Thomas and Ellis provide detailed, straightforward management practices to improve construction site activity and reduce losses in labor productivity from the most common site challenges.
Presents construction productivity concepts. This book includes topics such as measuring labor productivity, establishing a field benchmarking program, negotiating loss of labor efficiency, and recommended practices for productivity enhancement. It is suitable for electrical engineers and students.
First published in 1997, this volume joined the debate assessing the potential of the Just-In-Time management philosophy from the manufacturing industry for Singapore’s construction industry by examining the "off-site" prefabrication of precast concrete components in Singapore, in comparison with traditional management systems. In the wake of the 1991 Strategic Economic Plan of Singapore, which forecasted alarmingly low productivity in the local construction sector, the authors noted that construction in Japan was 35% more productive, whilst Finland was 75% better. Highlighting immense potential for the JIT approach, they explore the JIT philosophy, traditional systems, construction wastes and comparisons between construction and manufacturing.
Construction productivity-how well, how quickly, and at what cost buildings and infrastructure can be constructed-directly affects prices for homes and consumer goods and the robustness of the national economy. Industry analysts differ on whether construction industry productivity is improving or declining. Still, advances in available and emerging technologies offer significant opportunities to improve construction efficiency substantially in the 21st century and to help meet other national challenges, such as environmental sustainability. Advancing the Competitiveness and Efficiency of the U.S. Construction Industry identifies five interrelated activities that could significantly improve the quality, timeliness, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of construction projects. These activities include widespread deployment and use of interoperable technology applications; improved job-site efficiency through more effective interfacing of people, processes, materials, equipment, and information; greater use of prefabrication, preassembly, modularization, and off-site fabrication techniques and processes; innovative, widespread use of demonstration installations; and effective performance measurement to drive efficiency and support innovation. The book recommends that the National Institute of Standards and Technology work with industry leaders to develop a collaborative strategy to fully implement and deploy the five activities
Based on years of research and practical knowledge, Construction Labor Productivity Management and Methods Improvement provides the tools and information for any contractor to effectively manage labor and improve worker productivity. In a labor-intensive industry such as construction, even small improvements in productivity can significantly improve company profits. This book provides a guide to creating a system of productivity, allowing productivity to be measured, quantified and improved.
Construction Project Management offers some of the best project management studies commissioned by ELECTRI International: The Foundation for Electrical Construction that were selected, coordinated, and monitored by some of the most progressive contractors and performed by outstanding scholars from top U.S. universities. Topics include pre-construction planning, early warning signs of project distress, impact of change orders, project sequencing, ideal jobsite inventory levels, tool and material control systems, recommended safety practices, partnering, total quality management, quality assurance, performance evaluations, and contract risk management. All specialty and general contractors will find value in this practical book. The concepts presented will improve your understanding of the main issues affecting construction project management and will provide you with tools and strategies to enhance your company's productivity and profitability.
Accounting for Construction follows on from Measuring Construction, edited by the same team. It extends the coverage of some of the material in the first volume and expands the range of related topics to include, inter alia, shadow economies, accounting for informal construction and the treatment of the built environment sector in national accounts. Taken together, the two volumes collate a range of topics that are only addressed, if addressed at all, in occasional academic papers and the publications of bodies such as national statistical offices and the World Bank. Accounting for Construction presents international examples from the UK, Australia and New Zealand and from both academic and professional contributors. This book is essential reading for all researchers and professionals interested in construction economics, construction management, and anyone interested in how the construction industry affects the global economy in ways previously under-represented in the literature.