scholarly journals Modular Industry Characteristics and Barriers to its Increased Market Share

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarek Salama ◽  
Osama Moselhi ◽  
Mohamed Al-Hussein
Keyword(s):  
Market Share ◽  
Modular Construction ◽  
Manufactured Housing ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Construction Design ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Study Characteristics ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Lending Institutions ◽  
Barriers To Growth

Modular and offsite construction reduces project duration and cost by synchronizing offsite and onsite work. Project activities are constructed in a controlled offsite facility to minimize effects of inclement weather and site disruptions, while meeting safety and quality requirements. In recent years, many organizations have conducted questionnaires to study characteristics of modular and offsite construction, such as the Modular Building Institute (MBI), Buildoffsite campaigning organisation in the UK, Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute (CMHI), National Institute of Building Sciences, McGraw-Hill Construction, and Fails Management Institute (FMI). This paper introduces a summary of results for a new questionnaire carried out in collaboration between the Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering (BCEE) at Concordia University, MBI, Niagara Relocatable Buildings, Inc. (NRB) in Canada, and the Nasseri School of Building Science and Engineering at the University of Alberta. This questionnaire focuses on two issues: (1) the characteristics of the modular and offsite construction industry, and (2) detected barriers to the increased market share of this industry. For the latter, effort was made to address five factors emanated from a workshop on äóěChallenges and opportunities for modular construction in Canadaäóť held in Montreal in October 2015 to analyze barriers to growth of modular construction in Canada. Key findings of this questionnaire include requests for use of a separate code of modular construction design, innovative financing and insurance solutions, standards that consider procurement regulations, and lending institutions that partner with financial houses to create special lending programs for modular construction.

scholarly journals Overview of the Characteristics of the Modular Industry and Barriers to its Increased Market Share

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-53
Author(s):  
Tarek Salama ◽  
Osama Moselhi ◽  
Mohamed Al-Hussein
Keyword(s):  
Market Share ◽  
Environmental Engineering ◽  
Modular Construction ◽  
Manufactured Housing ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Construction Design ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Barriers To Growth ◽  
The University

Modular and offsite construction approaches reduce project duration and cost by synchronizing offsite and onsite work. Project activities are undertaken in a controlled offsite facility to minimize the effects of inclement weather and site disruptions, while meeting safety and quality requirements. To study the characteristics of modular and offsite construction, questionnaires have been conducted during the last decade by many organizations, including the Modular Building Institute (MBI), the Buildoffsite campaigning organization in the United Kingdom, the Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute, the National Institute of Building Sciences, McGraw-Hill Construction, and the Fails Management Institute. This paper introduces comprehensive analysis of the results of a questionnaire survey carried out in collaboration between members of the Department of Building, Civil & Environmental Engineering at Concordia University, the Modular Building Institute, NRB Inc., and the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. The questionnaire focuses on two issues: (1) the characteristics of the modular and offsite construction industry, and (2) the barriers against increased market share in this industry. For the latter, an effort was made to address a set of five factors identified in a workshop on the topic of challenges and opportunities for modular construction in Canada held in Montréal in 2015 to analyze barriers to growth of modular construction in the Canadian context. Key findings of this survey include requests for use of a separate building code for modular construction design, innovative financing and insurance solutions, standards that consider procurement regulations, and for financial institutions to create lending programs suited for modular construction.

Exploring the Benefits of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) and the Mechanism for Automated 5D BIM Quantification Process in Offsite Modular Construction

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tochukwu Moses ◽  
David Heesom ◽  
David Oloke ◽  
Martin Crouch
Keyword(s):  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Modular Construction ◽  
Automated Quantification ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Project Risks ◽  
Value Add ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Level 2

