@inproceedings{Azambuja2013_870,
  author = {Azambuja, Marcelo and Schnitzer, Thomas and Sahin, Meral and Lee, Felix},
  editor = {Formoso, Carlos Torres and Tzortzopoulos, Patricia},
  title = {Enabling Lean Supply with a Cloud Computing Platform - An Exploratory Case Study},
  booktitle = {21th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction},
  year = {2013},
  pages = {205--214},
  address = {Fortaleza, Brazil},
  issn = {2309-0979},
  url = {https://www.iglc.net/papers/details/870},
  abstract = {Traditional supply practices usually generate waste such as lack of materials and/or accumulation of large inventories on construction job sites. Lean supply systems require the integration of suppliers in the production process as a means to minimize waste. Such integration allows better synchronization of supply and demand and pulling of materials to the job site. Supply chain visibility and real time information are a must in this environment. Manufacturing and retailing have widely used information technology (IT) solutions, such as enterprise resource planning systems, for managing their supply chains. In the construction industry, only a few large construction firms can afford to deploy sophisticated IT tools. The majority of firms are small to medium-sized companies that do not have the resources and/or the manpower to use and maintain proprietary supply chain management solutions. This research explored freely available Google cloud computing tools, focusing on the Google Fusion Table (GFT) as a cloud-based platform to enable real time information on the supply process and site demand. This paper describes the development and testing of the platform that was used by a mechanical contractor to implement a pull fabrication, delivery, and installation system for pipe spools. The results suggest that the proposed platform provides the basic functionalities for developing a costeffective tool for small and medium-sized construction firms to manage supply chain data and implement lean supply systems.},
  keywords = {Lean Supply, Cloud Computing, Pull, Pipe Spools.},
}