Improving construction supply chain collaboration and performance: a lean construction pilot project

Abstract

PurposeImproving construction supply chain collaboration and performance is central for achieving short‐term business objectives as well as long‐term competitive advantage. Lean thinking is an approach that has been adopted in many different industrial settings as a means for improving supply chain performance. In the project‐based construction industry, lean thinking has, however, not yet been widely adopted. The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of how various aspects of lean thinking can be implemented in a construction project and how they affect supply chain actors and their performance.Design/methodology/approachAction research was performed in a case study of a lean construction pilot project. Empirical data were collected through three surveys and follow‐up workshops, document studies, and interviews of 12 project participants.FindingsThe findings show that many of the lean‐related aspects identified in the literature review were utilized in the pilot project. These aspects have mostly focused on increasing the cooperation among supply chain actors, for which reason the pilot project is very similar to a partnering project. Hence, much work remains in order to obtain full‐fledged lean construction, but the pilot project may serve as a starting point for continuous improvements and development of lean construction in future projects.Research limitations/implicationsThe research results are based on one empirical case study for which reasonable generalisations could be made, albeit cautiously.Practical implicationsThe frame of reference can serve as an illustration of important aspects and core elements of lean construction and the case study findings show how various lean related aspects can be implemented and how they affect supply chain actors and their performance in a construction project context.Originality/valueThe action research approach based on both qualitative and quantitative data collection in a lean construction pilot project provides a valuable opportunity to study both the process of implementing lean construction and its outcomes.

Stimuli of Collaboration in Product Development: A Case Study in a Project Manufacturing Company

“…The studied project manufacturing context requires close interaction between supplier, purchaser, and customer companies since offerings are typically tailored to customers [19,21]. This is proposed as a contributing factor for the perceived importance of customer involvement in product development.…”

“…18,19] in this study relates to its case context representing make-toorder industry with JIT (just-in-time) supplies [19,20] consisting of tailored project offerings to customers. In this context, flexibility and responsiveness of operations and supplies [19], integration of design and manufacturing [21], and inter-organizational collaboration [22,23] have been highlighted. A customer is an important actor [19,21] affecting the whole supply chain.…”

“…In this context, flexibility and responsiveness of operations and supplies [19], integration of design and manufacturing [21], and inter-organizational collaboration [22,23] have been highlighted. A customer is an important actor [19,21] affecting the whole supply chain. However, it has been found that engineering-oriented mindset highlighting sophisticated techniques instead of customer preferences is still perceivable in many companies providing customized offerings [24].…”

Kurumlar-Arası Sistem Kullanımının İşletme Performansı Üzerindeki Etkisinde Tedarik Zinciri İşbirliğinin Aracılık Rolünün Analizi: Türk İnşaat Sektöründe Bir Uygulama

“…Vereecke ve Muylle (2006), TZİ ve performans gelişimi arasındaki ilişkiyi imalat sanayinde 11 Avrupa ülkesinde 374 işletmenin verisi ile incelemiştir. Jin ve Hong (2007) Eriksson (2010), tedarik zinciri işbirliğini geliştirmek için yalın üretim tekniklerini uygulayan bir inşaat projesinde çalışma gerçekleştirmiştir. Çalışmasında İsveçte yapılan bir inşaat projesini örnek olay olarak alıp, tedarik zinciri işbirliği geliştirmek için üç aşamalı bir yalın inşaat modeli geliştirmiştir.…”

Current state mapping of the supply chain in engineering procurement construction (EPC) project: a case study

“…General contractors should take greater risks than conventional projects, so SCM becomes an important aspect for the general contractor [8]. There are several potential risks in EPC projects such as potential delay in schedules, quality problems, hostile relationships, and disconnected information [9,10]. This is because EPC projects characteristically have long processes, large scales, and multi-participation.…”