Fabrice Berroir

Supply Chain Management using Construction Consolidation Centres, kitting and Third-Party Logistics were proposed to streamline material flows in construction and reduce costs. Studies also highlight potential mitigation of the environmental impacts of the Construction Supply Chain but, despite the climate emergency, these solutions struggle to become industry practice. Digitalization, especially with Building Information Modelling based processes, appears as a key enabler for this transition… Voir plus

Supply Chain Management using Construction Consolidation Centres, kitting and Third-Party Logistics were proposed to streamline material flows in construction and reduce costs. Studies also highlight potential mitigation of the environmental impacts of the Construction Supply Chain but, despite the climate emergency, these solutions struggle to become industry practice. Digitalization, especially with Building Information Modelling based processes, appears as a key enabler for this transition, but it is hindered by heterogeneous data between construction companies and suppliers (made of manufacturers and resellers). Therefore, semantic Digital Twins, that can use Product Information Management, and recent norms on Product Data Templates have been proposed, but they need to be studied through practical cases from both construction site and supply chain perspectives. Consequently, this study applies a Design Science Approach involving 3 pilot projects, a manufacturer and digital supply chain experts around the development of a proof of concept of a Digital Twin tool for Lean and green logistics in construction. We identify what limitations of classical technologies used in the pilots could be addressed by a Digital Twin, we define what product data is needed for such a use case, and we compare practical scenarios for sharing and storing this data. Voir moins

The construction industry generates more waste than any other industry. Waste management is getting more and more attention as the policies and mentalities evolve to face the challenges ahead: climate change, materials shortage, circular economy. Most of the waste management activities consist in waste sorting and is carried out downstream of the construction execution, resulting in lower material recovery performance. This paper proposes a method to segregate waste (separate waste based on how… Voir plus

The construction industry generates more waste than any other industry. Waste management is getting more and more attention as the policies and mentalities evolve to face the challenges ahead: climate change, materials shortage, circular economy. Most of the waste management activities consist in waste sorting and is carried out downstream of the construction execution, resulting in lower material recovery performance. This paper proposes a method to segregate waste (separate waste based on how it is created) to enhance the reuse, recovery, and recycling of construction waste. Therefore, it investigates the applicability of Lean Construction methods and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and their potential synergy. Directly applying classical waste management AI tools (as used in recycling centers) was tested based on real case data. It required an excessive need for data and training. Alternatively, a Lean Construction framework based on a combination of the 5S method, and the Takt Time Planning method was proposed. It enables the streamlining of flows in order to mitigate the impact of on-site constraints on AI training. We instrumented this Lean Construction approach with an AI tool that checks the quality of the construction waste segregation process by detecting mixed materials in dumpsters Voir moins

The traditional construction logistics is managed in silos, which leads to time losses on sites and increased project costs due to repeated handling/moving of materials. Moreover, these uncontrolled flows of deliveries also have a proved environmental impact. Alternative approaches intend to centralize these flows using a Construction Consolidation Centre (CCC), which allows to deliver material just-in-time as a kit, directly at the workplace. The purpose of this research is to evaluate if this… Voir plus

The traditional construction logistics is managed in silos, which leads to time losses on sites and increased project costs due to repeated handling/moving of materials. Moreover, these uncontrolled flows of deliveries also have a proved environmental impact. Alternative approaches intend to centralize these flows using a Construction Consolidation Centre (CCC), which allows to deliver material just-in-time as a kit, directly at the workplace. The purpose of this research is to evaluate if this supply chain management methods can drive the construction sectors towards more efficient and sustainable practices. Therefore, this paper describes, from the General Contractor’s perspective, the implementation of a CCC between 2019 and 2020 for a Residential Tower project, for the first time in Luxembourg. Increased productivity, reduced costs, and reduced carbon footprint of the transportation flows were observed based on measures throughout the entire project. Beyond these evidences that more sustainable practices are achievable in construction, the paper discusses adherence of workers and subcontractors as well as organisational and technological prerequisites and perspectives. Accordingly, this collaborative model appears as a relevant way to build and strengthen partnerships between the construction stakeholders by improving day-to-day work. Therefore, CCC and kitting appear as a practical solution for the current economic and environmental challenges and more awareness should be put on this topic to allow its diffusion to the whole sector. Voir moins