The UK Construction Industry through its Government Construction Strategy has recently been mandated to implement Level 2 Building Information Modelling (BIM) on public sector projects. This move, along with other initiatives is key to driving a requirement for 25% cost reduction (establishing the most cost-effective means) on. Other key deliverables within the strategy include reduction in overall project time, early contractor involvement, improved sustainability and enhanced product quality. Collaboration and integrated project delivery is central to the level 2 implementation strategy yet the key protocols or standards relative to cost within BIM processes is not well defined. As offsite construction becomes more prolific within the UK construction sector, this construction approach coupled with BIM, particularly 5D automated quantification process, and early contractor involvement provides significant opportunities for the sector to meet government targets. Early contractor involvement is supported by both the industry and the successive Governments as a credible means to avoid and manage project risks, encourage innovation and value add, making cost and project time predictable, and improving outcomes. The contractor is seen as an expert in construction and could be counter intuitive to exclude such valuable expertise from the pre-construction phase especially with the BIM intent of äóÖbuild it twiceäó», once virtually and once physically. In particular when offsite construction is used, the contractoräó»s construction expertise should be leveraged for the virtual build in BIM-designed projects to ensure a fully streamlined process. Building in a layer of automated costing through 5D BIM will bring about a more robust method of quantification and can help to deliver the 25% reduction in overall cost of a project. Using a literature review and a case study, this paper will look into the benefits of Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) and the impact of 5D BIM on the offsite construction process.

Biopesticide Summit – Regulatory Reform of Biopesticides, Virtual Conference, 6th July 2021

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 168-170
Author(s):  
Robin Blake
Keyword(s):  
Market Share ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Regulatory Reform ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Media ◽  
Virtual Conference ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Chemical Pesticides ◽  
The Eu

This virtual event was held as a follow-up to the inaugural Biopesticide Summit and Exhibition at Swansea University in July 2019, and postponed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sarah Harding, Communication Director at The World BioProtection Forum (WBF) & Biopesticide Summit opened the event with a few brief words of introduction before handing over to Dr Minshad Ansari, Chairman of the WBF.<br/> Dr Ansari was delighted with the more than 150 attendees already logged into the event with over 300 registered. The WBF was created in 2019 as a non-profit organization to bring together industry and academia for innovation. Dr Ansari thanked the event's supporters – AgBio, Agri Life, Bayer, Bionema, Ecolibrium Biologicals, Koppert Biological Systems, Harry Butler Institute and Sri BioAesthetics, as well as the media partners including Outlooks on Pest Management. He reiterated the need for regulatory reform due to removal of chemical pesticides, demands for organic food, limited biopesticide products registered and a lengthy and costly biopesticide registration process (5 years in EU where there are just 60 products available vs. 2.1 years in USA and where over 200 products are already available on market). The US is clearly in a much better place; in Europe, it is too expensive for SMEs and little progress has been made despite the work of the IBMA (International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association) and others. With respect to the biopesticides market share (value) by region, Europe has 27.7% market share (21.3% CAGR) and yet within UK, the CAGR is limited (unlike other European countries) – there are few products available in the market compared to chemical pesticides. The current biopesticide regulation is complex and not fit for purpose (compare 60 vs 200). Industry is facing a serious problem with pest control following the removal of some chemical pesticides, e.g.European cranefly which has caused many problems to the turf industry and has been impacted by the removal of chlorpyrifos. However, Brexit provides opportunities in the UK through government plans to "Build Back Better" by supporting Green Tech. At the EU level, the EU has committed to reducing use of pesticides by 50% (equating to 505 products) by 2030 so there are opportunities here for biopesticides to fill the market.<br/> Dr Ansari finished his introduction by restating the objectives for the meeting: for the speakers to present and debate the need for reform, their visions for a successful regulatory system, and how the WBF is working towards process reform in UK biopesticide regulation.

Can genetics deliver?

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 39-48
Author(s):  
J Webb
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
Feed Efficiency ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
List Type ◽  
Payment Systems ◽  
The Past ◽  
Lean Growth ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
The Uk

For the past thirty years pig genetics has enjoyed a clear message from its end–users: reduce backfat and production costs. During that period, genetics, nutrition and health have together delivered improvements of some 60% in lean growth rate and feed efficiency. To compound the recent misfortunes of the UK industry, meat is now slipping further behind everything else on the supermarket shelf in quality, uniformity, and above all predictability. The notion of quality stretches far beyond the product into responsibility for animal welfare, human nutrition and food safety.The industry's present dilemma arises from five factors:1.uncertain market conditions with cyclical profitability2.poor communication of what constitutes good quality3.payment systems that no longer reflect what the market requires4.independent management of the different steps in the pork value chain5.possible effects of animal health on quality and uniformity.Meanwhile the understanding of gene function and the ability to detect potentially useful genetic variation is gathering momentum. This paper examines the role that genetics can play in adding value, reducing risk and differentiating the product, from the perspective of a large vertically coordinated pork producer.

