Productivity In Construction Industry Research Articles

Analysing Enabling Factors Affecting the On-site Productivity in Indian Construction Industry

The growth in construction productivity is low and do not continue for a long span of time. The purpose of the present research paper is to analyse the factors affecting on-site construction productivity in Indian construction industry. The tools used for the analysis are reliability analysis to check the consistency of the data, Pearson correlation analysis to mathematically validate the factor analysis, and linear regression analysis to propose a framework of factors affecting construction productivity. The findings of the reliability analysis concludes that the all the factors having a value of more than 0.67, which is considered to be good for the study, and the findings of the study conclude that the most significant 3 attributes grouped in linear regression analysis change in scope (R2), revision in drawings (R15), and response to change orders (R3) having maximum impact over the construction productivity. The research paper attempts to provide an insight and better understanding of the factors affecting on-site construction productivity in India and the ways and means to control and improve construction productivity of construction projects."This paper is the revised version of the paper that has been published in the proceedings of the Creative Construction Conference 2018: Dixit, S., Mandal, S. N., Thanikal, J. V, & Saurabh, K. (2018). Critical Analysis of Factors Affecting the on-site Productivity in Indian Construction Industry, (July), 38–45. https://doi.org/10.3311/CCC2018-006"

Unintended consequences of management strategies for improving labor productivity in construction industry

Introduction: Labor productivity and safety are important topics in the construction industry. Even so, the literature provides little information for project managers trying to determine how management strategies designed to improve labor productivity impact safety. Method: This research addresses the gap by measuring the impact of two groups of management strategies that involve human resource related management strategies and construction related management strategies related to safety performance in construction projects. Data were collected from 111 general construction projects through the survey. Results: The results show that the relationship between the implemented management strategies and safety performance is nuanced with ‘Communication’ harming safety performance while implementation of ‘Labor Management,’ ‘Supervision and Leadership,’ ‘Planning’ and ‘Management of Construction’ strategies improve the level of safety performance. This study took a further step by measuring the impact of the interactions between the two groups of management strategies on safety performance. The results show that the interactions of construction and human related management strategies are not always in the favor of safety. Practical Applications: This paper adds to the literature on the relationship between productivity and safety in the construction industry. The research findings can assist project managers to improve labor productivity without harming the safety of laborers unintentionally.

Ecotoxicity assessment of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins used in polyvinyl-chloride products for construction industry

Short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) have been commonly used as plasticizers and flame retardants in polyvinyl-chloride (PVC) products for the construction industry. During the last few years the production of SCCPs has been banned or reduced in Europe, Japan, USA, and Canada due to their toxic and bioaccumulative effects but they have been still produced and used under less controlled conditions worldwide. Middle chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) were suggested as a suitable alternative to SCCPs for PVC production instead. In this paper, the ecotoxicity of SCCPs and MCCPs is studied using the methods of potentially affected fraction of species (PAF) and the most sensitive species (MSS). Characterization factors (CFs) are estimated for SCCPs by the PAF method (for MCCPs suitable ecotoxicological indexes are not available) and for MCCPs by the MSS method (for SCCPs PEC values are negligible). Results of the present study indicate that from an ecotoxicological point of view, MCCPs may present similar ecological risks as SCCPs. Therefore, it is recommended both SCCPs and MCCPs not to be used worldwide in PVC products for the construction industry. The most suitable alternative for SCCPs seems to be inorganic compounds but their environmental impacts have not been sufficiently excluded yet.

A systemic exploration of drivers for and constraints on construction productivity enhancement

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the complex interdependence of the factors in driving or hindering construction productivity at the industry, project and activity levels in a systemic manner. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods design, which combines a critical literature review, an interview-based survey with 32 industry experts and five focus group meetings participated in by 109 representatives of a wide range of industry stakeholder groups, was employed to identify the drivers for and constraints on construction productivity enhancement in Hong Kong and explore the interrelated insights into the drivers and constraints. Findings The study conceptualised and validated a systemic framework for examining construction industry productivity, and developed three causal loop diagrams (CLDs) for illustrating the dynamic structures that underpin the complex systems of the drivers and constraints. Research limitations/implications Although the scope of the study was limited to Hong Kong, the results could be interpreted for critical learning in other urban contexts. Practical implications The systemic perspective of construction productivity and the CLDs of the drivers and constraints support the systems thinking of industry stakeholders in the formulation of holistic strategies for long-term construction industry productivity enhancement. Originality/value The study conceptualises construction productivity from a systemic perspective and provides empirically supported CLDs to facilitate future investigations into the complex system of construction productivity.

