Georgy, M and Basily, S Y (2008) Using genetic algorithms in optimizing construction material delivery schedules. Construction Innovation, 8(1), pp. 23-45. ISSN 1471-4175
Abstract
To develop a systematic procedure and a computerized tool for optimizing the delivery and inventory of materials, as part of a comprehensive material management system in construction projects. A newly devised approach that employs genetic algorithms (GAs) for the optimization of material delivery schedules and their associated inventory control is presented. The approach is based on the project material requirement plans, and employs an objective function that minimizes the total costs associated with material deliveries. Furthermore, the computer system developed is used to examine and validate the adopted approach. GA proved to be a satisfactory approach for optimizing material delivery schedules and its associated inventory levels. The selected case study particularly showed the system to produce material delivery plans that have reduced costs compared with their actual counterparts. Also, the computer processing time for developing the optimized plans was rather minimal, which promote its practical use. The paper addresses one part of the comprehensive material management system; that is the optimization of the material delivery schedules and inventory control. Other future publications by the same authors will address the issues of probabilistic lead time calculations and development of material ordering schedules. The paper partially fulfills a long-sought research need for developing comprehensive material management systems specifically tailored to construction projects. The system takes into account several parameters that are not typically incorporated in the economic order quantity models for material management. Furthermore, practicality of the introduced system is augmented by the fact that it is interlinked with one of the most commonly used scheduling software.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction materials; inventory control; optimization techniques; resource allocation |
| Index terms: | lead time, economic order, case study, management system, inventory, computer system, optimization technique, scheduling, publication, construction material, resource allocation, genetic algorithm, construction project |
| Subjects: | economic and policy analysis, operations research, production management, project controls, computing systems, management, research dissemination and communication, data collection methods, resource management, building materials, inventory management, algorithms |
| Topics: | Information Management, Time Control, Supply Chain Management, Site Management, Research Practice, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Organizational Design, Digital Applications |
| 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