Mossman, A and Sarhan, S (2021) Synchronising off-site fabrication with on-site production in construction. Construction Economics and Building, 21(3), pp. 122-141. ISSN 2204-9029
Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore how offsite fabrication (OSF) can be tightly coupled with production and assembly on-site. Prefabrication is a production method that has potential to yield significant productivity and sustainability improvements in the construction industry. Failure to synchronise production in the factory with on-site production can lead to financial losses for the client/owner, main contractor and subcontractors as well as to delays in the construction schedule. The study draws on two case-studies and the authors' experiences in the context of a critical review of literature on the concepts of flow and Just-in-time (JIT) construction delivery. The findings show the value of a buffer between suppliers, fabricators and the site as a way to help the whole supply team create production flow and more environmentally friendly results. A buffer can help while the team is learning to use collaborative short-term planning to create predictable production. The paper recommends ways to synchronise OSF with on-site production. The paper provides practitioners with ideas to reduce both work waiting for workers (or robots) and workers (or robots) waiting for work – and it contributes to theory by raising more questions for further research.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | just-in-time; lean construction; production; sustainability; pre-fabrication |
| Index terms: | environmentally friendly, main contractor, lean construction, productivity, owner, just-in-time, buffer, practitioner, prefabrication, construction industry, subcontractor, fabrication |
| Subjects: | practitioner, management, manufacturing engineering, financial risk, sustainable design, building construction, sociology, lean logistics, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Cost Management, Business Strategy, Sustainability, Construction Technology, Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Supply Chain Management, Site Management |
| 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