Hofman, E; Voordijk, H and Halman, J (2009) Matching supply networks to a modular product architecture in the house-building industry. Building Research & Information, 37(1), pp. 31-42. ISSN 0961-3218
Abstract
Notions of aligning modular product architectures and buyer-supplier relationships, which have spread widely through other industrial and retail sectors, have largely bypassed the house-building industry. The major question posed in this study is: what types of contractor-supplier relationships are needed to develop and produce a modular housing system successfully? An in-depth case study examines a Dutch house-building company that is developing an 'industrialized' modular housing system in collaboration with several specialized suppliers. Based on the analysis of the ten dyadic contractor-supplier relationships, it is shown that contractor-supplier relationships in modular house-building are moderated by both demand and supply aspects. The alignment between product modules and contractor-supplier relationships is found to be contingent on four drivers: the degree of variety in customer demand, the extent of the required supplier investment, the extent of dependence on supplier knowledge, and the intentions of both the supplier and the buyer in a relationship.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | contractor-supplier relationships; design rules; house-building industry; housing; intellectual property rights; modern methods of construction; modularity; multi-project production; supplier networks |
| Index terms: | housing, modular housing, collaboration, building industry, intellectual property, module, product architecture, modularity, case study, modern methods of construction |
| Subjects: | construction type, data collection methods, design methods, intellectual property, building construction, industry analysis, design flexibility, economic development, management, architectural elements |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Construction Technology, Urban Studies, Legal Issues, Design Practice, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
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