Process Waste Analysis for Offsite Production Methods for House Construction: A Case Study of Factory Wall Panel Production
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 148, Issue 1
Abstract
There is growing interest in the use of offsite manufacturing (OSM) in the construction industry despite criticism that some offsite approaches used by housebuilders do not offer real improvement compared with their onsite counterparts. Quantitative performance measures from previous studies are based on conventional onsite methods, with little attention paid to the performance and process improvements derived from various OSM methods. In response, a case study was conducted based on two OSM methods using standardized and nonstandardized processes for the production stage of a factory-manufactured wall panel. Value system analysis and root cause analysis using the 5Whys method was adopted to evaluate possible improvements in terms of process waste. The study reveals that OSM production methods that replicate site arrangements and activities involving significant manual tasks do not necessarily provide a marked improvement over the conventional onsite method. Thus, there is a need to reevaluate the processes involved to eliminate such embedded process wastes as non-value-added time and cost, and to consider automating critical activities. The analysis adopted in this case study provides measurable evidence of the performance gained from having a structured workflow over a nonstructured workflow. It also reveals how process wastes are generated in the production process of wall panels offsite.
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Data Availability Statement
The data used in this study to support the findings, such as production line design, simulated production line process data, and wall panel design, were provided by third parties and the industry partners working on Innovate UK funded project (No. 104798), and are confidential in nature. The data may only be provided with restrictions.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by an Innovate UK funded project (No. 104798), “Collaborative knowledge-based DfMA approach to building cost-efficient, low impact, and high-performance houses.” Many thanks are due to the participating industrial partners of the research project, particularly Mr. Paul Nicol and Mr. Tim O’Shea of the WHG group, Mr. Ben Towe of the Hadley Group, Mr. Jason Glasse of QM systems, and Mr. Ged Connor of Northmill Architects for their contributions to this study.
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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 148 • Issue 1 • January 2022
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Apr 25, 2021
Accepted: Sep 21, 2021
Published online: Oct 23, 2021
Published in print: Jan 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Mar 23, 2022
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