scholarly journals Augmented reality for enabling un- and under-trained individuals to complete specialty construction tasks

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 128-143
Author(s):  
Jad Chalhoub ◽  
Steven K. Ayer ◽  
Samuel T. Ariaratnam

The construction industry is facing a severe labor shortage that is threatening the performance of projects around the world. Advanced technologies may be able to alleviate the effects of this labor cliff. Specifically, Augmented Reality (AR) has been shown to enhance the performance of current industry professionals completing different construction tasks and is also being explored as a learning tool for students and technicians alike. This research studies if AR can be used as a tool to enable untrained individuals to complete construction tasks. Three groups were identified for this research: construction professionals, construction students, and individuals with no construction experience. All three groups completed two construction tasks with AR, including the assembly of prefabricated electrical conduit and the layout of electrical devices in a room. The results show that all three groups completed the task in statistically similar times; however, the work of individuals with no construction experience had significantly lower accuracy during the electrical device layout task. These results suggest that construction companies may be able to leverage untrained individuals to perform certain construction tasks with AR, enabling trained and experienced professionals to focus on more challenging tasks.

Safety ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Anisha Deria ◽  
Yong-Cheol Lee

Abusing intoxicating substances such as alcohol and drugs in the construction industry poses a serious threat to the safety of workers. It is a pervasive problem that often results in fatal accidents and other relevant risks. This paper aimed to investigate the impacts of substance abuse at job sites, the perception of industry professionals about the issue, and the current practices of the industry. The objective was to compare the perception of the industry to the findings of the background study conducted in this area. To achieve this goal, the authors conducted a survey to analyze (1) the difference in perception between onsite and administrative teams regarding the issue of onsite substance abuse, (2) comparing possibilities of occurrence of diverse impacts of substance abuse as per the industry perspective, and (3) effectiveness of the available mitigation practices according to industry professionals. The results show that (1) there is a significant difference in perception regarding the existence and the seriousness of the problem of substance abuse in the construction companies between the onsite and the administrative teams, (2) though fatal accidents are the worst possible impact, loss in productivity is considered as the most common impact, and (3) drug-testing is not considered as the best mitigation practice by construction professionals. It was concluded that there is a need for education on the seriousness of drug abuse as well as extensive research for developing more efficient mitigation systems.


This study investigated the use of e-Procurement in selected construction firms in Oyo state, Nigeria. The data were derived using a well-structured questionnaire survey involving 104 respondents. Descriptive statistical and correlation analyses were used to analyze the data. Findings show that the use of electronic procurement in the selected construction firms for carrying out procurement function is high with majority of the professionals affirming the use of the system, the four categories of e-Procurement used were e-mail, static websites, web.2.0 technologies and portals that have capabilities of supporting the execution of functions limited to intra and inter firm communication and exchange of project information and data. Consequently, between 84 percent and 76 percent of the respondents used these e-Procurement technologies for communication of information, exchange of bill of quantities, project reports, CAD drawings and project specifications. Consequently, factors with the highest positive impacts on the use of these technologies in the firms were the speed of transactions, lower transaction cost and ease of use. The study implies that the selected construction firms in Oyo state Nigeria predominantly use e-mails and websites to support the execution of pre-award phase of construction procurement. Finding also shows that there is positive relationship between e-Procurement (e-Notifying, e-Exchange, and e-Submission of bid) and Project delivery. The study suggests that to accelerate the rate of uptake of e-Procurement and maximize its benefits in the Nigerian construction industry, there is a need to improve the quality and quantity of ICT infrastructure across the country; and to embark on aggressive enlightenment campaigns, training and skill development programs in the use of e-Procurement in the construction industry in this country.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-Simon SCHMIDT ◽  
Rainard OSEBOLD

The construction industry, as one of almost every economy’s major generators of environmental impact, can contribute in large measure to achieving the goals of sustainability. However, most publications in this field deal with sustainability with reference to selecting construction materials and improvements in the operating phase of buildings. When considering ecological sustainability the focus has to be extended from the finished building to the building pro­cess. Therefore the actors of the construction sector who are responsible for the production process have to be studied: the construction companies. The goal of this paper is to study the state of ecologically sustainable corporate business management in construction. The state of application of elements of environmental management systems (EMS) is used as an indicator of the current situation in German construction companies. EMS can help continuously to environmen­tally improve the operating processes of the firms. A broad survey about the extent of EMS has been conducted consid­ering the barriers and drivers. In general, a relatively low interest in EMS and a lack of knowledge is noticeable within the sector. As a result, strategic recommendations are made on how to promote environmental management to foster sustainable thinking in the German construction industry.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debby Willar ◽  
Vaughan Coffey ◽  
Bambang Trigunarsyah