Supply chain management was originally proposed to improve construction sites performances, nonetheless this simultaneously presents a potential solution for reducing the carbon footprint of the construction sector. Therefore, both environmental and cost impacts must be considered in order to raise the sector’s awareness and foster change towards more sustainable practices. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the applicability of such a model for the supply chain by implementing… Voir plus

Supply chain management was originally proposed to improve construction sites performances, nonetheless this simultaneously presents a potential solution for reducing the carbon footprint of the construction sector. Therefore, both environmental and cost impacts must be considered in order to raise the sector’s awareness and foster change towards more sustainable practices. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the applicability of such a model for the supply chain by implementing Just-in-Time deliveries using kitting and a Construction Consolidation Centre managed by a ThirdParty Logistics operator on a real-life construction project. Data was collected on actual tasks durations, time losses for site’s workers and deliveries, and used as input to estimate the corresponding values with a traditional logistics and to model impact on both direct and indirect costs for comparison and discussion. Findings indicate that this new logistics paradigm can lead to productivity improvements and overall reduction in transportation needs. These have an implicit positive impact on both the environment and cost savings, which are calculated and discussed. Based on these results, it is argued that the adoption of this model contributes to a lean-green deal by demonstrating the positive impact of Lean Construction techniques towards better supply chain integration. Voir moins

LEAN Management is rapidly gaining interest in the construction industry, while stakeholders have to improve productivity and efficiency of building processes. Such management methods and principles proved to be useful in other sectors (e.g. automotive), and most of the feedbacks in construction projects are positive, although it is recognized that important implementation efforts are required. In parallel, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a key approach in making the projects' processes… Voir plus

LEAN Management is rapidly gaining interest in the construction industry, while stakeholders have to improve productivity and efficiency of building processes. Such management methods and principles proved to be useful in other sectors (e.g. automotive), and most of the feedbacks in construction projects are positive, although it is recognized that important implementation efforts are required. In parallel, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a key approach in making the projects' processes more fluent, transparent and integrated, although some barriers (both technological and contractual) make its adoption slower than it was initially expected. This article describes some findings of an action-research project investigating links between both approaches. It defines a two-steps technological proposal for LEAN methods, towards a full-BIM information system for LEAN management of construction processes. First, the Smart Construction Planner is a response for implanting digital LEAN methods at short-term, on construction sites. Second, a mapping of 4D/BIM uses to LEAN methods and principles defines the way to future LEAN/BIM IT developments. Voir moins

In order to sustainably reduce wastes on construction sites, companies need to know where they should start their Lean journey and how the different Lean tools can practically be used together. Based on a two years research project in Paris involving 15 construction sites of a major French company, this paper compares a top down and a bottom up implementation approach. During the first part of the project, Lean actions were decided by top managers using company-wide indicators. The focus was… Voir plus

In order to sustainably reduce wastes on construction sites, companies need to know where they should start their Lean journey and how the different Lean tools can practically be used together. Based on a two years research project in Paris involving 15 construction sites of a major French company, this paper compares a top down and a bottom up implementation approach. During the first part of the project, Lean actions were decided by top managers using company-wide indicators. The focus was put on 5S programs in order to bring stability, to introduce Lean thinking on sites and because it is traditionally described as a part of the foundation of the “Lean House”. In contrast, during the second part of the project, each use of Lean tool (5S, quality control, Last Planner System) was decided with sites crews according to local measures. Implementation methods, performances, commitment of the crews and sustainability of both approaches are discussed using case studies in order to provide practical recommendations on the use of Lean tools. Ultimately the paper shows how digital technologies can support field implementation by improving data collection and decision making. Voir moins