Multifaceted Productivity Comparison of Off-Site Timber Manufacturing Strategies in Mainland Europe and the United Kingdom
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 145, Issue 8
Abstract
Off-site construction methods have been suggested as a necessity for improving the efficiency and productivity of the construction industry through implementation of automation and lean principles in a controlled factory environment, known as modern methods of construction (MMC). The products and the project delivery and management strategies of off-site construction were studied through a multifaceted qualitative exploration of the off-site timber management strategies of 10 manufacturers, including three UK panel, three UK volumetric, and four European (EU) volumetric timber manufacturers. A comparative productivity analysis was carried out and its sensitivities were analyzed, which led to the conclusion that the labor productivity of the surveyed UK panelized and EU volumetric manufacturers was comparable, but the UK volumetric manufacturers’ productivity was lower. As a result, the level of automation and the lean and Design for risassembly (DfD) applications of the manufacturers were all explored to understand these productivity differences within the context of current market trends.
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Data Availability Statement
Data generated or analyzed during the study are available from the corresponding author by request. Information about the Journal’s data-sharing policy can be found here: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001263.
Acknowledgments
This research was funded through an Engineering the Future Ph.D. studentship generously provided by the University of Strathclyde to Tsvetomila Duncheva for the degree of Ph.D. Architecture. The authors also acknowledge the Ph.D. supervision provided by the University of Glasgow. The authors thank Edinburgh Napier University’s Built Environment Exchange (beX) program for providing Tsvetomila Duncheva with industry-based off-site timber research experience, during which the ideas of this paper were contextualized. The authors express sincere gratitude to the anonymous survey participants who shared their time and knowledge and without whom this research paper would have been impossible.
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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 145 • Issue 8 • August 2019
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©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Mar 18, 2018
Accepted: Oct 2, 2018
Published online: May 25, 2019
Published in print: Aug 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Oct 25, 2019
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