A service oriented framework for construction supply chain integration

The benefits of integrating and coordinating supply chain partners have been well recognized in many industries. In the construction industry, supply chain integration is technically challenging due to the high fragmentation of the industry. Information, applications, and services are loosely distributed among participants with a wide range of hardware and software capabilities. In addition, participants are often unwilling to share information because the temporary nature of construction projects often impedes the establishment of trust. A secure, modular, and flexible system that can aggregate scattered information and share that information across applications is, therefore, highly desirable. We have prototyped a service oriented, web-based system that can provide both these capabilities. Called the SC Collaborator, this system facilitates the flexible coordination of construction supply chains by leveraging web services, web portal, and open source technologies. These technologies enable the SC Collaborator system to provide an economical and customizable tool for integrating supply chain partners with a wide range of computing capabilities. This paper describes the overall architecture and the features of the system. Two example scenarios are included to demonstrate the potential of SC Collaborator in integrating and managing information from project partners. The first scenario is an e-Procurement example whereas the second is a rescheduling scenario based on the data from a completed project in Sweden.     

A service-oriented integrated information framework for RFID/WSN-based intelligent construction supply chain management

As buildings are now taller, larger, and more complex, it has become increasingly more difficult to secure stockyards for materials and to resolve the surrounding traffic problems, creating an increased need for Just-In-Time (JIT) delivery. To support JIT delivery, it is necessary to build a framework that can facilitate the collection and share of information on construction components and material flow throughout the whole supply chain process. Many researchers have suggested that radio frequency identification (RFID) and wireless sensor network technologies could improve the effectiveness and efficiency of JIT management. In addition, service-oriented architecture (SOA), the services of which enable the interfacing of a heterogeneous system environment of parties involved in the supply chain management process, is suggested in the manufacturing industry as one of the solutions for effective collection and sharing of information in supply chain management. However, the construction industry has limits in applying the framework suggested in the manufacturing industry since the supply chain process in the construction industry is extremely dynamic due to frequent changes in the design and plans of construction projects. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop a seamlessly integrated information management framework that can provide logistics information to project stakeholders for their decision making. The pilot test of the framework developed in this research showed that it can improve time efficiency by about 32% compared to the traditional supply chain management. The result of this research is expected to be utilized effectively as a basic framework to manage information in RFID/WSN based construction supply chain management (CSCM) environments.     

A framework for electric vehicle power supply chain development

One anticipated pathway in society's decarbonization is the electrification of the transportation sector. From a power system perspective, transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) presages many impacts, both positive and negative. This study utilizes the theoretical framework of business model theory and a review of the existing literature to portray a rational development path for the electric vehicle power supply chain (EVPSC). Three phases of development were identified in which EVs transition from the present day's low utilization, to rapid development, to a mature technology dominating the transportation sector. Within these phases, the business content, business structure, and corresponding coordination modes were analyzed and discussed. The three phases of development are shown to dynamically interact, between development phases and the business models, providing insight into the content of the EVPSC. Such insight is necessary for developing coherent policies and institutional supports to foster efficient development of the EVPSC. This study provides a new perspective about EVPSC development, answers the core question on how to realize the coordinated development between EVs and the electric power system chain (EPSC) based on the model of EVPSC, and provides recommendations on the establishment of business models for the future EVPSC.     

Towards an agent-based construction supply network modelling and simulation platform

The construction industry is being asked by more progressive clients to change its crude ways of working and to adopt more efficient business processes to improve its performance by adopting supply chain management (SCM) practices that have evolved in more advanced industries. This represents a major risk for many companies given the “one off” and complex nature of construction projects. The long-term aim of the work presented in this paper is to develop a modelling and simulation platform, which will provide an inexpensive and risk-free environment for organisations to experiment with emerging SCM practices prior to implementation. The wider adoption of such best practices has the potential to save the industry large sums of money. The case for the use of a multiagent systems framework for developing the platform is presented. A prototype system developed to explore the potential for the use of such an approach to model and simulate collaborative project supply network preplanning is presented. Future research work required to achieve the long-term aim is then presented.     

An industrial organization economic supply chain approach for the construction industry: a review

Understanding industries in terms of the concepts of chains, clusters and networks is becoming increasingly important in economies around the world. Supply chain management for an individual organization is an emerging field of research in the construction management discipline, but less attention has been devoted to investigating the nature of the construction supply chains and their industrial organizational economic environment. This selected review of construction and mainstream management supply chain literature is organized around four themes; distribution, production, strategic procurement management and industrial organization economics, and highlights the need to develop an industrial organization economic supply chain framework for construction. The merging of the supply chain concept with the industrial organization model as a methodology for understanding firm conduct and industry structure and performance is an important contribution to both construction supply chain and construction economic theory. Much of the industrial organization supply chain literature has tended to focus upon manufacturing industries, where typically firms are permanent organizations. This raises issues as to the differences between industries founded upon temporary compared with permanent organizations. There is potential for the development of an industrial organization methodology applicable to the project based industry. Ultimately industrial organization research seeks to have direct implications for industry performance and government policies.     

