Successful Construction Supply Chain Management

Provides a unique overview of supply chain management (SCM) concepts, illustrating how the methodology can help enhance construction industry project success This book provides a unique appraisal of supply chain management (SCM) concepts brought together with lessons from industry and analysis gathered from extensive research on how supply chains are managed in the construction industry. The research from leading international academics has been drawn together with the experience from some of the industry's foremost SCM practitioners to provide both the experienced researcher and the industry practitioner a thorough grounding in its principles, as well as an illustration of SCM as a methodology for enhancing construction industry project success. The new edition of Successful Construction Supply Chain Management: Concepts and Case Studies incorporate chapters dealing with Building Information Modelling, sustainability, the ‘Demand Chain' in projects, the link between self-organizing networks and supply chains, decision-making, ‘Lean,’ and mega-projects. Other chapters cover risk transfer and allocation, behaviors, innovation, trust, supply chain design, alliances, and knowledge transfer. Supply Chain Management techniques have been used successfully in various industries, such as manufacturing and food processing, for decades Fully updated with new chapters dealing with key construction industry topics such as BIM, sustainability, the ‘Demand Chain' in projects, ‘Lean,’ mega-projects, and more Includes contributions from well established academics and practitioners from Network Rail, mainstream construction, and consultancy Illustrates how SCM methodologies can be used to enhance construction industry project success Successful Construction Supply Chain Management: Concepts and Case Studies is an ideal book for postgraduate students at MSc and PhD level studying the topic and for all construction management practitioners.

This book provides a unique appraisal of supply chain management(SCM) concepts alongside lessons from industry, observation andanalysis gathered during the first decade of supply chainmanagement strategies in the UK construction industry. The research from leading international academics has been drawntogether with the experience from some of the industry's foremostSCM practitioners to provide both a definition of SCM and anoverview of its development as a strategy for managing constructionprojects. Key case study material - from Slough Estates to BAA and T5 -illustrates the benefits to the industry of its adoption. Littlehas been written on the application of SCM to construction and thisbook provides an agenda for discussion for both the experiencedresearcher and the industry practitioner by offering a thoroughgrounding in its principles as well as an illustration of SCM as amethodology for industry. Construction Supply Chain Management studies makes animportant contribution to the debate on innovative systems andtheir significance in increasingly complex constructionprojects.

The construction industry is associated with problems such as low productivity and high costs. This has been highlighted in several government-funded reports in both Sweden and in the UK during the course of over two decades. The construction industry is a large industry sector employing hundreds of thousands and a large contributor to a country’s GDP. The problems therefore have a large impact on society. Some of the problems are rooted in the organizational structure of the construction industry. Compared to other manufacturing industries, the construction industry is organized in temporary organizations. The temporary organizations cause temporary supply chains, fragmentation among construction industry actors and adversarial relationships between those actors. Partnering has been but forward as a solution to overcome the temporariness and the adversarial relationships in the construction. Another solution to mitigate the problems suggested in the reports is supply chain management (SCM). Both concepts have been taken from the manufacturing industries and partnering has been more successful compared to SCM in the construction industry. In the construction industry the progress towards SCM has focused on logistics. In recent years dedicated third-party logistics (TPL) solutions have emerged in the Swedish construction industry, where a company is hired to manage the logistics in a construction project. The purpose with the research presented in this licentiate thesis is to explore how client initiated TPL solutions and partnering can be facilitators for SCM in the construction industry. Being a new phenomenon in the construction industry TPL solutions provide a logistical competence not necessarily included in a traditional construction project. Therefore, TPL solutions are of particular interest when studying the realization of SCM in the construction industry. In the process of realizing SCM in the construction industry, the construction clients have been put forward as having a crucial and important role. The clients are the initiator and funder of construction projects and as such the client can influence the course of a construction project. Therefore, it is of interest to study how the client can take an active role in this process. Initiating a TPL solution in a construction project is one way for a client to take an active part in the realization of SCM in construction. However, in order to study how clients can take an active role towards the realization of SCM in the construction industry, there have to be an understanding of how SCM is to be adopted to the construction industry context. SCM that derives from the manufacturing industry is designed to be used in long-term relationships with permanent organizational structures. The construction industry on the other hand is associated with short-term relationships and a temporary organizational structure. Partnering that is designed to mitigate the temporariness and establish long-term relationships have been quite successful in the construction industry, and could therefore be used as a facilitator for SCM in construction. To study the use of client initiated TPL-solutions in construction and the realization of SCM in the construction industry the following research questions have been addressed: RQ1: To what extent can a third-party logistics solution be a facilitator for client driven SCM in the construction industry?RQ2: How will upstream and downstream tiers be affected when a thirdparty logistics provider is used in a construction project?RQ3: How can partnering be used a mean to facilitate the realization of SCM in the construction industry? To answer the research questions two main methodologies have been used; case study for the empirically grounded research and conceptual studies for the analysis of the case studies as well as for comparing the two concepts of partnering and SCM. All questions have been grounded in literature and previous research. The findings of this research is therefore grounded in both theory and in practice. The main findings of this research is that TPL solutions are not a quick fix for realizing SCM in the construction industry. However, if used right a TPL solution can be an effective tool to address logistical issues in a construction project and to establish an interface between the supply chain and the construction site. By initiating a TPL solution the client addresses the importance of logistical competence in a construction project. A TPL solution does not have a purpose of its own; a TPL solution is a service function to the construction project, providing expertise on logistics management. There are also a number of driving forces and concerns that have been identified, if they are addressed prior to a TPL solution is implemented, the likelihood of its success will increase. Furthermore, both partnering and SCM rely on high trust and share several key components and issues that have to be addressed. Partnering on strategic level with several suppliers included can even be hard to distinguish from SCM. Wherefore, partnering is considered a facilitator for the realization of SCM in construction. By addressing the necessary issues in both concepts a good foundation for SCM is established.

