Site logistics planning and control for engineer-to-order prefabricated building systems using BIM 4D modeling

There has been a growing demand for engineer-to-order (ETO) prefabricated building systems, in which a unique product must fulfill the requirements of specific clients. Although industrialized building systems can potentially simplify the production process, there is usually a high level of complexity in ETO production systems, such as uncertainty in client demands, short lead-time, overlapping between project stages, and resources that are shared among different projects. In this context, logistics management plays a key role in terms of achieving project goals related to cost, time and safety. This research work proposes the combined use of principles from the Lean Production Philosophy and Building Information Modeling (BIM), as a mechanism to cope with the complexity involved in those types of projects. Although these can be regarded as two separate approaches for improving the performance of production systems in the construction industry, there are evidences that there is much synergy between them. This paper reports the development of a logistics planning and control model for site assembly of ETO prefabricated building systems using BIM 4D modeling. The main theoretical contribution of this research work is the understanding of the synergies between Lean principles and BIM functionalities that are applicable to site logistics management, providing an example of how this body of knowledge can be expanded. This investigation also provides some practical contributions on how to carry out logistics planning and control at different hierarchical levels, with the support of BIM 4D modeling, aligning this process with the Last Planner System of production control. Design science research was the methodological approach adopted in this investigation, and the proposed model was developed and tested in empirical studies carried out in a steel fabricator company that designs, fabricates and assemblies steel structures.