22nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction - Oslo, Norway - 2014

An Enhanced Scheduling Technique for Modular Construction Manufacturing

Mana Moghadam1 & Mohamed Al-Hussein2

1Postdoctoral Fellow, Hole School of Construction Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 4-110 Markin/CNRL Natural Resources Engineering Facility, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2W2, Canada, [email protected]
2Hole School of Construction Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 3- 015 Markin/CNRL Natural Resources Engineering Facility, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2W2, Canada, Phone +1 780 492 0599, [email protected]

Abstract

Modular construction manufacturing (MCM) is potentially built through a more efficient and cost-effective method compared to the on-site construction practice. The increased interest in manufacturing of the building construction process demands special methods of design and manufacturing to improve production efficiency. MCM provides opportunities to apply Lean for production efficiency in the plant, including eliminating waste and supporting the delivery of customized products in a shorter time and at a lower cost. Lean is a concept first developed in the manufacturing industry which has been since adapted to the construction industry. Although the focus of Lean in both industries is the same, Lean tools vary between manufacturing and construction since these two industries differ in nature. Lean as the concept is applicable to any industries, taking into consideration that MCM has characteristics of both manufacturing and construction yet is distinct and should be seen in the class of its own. Given the distinct nature of MCM, the technical elements in “Lean production” and “Lean construction” are not sufficient to achieve the Lean goals for MCM industry, necessitating a modified framework by which to exploit the potential benefits of modular building. This paper provides a deeper understanding of the modular construction manufacturing and the difference between the manufacturing, construction, and MCM industries. The focus of this paper is to adopt an enhanced scheduling technique which can adequately fulfill the production efficiency demands based on particular characteristic of modular construction manufacturing.

Keywords

Modular construction manufacturing, Scheduling, Production, Design, Efficiency

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Reference

Moghadam, M. & Al-Hussein, M. 2014. An Enhanced Scheduling Technique for Modular Construction Manufacturing, 22nd Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction , 1019-1030. doi.org/

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