scholarly journals Defining Supply Chain Visibility for Industrial Construction Projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vineeth Dharmapalan ◽  
William J. O’Brien ◽  
Douglas J. Morrice

Good Supply Chain Visibility (SCV) is vital for on-time delivery and installation of materials on industrial construction projects. SCV is possible via the exchange of information about materials in the supply chain. Prior academic research has highlighted the importance of SCV. However, the literature lacks the detailed definition of visibility that can be easily applied to projects. This research reviewed prior studies on SCV and adopted an appropriate definition that supports relevant decision-making on industrial construction projects. From this definition, the research objective is to develop detailed operational definitions of information needed to support supply chain decisions on industrial construction projects. The study employed mixed methods that consisted of interviews, review of mini-cases of industrial projects, procurement and material tracking tool assessment, and group discussions in structured workshops with a panel of subject matter experts. The research developed 79 detailed information needs and associated definitions that support ten key supply chain decision areas across detailed design, procurement, and construction phases of industrial construction projects. These definitions were evaluated by multiple means including an external team and a case study of an industrial construction project. The definitions developed by this research will enable both researchers and practitioners to invest in better measurements of visibility and support development of new tools and techniques.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vineeth Dharmapalan ◽  
William J. O’Brien ◽  
Douglas Morrice ◽  
Minhyuk Jung

Purpose Stakeholders of construction projects exhibit different perceptions regarding the visibility of materials in the supply chain, which affects the timely delivery and installation of materials. This study aims to quantitatively investigate the differences in viewpoints of owners, contractors, designers and suppliers about the visibility of materials at supply chain locations and different material types during the construction of industrial projects. Design/methodology/approach Survey data about visibility at nine typical supply chain locations and three common material types were collected from owner, contractor, designer and supplier groups and analyzed using frequency statistics, relative importance index and tests for equality of odds. Findings Offsite Tier-2 supplier, ports and kitting site shows the lowest visibility level for the owner, contractor, supplier and designer groups. Also, the supplier group tends to have adequate to extreme visibility at the Tier-2 supplier, kitting site and during transportation compared to owner, contractor and designer groups. An example finding concerning the visibility of material types is that owners and contractors perceive prefabricated material requires higher visibility than all other material types. Research limitations/implications The findings are limited to construction projects in the industrial sector. Further, the survey participants were based in North America at the time of participation. Practical implications The study’s findings indicate how visibility is spread across supply chain locations and for material types for the owners, contractors, suppliers and designers of industrial projects. As such, academia and industry’s research and investment efforts can be more focused on locations and material types that need improvement. Social implications Industrial projects play an essential part in improving society’s daily lives, and this study’s findings contribute to improving the efficiency of the supply chain during construction of industrial projects. Originality/value Although previous studies mentioned the need and importance of visibility improvement, none have sought to understand the perception of leading supply chain stakeholders about visibility at supply chain locations and of material types. This study’s findings provide specific insights and directions for advancing in these areas with regard to supply chain visibility.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 5956
Author(s):  
Jelena Končar ◽  
Radenko Marić ◽  
Goran Vukmirović ◽  
Sonja Vučenović

This work aims to define the impact of different indicators on the sustainability of food placement in the retail sector, during periods of crisis and emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. An empirical survey conducted in the Western Balkans (WB) region showed that indicators such as developed infrastructure, consistency, and transparency of the supply chain, skilled workers, costs, food safety, food prices, energy consumption, and changes in consumer needs are statistically significant since they affect the sustainability of food placement in the retail sector. As food placement and the retail sector itself are inseparable from other participants in the food supply chain (FSC), an analysis was conducted at the level of all FSC sectors. The results showed some deviations viewed individually in the sectors of production, physical distribution, wholesale, and retail, and in selected Western Balkan countries. Based on the results obtained, the sustainability model of food placement in the retail sector has been defined. The model will serve as the basis for defining the set of measures and incentives that competent institutions and FSC management need to undertake, to minimize the impact of indicators that endanger sustainability. The originality of the study lies in the fact that it fills the research gap that exists in this subject matter in academic research and studies in the WB region. In addition, some indicators important for food placement have been precisely isolated, with the definition of the intensity of their impact, observed overall at the level of the entire FSC as well as by individual sectors. Guidelines and suggestions for future research are listed in the paper.


Author(s):  
Rubén Medina Serrano ◽  
Wanja Wellbrock ◽  
María Reyes González Ramirez ◽  
José Luis Gascó

The supplier selection process has become an important area of research and professional activity, and it is fundamental to understand the types and trends of research in this field. The appropriate supplier selection decision is a fundamental strategic process and plays an important role in supply chain management. In the last decade, academic research on sustainability has evolved rapidly in the supply chain literature. However, there has been scant opportunity for the research community to complete a global assessment of sustainable supplier selection activities to date. This paper seeks to address this need by exploring sustainability in supply chain management, developing a sustainable supplier selection framework with a tool for its operationalization to help managers evaluate supplier selection decisions. Our proposed model is based on the TOPSIS concept as a multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) model and is validated through a case study. This research work follows the best-in-class approach to comply with all applicable environmental regulations and laws in the supplier selection process.


