Purpose Several studies have underlined the potential of Supply Chain Management (SCM) in meeting the formidable challenges associated with fragmentation, adversarial relationships and insufficient customer focus in the delivery of construction projects. However, properly documented examples of successfully implemented SCM initiatives, particularly at the lower tiers of the supply chain, are scarce. This paper aims to extend the existing debates by adopting an alternative approach focusing specifically on the internal SCM organisation of both main contractor and subcontractor organisations, and their direct inter-relationships. Design/methodology/approach This study sets out to explore the enablers and barriers to the implementation of SCM at the lower tiers of the construction supply chain, particularly the problematic collaboration between main contractors and subcontractors. SC Maturity levels are formulated according to relevant SCM concepts and based on Holti et al.’s (2000) seven principles of SCM organisation, and transformed into a conceptual model. An explorative study is conducted based on interviews from eight large main contractor and subcontractor organisations in the Dutch construction industry. Findings Discouragingly, across the organisations, more barriers than enablers to SCM are identified. Organisations are found to be particularly struggling to compete through superior value, manage costs collaboratively, and develop continuous improvement within their supply chains. The findings also underline the low SC Maturity of main contractors and their inability to play the essential role of supply chain managers. Practical implications The study underlines the need for a greater degree of contractor leadership and improved internal organisation of both types of firms in order to achieve greater collaboration at the lower tiers of the construction supply chain. Originality/value The study contributes to the subject of SCM in construction in two respects. First, the findings should prove valuable to both policymakers and industry practitioners interested in the delivery of performance improvement in construction. Second, the developed SC Maturity Model can form the conceptual basis for the development of an applicable improvement framework towards successful SCM implementation.
Production management in construction is moving away from conventional construction management. The correctives to this model have been explicitly or implicitly based on flow and value principles. Supply Chain Management (SCM) is often presented as suitable for efficient management of construction production, but its successful implementation in the industry remains limited, particularly at the lower tiers of the construction supply chain. This paper takes a closer look at SCM -an analysis from the production perspective might help to create a better understanding of the concept and the key principles presented could be prescriptive in the further development of SCM in construction.
The method of A3, which originated in the framework of the Toyota Production System, is used for collaborative problem solving, status reporting, and presenting proposals. It is now widely used as a part of the implementation of lean in different industries. In turn, the Canvas method was initially developed, through academic research, for generating business models, but over time it has been generalised for many other situations. In subsequent research, design principles for Canvases have been developed. The use of the Canvas method has rapidly increased in practice. As these two methods seem to have similarities regarding application areas and working principles, it is of interest to compare them. The following questions are addressed: How are these two methods similar and dissimilar? Are there underlying theories that could shed new light on both methods? A better understanding of these methods, both theoretically and practically, might be beneficial for their use in different contexts and scenarios. Especially, enhanced mastery of these methods would be instrumental for collaborative resolution of the well-known problems in construction.
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