Assessing off-site readiness in construction organisations: cases from India

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to present factors affecting the Indian construction organisations in adopting off-site construction (OSC) methods. Design/methodology/approach An existing readiness maturity model has been used to assess three large organisations in different parts of India. A case study methodology has been adopted in this paper to highlight critical issues in OSC adoption in India. Findings This paper presents three case studies and concludes the Indian construction sectors readiness to adopt the OSC methods. Through the case studies, different issues related to the adoption of OSC have been identified and highlighted for the Indian construction sector. Although the three companies are large, there are several small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) operating in India's construction sector, and future research shall be needed to review these SMEs. Research limitations/implications This research study is broadly focused on developing and assessing an OSC readiness framework for Indian construction organisations. The research scope and the population for data collection are limited to large construction organisations in India only. Practical implications The proposed OSC readiness maturity model guides construction practitioners in India through a structured process to assess their OSC readiness in the market. This assessment enables them to evaluate and benchmark their processes through the strategic and operational phases. This research will add to the existing knowledge of OSC in India by mapping issues relevant to India's construction industry. The research has provided background on the status of OSC, the drivers and barriers affecting the implementation of OSC techniques in the Indian construction industry. Originality/value Through the three case studies, several factors related to the implementation of OSC methods have been identified and highlighted within the Indian construction sector. Although the model has been applied to the Indian construction sector, it can easily be modified to fit into other areas and similar dynamics and business conditions.

Industry 4.0 driven emerging skills of offsite construction: a multi-case study-based analysis

“…Qualitative research based on case studies allows in-depth evaluation of a specific subject area (Arif and Egbu, 2010; Bendi et al , 2022). The research methodology constitutes of case studies, and Figure 1 presents the research methodology followed in the current study.…”

“…Offsite construction (OSC) is the manufacturing of buildings or functional elements of buildings to be transported and erected onsite. From the pyramid construction in pre-historic ages (Arif and Egbu, 2010) to assembling multi-storey buildings within hours, OSC has evolved up to greater extents (Bendi et al , 2022). Among the plethora of research that has been conducted on OSC, people, process and technological improvements have received special attention (Goulding and Pour Rahimian, 2020).…”

Assessment of Barriers and Strategies for the Enhancement of Off-Site Construction in India: An ISM Approach

“…Karthik and Kameswara Rao [35], focussing on masonry construction, further highlight the impact of insufficient worker skills/experience and the increased fatigue. In this context, there is an urgent need to examine alternative forms of construction [7], and it is time to rethink how construction projects could be conceived, planned and executed to achieve maximum benefits through OSC practices [12]. Sherfudeen et al [14] also agree that moving towards large-scale mechanization and innovative construction methods such as OSC seems to be a feasible solution if planned, designed and implemented properly.…”

“…Furthermore, as India has started taking steps towards sustainability and waste minimization, offsite construction has been drawing significant attention [15]. Nevertheless, OSC is still relatively new in India [7], accounting for less than 1% of the USD 100 bn Indian real estate sector [37], and the available research on OSC is currently minimal [12].…”

“…The limited research on the topic of OSC implementation in the Indian context means that the determinants of and barriers to environmentally and socially sustainable construction practices remain largely unexplored [5]. Specifically, a series of recent publications [7,11,12] contemplate the readiness of the Indian construction sector to implement OSC and confirm the lack of relevant literature. Besides these, there are very few publications, such as those by Nanyam et al [13], Sherfudeen et al [14] and Arif et al [15], that have investigated various aspects of OSC implementation in India by the use of interviews or questionnaires.…”