行銷硏究 : Marketing research

The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods

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Engineering the future.

To improve the performance of the construction industry, innovative methods were introduced to make them better. Industrialised building systems (IBS) and prefabrication construction are the popular methods used and studied. However, these methods are still unable to meet the demands of the stakeholders. Design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) is a design principle that is seen as capable of improving the situation. The uptake of DfMA in the construction industry needs to be analysed to obtain a better picture of the existing condition of the method and its manner of implementation it going forward, but there are still too few studies performed on this topic. This paper gathers relevant articles from the previous studies on DfMA. With the available data, the main benefits, hindrance factors, and enabling factors for DfMA uptake in the construction industry were identified in this study. The authors also identified the research trend among the research themes and the benefits of building information modelling (BIM) integration with DfMA. By synthesising the information from previous studies, a conceptual framework was developed. Knowledge gaps and future potential research topics are also discussed in this paper, forming a simple research framework for future effort guidance. With a suitable strategy and guidelines, the application of DfMA could improve the performance of the construction industry in Malaysia and other places with similar construction environments and approaches.

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DfMA for a Better Industrialised Building System

Sustainability implications of using precast concrete in construction: An in-depth project-level analysis spanning two decades

Design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) is an important part of the future of the construction industry due to the promise of speed of project delivery, quality control, worker safety, and waste minimization onsite via the purposeful design for manufacture and assembly offsite. However, the adoption of DfMA in Australia has been slow. This paper investigates the barriers prohibiting widespread uptake and how digital construction will be a catalyst for improving use on commercial-scale projects. A total of six leading experts were interviewed to elicit their opinions, and seven recent case studies of high-rise modular apartment and hotel buildings constructed by Hickory were cross-referenced as evidence of DfMA capability. The experts suggested that the reasons for slow adoption in Australia were community mindset, government regulations and incentives, planning and building codes, unionization and business politics, finance, and supply chain management. The case studies suggest that compatible building type and transportation distance are also factors. These barriers can be addressed by the clever integration of building information modelling tools with lean construction processes as part of a proposed strategy leading to smarter (more productive) and better (more sustainable) outcomes predicated on growth in digital construction practices. The paper concludes with a proposed framework for change that conceptualizes the ‘ecosystem’ needed to support widespread DfMA in the Australian context, including the paradigm shift from building to manufacturing/assembly, the displacement of workers from onsite to offsite activity, and the expansion of interdisciplinary design and construct collaboration.

Weiwei Zhang

Papers

DfMA: Towards an integrated strategy for a more productive and sustainable construction industry in Australia