Cost Impact of Switching Histamine2-Receptor Antagonists to Nonprescription Status

2002 ◽  
Vol 36 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 1135-1141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle D Furler ◽  
Mark S Rolnick ◽  
Kathleen S Lawday ◽  
Miranda W Mak ◽  
Thomas R Einarson
Keyword(s):  
Market Share ◽  
Insurance Coverage ◽  
Consumer Price Index ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Status Change ◽  
Prescribing Practices ◽  
Receptor Antagonists ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND: There is a recent trend to switching medications from prescription to nonprescription status. Often, such switches are accompanied by dramatic changes in utilization due to increased availability or decreased insurance coverage. The histamine2-receptor antagonists (H2RAs) underwent such status change in the UK in 1994, the US in 1995, and Canada in 1996. OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of the status change for H2RAs on the market for gastrointestinal (GI) agents in the US, UK, and Canada. METHODS: IMS market sales data from 1992 to 1997 were procured. All costs were converted to 1997 US dollars using the consumer price index. Per capita sales figures were determined using population data from the US Census Bureau's International Database. RESULTS: Overall spending on GI remedies increased in all 3 markets between 1992 and 1997; however, the contribution of prescription sales and number of prescriptions varied across the 3 countries. An increased market share for nonprescription H2RAs occurred in the US, correlating with a decline in prescription numbers for GI remedies. The opposing trend occurred in the UK, where market share of nonprescription H2RAs was minimal and use of prescription H2RAs increased. Prescription and nonprescription H2RA sales could not be differentiated for Canada. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of the H2RA status change varied across countries. Differences in utilization may be attributed to many factors such as differing healthcare systems, patient convenience, and physician prescribing practices. Further research is required to identify the reasons for differences in utilization and to quantify the potential clinical impact.

Flip by M. Bedford

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Young Adult Fiction ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
The People ◽  
Award Winning ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Voice Calls ◽  
The University ◽  
Friday Night

Bedford, Martyn. Flip. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2011. Print. Martyn Bedford is a lecturer in creative writing at Leeds Trinity University College in the UK and is the award-winning author of five adult novels, including The Houdini Girl. Flip is his first foray into the genre of young adult fiction. Fourteen-year-old Alex Gray rushes home one December Friday night in an attempt to beat his curfew. Feeling a bit foggy upon waking the next morning, he realizes that not only is he in a strange bedroom but he does not recognize the clothes he is wearing. An unfamiliar voice calls for “Philip” to get ready for school, and when he descends the stairs to the breakfast table, he does not recognize the people seated, though they seem to recognize him. It’s now the middle of June. Upon looking into the mirror to wash his face, another boy stares back. Alex does not know if he has gone mad, or worse—if it is all real. Alex has no choice but to go through the day while trapped in another’s body, that of Philip Garamond. Nicknamed Flip, Philip is an athletic, sociable girl-magnet who goes to a posh school, and though he is Alex’s age, seems the complete opposite in every other way. For a while Alex even enjoys his new, fit body and the attention that comes with it. But where is Philip, and where is Alex’s body? Alex needs to figure out why his psyche has become trapped in Philip’s body and how he can get back into his own before it is too late. This is an excellent psychological thriller and not your average teen fare. The characters are realistic and the plot is action-packed, yet believable. Bedford dips into heavy topics like existentialism and concepts such as the soul and memory with adeptness. Body-swapping stories have no doubt been done before in teen fiction, but Bedford has given this tale a contemporary flair with a satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Debbie Feisst Debbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.

scholarly journals Sense and readability: Participant information sheets for research studies

2016 ◽  
Vol 208 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Ennis ◽  
Til Wykes
Keyword(s):  
Patient Information ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Ethics Committees ◽  
Reading Level ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Successful Recruitment ◽  
Study Characteristics ◽  
The Uk ◽  
High Level ◽  
Participant Information

