Management of the stockyard layout in the precast concrete products industry is very important for efficient storage and dispatch of the concrete products. The industry uses the make-to-stock principle in production to meet the seasonal demand (high in summer and low in winter) from the construction industry. In order to stabilize production output and cater for the huge demand in summer, stock is built up during the winter and spring period. The concrete products are kept in stock for 4-5 months. As 2000≈3000 different precast concrete products are produced, and the products have different size, weight and handling requirements, determination of appropriate stockyard location for the products constitutes a complex process. This paper describes some ongoing research that is focused on identifying the appropriate methodology for designing and managing the stockyard layout that ensures efficient storage and dispatch of products, and provides ease of rotation of products within the yard. An integrated simulation model employing artificial intelligence methods has been proposed to evaluate 'what-if' scenarios and recommend a suitable methodology for the management of stockyard space for precast concrete products. This paper presents the findings from a case study, which includes work-study, frequency analysis of historical order data. The paper also introduces the specifications, processes and outline prototype of the proposed model. A general purpose simulation language (SIMAN) based software, 'Arena 4.0' (Systems Modelling Corporation), has been selected to develop the prototype simulation model and ILOG views and rules have been considered to generate a knowledge-based stockyard layout.Stockyard Layout Precast Concrete Products Simulation,
Research has shown that 57% of activities in a construction project is non-value adding (waste) which contributes to the poor performance of the sector. While other countries of the world such the USA, UK, Brazil, Nigeria and Israel among others are seeking to understand this challenge and deploy innovative ways and modern techniques to improve it, limited studies have explored factors that contribute to non-value adding activities (NVA) in the Gibraltar construction industry. The current study aims to identify the factors that contribute to NVA on construction sites in Gibraltar and to present an outlook on how this could be minimised using Last Planner System(LPS).A combination of quantative and qualitative research approaches were used. Thirtyone questionnaire responses were analysed and seven semi-structured interviews were conducted. The investigation reveals that the development of unrealistic schedules, lack of adequate training, delayed approval process and work interruption due to the community are the key factors that contribute to NVA. The study found that the suggestions offered by construction professional for minimising NVA align with some LPS principles. The study concludes that some of the current practices, could serve as justification for the introduction of LPS in the construction sector of Gibraltar.
There has been increased dependence on subcontracting within the construction industry, the operational relationship between the Main Contractor (MC) and Subcontractor (SC) plays a significant role in successful delivery of projects. Through the literature review this paper argues that despite SCs bring added value to construction projects, the increased reliance on SCs has strained relationships between the MC and SC. Also MCs are more concerned with risk and price reduction which undermine the relationship heavily. Current practices in the construction industry in managing SCs were evaluated through a case study and semi-structured interviews. A questionnaire survey was used to investigate the ways of facilitating the interface between the MC and SC in general. The study highlighted that prevailing adverse relationships and culture in the industry are influencing the success of construction projects. The lack of trust is a key factor affecting the relationships between MC and SCs. However, the proactive involvement of the MC with SCs in maintaining continuity of the team from procurement to construction stage and transparency in the processes were key success factors for successful completion of the project.
The concrete building products manufacturing industry supplies 2,000‐4,000 precast concrete building products to the construction industry. Owing to seasonal demand, the industry builds up stock in winter to meet the high demand in summer. As concrete products are heavy and vary in shape and size, proper stocking in terms of layout and methods of stocking of products on the yard is essential. Industrial practice suggests that stockyard space management gets less attention during strategic and budget planning as it is left to the stockyard manager. The industry experiences space congestion for both the storage and dispatch of products. During dispatch process, greater retrieval time is required, long queues of lorries (shipping vehicles) are formed and desired level of service cannot be maintained. Presents a review of stockyard operations, analysis of parameters affecting loading and dispatch process on the yard and strategies to optimise the stockyard layout. It is expected that proper layout planning will reduce the cost of delivery of products by 5‐10 per cent in the industry where profit is less than 5‐8 per cent.
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