Method to Implement Delayed Product Differentiation in Construction of High-Rise Apartment Building Projects
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Volume 139, Issue 10
Abstract
The customization of apartments can add value and increase clients’ satisfaction. However, companies offering such a strategy often face problems in managing the construction process. Delayed product differentiation—postponing the tasks that customize a product as much as possible—is a principle applied in manufacturing that enables companies to better cope with customization. Yet, it has not been widely explored in the building industry. This paper proposes a method to implement this principle in the construction of high-rise apartment building projects using the line-of-balance technique. First, the method is described, followed by its application in a project developed by a construction company. A comparison between the long-term plan devised using the proposed method and the initial plan shows a postponement of the decoupling point (namely, the first task that customizes an apartment) of approximately 42 weeks. At the end, the potential benefits and difficulties in creating such postponement and adopting the proposed method are discussed.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank C. Rolim Engenharia for supporting this study and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) for sponsoring this research. The authors would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments.
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Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 139 • Issue 10 • October 2013
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 22, 2012
Accepted: Jun 18, 2013
Published online: Jul 24, 2013
Published in print: Oct 1, 2013
Discussion open until: Dec 24, 2013
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