A Case Study on Early Stage Adoption of Lean Practices in Prefabricated Construction Industry

Abstract

Prefabricated construction involves the manufacturing of the components off-site or in a separate production facility located on-site. Prefabricated construction industry lends itself easily to new technologies and concepts used in the manufacturing industry. The application of lean concepts to streamline processes by identifying and eliminating wastes in the prefabricated construction is a good example. This paper presents a case study of a real-life industry example of an early-stage adoption of lean practices in prefabricated housing module manufacturer using techniques such as 5S, waste elimination and standard work to improve the productivity of the overall prefabrication process. The challenges of implementing lean practices at a construction setting and possible countermeasures are also presented and discussed. It was observed that even at the early stages of adoption, these lean practices enable better housekeeping, consistent work quality and reliable work processes in the manufacturing facility.