Exploiting digitalization for the coordination of required changes to improve engineer-to-order materials flow management

Abstract

Purpose The dynamic nature and complexity of construction projects make it challenging to ensure that the engineer-to-order (ETO) materials supplied onsite match changing needs. The quick and efficient communication of required changes in material fabrication, delivery and use, due to changes in the design and construction schedules, is needed to address the challenges. This study aims to provide a novel integrated management framework with its embedded informatics to help major stakeholders efficiently absorb agility during communication to deal with required changes and improve workflows. Design/methodology/approach An integrated management framework is developed that integrates the milestones in look-ahead plans and structured iterative processes for major supply chain stakeholders to quickly disseminate information emanating from changes in design, schedules, production and transportation. A prototype system is devised including the informatics to support the framework, which consists of BIM-RFID functional modules and a central database and uses a client-server architecture. The usefulness of the prototype is illustrated using a construction of part of a fictive but realistic high-rise building. Findings The integrated management framework with the informatics provides major stakeholders with the ability to coordinate their activities efficiently and stimulate their agility (measured by process time) in planning and controlling material information. Although only a fictive example was used, it is shown that the use of the system is likely to result in a substantial reduction in the time required to deal with required changes when delivering ETO materials onsite (by 18% in the example). Research limitations/implications The functionalities of the prototype system can be easily scaled up to coordinate changes in the design and scheduling of other types of materials. More functional developments are needed to show the extent of the possible improvement for entire construction projects. Future work should focus on investigating the possible improvements for other types and sizes of construction projects, and eventually in real-world construction projects. Practical implications By fitting the look-ahead plans into structured iterative processes through digital data sharing, stakeholders increased their capability to quickly capture required change information and resolve associated problems. This is particularly useful for the management of ETO supply chain processes, where prefabricated elements such as ductwork, plumbing, and mechanical systems typically have to be modified because of last-minute design and schedule changes. Originality/value Unlike traditional information technology (IT) based supply chain management practices, this research is characterized by a process-centered management framework that provides explicit decision points over iterative planning processes for major stakeholders to manage material information. The iterations through digital data sharing allow stakeholders to quickly respond to last-minute changes on site, which fundamentally achieves workflow agility in the construction supply chain context.

Critical Coordination Factors Affecting Design and Build Projects

“…If there is no right coordination process and collaboration in transforming data between the contractor and designer, the DB projects will fail to keep their advantages over traditional projects (Chang et al, 2010;Tayeh et al, 2018). Consequently, the coordination process is a crucial factor that affects the performance of DB projects (Chen et al, 2021;Urup, 2016). Finding a proper solution for coordination problems will make the performance better in the DB project (Azhar et al, 2021;Chang et al, 2010).…”

“…Although some works have been conducted to explain the coordination issues in the construction project mainly focused on interpersonal communication problems (Chang et al, 2010;Latiffi & Zulkiffli, 2021). Chen et al (2021) argued that effective coordination is necessary between the designer and contractor to avoid designing issues and timely feedback on the site. This may lead to effective time management in the completion of construction projects and save costs incurred due to faulty designs.…”

“…Coordination issues can occur in Design-Build projects as a result of inadequate planning and implementation (Chen et al, 2021). Inappropriate planning can involve excessively detailed concept designs, while implementation may include an inconsistent amount of design concurrence (DC), lengthy review processes, and slow feedback between builders and designers (Yap et al, 2021).…”

Delineating the people-related features required for construction digitalisation

“…The concept of digitalisation is still in its infancy stage in the construction industry of most developing countries. As a result, studies have continued to explore the adoption of diverse DTs by construction organisations around the world (Bello et al, 2021;Chen et al, 2021;Habibi, 2021;Okpala et al, 2021). In addition, other studies have assessed the inherent benefits as well as the challenges deterring the use of these technologies (Golizadeh et al, 2019;Liu et al, 2020;Oke et al, 2018;Sompolgrunk et al, 2021;Taniguchi et al, 2022).…”

Blockchain opportunities for construction industry in Hong Kong: a case study of RISC and site diary

“…Furthermore, a Hyperledger Fabric-based consortium Blockchain is designed to manage construction quality with a consensus process addressing the information fraud problem (Zhong et al , 2020). Construction data protection issue can, thus, be addressed by Blockchain during the use and maintenance of data (Chen et al , 2021; Banerjee and Nayaka, 2021). A threat model is also developed to analyze the effect of applying Blockchain platforms on the construction industry from performance and security levels (Shemov et al , 2020).…”