Issues and Impact of Lean Construction Implementation in The Malaysian Construction Industry

Abstract

The construction industry is one of the most important industries because of its end product, such asschools, hospitals, and roads. This industry contributes to social and economic development by providing buildingsfor other sectors’ usage. Nevertheless, despite these contributions, the construction industry also has issues relatedto construction wastes, which need to be resolved. Hence, Lean Construction (LC) approach is a useful techniquethat traditionally converged on minimizing construction waste. LC is an approach based on lean production thatemphasizes minimally invasive and maximally profitable production. This paper’s primary purpose is to explore the usage of LC in the Malaysian construction industry (MCI). This paper aims to identify LC implementation issues, determine the impact of LC implementation, and recommend enhancing the LC implementation in the MCI. Data was obtained from G7 contractors registered with the Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia (CIDB) by distributing questionnaire surveys, and the response rate was 20%. Through the descriptive analysis, it can be concluded that most of the respondents agreed with lack of knowledge was the major issue that occurred during theLC implementation in the MCI. Furthermore, the respondents agreed that LC positively impacted the LC practitioners’ organization by encouraging them to undertake construction materials appropriately without wasting them and improving handling the site’s resources. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the government should introduce this LC as a policy in managing a construction site, and LC practitioners should implement the best construction practices to obtain the best results. Additionally, it is also suggested that the industry educate theconstruction workforce on implementing this LC concept and create more ongoing seminars or training to upgradetheir knowledge, skills, techniques, and processes. This research’s outcomes play an essential role in reducing the gap between the theory and implementation practices of LC in the MCI. Thus, this LC is hoped that future construction projects in the MCI can produce a better quality of end products towards a better quality of life.

Driving factors for lean-BIM implementation in Malaysia’s construction industry: qualitative interview-based study

“…All participants are knowledgeable in BIM and lean construction, but only one of them has lean-BIM knowledge and project experience. As Malaysia is an early adopter of BIM and lean construction is still considered a new concept in this country (Ahmed and Wong, 2020;Marhani et al, 2021), the lack of participant involvement in the lean-BIM project was expected. Four interviews were conducted through face-to-face meetings at the respective interviewee's offices following strict government COVID-19 guidelines.…”

“…In Malaysia, lean implementation is still at an early stage despite the construction industry's rapid growth (Ahmed and Wong, 2018). At the moment, adopting the lean construction technique is the self-initiatives by organisations (Marhani et al, 2021). To date, Malaysia does not have any specific lean approach to be applied in construction projects (Ahmed and Wong, 2018).…”

“…Lean construction is a continual process of improving project performance by eliminating waste, maximising productivity and emphasising continuous value to customers -satisfying client expectations, focusing on the entire value stream and seeking perfection in the construction of a project (Diekmann et al, 2004;Aziz and Hafez, 2013;Marhani et al, 2021). It provides value-added activities in the construction lifecycle and helps increase project productivity and value (Akinradewo et al, 2018).…”

“…To date, Malaysia does not have any specific lean approach to be applied in construction projects (Ahmed and Wong, 2018). CIDB Malaysia has taken efforts to promote lean construction to improve construction productivity such as through industry workshops and seminars; however, presently lean is still unpopular among construction organisations (Marhani et al. , 2021; Ahmed and Wong, 2020).…”

The Impact of the Technicians’ Skills Gap on the Nigerian Construction Industry: An Investigative Study

“…The vital role of the construction industry in its contribution to social and economic development through the provision of other sectors with suitable building cannot be overlooked (Marhani et al, 2021). The construction industry is labour intensive, particularly in developing countries around the world.…”