TDC) method provides a significant saving in the construction time. The building sequence starts with the construction of retaining wall and the underground load bearing elements which carry the future superstructure. This research aims to evaluate the strength and weakness of TDC approach compared to the conventional bottom-up method in Malaysia through different aspects and improvements are proposed at the end of the study. The questionnaire survey is conducted with the targeted parties who are working in the construction industry. 102 respondents have been responded to the survey. Then, a TDC project in the Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC) is selected as the case study in this research. Project information and interview sessions are conducted with the person in charge of the project to obtain an in-depth understanding of the constraints of this method. Survey results show that TDC method is safer for deep underground construction and lesser effects to the surrounding buildings in Malaysia. However, training is required for the contractors to increase the project efficiency. Conclusively, some improvements should be adopted when top-down method inevitably becomes a tendency in the construction industry in Malaysia

scholarly journals Supervisor's capability and aptitude to supervise Health and Safety (H&S) induction training to site workforces: A case study of the construction industry of Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 962-971
Author(s):  
Khalid Daniyal ◽  
Bilal Aslam ◽  
Umer Khalil
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Upper Management ◽  
Construction Firms ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Site Supervisors ◽  
Audio Communication

Health and Safety (H&S) is a professional approach to substitute harmless and vigorous work conditions for any industry. The construction industry is of utmost importance because it is associated with elevated accident rates compared to the other sectors. To some extent, cultural progression is also reliant on communication among all the groups inside a corporation. Effective communication happens in a construction corporation, among upper management and the employees arbitrated by the supervisors. Therefore, if the construction supervisor's capabilities are ignored, the plans to progress the satisfactory H&S culture may be unsuccessful. The aptitude for conducting H&S induction training to employees is one of the construction supervisor's abilities, and in developing countries, the supervisor's capabilities are ignored. Moreover, the organization's eagerness on H&S, which corresponds to the induction training, is relatively less. The current research reports an examination to analyze how the supervisors possess H&S capabilities and skills to oversee site H&S induction training to workforces successfully. For the analysis, Pakistan's construction industry was targeted, and numerous construction firms were contacted in this regard. The data for the intended objective was accumulated through talks and surveys with site supervisors in construction companies of various extents from all over Pakistan. The outcomes exposed insufficient training, an absence of management dedication, and an inadequate familiarity or usage of visual/audio communication assistance by construction companies in Pakistan. Thus, it is suggested that there is a need for the supervisors to understand the use of multilingual skills and current technologies to assist valuable site H&S induction training that can progress a path towards an optimistic H&S culture.

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