Drivers, constraints and the future of offsite manufacture in Australia

Abstract

PurposeMuch has been written on offsite manufacture (OSM) in construction, particularly regarding the perceived benefits and barriers to implementation. However, very little understanding of the state of OSM in the Australian construction industry exists. A “scoping study” was recently conducted to determine the “state‐of‐the‐art” of OSM in Australia. The purpose of this paper is to report on the overall findings of the study.Design/methodology/approachThe study took a broad qualitative survey‐based approach. This involved three industry workshops, several interviews and seven case studies across four major states of Australia. The study surveyed a range of suppliers across the construction supply‐chain, incorporating the civil, commercial and housing segments of the market.FindingsThe study revealed that skills shortages and lack of adequate OSM knowledge are generally the greatest issues facing OSM in Australia. OSM uptake into the future is dependent on many factors, not least of which is a better understanding of the construction process and its associated costs. Unlike the USA and UK, the Australian construction industry faces unique challenges in how it transforms construction into a modern and efficient industry.Originality/valueThis is the first work undertaken to determine the benefits and barriers to OSM in the Australian construction industry.

Motivational Factors on Adopting Modular Coordination Concept in Industrialized Building System (IBS)

“…Open building system enables the production of building components produce by various different factories. As the results, the products are compatible for any IBS's buildings even the components are supplied from different IBS's suppliers [8]. In order to objectify the implementation of open building system, the adoption of MC is vital as it is an international system of dimensional standardization in building.…”

“…The components are then positioned and assembled into structures. The production in a controlled environment able to reduce the numbers of workers involved, shorten the construction period, increase quality of buildings, reduce cost and enhance occupational health and safety [8][9][10]. With the coordination for measurement system and open building concepts, this construction technique will improve the project deliverables.…”

Challenges in the Management of IBS Construction Projects

“…Other problems in relation to transportation are that the limit for large component due to items' mass, road widths, bridge load capacity and transport curfews (Blismas and Wakefield, 2009). Most of the IBS manufacturers and factory located in west peninsular Malaysia.…”

“…However, most of the available skill workers are still lack of appropriate technical skills and knowledge (Pan et. al., 2004), and it is difficult to attract new workers and train them with new IBS skills (Blismas and Wakefield, 2009). Deficiency in skills and knowledge resulted to improper assembly of the components (Kamar et.…”

A Review on Industrialised Building System Issues in Malaysia

“…According to Blismas [6] and CIDB [7], construction industry in developed countries has started to adapt IBS as a method of attaining better construction quality and productivity, reducing risks related to occupational safety and health, alleviating issues for skilled workers and dependency on manual foreign labor, and achieving the ultimate goal of reducing the overall cost of construction in order to minimal wastage, fewer site materials, a cleaner and neater environment, controlled quality and lower total construction costs [2]. On the same note, IBS adoption in Malaysia has long historical note since the 1960s to overcome shortage of houses such as Flat Pekeliling for Police Diraja Malaysia.…”