Mounting emphasis on construction supply chain management (CSCM) is due to both global sourcing of materials and a shortage of labor. These factors force increasing amounts of value-added work to be conducted off-site deep in the supply chain. Construction Supply Chain Management Handbook compiles in one comprehensive source an overview of the dive

This text outlines the practical and theoretical basis for thinking analytically about the balance of power in construction supply chains. It presents the practical findings from EPSRC sponsored research, undertaken in conjunction with the construction industry.

Supply chain management (SCM) has been stressed as a remedy to many of the underlying issues in the construction industry. However, the positive examples where SCM has been successfully utilised and diminished the lingering issues in construction is scarce. The question is why. Previous studies have stressed the importance of planning both the construction project as such but also the supply chain and the logistics. As an important part of SCM, supply chain planning (SCP) focuses on planning different aspects of the supply chain through involving different members of the supply chain in the planning process. SCP in construction is scarce as the planning of the logistics in general. Failing to plan the supply chain, involving supply chain members in the planning, and integrating the processes of planning the supply chains and the construction project can be one reason for the low numbers of successful SCM adoption in construction. In improving the SCP in construction, this thesis develops a SCP framework for construction that involves the main contractor, subcontractors, and suppliers. The aim is to improve SCP, collaboration, and eliminate many of the common problems in construction through a SCM and SCP perspective. The developed framework is based on an existing planning framework for sales and operations planning. This framework is generic and synthesises planning in general. It consists of identifying/developing: outcomes, input, organisation, process, key performance measurements, and IT-tools. It is thus necessary to investigate what these aspects means in a construction context. Four research objects will be fulfilled: Objective 1. Identify common logistical problems and linkages between them Objective 2. Develop a SCP process Objective 3. Develop a SCP organisation Objective 4. Identify performance measurements

Providing invaluable support for construction in determining the acceptable practice and standard for regulatory bodies and managers, Construction Supply Chain Management in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era also appeals to researchers as it expands the frontiers of knowledge in the fourth industrial era.

Organizations in the construction industry struggle with three key issues: quality management or better meeting customer expectations, supply chain management or more effectively working with suppliers to provide a seamless service to customers, and knowledge management, the challenge of learning between collaborating organisations and between people working on similar projects around the world. Excellence in these key aspects of business is the hallmark of great companies. This book tackles each of these themes, demonstrating their significance as strategic concepts for the construction sector and illustrating how development goals in each of the areas can be met. To be successful Total Quality has to impact on the organisation’s Performance, which should be measured on a “balanced scorecard”, including the results from the customer. This can be achieved through good Planning and improvements in Processes through involvement of the People. These 4Ps combine with the 4Cs – Customer, Culture, Communication and Commitment to provide a model for implementing total quality into construction. The book brings together, within this consistent theoretical framework, international case studies from all areas of the construction industry. These include examples as diverse as quarrying, construction, design, real estate, land development and regulatory agencies, drawn from the UK, USA, Hong Kong, Singapore Australia and Japan. Through these the authors demonstrate how a total quality or business excellence strategy can be applied in all activities in the construction supply chain to achieve world-class performance. Written by two of the world's leading experts, in a logical and very practical style, Total Quality in the Construction Supply Chain offers students and others new to the subject a clearly structured introduction to the concept of quality in the industry, while offering help and guidance to the most experienced professionals. The book should also appeal to people from all areas of the building and construction sector in any country.