Title: A simulation case study on supply chain management of a construction firm adopting cloud computing and RFID

Authors: Meral Sahin; Hoo Sang Ko; H. Felix Lee; Marcelo Azambuja

Addresses: Department of Computer Science, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK ' Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL 62026, USA ' Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL 62026, USA ' Department of Construction, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, IL 62026, USA

Abstract: Recently, construction firms have been implementing lean manufacturing practices to reduce waste and improve performance. Information technology (IT) systems are introduced to facilitate implementation of lean practices in construction. However, many construction firms are small to medium-sized and do not have enough resources to implement sophisticated and expensive IT solutions. This research presents a cost-effective and easy-to-use cloud-based system integrated with RFID that increases visibility and traceability of material and information flows of construction supply chains. Simulation models for a local construction firm are developed to evaluate the firm's performance under the existing and the proposed system so as to show the feasibility of the proposed system and its impact. Simulation results show that the proposed system significantly outperforms the current system on various performance measures. The real-time information provided by the proposed system enables users to promptly change inventory/fabrication/installation/shipping schedules against unexpected events taking place in construction supply chains.

Keywords: simulation; supply chain management; SCM; construction firm; cloud computing; radio frequency identification; RFID; lean construction; information technology; IT; small to medium enterprises; SME; material tracking; construction supply chain.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISE.2017.086269

International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, 2017 Vol.27 No.2, pp.233 - 254

Received: 27 Jun 2015
Accepted: 05 Sep 2015
Published online: 04 Sep 2017 *

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