Industrialised House Building Research Articles

Job and product rotation for maximising the production output on multi mixed-model assembly lines for element prefabrication in industrialised housebuilding

This paper analyses the production planning for the multi mixed-model assembly lines (MMMAL) for building elements prefabrication. Industrialised housebuilding (IHB) prefabrication plants struggle with increasing the productivity of existing prefabrication equipment through the application of traditional planning methods. This research aims to apply a linear programming model to solve this planning problem. To test the model a wall element prefabrication plant with three distinct lines formed the test ground. Three scenarios are defined and evaluated to map job and product rotation, this is to generate more flexibility and enable better response to bottlenecks. The model is implemented to determine the optimal solution for each scenario and the experiments were done with real production data. Firstly, the formation of floater groups to improve worker scheduling and, secondly, the product rotation, is expanded to circumvent production bottlenecks. In a third scenario, the previous two are combined. The linear optimisation model allowed to improve the production planning for MMMAL by increasing the output by more than 50 % compared to the initial situation. Additionally, more than 70 % skilled worker resources can be saved. The contribution of this paper is that it shows the improvement potential in production planning for MMMAL through the application of an optimisation model using a combination of job and product rotation.

Supporting the Reuse of Design Assets in ETO-Based Components—A Case Study from an Industrialised Post and Beam Building System

The ability to offer customisation has been considered as a competitive advantage for industrialised house building (IHB) companies. Product platform approaches have been acknowledged as one of the prominent ways to improve both internal and external efficiency. However, the use of traditional platform-based strategies does not suffice for the design of engineer-to-order (ETO)-based components in a building system. The purpose of this research is to test and evaluate how the reuse of design assets can be achieved by using a parametric modelling approach to support the design process of ETO-based components in a post and beam building system. This is an additional study using the design platform approach (DPA) that contributes to expanding the knowledge for designing ETO-based components. This research proposes a parametric design platform method developed by following an inductive approach based on the findings from a detailed study on bracket connection with a single case study in a Swedish multi-storey house building company. The proposed method offers flexibility in modelling ETO building components, facilitates design automation, and shows a 20-times improvement in the modelling process. This approach can be used in any building system with ETO-based components by identifying, formalising, and reusing connected design assets. A key finding is that the ETO components can be shifted towards configurable solutions to achieve platform-based design.

Product platform alignment in industrialised house building

ABSTRACT Vertical integration of supply chains has enabled industrialised house-building companies to develop and use product platforms. Constant changes in the external business environment, such as customer needs, legal requirements and demand fluctuations, continually compel companies to strategically align their product platforms with market position and offering accordingly. Achieving alignment is often hindered by a lack of understanding of the interplay between the external business environment, product platform, offering and market position. The knowledge on product platform alignment in this industry exists in the literature; however, a coherent description of product platform alignment is missing. The aim of this research was, therefore, to expand the knowledge on the strategic aspects of product platforms by describing product platform alignment in industrialised house building. Empirical data were collected in two Swedish companies producing timber-frame single-family houses. The developed model provides a coherent description of product platform alignment via five alignment modes that group interplays between product platform, business model and the external business environment, whereas identified challenges additionally enrich the description. Formalisation of the product platform knowledge and the changeability of manufacturing systems are identified as two main enablers of achieving product platform alignment.

Identification of challenges and success factors in industrialised house building design

The transformation from a traditional to an industrialised house building system requires a strong focus on the design phase, as several factors must be considered and the decisions taken impact both productivity and the value created for customers. The main purpose of this study is to explore the existing challenges and outline the critical success factors to be considered in the design phase of industrialised house building. A multiple-case study was conducted by linking five Swedish timber-based house building companies using different building systems. Empirical data were gathered from 27 semi-structured interviews. The findings contribute to an increased understanding of the existing challenges and knowledge on the critical success factors in the design phase by classifying them into internal and external factors. Moreover, the building system is considered a bridge linking both, and these factors can be used as a decision making support tool for the evaluation and validation of the design solution. Therefore, individual support for the prioritised factors is critical for achieving an efficient design process. The results show that fixed production, not the building system, is crucial for identifying success factors. Finally, manufacturability and assembly factors were identified as prioritised and generally important factors in industrialised building.

Understanding industrialised house building as a company’s dynamic capabilities

PurposeTo further the understanding of industrialised house building (IHB) from a temporal, emergent corporate-ability perspective, this study aims to trace the build-up of corporate assets in an IHB company over time. The research draws on dynamic capabilities, acknowledging not only what assets the company have developed and currently are exploiting, but also how these assets were develop and managed (i.e. enhanced, combined, protected and potentially reconfigured) to sustain long-term competitiveness.Design/methodology/approachA case study design was used to form a narrative that covers the evolution of an IHB company over a 25-year period. Corporate archival material, analysis of original data from a large number of research studies during 1993-2013 and retrospective reflections of owners and managers, including crosschecking interpretations of archival material, developed and triangulated the narrative.FindingsThe study presents rich empirical findings on the build-up of corporate assets. Starting from a successive process of exploration and exploitation formation of dynamic capabilities eventually played out into an exponential dynamic capability build-up. The IHB case company displays the ability to not only continuously exploit and renew resources and competences, but also to sense, seize and reconfigure cumulative assets over time. The exponential development of dynamic capabilities resonates to literature on higher-order dynamic capabilities implying that: the accumulated and higher-order dynamic capabilities are difficult to imitate and a (any) company must possess higher-order dynamic capabilities to be able to exploit and/or take up IHB.Originality/valueThe study is complementing and potentially challenging frequent framings of the IHB concept. Previous research has addressed and characterised IHB mainly by encapsulating a moment in time and, thus, characteristics are momentary and represent static views on IHB. However, IHB has seen a strong development over the past 25 years, and the study reflects on this development from the perspective of one of the IHB-forerunner companies in Sweden. By exploring from a company perspective the developments, reconfiguration and capacity to develop/reconfigure over time in a changing environment, the study introduces an alternative understanding of IHB as dynamic capabilities.