Improving agent-based negotiation efficiency in construction supply chains: A relative entropy method

This research presents a relative entropy method for improving agent-based negotiation efficiency (REANE) in a construction supply chain. REANE provides a path forward to help negotiators reach an acceptable solution when other methods fail; the key insight is the use of relative entropy to measure the relative degree of consensus among parties and hence minimize necessary compromises. An illustrative example is presented to show the application of REANE. The REANE method aggregates the preference information of negotiators in CSC twice. First, a compromise group preference order is ascertained using preference information, which is newly provided by negotiators, and compromise preference information (formed previously in the agent-based auto-negotiation process). Second, group preferences are aggregated by employing a relative entropy model, which is established based on entropy theory, while, considering the multiple attributes of negotiation in a construction supply chain. The method of REANE fulfills the necessary requirement of group decision-making, i.e., maximizing the preference consistency of decision-making groups and minimizing the utility gaps between every negotiator's preference and the group's preference.     

Using portable datafiles in the construction supply chain

Portable datafile technologies such as high density bar coding and electronic tagging now permit very high information storage capacities. Aside from anecdotal evidence, there are few examples of these technologies being used within construction. This paper explores the potential advantages of using portable datafiles for storing and transmitting information relating to construction materials and components. A structured methodology is presented to aid the definition of (1) information which could be encoded within labels or tags; and (2) the stages within the supply chain where such a device would most fruitfully be employed. A case study is presented which demonstrates both the operational and financial feasibility of using portable datafiles within the scenario of a live project. Recommendations are made for the development of a construction industry standard for portable datafiles as part of a framework to promote more widespread deployment of the technologies. Les fichiers de donnees portables comme les codes a barres et l'etiquetage electronique sont des technologies qui autorisent de tres hautes capacites de stockage de l'information. A part l'evidence anecdotique, on compte peu d'exemples de l'utilisation de ces technologies dans le secteur de la construction. Dans cet article l'auteur explore les avantages potentiels de l'utilisation des fichiers de donnees portables pour le stockage et la transmission des informations se rapportant aux materiaux et equipements de construction. Il expose une methodologie structuree destinee a faciliter la definition de l'information qui peut etre codee dans des etiquettes ainsi que des etapes dans la chaine d'approvisionnement ou de tels systemes seraient particulierement utiles. Une etude de cas est presentee demontrant la faisabilite operationnelle et financiere de l'utilisation de fichiers de donnees portables dans le cadre d'un projet concret. L'auteur fait des recommandations en vue de l'elaboration d'une norme industrielle portant sur l'utilisation de fichiers portables dans le secteur de la construction, l'objectif etant de promouvoir davantage encore le deploiement de ces technologies.     

绿色建筑供应链运作参考模型研究

本着社会经济持续发展的宗旨,以建立高效和谐、良性循环、少废少污的绿色建筑体系为目标,在绿色制造、建筑供应链和供应链运作参考模型等概念的基础上,提出了绿色建筑供应链运作参考模型,并对其流程即绿色计划、绿色采购、绿色施工、绿色交付和绿色回收等进行了详细的分析。     

An ergonomic analysis framework for construction tasks

This paper presents a new methodology for obtaining a quantitative measure of human task performance complexity and effort on the construction site. An example application of the developed methodology to the analysis of concrete placement tasks is provided. The developed method can be used to aid construction equipment manufacturers in understanding and assessing the automation potential for a variety of construction work tasks.     

A framework for distributed agent-based engineering design support

Concurrent engineering draws together team working and cooperation, with the aim of reducing the need for costly design modifications in the later stages of design and product development. However, the complexities arising in the process of design, in general, defy formal analysis and computational support is required. In providing intelligent computational support for concurrent engineering, a combination of various problem-solving strategies may be required for complex design situations. It is proposed that an appropriate model for such provision is in the form of a set of interacting autonomous intelligent agents, possessing different problem-solving capabilities and differing degrees of intelligence. The requirements for such agent-based design support are discussed and possibilities for its realisation, with the aid of Web technology, in a distributed design environment are explored.     