Energy productivity convergence within the Australian construction industry: A panel data study

Energy productivity reflecting the volume of goods and services with one-unit consumption of energy has become an important indicator of production and competitiveness within the construction industry. In order to understand the long-run growth patterns of energy productivity in the Australian construction industry, this study investigates the convergence of the construction energy productivity across a sample of seven Australian regions, from 1987 to 2014, and identifies regional clubs for future effective-energy-consumption strategy of production. Using a panel data approach, the study presents a picture of the impacts of the influential components on the equilibrium and growth patterns of construction energy productivity across the studied regions. The findings provide a better understanding of the impact of booms and busts on the Australian construction energy productivity, at the state level. This adds to the body of knowledge on construction productivity by adapting a panel data approach of the convergence study into construction energy productivity.

The total-factor energy productivity growth of China’s construction industry: evidence from the regional level

This study uses the total-factor energy productivity change index (TFEPCH) to investigate the changes in energy productivity of construction industry for 30 provincial regions in China from 2006 to 2015, adopting the improved Luenberger productivity index combined with the directional distance function. In addition to traditional economic output indicator, this study introduces building floor space under construction as a physical output indicator for energy productivity evaluation. The TFEPCH was decomposed into energy technical efficiency change and energy technical progress shift. Results indicate that, first, energy productivity of China’s construction industry decreased by 7.1% annually during 2006–2015. Energy technical regress, rather than energy technical efficiency, contributed most to the overall decline in energy productivity of China’s construction industry. Second, energy productivity in the central region of China decreased dramatically, by a cumulative sum of approximately 77.1%, since 2006, while energy productivity in the eastern and western regions decreased by over 54.3 and 65.3%, respectively. Only two of the 30 provinces considered—Hebei and Shandong—improved their energy productivity during 2006–2015. The findings presented here provide a basis for decision-making and references for administrative departments to set differentiated energy efficiency goals and develop relevant measures. Additionally, the findings are highly significant for energy and resource allocation of Chinese construction industry in different regions.

Application areas of phosphogypsum in production of mineral binders and composites based on them: a review of research results

The increase of the consumption of gypsum products in construction industry with a limited amount of natural gypsum deposits requires alternative sources of gypsum-containing raw materials. In some countries which have fertilizers industry plants, the problem can be solved using industrial wastes, e.g. phosphorgypsum – a byproduct of fertilizers’ production. Kept in dumps over decades, phosphorgypsum is subjected to the chemical changes due to washing out impurities with rain and other natural factors. However, there are observed deviations of harmful impurities in dumped PG depending on its age., Phosphorgypsum of any age requires chemical treatment to neutralize remains of phosphorus and sulfuric acids, fluorine compounds. According to our researches one of the most simple and effective method of neutralization the impurities is using lime-containing admixtures. The paper presents results of laboratory tests of phosphorgypsum as a component of clinker and non-clinker binders. There were investigated the impact of phosphorgypsum as admixture for clinker binders to substitute natural gypsum. Neutralized phosphorgypsum can be applied as mineralizing admixture in calcination of Portland cement clinker. Adding 2 to 2.5% of phosphorgypsum as setting time regulator resulted in a similar physical and mechanical properties compared to mix made with natural gypsum. Another important area of phosphorgypsum application is sulphate activatoion of low-clinker blast-furnace slag cement (clinker content is less than 19%). According to results, the incorporation of phosphorgypsum as sulphate activator in cement has the better effect as natural gypsum. Other development has been carried out to modify the phosphorgypsum binder properties. Complex additive consisted of polycarboxylate-based superplasticizer and slaked lime permitted an increase mechanical properties of hardened phosphorgypsum binder due to significant a reduction of water consumption. Such modified binder can be used as partial or complete replacement of gypsum binder for filling cements and finishing plasters. It can substitute gypsum in non-clinker binders like supersulphated cements. There were also developed compositions of supersulphated cements based on low-alumina blast furnace slag and phosphorgypsum. Supersulphated cements were tested in normal-weight and light-weight concrete.

