MANUFACTURERS´ PREPAREDNESS FOR AGILE CONSTRUCTION

The purpose of this paper is to compare supply chain operations of a number of construction related organisations against lean and agile constructs outlined in the literature. An exploratory case study approach is used in this study. This involves a researcher ´embedded´ in a ´design and build´ construction company. A number of product suppliers are investigated via semi-structured phone interviews and company visits. The findings are then compared to the constructs of lean and agile supply chains. The findings highlight that construction supply chains may benefit by adopting agile principles. A number of common supply chain problems experienced by manufacturers in the construction industry are outlined and a number of potential solutions are presented. While this research offers a detailed examination of specific supply chains, further work is required to produce results that can be more readily generalised. A number of areas are identified for further research. The lean manufacturing paradigm has been well explored in a construction context but little research has focused on how the principles of agile manufacturing can be applied. This paper offers guidelines on enabling suppliers to satisfy the construction industry´s demand requirements.