Wu, P; Feng, Y and Zhong, Y (2012) Identification and reduction of non-value adding activities in the precast concrete construction projects in Singapore. In: Smith, S D (ed.) Proceedings of 28th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2012, Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract
Prefabrication systems are believed to have the potential for better environmental performance and have been adopted by the construction industry to meet the challenges posed by global climate change. However, there remains many areas in the prefabrication systems that can be improved in order to reduce carbon emissions, such as site layout, work flow and inventory control. This research therefore aims to identify the non-value adding activities that can be eliminated to reduce carbon emissions in the precast concrete construction projects in Singapore. A weighted factor model comprising 30 contractors in the Singapore construction industry is adopted. Two stages in the precast concrete installation cycle are investigated using the weighted factor model, which are site layout management and delivery management. The results indicate that there are many non-value adding activities in the precast concrete installation cycle that contribute to an increase in the level of carbon emissions, such as large storage area and lack of just-in-time sourcing. The analysis provides good practice guidance and can be used as a checklist for contractors to achieve low-carbon installation. The results will also be useful for regulatory agencies to provide recommendations for the construction industry to reduce carbon emissions.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | carbon emissions; non-value adding activities; prefabrication; sustainability |
| Index terms: | just-in-time, precast concrete, construction project, global climate change, prefabrication, construction industry, site layout, carbon emission, Singapore, inventory, environmental performance, good practice, regulatory agency |
| Subjects: | administrative law, industry analysis, building construction, lean logistics, production management, Geography, inventory management, sustainability assessment, performance measurement, site logistics, building materials, climate science |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Construction Technology, Construction Materials, Research Practice, Project Management, Geographical Context, Site Management, Supply Chain Management, Quality Management, Legal Issues |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here