Integrated Management Software for Factory Production of Modular Buildings

Abstract

After the first modular construction project in Korea in 2003, the scope and demand for modular systems have gradually increased. However, modular producers in Korea utilize spreadsheets to manage the process, manpower, and materials required for modular construction. This is inadequate compared to other countries that are more advanced in modular construction such as Japan and the United Kingdom. The management system in Korea decreases the effectiveness of modular construction in reducing construction time and cost. There is no formal system for managing modular production in Korea. Although some construction management programs utilized in the traditional construction industry are available, they do not reflect the flow of modular production, that is, to simultaneously produce several types of modules in accordance with demand in a factory. This research develops a modular-construction-specific production management system that has three overall functions: factory setup, project creation, and result analysis. These functions can link all the relevant data for managing modular production and can help manage several types of modules. The production management system is verified through simulation of the existing processes observed for a completed project and comparing the results to an alternative process. Through such comparisons, an optimized process design can be achieved.

Requirements Analysis for Development of Off-Site Construction Project Management System: Focusing on Precast Concrete Construction

“…Arashpour et al [50] and Nam et al [51] developed a system for the management of the factory production stage. Arashpour et al [50] indicated that inaccurate production tracking in the factory production stage results in schedule delays, and increased construction costs; they developed a system to predict a short-term shortage in production, and the likelihood of achieving long-term target production utilizing statistical techniques.…”

Optimization of Prefabricated Components in Housing Modular Construction

“…For example, if we assume the simulated process for the given constraint factors as purple from the below diagram (Figure 3), three (3) objective functions exist. As an area function, the difference between the total utilized factory area should be minimized as shown in Equation (2). In other words, we can assume that the area is used as much as possible under the given constraint factors.…”

“…Modular construction involves the production of construction components (e.g., structures, materials, various types of equipment) that are built off-site, and modules are assembled with minimal effort on-site [1][2][3]. In modular construction-a type of industrialized construction-factory production is very important, as it is closely related to the project's duration, quality, and sustainability.…”

“…In other words, it is heavily impacted by the characteristics of the order-based industry and multi-product mass productions (multiple projects happening at the same time) [6]. Order-based industry requires a fixed (2) Developing analysis model for optimizing modular factory production considering factory area, and production time. It uses the objective functions depending on the limitation (area, time) to decide the optimal combination for project components.…”

Pathways for the Improvement of Construction Productivity: A Perspective on the Adoption of Advanced Techniques

“…erefore, the need to improve productivity has paved the way for advanced and emerging techniques and technologies, each with their own characteristics. In recent years, advanced techniques, such as prefabrication, automation, and IT-based techniques, have drastically altered the construction industry, changing its focus from traditional practice to modern enterprise [45].…”