Worker Flows, Entry, and Productivity in New Zealand's Construction Industry

We use administrative data on the population of New Zealand construction firms from 2001-2012, along with linked data on their employees and working proprietors, to study the relationships among worker flows, entry, and firm productivity. We find that job churn is prevalent in construction, with around 60 percent of firm-worker pairs not existing previously or not existing subsequently. The data also show that firms gaining or losing any labour are more productive than static firms, and that firms gaining labour from other construction firms are 4-6 percent more productive than the industry average in a given year. Our analysis suggests such firms are productive in part because of knowledge flows from other construction firms; in our preferred specification, with firm fixed effects, a standard deviation increase in the productivity of new employees’ previous firms is associated with a 0.6 percent increase in productivity. New entrants are more productive than pre-existing firms. Firms that enter briefly and disappear exhibit high productivity for that brief period, and firms that enter and persist exhibit a persistent productivity advantage that averages about 5%, but which grows as experience accumulates. The entry and worker-knowledge-flow phenomena are distinct, in that the entry effect is not explained by employee composition, and non-entrant firms also benefit from worker knowledge flows.

Design Experiment for Leveraging Material Value Coal Ash as Material Mixture of Paving Block

The coal-fired thermal power plant is the main source of coal ash production. Coal ash collected at the bottom of the furnace (boiler) is called coal bottom ash (CBA) and fly ash remaining combustion called coal fly ash (CFA). In Indonesia, the utilization of bottom ash and fly ash generally is still limited to landfill material due to the value of the material too low. The objective of this research is to leverage the value of the utilization of bottom ash and fly ash materials as a mixer of construction industry products. Design of Experiment (DoE) was conducted on paving block product using various experimental factors such as composition of sand, cement, bottom ash, fly ash, and curing period of product. This Design of Experiment (DoE) applied orthogonal array to finding the best mixed compositions that affect the quality of the end result. After it, the proof was performed with a compressive strength test and water absorption test to meet the standard requirements. Testing compressive strength of paving block was done at 7 days, 14 days and 28 days to get the best result.

Spatial analysis of change trend and influencing factors of total factor productivity in China’s regional construction industry

ABSTRACT Total factor productivity (TFP) is a measure of long-term economic growth and a comprehensive industry-level productivity measure. There are large gaps in China’s regional construction industry development due to unbalanced regional economy. Based on TFP measurement, this article puts forward a two-hierarchical analysis framework with coefficient of variation, Moran scatterplot and coefficient of convergence to analyse change trend of the construction industry TFP in three major regions in terms of spatial diversity, correlation and convergence. Then, the geographically weighted regression model is utilized to explore the influencing mechanism on the TFP. The results indicate the differences of the regional construction industry TFP are enlarging. There is obvious spatial correlation and heterogeneity in the regional TFP without a relatively stable space pattern. The TFP also exhibits convergence effects among three major regions. The construction industry productivity in all regions is significantly affected by economic environment, industrial organization structure and technological level. Industrial organization structure exerts the various influences on the productivity in different regions.

Applications of building information model (BIM) in Malaysian construction industry

Since the introduction of BIM in Malaysia in 2009, the technology adoption rate is slow when compared to other countries of the world. Most of the construction companies in Malaysia have an insight on the BIM concept but are yet to implement it in the management of their construction projects. By the year 2020, the Malaysian government will make BIM mandatory, this makes it important to carry out research on the possible applications of the technology. A qualitative method of enquiry was used for this study in Klang Valley using semistructured interview. The responses received were analysed using Principal component analysis (PCA). The result of the analysis showed that “quantity take-off and estimation”, “clash detection and coordination”, “integration and collaboration of stakeholders”, and “design and visualisation” as the main applications of BIM in Malaysia presently. The implication of this findings is that the Malaysian construction industry productivity is likely to increase to meet the demand of the population through the implementations of BIM. More also, BIM technology is regarded as the future of construction industry, which makes it very important for the industry.