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the implementation of quality management systems (QMSs) of Grade 7 (G-7) Indonesian construction companies. This includes the initial motives that have driven the development of QMSs, barriers to effective QMS implementation, the current practice and integration of QMS-ISO 9001 principles and elements, and the performance of contractors implementing such QMSs. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted involving 403 respondents (Quality Management Representatives, Managers, and Project and Site Engineers) from 77 G-7 as well as ISO 9001 certified Indonesian construction companies. Findings – The main motive for G-7 contractors in establishing and implementing ISO 9001 based QMSs are identified as being to effectively and efficiently control project activities. Respondents apparently do not often experience problems related to QMS implementation. However, issues of management attitude and purpose are identified as barriers that may affect effective QMS implementation. The study highlights the ISO 9001 principles and elements that still require to be more critically applied by G-7 contractors in order to fully implement and improve their current QMS effectiveness. The findings also suggest that, although certified, many G-7 contractors have not yet achieved a satisfactory level of performance to be truly competitive in global markets outside Indonesia. Originality/value – To date, only limited research has been conducted into the application of ISO 9001 in the Indonesian construction industry. The research findings reinforced the value of pursuing more effective QMS implementation. They also support current attempts to introduce ISO 9001 QMSs to a much wider base of Indonesian construction companies, particularly small and medium sized contractors and builders.


2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-408
Author(s):  
Chung-Ju Tsai ◽  
Tzong-Ru (Jiun-Shen) Lee ◽  
Szu-Wei Yen ◽  
Per Hilletofth

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate how companies in the reinforcing bar industry and the construction industry operate and implement brand alliances. Design/methodology/approach – This research uses a qualitative interview survey and the grounded theory method to extract key factors of brand alliance development and management in the targeted industries. The interview survey included six managers from different construction companies in Taiwan. Findings – This research identifies four common firm-level operational process stages (core categories) of brand alliances including different multidimensional factors, and proposes a conceptual model based on these identified core process stages. The four common core process stages include selection of brand alliance partners, communication with brand alliance partners, enforcement of brand alliances and assessment of brand alliances. Originality/value – The proposed model offers a tentative explanation of the development and management of brand alliances between the reinforcing bar industry and the construction industry. This study represents an initial research attempt in this field and explains how reinforcing bar and construction companies operate and implement brand alliances.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Navrátil ◽  
Petr Ševčík ◽  
Johann Stampler ◽  
Gregor Strekelj

<p>Using BIM technology for the design process in the construction industry has become somewhat of a standard approach. For bridge design, various solutions offering geometric design functionality and data management facilities are available on the market. However, integrated solutions for seamlessly supporting the whole planning process are still a scarce commodity. The solution presented integrates architectural modeling, structural analysis, and sophisticated proof checking functionality in one package, where, based on a 4D architectural model, an analysis model is automatically derived, allowing for simulating the erection process in detail and investigating all relevant stress states. The focus of the paper is the reinforcement design of prestressed concrete sections, which is one of the most challenging tasks among the various requirements arising in the design process.</p>


2012 ◽  
Vol 450-451 ◽  
pp. 140-144
Author(s):  
Sang Chul Kim ◽  
Jae Hyun Lim ◽  
Jun Ho Park ◽  
Tae Hwa Jung

Construction market in Korea has been decreased for 3 or 4 years, and it brought the problem in supply and demand of workforce. Therefore, new workforce in construction industry could not been enter, and some of them have been employed in non-major area. This research intends to analyze construction industry as well as demand and status of construction companies and to diagnose status of new workforce for architectural works, and a survey is conducted for enrolled students and graduates to diagnose problems of current status in order to suggest the alternatives in Korea.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Thu Anh Nguyen ◽  
Phong Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Sy Tien Do

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.


2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Tkáč ◽  
Radoslav Delina ◽  
Martina Sabolová

<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>


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