Technology transfer in the construction industry

The demand for affordable, high-quality homes and premises has increased as society has evolved. Construction companies have shown that an industrialised housebuilding (IHB) platform strategy is an effective way of meeting exacting customer requirements. We decided to apply a managerial perspective and consider the IHB platform as a technological solution when investigating technology transfer (TT) in a construction context. Drawing on a meta-analysis of the literature and a qualitative case study at an IHB company, this work examines how two construction companies participate in TT. The results show that the IHB platform strategy can help a company overcome uncertainties associated with the TT process. Furthermore, the platform strategy supports the transferability of IHB to different markets, which, in turn, provides unique opportunities for companies from other contexts to enter the construction market. Our findings also revealed that CEOs from three construction companies were not only interested in TT due to potential profit improvements, but also considered how the process could benefit their employees and the community. This may be a result that is specific to Nordic culture or insight into a unique characteristic of the broad construction industry. This study contributes knowledge to the scarce research field of TT in a construction context. It provides evidence for how further cases of TT may disrupt the construction industry in terms of new business models or companies from the diverse field entering the market.

Overcoming Path Dependency in an Industrialised House-Building Company through Entrepreneurial Orientation

Although it is well-established that industrialised construction can improve construction companies’ productivity, the uptake of industrialised ways of working has been slow and traditional construction companies remain unwilling to move towards industrialisation. One key reason is that there is little understanding of how construction companies can overcome path dependency (PD). Drawing on a longitudinal case study looking at an industrialised house-building (IHB) company, this work investigates how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has influenced the development of a construction company that was able to transform from a traditional construction company to an IHB company over 25 years and to overcome PD in the process. The study found that by focusing on a niche market segment, developing a platform in collaboration with external actors, and an entrepreneurial mindset supported the company in overcoming its PD. However, being the “first-mover” in the industry created new path dependencies that may hinder other companies from entering this specific niche market area and the development of the industry as a whole. This study contributes to the theoretical buildup of EO, PD and strategic orientations of IHB companies, and contributes to practitioners’ understanding of IHB companies from a strategic management contingency perspective.

Logistics Strategy for Industrialised House Building

Construction Logistics has recently emerged as an important consideration for Industrialized House Building (IHB). Previous research has demonstrated that construction logistics improves IHB through: the clarification of interfaces along the supply chain; increased supply chain efficiency; more productive construction sites; the transfer of value-adding activities from site to the supply chain; and the integration of site and supply chain. IHB research has commonly focused on buildings as product, their technical design and production, as well as the process of these activities. IHB companies seek the integration of these two aspects. However, there is growing realization of the value of integrating the supply chain through a focus on logistics. This paper argues that in order to achieve a tripartite integration of product, process, and logistics, that first an overarching company-level logistics strategy is required. A strategic perspective enables a separation of high-level logistics decisions from those that are operational in nature, in the same way that product platforms have assisted IHB. This separation is critical in overcoming the peculiarities of construction. This authors identify design-thinking as a powerful tool to assist in the future implementation of logistics strategy in order to drive the creation of contextually specific logistics solutions. Two company case studies from Sweden reveal two distinct forms of logistics strategy. These case studies, through comparative analysis, show how logistics strategies for IHB might emerge as design-led ‘logistics platforms’ that utilize the principles of standardization, modularity, and re-usability in order to achieve the flexibility demanded by construction. This paper proposes that a focus on IHB logistics strategy as a platform be implemented to allow effective integration of construction’s supply chain. The result of this approach is a re-usable, continually improving platform for construction logistics that can co-ordinate differing product and process approaches.

Industrialised house-building – development and conceptual orientation of the field

Purpose– This article aims to describe the development of industrialised house-building (IHB) to increase the understanding of the field.Design/methodology/approach– The study is based on an extensive literature study and a case study with three companies, studied between 2005 and 2013 which enabled an in-depth knowledge about the companies’ development within IHB. Interviews, observations and document studies are the main sources of information in the case studies.Findings– IHB is a complex field, consisting of several constructs that need to be integrated and continuously developed. Development of structured technical building systems has been central to the development of IHB along with developed production methods and processes. The interest in organisational fit or adaptation to industrialisation and strategy concerning business, production and products is increasing. This implies that IHB needs to be managed strategically and not on a building project level.Practical implications– The article gives an orientation on how leading companies have structured and organised their work within industrialisation, giving valuable advice to practitioners with interest in the field.Originality/value– This article describes the development of IHB based on studies of literature and three Swedish IHB companies’ development. This provides an aggregated view of the field’s emergence and unique information about the studied companies’ development.

Industrialised house building in the UK, 1965–1977

From the late 1950s to the late 1970s the use of industrialised methods of building in the U.K. took place almost entirely in the public sector: local authorities and new towns. Having first established this proposition, the paper continues to describe in quantitative terms: (i) the proportion of all local authority housing built by industrialised methods; (ii) the distribution of industrialised building among regions and local authorities; (iii) the type of dwelling produced in relation to the form of the building, the method of construction and the material used; (iv) the major systems involved, and finally (v) the costs. A summary of the major findings of such a quantitative analysis may be found in the conclusions.

Industrialised house building, 1956–1976

During the 1950s and 1960s policies based on the principles of industrialised building were introduced in many countries. The paper will summarise the data on the extent to which industrialised methods of building were used in the countries of Eastern and Western Europe. The major conclusion from the paper is that the widespread and continued use of industrialised building was directly related to the scale of the public housing sector.