Model for planning and controlling the delivery and assembly of engineer-to-order prefabricated building systems: exploring synergies between Lean and BIM

Abstract

The adoption of prefabricated building systems has grown due to the need to reduce duration and cost of construction projects, as well as to improve quality and working conditions. However, the adoption of those systems requires an intense exchange of information to integrate the production of components, logistics operations, and site assembly. This is particularly important in engineer-to-order environments, in which the level of uncertainty tends to be high. This research proposes a model for planning and controlling the delivery and assembly of ETO prefabricated building systems, emphasizing the integration between site installation and logistics operations. This model was devised in an empirical study carried out in a company that delivers and assembles prefabricated concrete structures. The main theoretical contribution is a set of approaches to implement the “pull production” and “reduce variability” principles in this particular context, exploring synergies that exist between Lean Production principles and Building Information Modeling (BIM) functionalities.