Chen, Jamie (2025) Improving construction supply chain material management resilience through mathematical optimisation. PhD thesis, University of New South Wales, Australia.
Abstract
Navigating construction supply chain uncertainties proves to be a complex challenge for industry professionals and academics. To address this challenge, one approach is to consider the adverse impact of uncertainties while making managerial decisions involved in supply chains. Operational risks and disruptions originating from the supply and demand of construction materials can significantly impact the overall efficiency of construction material management. This approach is particularly important in the aspect of material management, which affects the flow of construction materials and resource consumption productivity. Another approach is to incorporate resilient sourcing strategies into material management practices, such as back-up sourcing and multi-sourcing. Both of these strategies aim to enhance supply chain flexibility and adaptability by engaging additional material suppliers. Mathematical optimisation is selected as a suitable methodology in this thesis to model resilient construction supply chain operations, given its strength in handling decision making environments under uncertainties. Leveraging mathematical optimisation also enables operational insights when adopting resilient sourcing strategies, to guide the application of these strategies in the construction industry. The contribution of research presented in this thesis lies in the development of novel mathematical formulations that consider the use of back-up sourcing and multi supplier set-ups in the face of supply and demand uncertainties. Uncertainty optimisation techniques, including fuzzy programming, robust optimisation, and two stage stochastic programming, are used to reflect different uncertain environments. The model presented in Chapter 3 first outlines the mathematical relations between construction material shortages and supply and demand equilibrium, using a scenario-based multi-objective fuzzy optimisation model to minimise the overall supply chain cost and material delay impact. Building on this, Chapter 4 introduces a robust optimisation model aimed at minimising construction supply chain costs, using a comparative study to evaluate the cost implications of back-up sourcing. Chapter 5 advances this research by integrating construction supply chains with project portfolio management, addressing supply disruption scenarios through a two-stage stochastic programming model. Finally, Chapter 6 focuses on proactive strategy by employing multi-sourcing in a project portfolio and presenting an optimisation framework to guide decision making for project supply chain optimisation, resource allocation, and scheduling within a portfolio.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Haeusler, M Hank |
| Index terms: | portfolio management, supply and demand, efficiency, optimization technique, resource allocation, productivity, construction material, comparative study, construction supply chain, resource consumption, construction industry, scheduling, strategy, face, decision-making, management practice, methodology, programming, fuzzy optimization, adaptability, supply chain optimization, shortages |
| Subjects: | construction logistics, research design and methodology, resource management, building materials, performance management, management, industry analysis, decision analysis, programming, user focus, economic analysis, operations research, supply chain optimization, environmental resource management, psychology, research methods, algorithms, market analysis |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Design Practice, Time Control, Organizational Design, Site Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Supply Chain Management, Quality Management, Engineering Principles, Sustainability, Risk Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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