A review on the current issues and barriers of Industrialised Building System (IBS) adoption in Malaysia’s construction industry

Malaysia considers the construction industry as one of the main contributors to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, there are some unresolved issues arising from the ongoing and widespread adoption of the conventional method of construction such as the resultant fragmentation of the industry itself; delays in production and delivery time of unnecessary wastages and lack of sustainability practice. Malaysian Government has been continuously encouraging the industry to use, partly or if not wholly, the Industrialized Building System (IBS), which is considered to be an important part of sustainable construction initiative. IBS was introduced to Malaysia as the solution to issues related to dependencies of foreign workers, raising demand for affordable accommodations and improving image, quality and productivity of construction industry. However, the IBS adoption in Malaysia remains low. This paper presents the review of the current issues and barriers of IBS adoption in Malaysian construction industry.

The log mean divisia index based carbon productivity in the Australian construction industry

Environmental protection and economic growth are two indicators of sustainable global development. This study aims to investigate the performance of environmental protection and economic growth by measuring carbon productivity in the construction field. Carbon productivity is the amount of gross domestic product generated by the unit of carbon emissions. The log mean Divisia index method is used to investigate influential factors including carbon intensity, energy intensity and regional adjustment that impact on changes of carbon productivity. The study utilises a range of data from the Australian construction industry during 1995-2004 including energy consumption, industry value added and carbon dioxide equivalent consumption. The research indicates carbon productivity in the Australian construction industry has clearly increased. Energy intensity plays a significant positive role in promoting carbon productivity, whereas carbon intensity and regional adjustment have limited influence. Introducing advanced construction machinery and equipment is a feasible pathway to enhance carbon productivity. The research method is generic and can be used to measure other performance indicators and decomposing them into influential factors.

FACTORS INFLUENCING PRODUCTIVITY IN CONSTRUCTION

Over the past three decades, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has witnessed a significant increase in new building projects and construction industry activity. The KSA construction industry is expected to continue developing and growing at a significant rate in the coming decades. However, several serious issues currently face the construction industry, in particular low productivity, which have contributed to poor outcomes where projects have been delayed or postponed. This paper discusses the major factors influencing productivity in the KSA construction industry. A questionnaire survey using a 5-point Likert scale was used to measure the importance of these factors. It was administered to 176 respondents from Grades 1, 2 and 3 construction companies, which are registered in the Contractors Classification Agency under the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs (MMRA). The questionnaire included five major factors identified from the literature review: managerial, labor-related, materials, tools and equipment, financial, and project-related. Using descriptive statistical analyses, it was found that the most important factors influencing construction productivity were financial factors, including issues such as the limited financial liquidity of the company, payment delays by owners, and limited cash flow. The next main influential factor was project-related, followed by factors related to materials and equipment, labor-related factors, and administrative and managerial factors.

Impact of Training on Employee's Performance and Productivity in Construction Industry

Impact of Training on Employee's Performance and Productivity in Construction Industry Behnam Neyestani Introduction Construction is the world's largest and most challenging industry. Human resource today has a strategic role for productivity increase of any organization, and this makes it superior in the industrial competition, “Productivity is one of the most important factors that affect overall performance of any small or medium or large construction industry” (Gupta, 2012). Nowadays most construction companies realized the importance of training and its influence on productivity in the construction industry. The importance of training is in the productivity improvement and also reiterated that on the job training program that have brought about an increase in the productivity of construction. There are many factors that influence construction employee and productivity, this study is focused in all factors which are important on changing productivity concerning the implementation of training. Those factors can be able to change some elements such as job satisfaction, absenteeism, improvement of performance, wage, change culture of company and etc. PAGE 1

Disposal of Sediments for Sustainability: A Review

In the coastal areas, dredging operations are undertaken for creation, draft enhancement and maintenance of navigable channels for port and harbor activities. Dredging may also be performed in rivers or reservoirs for similar reasons. The dredged sediments may be disposed at on-land or oceanic sites. In the recent years, inexpensive ocean dumping is being eliminated as a disposal alternative, causing a crisis in the management of sediment. In construction industry, production of concrete creates heavy demand on the supply of raw materials for cement and also aggregates for concrete. In many locations, habitat restoration and tidal flat creation also generates demand of fine aggregates. It has been observed that at several sites, supply from quarry is not always an economic and feasible option. Sustainable solution to both the aforementioned problems is re-using the sediments from river and ocean in construction industry or bio-diesel production. Various applications attempted in construction industry include those for production of cement, as fine aggregate in concrete, in construction of pavements, in production of light-weight concrete, among others. This article presents a review of approaches employed to recycle dredged sediments in construction industry and biodiesel production.