BackgroundInformed consent in research is partly achieved through the use of information sheets. There is a perception however that these information sheets are long and complex. The recommended reading level for patient information is grade 6, or 11–12 years old.AimsTo investigate whether the readability of participant information sheets has changed over time, whether particular study characteristics are related to poorer readability and whether readability and other study characteristics are related to successful study recruitment.MethodWe obtained 522 information sheets from the UK National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network: Mental Health portfolio database and study principal investigators. Readability was assessed with the Flesch reading index and the Grade level test.ResultsInformation sheets increased in length over the study period. The mean grade level across all information sheets was 9.8, or 15–16 years old. A high level of patient involvement was associated with more recruitment success and studies involving pharmaceutical or device interventions were the least successful. The complexity of information sheets had little bearing on successful recruitment.ConclusionsInformation sheets are far more complex than the recommended reading level of grade 6 for patient information. The disparity may be exacerbated by an increasing focus on legal content. Researchers would benefit from clear guidance from ethics committees on writing succinctly and accessibly and how to balance the competing legal issues with the ability of participants to understand what a study entails.

scholarly journals Design, manufacture and construct procurement model for volumetric offsite manufacturing in the UK housing sector

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Charlson ◽  
Nenpin Dimka
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Housing Association ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Housing Sector ◽  
Manufactured Housing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this study is to gain insight into procurement routes and forms of contract used for volumetric offsite manufacturing (VOSM) in the housing sector of the UK West Midlands. Seminal literature and government reports have established the potential of offsite technologies to improve the supply of quality housing in the UK. However, the lack of a structured procurement route, common to manufacturing approaches in construction, has significantly contributed to delays in large scale adoption. Design/methodology/approach To achieve the research intention, an exploratory study was undertaken. A literature review of seminal literature and government papers was conducted to establish and benchmark current trends in context. Data was collected using focus groups and interviews with a housing association and housing VOSMs. Grounded theory was used to analyse data and inductively generate themes leading to an original procurement model. The issues identified in the delivery of volumetric housing were categorised into three themes. Findings The findings suggest a limited familiarity with offsite manufacturing (OSM) by housing providers. Albeit, a willingness to adopt these technologies to deliver housing were demonstrated by trial attempts. However, due to limited knowledge, the approach to procurement is by adapting existing procurement models, which are not ideal and obstruct the potential benefits of using offsite technologies primarily because of the significant difference in processes. Also, geographical location influenced procurement decisions when comparing cost with conventional procurement and the dearth of specific government incentives to deliver housing using offsite technologies. This study proposes a procurement model for VOSM. Practical implications The results have implications for decisions about procurement routes and contractual terms used by housing providers delivering volumetric offsite manufactured housing at scale. Although this study focussed on the West Midlands region, most of the issues identified were not geographically unique. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on potential barriers to the adoption of OSM in the housing sector of the UK. The findings will be of value to stakeholders involved in delivering housing and offers a useful contextual basis for future research.

scholarly journals COMPARISON OF THE CIVIL ENGINEERING CURRICULUM AMONG SEVERAL CANADIAN UNIVERSITIES

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Mehdi Ebadi ◽  
Michele Richards ◽  
Carol Brown ◽  
Samer Adeeb
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Modular Construction ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
University Of Toronto ◽  
University Of British Columbia ◽  
Mcgill University ◽  
Comprehensive Comparison ◽  
The University ◽  
New Generation

Growing attention to environmental sustainability, modular construction, and application of new generation of materials, accompanied with advanced data collection techniques and computer modeling, has revolutionized the area of Civil Engineering within the past few years. This demonstrates the necessity of continually reviewing the curriculum to assure that graduating engineers are knowledgeable enough to deal with complex problems in their area of specialty. This is also essential to satisfy the continual improvement process (CIP) requirements mandated by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB). As a first step to design a rigorous CIP, a comprehensive comparison was made between the Civil Engineering curricula of the University of Alberta (UofA) and eight other major universities across Canada, including the University of Calgary, University of Toronto, McGill University, University of Windsor, University of Regina, University of British Columbia (UBC), University of Waterloo, and Polytechnic of Montreal. After categorizing the courses into twelve different streams, it was observed that some universities paid less attention to a specific stream in comparison with the average, which could be identified as a gap in the curriculum. A capstone design or group design project that is multidisciplinary and covers multiple areas of specialty is the predominant approach followed by most of the universities.

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