Evaluating multiskilling in residential construction projects using regional industry simulation

The Makerhoods project in Newark NJ, USA, is a planned affordable live/work development for low-income residents. With a background in Lean Manufacturing, and confronted with industry norms of low productivity, extensive subcontracting, unreliable plans, and incomplete information, the developer sought to ways to optimize construction cost, schedule and quality by and minimizing uncertainty and variation and by improving workflow. The developer sought to establish how Lean interventions might improve the performance of the production system that was being designed for the product. Specifically, the challenge was to determine how the concept of producing with laborers reorganized from trade-specific teams into multi-skilled work cells might impact the Makerhoods project, given the reality of the local construction market. To test these questions, Agent-Based Modelling was used. First, analogs of the local market and project of interest were recreated within the modeling environment. Next, the project delivery techniques were tested to find the highest probability of project success with the lowest band of outcome uncertainty. We hope the results will lead to new ways of approaching project management and potentially to establishment of new types of construction firms (i.e. the “finishing cells” composed of multi-skilled teams capable of completely building an apartment's interior)

Post simulation visualization model for effective scheduling of modular building construction, special issue on construction engineering and management

The factory-based modular construction process has proven to increase the speed of construction, and improve quality and safety, while providing value to the customer and a rapid return on investment to the builder and owner. However, onsite module assembly creates new schedule demands, as activities are scheduled on a minute-by-minute basis; therefore simulation of the process becomes essential at early stages of a project. Although simulation proves to be an effective tool for project engineers to assess complex construction operations, it remains a symbolic base model with no visual link to the actual physical shape and look of the project’s activities. This paper presents the application of integrated simulation and post simulation visualization as a tool to assist the modular construction industry in scheduling onsite installation of prefabricated modules. The proposed methodology uses simulation model output as an ASCII file in a binary format and imports this ASCII file to 3D Studio Max to perform the animation. The output from the high level simulation model is transformed into frames/second in 3D Studio Max. The proposed methodology was tested on the planned construction of a 34-storey building in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Simulation visualization of the process proved to be effective in communicating the value and simplicity of a minute-by-minute schedule. Based on the output information, the most efficient solutions were generated. The use of post simulation visualization was effective in analyzing the construction methods of the case study which consisted of 950 structural steel modules. Issues related to construction activities’ productivity were synchronized to achieve onsite installation of the project in only 56 working days. </jats:p

Lean transformation in a modular building company: a case for implementation

Encouraged by the remarkable productivity improvements in the manufacturing sector, the construction industry has a long history of trying to garner the benefits of manufacturing technologies. Whereas industrialized construction methods, such as modular and manufactured buildings, have evolved over decades, core techniques used in prefabrication plants vary only slightly from those employed in traditional site-built construction. The objective of this research was to develop and implement a production system for the effective application of lean tools in building components prefabrication. To overcome the prevalent skepticism among middle management, the lean journey started with a pilot project involving one production line. Over a six-month period, lean tools such as 5S (sort, straighten, shine, standardize, and sustain), standardized work, takt time planning, variation management, and value stream mapping were implemented to a communication shelter production line. The implementation successfully won the support of the middle managers and established the foundation for expanding lean practices to other parts of the factory and applying relevant lean tools and technique