建筑企业供应链管理模式研究

简要介绍了建筑供应链的特点，在此基础上分析了供应链管理成功的几个主要因素，浅析了我国建筑供应链管理现状，并根据现状提出了一些改进建议。     

基于企业供应链的装配式建筑风险研究

装配式建筑作为近几年建筑行业致力于发展的方向,具有技术的复杂性特点,其风险因素与现浇建筑也不尽相同,为了更好的理解装配式建筑的特点,对其进行风险性研究是非常必要的。通过文献研究法,致力于企业供应链的基础之上,按照装配式建筑的全过程顺序,从细节出发,分析风险因素,针对具体问题提出装配式建筑的风险管理方法。     

The changing role of builders merchants in the construction supply chain

Builders merchants are an integral part of the construction industry, yet rarely are they consulted when discussions take place on the future of the construction industry. Throughout history, builders merchants have played a dominant role in the construction industry, initially as an intermediary between the artisan and the buyer, and more recently as a source of working capital for contracting firms. The merchanting industry currently is undergoing considerable change. The depressed construction market and the failure of the housing repair and maintenance sector to recover in the first half of the 1990's as activity in the private non-housing repair and maintenance sector has increased, has raised competition between merchants. The major building merchants are becoming larger by acquisition and merger, the smaller merchants are seeking niche areas, and the medium-size firms are under serious threat from acquisition by the larger merchanting firms. The trend towards consolidation in the sector, driven by the need to reduce costs, has meant that the large merchanting firms now control around 60% of the building materials market sales. Factoring is a growing trend, particularly with smaller companies sourcing goods from the cheapest source. The larger merchants have to respond by sourcing goods from the lowest cost base, irrespective of whether they buy from overseas markets. This paper analyses the UK builders merchants sector and evaluates the important role played in the supply chain.     

信息共享在建筑供应链决策中的价值测度

科学测度信息共享在建筑供应链决策中的价值,对提高承包商的运作绩效具有重要意义。借鉴传统供应链信息共享价值分析的研究思路,结合建筑供应链管理实践,建立建筑供应链信息共享价值测度模型。以总承包商和材料设备供应商组成的供应链为例,建立供应商是否同总承包商共享供货信息对总承包商的服务水平和库存成本的影响的信息共享价值测度模型;以钢筋的采购管理为例,对该模型进行模拟分析。结果表明:共享信息可以提高总承包商的服务水平,降低总库存成本;供应商服务水平越低、供货提前期越大,信息共享对总承包服务水平和总库存成本的影响越大。     

房地产企业精益供应链管理模式的构建

针对房地产企业管理中存在的问题,本文将精益供应链的概念和理论应用到房地产企业管理中,在论述精益供应链产生、概念的基础上,结合精益供应链体系下的房地产企业供应链分析,构建了房地产企业精益供应链管理模式,并分析了精益供应链体系下的管理内容,最后提出了房地产企业精益供应链管理模式的应用对策。     

Hazard-based model for concrete pouring duration using construction site and supply chain parameters

Duration of concrete pouring task is typically considered from the arrival time of the first Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) truck until the end of the pouring process of the last truck. In practice, the concrete pouring duration does not only depend on site features. In fact, the duration is also affected by other parameters such as supply process, location of the project and traffic conditions, particularly in cities with heavy traffic. This paper investigates impacts of supply chain parameters on predicting concrete pouring duration that have been typically excluded from such analyses. Unlike other studies which are limited to construction site parameters in predicting concrete pouring duration, this study not only considers construction site factors at a general level but also investigates the impact of supply related parameters. To test the effectiveness of considered variables a field dataset of an active RMC in Adelaide, Australia with four batch plants and around 40 trucks is used. The dataset covers a period of a month which includes 2658 deliveries to > 500 locations. In terms of the modeling practice of this study, first a preliminary linear regression is developed and then it is modified to satisfy crucial assumptions of heteroscedasticity and residuals normality. Finally, a hazard-based model where the assumption of residual normality is relaxed, is developed. The results show that severe bias occurs when assumptions associated with linear regression are overlooked. Moreover, in the developed models the supply parameters are found to have significant impacts on concrete pouring duration.     

基于合作和协调的供应链管理下库存优化研究

通过引入WSR思想方法对传统的哈里斯库存模型进行优化，建立了基于合作、协调的哈里斯批量弹性模型，通过批量弹性理论对优化结果进行协调分析，为最终的供应链管理下库存优化提供可行途径。     

Implementing commercial information exchange: a construction supply chain case study

The concept of electronic trading (e-trading) has transformed supply chain interactions in many industries, yet little research explored its implementation by Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) supply chain firms. E-trading relies on commercial information exchange by supply chain partners which is generally adopted through intermediary technology partners (Hub Providers) to facilitate the accurate and timely communication of transactional data between buyers and supplier. A case study was conducted to explore the challenges and barriers to implementation of cross-firm commercial information exchange. The study primarily involved investigation of the interfaces between software development and organizational functions assisting with the electronic exchange of commercial information (eCIX) implementation. Findings from the case study show that implementation of commercial information exchange is not an easy task with several themes of factors to be considered during delivery of such projects, namely technical, coordination, integration and organizational. The study contributes to the knowledge and deployment of e-trading solutions within the context of AEC firms, and should be of interest to the practitioners contemplating similar projects.