Author(s):  
Ira Haavisto ◽  
Jarrod Goentzel

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to deepen the understanding of supply chain performance objectives in the humanitarian context by striving to understand the underlying goals and conceptual variables behind the measurement of performance, such as efficiency. Design/methodology/approach – The research is an in-depth case study with one humanitarian organization. The data are gathered with mixed methods over a two-year period. Interviews were conducted in August 2010 and April 2012, and a survey conducted in October 2012. Findings – Misalignments are detected among different groups in humanitarian operations and between their goals and processes. These misalignments could possibly be corrected through long-term thinking in short-term operations by considering sustainability aspects throughout humanitarian assistance, for example. In addition, efficiency was a commonly identified objective in the case organization, although the definition varied widely and extended beyond the traditional definition of productivity to include planning, accountability and quality. Practical implications – Better communication and definition of terms is necessary to align goals and the power hierarchy in humanitarian supply chains, where operations seem to be structured more according to donor requirements then beneficiary needs. Originality/value – This is an in-depth case study, applying goal-setting theory to study supply chain performance. The study further responds to the public “aid efficiency” discussion by striving to recognize how efficiency is understood and how it can be measured in a humanitarian supply chain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9171
Author(s):  
Muhandiramge Nimashi Navodana Rodrigo ◽  
Srinath Perera ◽  
Sepani Senaratne ◽  
Xiaohua Jin

Carbon estimating plays a vital role in the construction industry. The current focus on introducing zero-carbon construction projects reduces operational carbon, at the expense of Embodied Carbon (EC). However, it is important to reduce overall net carbon emissions. There are various methods to estimate carbon, but the accuracy of these estimates is questionable. This paper reviews a novel methodology, the Supply Chain based Embodied carbon Estimating Method (SCEEM), which was introduced recently to accurately estimate EC in construction supply chains. SCEEM is compared against existing EC estimating methods (Blackbook and eToolLCD) using a case study approach. It is also supplemented with a comprehensive literature review of existing EC methods. The EC values calculated using Blackbook and eToolLCD were mostly higher than SCEEM. Since SCEEM uses actual site data and considers first principles-based value addition method to estimate EC, it is considered accurate. The cross-case analysis revealed that SCEEM provided consistent results. Hence, SCEEM is recommended to accurately estimate EC of any type of project.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad afsharniya

Present objective of the study the effects of pure thinking on the management of the supply chain housing construction projects Foundation in Gulistan province. Research methodology used in this study, descriptive and of solidarity. All statistical community managers and experts active construction projects in the time of the study can be - that their number is estimated at 370 people. The number of 189 people. For the sample was selected. In this study sampling method is random. Gathering information tool that it was standard questionnaires to confirm the validity of experts and professors expert. For reliability questionnaire Cronbach's and other related indicators used their results confirm that represents the reliability of the questionnaire. The questionnaire using factor analysis was confirmed by LISREL software. Research hypotheses were examined using multivariate regression. Research results showed that pure thinking on the management of the supply chain construction projects in the Gulistan province. It also intended to determine the value, making the uninterrupted pursuit of perfection and impact. Pure and fairly new management to reducing time, cost and waste and raising the quality of the pure of construction, and its interaction with supply chain management in order to achieve their objectives and principles.


Author(s):  
Don Amila Sajeevan Samarasinghe

Building materials occupy a large proportion of construction costs, comprising of nearly 50%, although the exact percentage varies from project to project. Given how important building materials are, due attention must be given to the strategies for procuring them. This study investigates building material purchasing practices and examines significant factors that could impact the optimum building materials for a specific project selection. This paper is an outcome of a PhD study conducted to improve supply chain practices relating to building materials for residential buildings in New Zealand in such a way that delivers the highest possible value to all stakeholders. The broader PhD study employed both qualitative (subject matter expert interviews) and quantitative (questionnaire survey) methods to gather information from those who supply and manufacture building materials, architects, builders, and homeowners. It found that the facilitation of effective materials management processes is reliant on the collaborative efforts of the entire supply chain in any construction project. When determining “best buy” decisions for key material inputs, the roles of the contractor, clients, and suppliers cannot be disconnected. Decisions relating to building materials were categorized into demand-side or supply-side choices, and a framework was developed to support supply chain stakeholder decisions in selecting appropriate materials for residential construction projects.


Author(s):  
Shikha Aggarwal ◽  
Manoj Kumar Srivastava ◽  
Sangeeta Shah Bharadwaj

In the era of turbulent environment, handling disruptions and building resilience is of prime importance to businesses. Most literature on building resilience in a supply chain is organization-focused and discusses firm-level abilities to bounce back after a disruption. In this study, the authors explored and defined collaborative resilience in a supply chain. Specifically, a case study approach across five supply chains was followed. Through this research, an empirical definition and understanding of collaborative resilience in supply chains was derived as the finding of the study. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first empirical research to develop a definition of collaborative resilience in supply chain. This study may strike many future research studies for research on the phenomenon of collaborative resilience in supply chains.


Author(s):  
Dean Kashiwagi ◽  
Sicco Santema ◽  
Jacob Kashiwagi ◽  
Alfredo Rivera ◽  
Jake Gunnoe ◽  
...  

The W117 commission is a leader in innovation. It is the first commission to have a very focused goal of implementing academic research/industry testing to impact the construction industry. The research is constantly evolving and impacting the direction, scope and speed of evolution of performance metrics, transparency, mitigation of risk and the improvement of the supply chain stakeholders. However, this is not the only thrust and value of W117. The W117 is looking to change the definition of successful and impactful research from traditional academic/industry research. It will change what is recognized as valuable and impactful research. This Research Roadmap is the latest document, as of June 2018, and will be continually changed in the coming years. W117 welcomes all other working commissions and industry visionaries to join in the effort towards improving the construction industry.


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