Research on Application of BIM 5D Technology in Central Grand Project

The traditional construction industry's production efficiency is comparatively low and the waste of resources is serious, which has seriously hindered the construction industry green sustainable development. With the application of BIM 5D in the construction phase of the construction project, the level of meticulous management in the construction stage being improved effectively, the waste of the project being reduced and the construction quality and construction progress being ensured, It is of great practical value for realizing the green sustainable development of the construction industry, which has a certain practical value and can be widely applied.First of all, This study analyzes the current situation of the development of the construction industry and the construction phase of the project management problems; Secondly, it analyzes the application principle of BIM technology and the modeling flow of BIM 5D; Then, it focuses on the discussion of the integrated application of BIM5D in the construction stage taking Central Grand project as the carrier, including the visualization of the end, the paper review and collision detection, 5D construction simulation and so on; Finally it evaluates the effect on the application of BIM.

A Preliminary Review on Economies of Scale (EOS) Towards Industrialized Building System (IBS) Manufacturer

Industrialized Building System (IBS) is a potential technology to improve productivity of construction industry. Controlled production and minimum generation of construction waste are some of the benefits that can be achieved by replacing conventional construction with IBS. In business, IBS is giving a huge opportunity for manufacturer and supplier to expand their business while contributing to construction development. However, bad strategies will put the company in high risk due to higher initial capital for machines and equipment. Therefore, strategic planning for company’s growth, profit maximization, and enhancement of productivity is undeniable to ensure the success of business in construction industry. This preliminary paper is exploring associated factors that affect Economy of Scale (EOS) and their relationships in catalyzing the IBS manufacturer especially precast concrete as the scope of study to continue their business in the construction industry. Thus, a framework of EOS is proposed to assist IBS manufacturers to ensure their company’s growth and stability, competitiveness in term of monopoly or an oligopoly, increasing productivity, leading constant returns to scale, and finally increasing the firm’s efficiency. The refined EOS’s conceptual framework is an important turning point to support the development of decision making tools for IBS manufacturer towards their stability and survival in this highly competitive industry.

Study on Construction Quality Control of Urban Complex Project Based on BIM

Urban complex of high efficiency, complex, intensive determines its modernization, urbanization, internationalization of the inevitable product. And it will become the city's landmark buildings and promotes local economic and cultural development. In the construction of urban construction should be quality-oriented, because of which BIM information sharing, features and functions for the construction of the project providing a lot of help to provide quality protection to ensure that construction quality standards Based on the construction of urban complex project, this paper analyzes the construction characteristics and construction quality control difficulties of the project. Then combining BIM technology and AR technology in the concrete application of the construction stage, the project construction quality is enhanced through prior control anf prosesscontrol and post control. Construction quality control for the future urban complex and the use of BIM technology aims to provide reference and improve project quality and construction industry production efficiency.

Problems, Conditions and Factors of Formation of Competitive Potential of the Construction Industry Enterprise

Objectives: To develop conceptual provisions and methodical bases, creating conditions for the growth of competitive advantages of construction industry companies. Methods: The study used a systematic, objective-functional, structural and optimization methods to solve these problems, expanding the scope of the subject-functional, resource and market and marketing approaches to the development and effective use of competitive potential, allowing wholistically representing the mechanism of planning and forecasting of its composition and structure, substantiation of criteria and indicators for effective use, development of marketing strategy, contributing to the assessment of alternative opportunities and selection of the most priority directions of use of the construction industry companies resources. Findings: The article defines the tactics of market positioning of the construction industry company, underlying its competitive status formation, determined by the level of investment, competitive strategy and competitive potential. A structural model of planning and forecasting competitive potential, depending on the stages of construction industry company lifecycle has been proposed. The necessity of applying marketing approach to the formation of competitive potential, based on the principle of customization, which establishes a relationship between the sovereignty of the consumers and the maximum satisfaction of consumer preferences in conditions of limited solvency and predictability of demand for construction industry products has been justified. It is proved that economic potential of the construction industry companies, being a factor of competition, becomes competitive only when its elements are structurally and functionally able to implement an effective marketing strategy and business ideas. Improvements: Article materials are of scientific and practical value for the development of instrumental database of diagnostics, analysis and assessment of the level of competitive potential; they orient the heads of construction industry companies to achieve strategic and tactical management purposes to ensure their long-term effective operation and development in market conditions.